Day 38

DVD - Max Cardio Conditioning

This DVD is shorter than the other Max workouts, coming in at just over 49 minutes.

The warm-up on this DVD starts the same as the other two Max workouts, but the final round is different. It is more like the warm-ups from the non-Max workouts, but was missing a couple. The final set consists of Spring, traditional Jumping Jacks, Heismans, 1-2-3 Heismans & high knees. You're still doing 30 seconds of these, but somehow I felt like it was shorter than 30 seconds.

Once again, the warm-up is followed by the stretch section. At the end of the stretch there is a water break - more like a pre-watering, in my opinion. After that, the cardio conditioning begins, and you've got about 35 minutes until the workout will be over.

As with the Pure Cardio workout, there are no intervals here. Instead, you get a series of exercises, each performed for a minute, without breaks in between. If you need a break, you take a break. Shaun tells you to go at your own pace, and if it is your first time, to not try to match his or his crew's pace. Eventually, you'll get there. There are 21 exercises in the main part of this workout, but a few require you to do a minute on both sides because the move is executed to the side (like Power Knees). Some of the moves were new, some were not.

To change things up a bit, I 'm going to list these exercises rather than put them into a paragraph. If there is no description, it means it is described in another post on this blog. I will describe the new moves in parentheses as always.

* High Low Jab with Squat
* Football Runs (football sprints until Shaun says "hit it" then you jump down into a plank and wait for him to say "up" and get up and repeat)
* 8 Ball Shots with Squat (the basketball move for 8 reps followed by 4 hop squats as you spin 180 degrees)
* Right and Left Kicks (kick at cardio pace on each side for 1 minute each)
* Diamond Jumps
* In-Out Push Up Jacks (4 in-outs/4 push-up jacks)
* Suicide Jumps
* High Knee/Low/Floor Sprints (8 high knees/8 sprints/8 floor sprints)
* Ski Abs
* Kick Step Back (stand, do a kick forward, bring leg down, step back with the other leg and bend over to touch the floor - repeat for 1 minute on each side)
* Squat Twists
* Over the River Hops (hop to the side, land on one foot, bring the other foot back behind your standing leg, arms come up as you hop and come down as you move the raised leg - repeat going the other way)
* Attack (squat, do 2 palm heel strikes to the side, jump up into a 180 turn, land in a squat and do 2 palm heel strikes with the other hand)
* Power Knees
* Ski Down Hooks (like the other ski moves but you add a hook punch)
* Belt Kicks
* Forward Back Suicides (a cross between suicides and frog jumps)
* Push Up Abs (start in plank position, push down half way while bringing one leg up so the knee meets your elbow, repeat alternating sides)
* Plank Punches
* 8 Jump Ropes/8 Hop Squats
* Squat Speed Bag (exactly what it sounds like)

You may have noticed that very few of the above exercises focus on the shoulder area. Thankyoujesus! There were still more than I hoped (I was aiming for 0 push-up like moves). I am so grateful for Max Recovery tomorrow. I haven't previewed the DVD or anything of the sort. I'm assuming it's just going to be a longer (55 minute) version of Cardio Recovery. But that means no shoulder stress, and I really need that break so I can get deeper into the other two Max workouts I cycle back to on Friday and Saturday.

Partway through the above series of exercises, Shaun gave us 3 "recovery moves": Kick Step Back, Squat Twists and Over the River Hops. The recovery moves are all much slower: they keep you moving, but they give your heart and muscles a break.