This post is a review of the video Insanity Asylum Back to Core.

When I first put this video in the DVD player, I was fully expecting a full blown abs workout…NOPE. The second thing I thought of was that retarded ass song My Neck My Back by that chick Khia. This song actually is what gives me hope that I can still actually “make it” in America. Look at this video and PLEASE explain to me how in the world that song hit the big leagues.

 

I can’t knock her hustle and her trying to get her paper, but the song is straight up stupid.

OK first point is Insanity Asylum Back to Core is more about back and shoulders than it is core. Second point is you better like jumping jacks to the N’th degree or don’t even think about applying for this job. The third point is this workout is more about muscular endurance than any type of plyometric / fast twitch muscle fiber sort of workout. I know a lot of women reading my website are interested in Insanity but ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want any type of bulky muscle mass (which women won’t get anyway unless you are on some type of anabolic steroids) ; well, muscular endurance is where you start. So if you are the bodybuilder type with no muscular endurance, go kick rocks. This is about controlled, deliberate movement pushed out to the max.

Insanity Asylum Back to Core

Tools Needed

  • Mat
  • Power Band

This workout is a step in a different direction from what you have grown to love with Insanity – there are no Heisman’s, 123’s, Switch Kicks or Power Jumps. Even the Warm-up, or lack thereof, is somewhat missing. Although the sequence and layout of the video is the same, warm-up if you want to call it that, stretch, workout, stretch.

Warm-up

Back Fly Jumping Jacks – Start standing straight up, feet together, your arms straight out in front of you, and your palms together, you are doing jumping jacks with your arms going straight out to your sides (shoulder height) and straight back in while your legs are doing the normal jumping jacks movement. The key here is squeezing your shoulder blades together to work your rhomboid muscles out.

Double Back Double Front – We will be doing a lot of these “double” maneuvers in this workout, a double is what us normal people call a “pulse”.  So in the case of Back Fly Jumping Jacks, you will pulse two times out and two times in. Make sure you are jumping with each pulse.

Overhead Jacks – These are just like normal jacks, but you know there is always a twist. Instead of your arms just coming down to your sides, you want your arms to clap behind your back. The rest of the exercise is just like a normal jumping jack. So your hands should touch over your head AND behind your back.

Double Up Double Back – Just like you did earlier, you are just adding a pulse. Do not get sloppy and hurt yourself.

Shoulder Blade Jacks – Start out standing straight up, like you are going to do a normal jack, but keep your arms straight and bring them straight out (forward) and up over your head and past your ears, when you come down (with the same movement) bring your arms straight behind you as far as they can comfortably go.  Unless you are ultra-limber, you will only be able to go a few degrees behind your back. Your legs are doing the normal jumping jack movement.

Double Up Double Down – Again pulse up over and back from your ears and pulse behind your back.

Stretch – Normally I don’t go into what stretches we do, but this time I will go over them briefly, with no explanation of what exactly they are.

Monkey Squats – Yep that’s it!

Warm-up Round Two. – We do not take any rest in between exercises here. Land softly, and keep your core tight.

  • Back Fly Jumping Jacks
  • Double Back Double Front – Keep your knees unlocked
  • Overhead Jacks
  • Double Up Double Back
  • Shoulder Blade Jacks
  • Double Up Double Down

Stretch

  • Monkey Squats

Workout

Side Lunge Flys – R – Standing straight up, arms straight out, twist your arms so that the back of your palms are touching each other. You want to step out with your right leg in a side lunge and “fly” your arms straight out like you are trying to touch your palms together behind you. Now kick your right leg so you come back up in a standing position with the back of your hands touching each other again. When you are in a down position make sure you keep your back straight and push your butt out.

Side Lunge Flys – L – Repeat the same thing but with your left leg.

Get out your Power Bands for the next few exercises.

Lat Pull Downs – Using whatever band you can so you are working the whole time, Starting out standing straight up with the bands in your hands, get into a semi-squat with your feet together, back straight and butt pushed out, now using your lats, pull the power bands behind your head so that your arms will be at a 90 degree angle then in a controlled manner back over your head. Remember this exercise is about control, so control the bands the whole time. The key here is to concentrate on squeezing your Latissimus Dorsi muscle group just as the title states.

Wide Lat Flys – This exercise is the same thing you just did; however, instead of bringing down your arms to a 90 degree angle, your arms will stay straight.

Rotator Split Lunge – R – Get into a lunge position with your right leg forward, so with your right knee over your right ankle and your left hip over your left knee (You never leave this position the whole exercise). Hold your arms straight up over your head, now in a slow controlled movement, with your arms straight at all times, drop your left arm in front of you and your right arm behind you so that they are parallel with the ground. At the same time rotate your head so that you are looking behind you, now rotate back to arms over head – Do the allotted set.

Iso Hold – On your last set of the rotator split lunge and you are looking back at your fingertips. You will do an Iso Hold, or isometric hold for 1 minute in that same position – This is the start of what I call “Rainbow Juice” – You can’t see it but you can damn sure feel it.

5 Second Break

Pulse – Now getting back into that same position and pulse your shoulder blades together for 1 minute. When you drank all your rainbow juice, unicorn tears will begin to seep through your veins.

10 Second Break

Guess What? Yep you still got to do the other side. If it sounds hard, and doing the other side does not get you all amped up, Krispy Kreme is 2 blocks away!

  • Rotator Split Lunge – L – Everything is the same but you are just changing to your left leg
  • Iso Hold
  • Pulse – Charles Say’s this is PAIN!

Hip – Up Twist Curl – R – Sit down on your butt (hurray?) with your right leg forward and your left leg bent (so it’s at the knee of your right leg), right arm on the floor (your supporting arm, and facing the wall behind you) and your left arm straight up in the air. Do a hip up, then twist over into a plank position, do a hamstring curl with your right leg, when its back on the ground, do another hamstring curl with your left leg then then rotate back over into your hip up, then back down. Do as many as you can for the allotted time period.

  • Hip – Up Twist Curl – L – Same thing just on your left leg and going the opposite direction

Water Break

Swimmer Band Exchange – Using a band or something that can be balled up, like a towel, by the end of the exercise whatever you have balled up should look the exact same way as it does now.  Lying on your stomach in a Superman position (chest and legs from knees on down off the ground) rotate clockwise with your arms straight out your balled up *whatever*, so your exchange should be over your head and behind your back. Remember you holding a Superman position the whole time. **Keep your head in a neutral position**

  • Counter Clockwise – Rotate your object counter clockwise for the allotted time period.
  • Get into child’s pose to stretch out your back.

Lower Back Strengthener – Assuming the same position (Superman) without your object. Start with your arms out in front of you, then rotate them backwards to your sides, now keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible. Now pull your arms straight out next to you (your sides) and forward to position number one. The key here is DO NOT LET YOUR ARMS TOUCH THE GROUND. You may when your arms are trying to come forward have to use your back to lite your chest even more off the ground so your arms do not touch the ground. This is going forward. Do this for the allotted time period. Big bulky bodybuilder types need not apply.

  • Childs Pose – to stretch out the back
  • Backwards – Do the exact same exercise but going backwards
  • Childs Pose – to stretch out the back

Hip – Up Pulse – Lying on your back and your knees bent, arms straight out to your sides, all you are doing is from this position is lifting your hips straight up off the ground

  • Raise Arms Up – Continue with this exercise with your arms straight up
  • Hip – Up Single Leg Ext – R – Adding to your arms up extend your right leg up and continue with the exercise
  • Hip – Up Single Leg Ext – L – Switch extended leg to your left leg.
  • Knees to chest  – to stretch out the back

Hip – Up Single Leg Toe Tap – R – Starting out with your hands out to their sides and legs bent again, Extend your right leg up and out, now tap the ground with your right foot, hip still in the up position, now drop your hip, then bring it back up, repeat this whole sequence for the allotted time period. If you don’t remember anything else about this exercise remember “Tap, Up, Down, Up”

  • Hip – Up Single Leg Toe Tap – L – Repeat the same exercise with your left leg extended.

Alt Reverse Plank – Probably the hardest exercise of the whole set, since I was already tired. Start out with your butt on the floor, both legs bent, arms behind you and facing forward; now rotate your hands so they are facing the wall behind you. Now lift your hips off the ground, then extend your legs straight out (This is a reverse plank). Now keeping your back flat, alternate trying to get your knees to chest, I have to admit I was tired so I had to force myself from letting my back slack down. SO KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT!!

Single Leg Reverse Plank – R – Now instead of alternating knees to chest; only use your right leg to bring your knee to chest. This is a pulse exercise, DO NOT LET YOUR LEG TOUCH THE GROUND.

  • Single Leg Reverse Plank – L – Now switch to your left leg.

Cool down Stretch – Even if you feel like not doing these, do them anyway.

Insanity Asylum Back to Core

Conclusion:

For me this was quite an interesting workout. The standing lung pulses were hard and the very last exercise was hard, but for me since my shoulders, upper back and legs are the strongest part of my body this workout was not as hard as some of the other Asylum workouts I have done. Stupidly hard, but due to my body makeup not excruciatingly hard as some of the others

4.5 out of 5 Charles Faces.

This concludes my post on Insanity Asylum Back to Core, thanks for reading.


Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd

Self processed fitness missionary and author of most of the ridiculous fitness articles written on Charles Lloyd Fitness.com. I am not really a writer, but a workout fiend who happens to have a blog. The single mission of this website is very simple: Get You In Shape. I have been blessed with the gift of good health and want to share it with you. Join Me.

    2 replies to "Insanity Asylum Back to Core – Review"

    • Dennis

      Great blog man! Good info. Where would you fit this in doing p90x? I wanna do this so much because it is very beneficial, but where?? Only day is before shoulders and arms of chest shoulder tri I thought

    • Dnessa March

      Hi! I’m D’Nessa. I’m a 17 year old girl. Soccer player, athletic build just tummy pudge 😐 lmao I’m half way through the asylum workout I haven’t skipped a day! I feel different but I’m not really dropping weight or noticing much change. I just got off Thanksgiving break so that may have something to do with it haha bit I was wondering when I’ll begin to see results! I really want a flat toned stomach and toned body. I feel as though it’s done that everywhere except mt stomach! What’s up? –

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