If you want a hard workout, Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit is it. This was my second time doing it and granted it was a bit easier because I kind of knew what was coming up, but it was still tough. Here’s a bit about it:

Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit – Warm up

WARM-UP

Ok, just to make sure you know, this is some extreme plyometric cardio circuits….just as the title says, don’t underestimate what that really means. First we start off with:

Jog – Remember this is interval training, warming up nicely
Jumping Jacks – make sure you do the full jumping jacks
Heisman’s – Jump from one side to the other, keeping your knees high and your core tight.
123 – These are Heisman’s with 3 steps between
High Knees – You are lifting you knees with your abs/core
Mummy Kicks – Kicking your legs out in front of you, with your arms straight and crossing at shoulders height.

Good. So now that you have done your warm up guess what? There is more warm-up, but this time with more intensity so here we go again…NO REST. You do the warm up again… only faster this time.

Great now that we got that out of the way, guess what – Yep we get to do it again….NO REST, even harder this time! This time we are concentrating on speed and accuracy. This is what burns fat quick.If you are not pouring sweat right now, then you didn’t go hard enough. I hit about 165bpm just in the warm-up.

Water Break – Use this 25 second break to get some water or whatever, the key here is to not stop moving.

Stretch – You will be doing a series of leg, hamstring, hip, calf, quadriceps, and back stretches with some upper body stretching mixed in for good measure. I’m not going to go into detail as there are too many.

Water Break – 25 Seconds

Insanity – Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Ok this is it; this is when the fun starts. It’s a good idea to have a heart rate monitor to keep track of how much work you are doing or not doing. My heart rate was around 75% throughout the warm up and peaked at about 80%. Then through the actual workout it went from about 65% to 80%.

SUICIDE DRILLS

With a name like suicide drills you know it’s fun. Actually they are pretty easy. Suicide drills are just like the 1-2-3’s you just did in your warm-up but every time you move side to side, you are touching the ground with your opposite hand of the side you are drilling on (so for left side). You would touch the ground with your right hand, then side step to your opposite side and repeat with your other hand. Make sure you keep your core tight.

POWER SQUATS
Power Squats are just normal squats with a small jump when you come to the top. When doing these, make sure you are pushing that butt out and keeping those arms in front of you for balance.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
This exercise is the standing-up version. Just pretend like you are rock climbing, extend those arms way up, and bring your knee to a 90 degree angle. It’s very important to get your knees and arms up. If not, you are just cheating yourself.

SKI DOWN
Imagine you are downhill skiing, keep both feet together and use your arms to propel yourself down the hill, then with each arm propel you are jumping side to side with your feet together, the key here is to find a grove and cover some ground. Land softly on your feet.

Water Break – 30 Seconds

Repeat another two times, increasing speed for each circuit. Then you think that’s it but you still have some more work to do…

SWITCH FEET
You are going from heel to toe keeping your legs straight and switching your feet and arms left to right. I wasn’t very good at this one, but it was good to loosen off after the circuits.

FOOTBALL WIDE SPRINTS
If you wanted a break this is as good as it’s going to get. Put both hands up and in front of you like you are making a picture frame with your face (thumbs out, both hands at chin and neck level) then crouch down and sprint bow-legged. Vary your workout by switching left, right, and forward and back, also moving left, right, forward and backwards.

Set: After you have moved forward backwards, forward and backwards, the “Set” is you are down in a football stance: Left foot forward, right leg back and place your right hand a few inches next to your left foot. Stay here for no more than 1 second.

Sprint: As fast as you can where you are standing.

Repeat the Football Wide Sprints.

Water Break – 25 Seconds.

Then there’s more:

BASKETBALL DRILLS
Pretend you are in a three point basketball contest and all the balls are on the floor. Reach down, pick up the ball and shoot that long 45 foot three-pointer. This means you have to include a small jump to get the ball in the hoop. If you don’t jump you didn’t make it. Keep the intensity up. Keep your butt down and jump from the squatting position; this is where your power comes from.

LEVEL I DRILLS
This is where it starts to hurt because you are incorporating many different exercises into this drill. I found this tough the first time I did it, but it got easier this time because I found it easier to get into the rhythm:

1. Do 4 Push-ups.
2. From the top push-up position do 4 mountain climbers – Bring your knees to your chest.
3. Stand up and put your hands in the air – Great you just completed 1 Level I Drill.
4. Repeat Level I Drill four more times.

SKI DRILLS
Now we are about to do some Ab work – this was tough…

1. Start off in the Plank position (keep your core tight).
2.  Use your abs and legs (keep your legs and knees together) to jump out to the right (knees toward your chest) while staying in the plank position.
3. Use your abs and legs to jump back into the center.
4. Use your abs and legs (keep your legs and knees together) to jump out to the left (knees toward your chest) while staying in the plank position.
4. Use your abs and legs to jump back into the center. – Great you just completed 1 Ski Drill.

Repeat Ski Drill four more times.

IN-AND-OUTS
These are just like the Ski Drill you just completed – keep your core tight.

1. Start off in the Plank position (keep your core tight).
2. Use your abs and legs (keep your legs and knees together) to jump your knees into your chest while staying in the plank position. – Great you just completed 1 In-and-Out Drill.

Repeat In and outs four more times.

Water Break – 25 Seconds – If you’re not exhausted, you’re not pushing hard enough.

Repeat Basketball Drills, Level 1 Drills, Ski Abs, In and Outs two more times to complete circuit… try not to give up and die… .lol

Then you are hoping it’s all over and it goes into more:

JABS
Take your boxing stance and throw your jabs (fists) with both hands.
Repeat for 30 seconds.

CROSS JACKS
These are like traditional jumping jacks, but instead of moving just going up and down with all hands and legs at the same time, here you a alternating your hands (left to right) and doing switch kicks with your feet like the exercise you just did earlier.
Repeat for 30 seconds.

UPPERCUTS
Just like the jabs you did two exercises ago, take the exact same boxing stance and throw your uppercuts.
Repeat 30 seconds.

ATTACKS
You are using the same stance as you used in your football drills you did earlier. In that same stance you are throwing open palm hits against an imaginary opponent.
Repeat 30 seconds.

Water Break – 25 Seconds

INSANITY PLYOMETRIC CARDIO CIRCUIT

DONE!!!!!!

COOL DOWN STRETCHING

You are doing various cool down stretches to gain flexibility in your now hot muscles. Sean T says Peace out and reminds you to make sure you replenish your muscles with some type of protein and carbs, whether through a shake, a light meal or whatever.

All in all a great workout… 😀 Great for just 40 minutes of hard work!!