Review: Ignite by Toby Massenburg - this workout will ignite your metabolism and deliver a high calorie burn in a short amount of time.
I love this workout – it is a really effective cardio Hiit routine that accomplishes a lot in a short amount of time. This is an advanced workout that consists of a number of Hiit drills, which are each performed for 30 seconds, you then get 30 seconds of recovery before moving onto the next drill. In case you are not familiar with the term – Hiit – is high intensity interval training, which alternates short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods. The high-intensity exercise should be done at near maximum intensity. This approach to training has multiple health benefits, including improved cardiovascular endurance, burns calories and fat in a shorter period of time (Hiit is great if you have a limited amount of time to work out - studies show that 15 minutes of high intensity interval training burns more calories than jogging on a treadmill for an hour), it also boosts your metabolism and provides an ‘afterburn effect’ as your body continues to burn calories even after the workout has been completed.
Ignite is led by Toby Massenburg – I really like him – he is so sweet, encouraging and he puts together incredible workouts! Toby has, at the time of writing, 3 other workouts on DVD that are all very good, in particular, the other DVD that was released at the same time as this one, Afterburn. It is an amazing and highly challenging cardio and strength workout that provides a really high energy workout.
Ignite is sequenced very effectively to really help you push through, as just when you feel you can’t do any more there is a slightly easier interval and you can regroup and push hard again. Toby’s continuous encouragement also helps! In addition, this is also an on-screen clock that counts down each 30 second period to let you know how long you have left and to motivate you to get through those final seconds.
In the recovery phase of each drill, Toby also explains and shows you the next move – which is really good to help you mentally and physically prepare for what’s coming next. He is also very particular about form and executing the moves properly – including making full use of range of motion, for example, urging you to ‘touch the floor or it doesn't count!’
The routine is focused on cardio only so no strength moves here. Toby uses the high step at 12” (4 risers underneath) for some of the moves to increase the intensity. (In case you are not familiar with it – a high step is the square version of the full size step - see picture below and is available from Amazon HERE). 12” for the step is actually quite high and it did take a little getting used to it for some of the moves. For example, Power Knee Drives I found initially very challenging – especially when you start lifting the move on the step! However, once you have done this a few times, it gets easier and you will feel more confident. However, you can obviously use the step with fewer risers or just use the floor as a substitute, for many of the moves that use the step, if that makes you more comfortable. (You could also use a full size step as well, if that makes you feel more stable).
The warm-up is also done using the high step and this I did find quite challenging (and still do!), as the moves are done very fast. You are using the high step to do regular stepping moves – which on 12” is very unusual and doesn't always feel very stable. However, again you could just use the floor or a lower step height if you prefer. I guess the aim is to provide a fairly challenging and very active warm-up to prepare you for the level of the workout to come and to also get you more used to the step height, which is used for some of the hiit moves.
Overall, though this workout provides a fantastic highly time efficient cardio challenge and the step really contributes to the intensity. So if you are looking for a different cardio challenge then this might be a good one to try.
The Workout
Ignite is a cardio hiit workout that consist of 22 hiit drills that are each done for 30 seconds with a 30 second recovery. Each hiit is one move that is then repeated for the duration of the interval. Some of the drills are done on the floor and some using the high step – the height of which is changed depending on the exercise.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Ignite is a cardio workout that is 30 minutes long. It starts with a really active 5 minute warm-up using the high step with 4 risers and ends with a 3 minute stretch.
HIIT Blasts (each done for 30 seconds and then 30 seconds recovery):
1. Squat jumps
2. Wide Lateral Tap Down (starting on top of step tap alternating feet down to the floor while pulling arms down) – high step with 4 risers
3. Touch Down Lunge, Front Kick
4. Touch Down Lunge, Front Kick (other leg)
5. Wide Forward Leap (straddling the step) – high step with 4 risers
6. Uneven Squat (starting on top of step and touching down alternating feet to floor but narrow this time) – high step with 4 risers
7. Sideline Touchdowns (leap from side to side in squat, touching the ground)
8. Burpee – hands on 4 inch step topper only
9. Fast Feet Shuffle – tapping top of step – high step with 4 risers
10. Plie Kip (plie jumps – touching heels together)
11. Double Leg Lateral Jump
12. Plunge Lunge (starting on top of step) – high step with 4 risers
13. High Wide Run (Toby is using the step as a guide to make sure your legs are wide enough apart – I just do this on the floor away from the step as it feels safer!)
14. Side Shuffle Squat (shuffle to the side & drop down into squat touching hand to the floor)
15. 1-2-3 Straddle Jumps (start on step & jump down / up / down touching the step at the bottom) – high step with 2 risers
16. Around the World Shuffle (same as Fast Feet Shuffle except you move around the step as you do it) - high step with 4 risers
17. Power Knee Drive (placing one foot on the top of the step and power up with a knee lift. Toby eventually lifts these making it more of a jump – this is where you may wish to reduce the step height until you feel more comfortable with the instability of the step) – high step with 4 risers
18. Power Knee Drive (other leg)
19. 180 Jump Squat (jump & turn to the back then jump back to the front)
20. Switch Jump Lunges (power scissors)
21. Frogger Leaps (jump forward & back touching the ground)
The workout ends with a quick 3 minute stretch. If you need longer to cool down, I would suggest pausing the DVD, once the blasts are over, towel off, get a drink and then do the cool down.
Take Action – Try it today! Ignite is available on DVD, including on Amazon HERE.
If you liked this workout, check out my review of Peak 10 Fat Blaster from Michelle Dozois by clicking HERE.
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