Motivation

Body Rock/Daily HIIT Review

This review is not for a specific workout, but a specific workout group called Body Rock. I discovered this website some time last year and it's a great resource. It's also a FREE resource. The website is full of videos, and instructional videos, as well as nutritional information. The thing that is probably one of my favorite aspects of this website is that the videos are all under 20 minutes long, usually just 12 minutes. As short as they are, they pack a serious punch! You start out at high intensity and don't stop until you're done. These workouts are not for beginners, although they do show you different modifications if your fitness level is not quite as high yet. It's also great because there are always new videos so you aren't doing the same thing all the time and you won't easily get bored.

The workouts are high intensity intervals. They are typically made up 50 seconds work and 10 seconds rest alternating until the workout is finished. Some of the routines require equipment such as: free weights, equalizer, stability ball, and quite frequently a sandbag. They do offer modifications for many of these if you don't have the equipment though. And they even include a Yoga workout occasionally for those looking to build flexibility.

The program also has grown to a new website, called the Daily HIIT. I haven't followed this website as much, but it seems to be a bit more organized and has been divided into different categories including:

** HIIT Core          ** HIIT Reps
** HIIT Light          ** HIIT Prep
** HIIT Body         ** HIIT Bonus
** HIIT Max          ** HIIT Wkend
** HIIT Lean

On the flip side, the workouts can be a bit hard to navigate. They don't come with a set schedule of which workouts to do and when to do them. So if you're someone who likes specific structure, this may be a bit difficult for you. Also, and this is just a personal opinion, but I feel like the host, although very chipper and motivating, is a bit full of herself and as much as the program promotes being beautiful no matter who you are or what you look like, she has changed just about everything she can using plastic surgery in the last year: boobs, nose, and at some point lips. So it's hard for me to see her as a good role model for loving our bodies when she alters hers so much. The behind the scenes stuff can also seem a bit immature at times.

Pros:

• It's FREE
• The workouts are short and easily fit into your day
• The workouts are intense and guaranteed to bring results
• The hosts are high energy and motivational
• The program offers a wide variety of workout styles

Cons:

• The hosts can be a bit full of themselves
• The workouts don't follow a particular schedule
• A lot of the workouts require equipment
• Does not include warm up/cool down

Overall though, I give this one a thumbs up! What you put into a workout is what you get out of it and you have to put a lot into these workouts, which means you also get a lot out of them. If you can get aside the occasional drama on the web page, then it's a great program! 

Insanity Review

After trying P90x for a bit, I decided to look into the Beachbody website for another workout program. I opted to give Insanity a go. I have to admit that I struggled with P90x, but Insanity was a step above even that; the two workout programs are designed very differently. While I enjoyed working out with Tony Horton and P90x, I really enjoyed the new style and energy that Shaun T brings with Insanity.

Insanity is categorized as a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). They call it Max Interval Training. The main idea behind this program is to push the body as hard as you can for 2 minutes and then take a short, 30 second, break before jumping back in. You repeat this cycle over and over until you've reached the end of the workout. The DVD involves great warm up and cool down instructions as well, although, the warm up workout is very much a workout in itself. It is ten minutes long and is nonstop!

The videos typically consist of several circuits. The circuits involve four different moves, each 30 seconds long, totaling 2 minutes. Then you get a 30 second break. Afterwards, you move on to a new circuit, with four new moves. Occasionally, there is a bonus move or two in between circuits.

There are a few videos that break this routine and instead consist of the warm up, followed by about 16 minutes of pure cardio moves, each 1 minute long, and then the cool down. These DVDs are a bit shorter at about 40 minutes long, but really pack a punch.

This DVD program comes with 10 DVDs:

1: Dig Deeper
& Fit Test
2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
3: Cardio Power & Resistance
4: Cardio Recovery
5: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs 
6: Core Cardio & Balance
7: Max Interval Circuit & Fit Test
8: Max Interval Plyo 
9: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
10: Max Recovery

Along with the 10 DVDs, you get:

• Elite Nutrition Plan

• Fitness Guide

• INSANITY Workout Calendar

• FREE Online Support Tools

 

Pros to Insanity:

Shaun T is a fun, high energy trainer
DVDs get to the point, no wasted time at all
Workout program lasts 60 days instead of 90
Workouts are shorter than P90x
Guaranteed to bring results

Cons to Insanity:

May be too extreme for many fitness levels
Some workouts are still a bit long
A little expensive at $120 but you can find it cheaper on other websites
Not recommended for people who have bad knees, as it involves a lot of jump training

This workout is definitely a great workout if you are already at a high level of fitness or athletic ability, but I wouldn't suggest it for a beginner. It's a very high intensity workout, so it may become easy to get burnt out. I always recommend trying everything once (within reason) though, so I would give it a shot. I typically use it now mixed in with a variety of other workout DVDs when I want a high calorie burn workout. So give it a shot!