As the name suggests Insanity (by Shaun T) is an insane workout completed over 9 weeks. At its core, it has HIIT - the heart rate is elevated through 2-3 minutes of calisthenics/ plyometrics/ body weight exercises interspersed with 30 second rest intervals. One can measure the fitness improvement by taking a test at beginning of program, end of program and once every 2 weeks while on the program. The Fit Test comprises of 3-4 minutes of warm up, 8 exercises done for a minute each with about a minute of rest after each exercise.
I was introduced to Insanity by a co-worker in Jul/Aug of 2012. After listening to him rave about the workout, I decided to take the Fit Test and failed miserably. I barely managed the warm up and couldn't do any of the exercise for the whole minute and after 4th one, I gave up! Sheepishly, I went back to 30 Day Shred and HIIT on treadmill.
But somewhere in my mind this stuck as a failure and I wanted to take my fitness to next level in order to make another attempt at it. In addition, while I had a good repertoire of exercise routines, I wanted to do something new. 2012 was all about 30 Day Shred, running and HIIT on treadmill. So I started 2013 with another two workouts from Jillian Michaels - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Zones.
Both workouts have about 5 minute of warm up, seven circuits of 6 minutes each and about 5 minute of cool down. And each circuit consists of 5 exercises done twice. And this is where the similarity ends. BFBM is a cardio workout that uses kick-boxing and plyometrics and introduces you to interval training. NMTZ, on the other hand, uses dumbbells and in addition to usual concentric & eccentric muscle contractions* associated with strength workouts, NMTZ also utilises isometric contractions*
Whole of Jan 2013, I focused on building my cardio fitness and muscle strength through these two workouts, done on alternate days. In Feb 2013, I added running and swimming back to the mix. In Mar 2013, I added Kick-boxing (three 18 minute workouts from Jillian Michaels) and Kettle Bell workouts (two levels - 25 minute each - again from Jillian Michaels, called Shred It With Weights).
Till date these 4 - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, No More Trouble Zones, Shred It With Weights and kick-boxing remain my most favorite Jillian Michaels workouts. I also tried Six Week Six Pack, Hard Body, Ripped in 30, Extreme Shred & Shred but I felt that either these didn't vary a lot from each other or weren't intense enough. While I would occasionally do 30DS levels 2&3 (together), I mostly stuck to these 4 workouts, running and yoga. Swimming was more of a weekend leisure activity done in evenings in addition to my morning workout.
After 6 months of focused effort to build cardio fitness and strength through this regimen, I retook the Fit Test of Insanity in first week of Jul 2013 and did as well or better than the two participants on the video. Finally I was ready to start the crazy, insane 9 week program!
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*In concentric contraction, the force generated is sufficient to overcome the resistance, and the muscle shortens as it contracts (eg bicep curl)
In eccentric contraction, the force generated is insufficient to overcome the external load on the muscle and the muscle fibers lengthen as they contract. An eccentric contraction is used as a means of decelerating a body part or object, or lowering a load gently rather than letting it drop.
In isometric contraction, the muscle remains the same length. An example would be holding an object up without moving it; the muscular force precisely matches the load, and no movement results.
I was introduced to Insanity by a co-worker in Jul/Aug of 2012. After listening to him rave about the workout, I decided to take the Fit Test and failed miserably. I barely managed the warm up and couldn't do any of the exercise for the whole minute and after 4th one, I gave up! Sheepishly, I went back to 30 Day Shred and HIIT on treadmill.
But somewhere in my mind this stuck as a failure and I wanted to take my fitness to next level in order to make another attempt at it. In addition, while I had a good repertoire of exercise routines, I wanted to do something new. 2012 was all about 30 Day Shred, running and HIIT on treadmill. So I started 2013 with another two workouts from Jillian Michaels - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Zones.
Both workouts have about 5 minute of warm up, seven circuits of 6 minutes each and about 5 minute of cool down. And each circuit consists of 5 exercises done twice. And this is where the similarity ends. BFBM is a cardio workout that uses kick-boxing and plyometrics and introduces you to interval training. NMTZ, on the other hand, uses dumbbells and in addition to usual concentric & eccentric muscle contractions* associated with strength workouts, NMTZ also utilises isometric contractions*
Whole of Jan 2013, I focused on building my cardio fitness and muscle strength through these two workouts, done on alternate days. In Feb 2013, I added running and swimming back to the mix. In Mar 2013, I added Kick-boxing (three 18 minute workouts from Jillian Michaels) and Kettle Bell workouts (two levels - 25 minute each - again from Jillian Michaels, called Shred It With Weights).
Till date these 4 - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, No More Trouble Zones, Shred It With Weights and kick-boxing remain my most favorite Jillian Michaels workouts. I also tried Six Week Six Pack, Hard Body, Ripped in 30, Extreme Shred & Shred but I felt that either these didn't vary a lot from each other or weren't intense enough. While I would occasionally do 30DS levels 2&3 (together), I mostly stuck to these 4 workouts, running and yoga. Swimming was more of a weekend leisure activity done in evenings in addition to my morning workout.
After 6 months of focused effort to build cardio fitness and strength through this regimen, I retook the Fit Test of Insanity in first week of Jul 2013 and did as well or better than the two participants on the video. Finally I was ready to start the crazy, insane 9 week program!
________________________________________________________________________________
*In concentric contraction, the force generated is sufficient to overcome the resistance, and the muscle shortens as it contracts (eg bicep curl)
In eccentric contraction, the force generated is insufficient to overcome the external load on the muscle and the muscle fibers lengthen as they contract. An eccentric contraction is used as a means of decelerating a body part or object, or lowering a load gently rather than letting it drop.
In isometric contraction, the muscle remains the same length. An example would be holding an object up without moving it; the muscular force precisely matches the load, and no movement results.
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