All About Insanity: Pure Cardio

Insanity Pure Cardio is one of the workouts within the first half of the program that I have a love/hate relationship with.  I love it, because it seems to go by much faster than the other workouts; I hate it because it kicks my ass every.damn.time! I always find myself breathless within the first few minutes of the workouts, but at the same time I always find myself fighting to push through - after all, that's the point, right?

Pure Cardio starts off the same way as the other Insanity workouts with a 10 minute cardio warm up. Now, for many people the warm up in itself could be considered a workout!  Jogging in place, Heismans, 1 2 3 Heismans, butt kicks, high knees, jumping jacks, power jacks....all of these are done within the first 10 minutes getting faster and more intense as you near the end of the time period. But the reward comes after: the stretch.

The stretch is a little slice of heaven for your muscles, lungs, etc. At this point, your muscles are nice and warm so you can really get deep into the lunges, making the whole first ten minutes totally worth it. It is during this time that Shaun T politely comments that he's actually afraid of the upcoming workout. Awesome. This should be good.

You start right off with suicides for about 60 seconds, and then head into switch kicks. The majority, if not all, of the exercises are done for 1 minute periods before you switch to the next challenge. The entire circuit lasts about 16 minutes with exercises taking you to the ground, in the air, and side-to-side. Insanity Pure Cardio is just that: PURE CARDIO.  Unlike the other Insanity workouts, water breaks are not provided during the pure cardio portion; however, Shaun T is always one to remind you to never sacrifice form, and to take a break when needed. You never stop moving and sometimes, once it is all over, I ask myself if I actually BREATHED during the workout, haha! As soon as you start, you blink your eyes and you are at the cool down (another amazing stretch). 

Every single time I find myself reflecting during the cool down saying, "That wasn't so bad...", yet every time I push play I still find myself saying "WTF Shaun T!" a few times during those 15 minutes haha. Insanity Pure Cardio definitely packs a punch and can make any athlete feel a little bit humble at the end, but it really is something that anyone can enjoy. From beginners to the advanced, Pure Cardio continues to offer challenges and rewards. Shaun T encourages taking breaks if your form is off, getting water when needed, listening to your body, and checking on your heart rate. For this reason, anyone can do this workout and feel comfortable going at their own pace.

Always a great reminder: Insanity is nothing but a challenge against yourself. No one else.

Interested in seeing if this program is right for you? Shoot me a message to the right, or simply email me at nik4213@gmail.com  After a proper assessment of your current activity level and interests, I can recommend something that will fit your schedule and needs perfectly.

Thanks for reading!