Day 37

DVD - Max Interval Plyo


The brochure said my legs would be begging for mercy.

It lied!

It's my shoulders that are begging. Please have mercy upon us. Please!!

Seriously, my shoulders need a break.


The warm-up is the same as Max Interval Circuit.

When the warm-up and stretch are completed, you've got 39 minutes of the workout to go. Noting the time, I knew there would be only 2 interval circuits in this workout. There just wouldn't be time for 3. Still, the workout was too long for just 2 interval circuits, so I wasn't sure what would make up the rest of the time. I would have to wait until the end of the 2nd interval set to find out.

As with Max Interval Circuit, the first interval set consisted of 4 exercises, each performed for 45 seconds per circuit, repeating the circuit 3 times. All but one of the moves were knew to me. First came Switch Jumps (start in a squat, jump up and spin 180 degrees, land in a squat, repeat) followed by Squat Push-ups (start in a squat, fall forward and execute a push-up from that position, push back up and repeat). Then came Wide In-Out Abs (start in a squat with your palms on the floor, jump back to a wide-legged plank, then jump back to the starting position and repeat). This circuit was rounded out with Power Jumps, one of the Fit Test moves.

At the end of this set, instead of a break we got 1 minute of a different exercise, One-Legged V Push Ups (start in a V position with your palms on the floor and fingers facing in toward each other, lift one leg off the floor and do a push-up in this position - repeat for 30 seconds per side). Ok, the last segment was hell on my pecks, deltoids and biceps. But this ... what's worse than hell? Should I start considering this in terms of Dante's levels?


The second interval set was complicated. Some of these moves just can't be done fast - well, except maybe by one freak machine guy in the videos, who, eventually, was standing up pounding on his heart unable to do anymore. These moves are serious plyo. The first was called Pogo (start on one foot with the other leg bent, bend forward and touch the floor extending the raised leg backward, then raise up and hop on one leg, bringing the raised leg up so that your knee goes above your waist) and no one did it fast. Power push-ups came next (start bent over at the waist with your hands on the floor, fall forward into push-up position and do a push-up, then pop back up into the starting position) - I had to be super careful, here. The move was hard and all of the muscles in my shoulders are so taxed that I was worried I wouldn't be able to hold myself up and might fall to far and bash my face into the floor.

After that came a move that seemed like a slice of heaven after the last move, Globe Twists (start in a squat, pop up, land on both feet at the same time, squat down with one hand on either side of one knee, then pop up and do the same on the other side) - easier than the Globe Jumps in the fit test. And as if all the other shoulder burning moves hadn't been enough, Shaun rounded this circuit out with Level 3 drill (drop into push-up position, do reps of push-ups, then do a count of floor sprints, hop up and repeat).

With Level 1 drills from the first month you do 4 push-ups followed by a 4 count of floor sprints. Level 2 drills were 8 and 8. You'd think Level 3 would be 12 and 12 since 12 is 3X4, but you'd be wrong. According to Shaun's math, 3X4=16. This part of the circuit is completed in 2 reps, so you do 32 of each. Now multiply that 32 by 3 intervals. 90fucking6 motherfucking push-ups. I did slightly more than half of each interval because FUCK, my shoulders couldn't take any more. I don't know what I'm going to do if the workout I get tomorrow is shoulder-intensive. Anybody want to send me some morphine?

As with the first interval set, there is a break between the 1st and 2nd completion of the circuit as well as between the 2nd and 3rd, but no break after the 3rd. Instead you do 1 minute of a combination of Power Lunges and Hop Squats (4 each before repeating). My shoulders appreciated the rest.

But they weren't able to rest for long.

At this point, the "what do I get instead of a 3rd interval set" question was answered. The answer was 4 more exercises, each one executed discretely and for a minute each. Each one requiring a lot of strength - and of course, 2 of the 4 were shoulder intensive. Side Push-ups (Sort of a contorted push-up, it's hard to describe if you can't see a body do it, but the weight isn't exactly balanced so it taxes one shoulder more than the other so that you do 30 seconds on each side). Kickstand Touch the Floor (sort of like Pogo, but when you touch the floor with your hand, the toes of the "raised" leg should be on the floor so it looks like a lunge). The 2nd to last exercise was another combo, 8 Power Knees/4 Diamond Jumps (the Power Knees are the same as the Fit Test. Diamond jumps are sort of like Power Jumps, but you bring your feet together in the jump so your legs make the shape of a diamond). The final move before the cool-down stretch was Balance Push-ups (do a push-up, but when you come up raise one arm in front of you and the leg on the same side, repeat)

After all of the push-up moves, I don't know if I'm going to be able to lift anything tomorrow. I'm worried I won't even be able to lift my arms above my head to put a shirt on, and I don't own any with buttons.