INSANITY®… ZUMBA ON STEROIDS?

As most of you know by now, we have recently incorporated the Insanity Live® workout into our workout schedule…but why…?  Doing a workout called “Insanity” doesn’t really sound fun.  Like, at all!  But devotees of Shaun T’s Insanity Beachbody program swear it’s worth the sweat and tears.  (Hopefully not blood…☺☺☺)

…Let’s find out – Insanity Live® isn’t a weird cult promoting the loss of one’s marbles, nor a therapy group hoping to relieve you of your angst.  Insanity Live® is an excellent workout in terms of boosting cardiovascular health and strengthening your system.  It fuses callisthenics (bodyweight exercises) with plyometric work (jump variations) and really turns old-school interval training right on its head.  It’s called Max Interval Training, because it keeps your body working at maximum capacity right through the workout.  In most HIIT workouts, you crank out 30 to 45 seconds of effort, followed by a short rest period.  But with Insanity®, you bust a move for a full three to five minutes, with still only a few seconds to recover in between exercises.  The idea is to increase your aerobic fitness level while burning fat and sculpting the muscles…You can really burn up to 900 calories during this 50- minute workout!

Insanity Live® targets the core, arms, legs, glutes and back, and is suitable for everyone.  During the entire workout your instructor gives modifications – which makes the workout doable for newbies, for those who have decent cardiovascular fitness AND for those who are super fit.

The Insanity Live® Workout is seen as one of the most action-packed, shirt soaking, challenging fitness programs on the planet.  Every sweaty class will help improve your strength, power, endurance, and agility. You’ll leave energised—and proud of what you just accomplished. ​​​​​​​Sounds jumpy and fast….?

WRONG! Remember, High Intensity doesn’t have to mean high impact. Every person’s high intensity is different from everyone else in class. With timed segments, you don’t even have to follow the beat of the music, you simply get in as many repetitions as is right for you!

…Many of you might already be familiar with the Insanity® DVDs of Shaun T that were sold by Verimark a few years back.  So, what has changed?  In 2014, Beach Body, the company behind the Insanity home-workout DVDs began to roll out Insanity® classes live in gyms, studios and halls in the United States, Canada and the UK, and from there it just exploded.  Today there are more than 20 000 qualified Insanity Live® instructors around the world, and we are extremely privileged to welcome one of them in the comfort of our studio!

She is Edrei du Toit, who not only recently completed her Insanity Live® Instructor Certification, but who is also a passionate advocate of the Insanity® program and its remarkable results.  While Edrei was doing au pair-work in America, she joined a gym who presented Insanity Live® classes, and really got hooked.  She relates how, after a few months into training, she went on a tough hiking trip, and there realised the amazing strength and stamina the workout has brought about…

Is the workout hard?  Hell yes, it WILL kick your butt, but it will soon become manageable – you`ll be surprised how dramatically your endurance increases when you do the workout regularly.

How to survive the Insanity® workout?

• Always do the warm-up and stretch.
• Sip water, don’t drink, throughout the workout to stay hydrated.
• Focus on completing the workout, even if you only do modifications at first.
• Focus on good form and listen to your body.
• Wear proper shoes.
• Take deep breaths.
• Keep your core tight.
• Know the limitations of your body
• AND, mind over matter: Always remember that the only thing holding you back is your mind.

This week will be our fourth week of hosting Insanity® – believe me, this workout involves a decent amount of sweat and redness of the face.  And still, it’s so much different from what I’ve seen on the DVDs… Not only is our instructor a friendly, toned, real, inspiring girl instead of a bunch of people who look like well-trained monkeys…☺, there’s also not a pause button! (Have to say, though, the first time Edrei said “now we’re going to do a power move, I thought, “Why does the class need a power move? I think all those other moves they just did were pretty powerful!”)

With all the amazing classes we offer, I feel that Insanity Live® is one of the stunning cherries on top.  You will feel the changes, you will see the changes, and you will become the changes if you incorporate Insanity Live® into your workout schedule – and the nicest thing?  It’s included in your monthly fee, so no extra cost to experience this insane class.

The thing is – If you never step out of your comfort zone: 

• You will never know how strong you really are.
• You will never know how hard you can push yourself.
• You will never see your true abs under those layers of fat.
• You will never experience the thrill of finishing something tough.
• You will never feel that sense of pride that comes from doing your best.

Have a wonderful week, and in the words of Insanity’s own Shaun T:

 “RISE ABOVE YOURSELF TODAY. LET NO FEAR GET IN YOUR WAY. FOR EVERY ACTION YOU TAKE, YOU SEND A RIPPLE OF EVENTS THROUGHOUT ETERNITY THAT AFFECT THE COURSE OF HISTORY FOREVER. BE PROUD OF YOUR RIPPLES. AND WHEN YOU’RE NOT, MAKE A NEW SPLASH!

 “TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, YOU MUST ACCEPT YOURSELF. TO ACCEPT YOURSELF, YOU MUST TRUST IN YOUR POWER TO BELIEVE.”

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507