Plyometrics - Speed and Power

I never was a sports minded person, as a teen I was more apt to be found wearing headphones than cleets, more likely to found riding around with friends than running with the team.  It's odd that now, in my forties I suddenly have the desire to increase my speed, dexterity and power.

Doing the INSANITY work out, has affected the way I am looking at fitness overall.  Prior to this workout, my goals were asthetic, weightloss and appearence.  Now, having reached (and passed) my target weight, my motivations have become more atheletic.  I want to increase my speed, power and endurance, while at the same time working on my flexibility.

I was discussing these goals with some gym rats, and the HBO show Hard Knocks was mentioned.  Hard Knocks follows the Cinncinatti Bengals football team through their training camp.  Watching that show, it is amazing the speed and footwork some the bigger guys have.  Many of the drills that they go through are mirrored in INSANITY moves, such as Football Sprints, Hurdles, Power Jumps, and the various jacks.

All of these types of drills and exercise fall in the category of Plyometrics, this definition is from WIkipedia: 

Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. Plyometrics is used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, often with the goal of increasing the height of a jump.

As I have been researching this method of exercise, I've found most programs are specifically designed for a your target sport, whether it be volleyball, martial arts, soccer, etc.  Insanity does not focus specifically on any one of these sports, combining Football Sprints, Basketball Jumps, Jabs and Uppercuts along with maximum intensity cardio.

A word of caution, many trainers and sports medicine physicians are hesitant to recommend plyometric because they beleive there is an increased risk of injury.  So do some research, talk with your doctor, and decide for yourself. Here are some links to begin your research:

•  http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/plyometrics.html

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Week 6: Day 36 Fit Test Results

Power Jumps!

Day 36

We have completed 4 weeks of Insanity and one full week of recovery workouts. Monday started day 36 and Week 6 on the program. We have 4 more weeks of brand new workouts. The schedule for today was to do the Fit test followed by 1 hour of Max Interval Circuit. That's a lot of work! Both Rob and I had great strides this time Tracy Results: Fit test Drill reps/ 60 seconds day 1 day 15 day 36 1. Switch Kicks 56 82 110 2. Power Jacks 50 62 71 3. Power Knees 78 85 93 4. Power Jumps 21 25 41 5. Globe Jumps 6 8 10 6. Suicide Jumps 7 9 14 7.Push Up Jacks 8 13 23 8. Low Plank Oblique 27 28 45 From day one to day 15 I added 49 reps. Day 15-day 26 I added 95 reps Total reps added since day one is 144! Rob Results: Fit test Drill reps/ 60 seconds day 1 day 15 day 36 1. Switch Kicks 96 131 133 2. Power Jacks 63 65 67 3. Power Knees 87 109 144 4. Power Jumps 44 60 63 5. Globe Jumps 9 11 14 6. Suicide Jumps 9 19 16 7.Push Up Jacks 21 21 27 8. Low Plank Oblique 25 24 41 From day one to day 15,Rob added 86 reps. Day 15-day 26 I adde Rob added 65 reps Total reps added since day one is 151! We wil have video for you shortly!!

Day 34 INSANITY recovery week

Update: Day 34

We are still in the recovery week and tomorrow is our off day. We've had the same workout, Core Cardio and Balance all week. I still really like this week's workout and I'm bummed we won't see it again. The balance section is amazing so I know I'll be adding that into my workout arsenal. This week I think Rob and I both have been a little less energetic. I'm pretty sure that's common because Shuan T mentions it in the CC&B workout. I started back on Shakeology this week for one meal a day. I can't believe how much better I feel on it. I went with Chocolate this month. If you are not drinking Shakeology, you have to give it a try! I think with any program you need good nutrition but this one is especially. You need fuel! Here's more info on Shakeology. :)

INSANITY and heart rate monitors

Our new Garmin Heart Rate monitor

This week is our recovery week. We are doing the DVD Core Cardio and Balance. I did not preview this DVD until the night before we started recovery week. In my mind I was thinking that this week would be easy and restful. It is not. Core Cardio and Balance is a difficult workout! It starts out with cardio but it's a bit slower. You ramp up your speed with jumps and drills and end the workout with balance drills. The shoulder burners are just the beginning of deep muscle work. You'll feel it! My heart rate skyrocketed during the ISO movements! NEW MONITORS Rob and I found the Garmin Forerunner 50 at Target. It was on clearance for $51.00. It had a retail of $113 so we grabbed them up. This one has the sensors that go around your ribcage and transmit to your watch. I like this one so much better because I don't have to push buttons with my fingers to register a pulse. This device does lots of things but the heart rate portion is so helpful for INSANITY. I noticed that my heart rate stayed in my official 'target' heart rate zone*** for much of the workout as opposed to my maximum heart rate.+++ I find I workout in the 165 bpm area through most of INSANITY's cardio. During Core Cardio and Balance your movements are slow and controlled to focus in on core. However, just because you are controlled, doesn't mean you don't workout hard. Some of the slower ISO movements were pushing my heart rate into (MHR) range! Using a heart rate monitor like this one is so helpful because you can really see the peaks and valleys of the intervals as well as know if you are where you need to be working for max results. If you don't have a sensor monitor like this one, be sure to check them out. Polar also makes one in the 60 dollar range. ***Target heart rate zone is 70-85 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). You can figure this out by taking 220-your age and multiplying that number by 70 and by 85 to give you your range. +++Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) (roughly calculated as 220 minus your age) is the upper limit of what your cardiovascular system can handle during physical activity.