Day 4: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Bottom line: After some more weight training yesterday, I'm back to Insanity, and I felt that this workout is already a little easier for me. I still feel guilty about working out for only 45 minutes a day, though! I've done some reading about HiiT training that is compelling me to stick with it.
Yesterday I did a Ripped & Chiseled and Tonique workout (alternating intervals of each), and today I got back to Insanity. I was sore from my workout yesterday and wasn't expecting today to go too well, but to my surprise, it was already easier than the first time I did it.
Ok, but take what I say with a grain of salt, because the first time I did this workout, I did it directly after the first day Fit Test. Nevertheless, I accomplished my goal of doing all the pushups on my toes- although I did still have to pause and catch my breath during the side to side jumps from the pushup position. Still, pretty much all the participants in the video were doing the same thing, so I didn't feel too bad about that. I think there has already been a noticeable improvement in my speed during the sprints and Heismans, but that's probably improved coordination rather than fitness.
Anyway, I still feel a little guilty about working out for only 45 minutes, of which only 25-35 minutes are actual workout. For a very long time now, I've been doing cardio for 45 minutes minimum, not including warmup, cooldown and stretch. But the stuff I've been reading about HiiT training is compelling me to keep at this. Interestingly, I've read articles claiming that contrary to what you might expect, HiiT training is actually good for people with a tendency toward joint problems (assuming the exercises themselves do not cause injury). The reason is because there is significantly less repetition of impact on the joints- even in this particular workout, which has the most repetition, each exercise is repeated for only 3-4 minutes total. Although my experiences are purely anecdotal and I can't draw conclusions from them, they support this idea. I have never had even a twinge of pain from jumping, plyo jacks, tuck jumps and all the other crazy, high-impact activities in which I engage in this and other workouts but I developed severe knee pain even while doing slow jogging.
On to Day 5!