For a description about the Anarchy Workout set and information on Andy Speer, please read my earlier review of Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Phase 2 Cardio (27:00)

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you’re sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you’ll need and you can select music on or off.

Setting, Music, & Background Exercisers: The setting reminds me of a cross between a loft and a gym. There are brick looking walls with large windows in the background. On the floor is a very large black mat. Around the edge of the set are various pieces of fitness equipment (bench, locker, weights, etc.). The music is instrumental with a rock/techno vibe. It gets louder and more pumped during the work periods and backs off in the rest periods. It didn’t really register for me which means that it’s probably fairly benign and unobtrusive. Andy is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and Christina is athletic leggings and a t-shirt. She shows modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout or is asked by Andy to take it up to the main move.

Equipment: There is no equipment needed for this workout. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch. The main body of the workout consists of 8 exercises that make up a round. These exercises progress in intensity for two more rounds for a total for 3 rounds. The work to rest ratio changes with each round and will be detailed below.

Warm Up (2:30): skips, fast feet, down dog w/ peddle feet, jumping spider lunge, jumping squat w/floor touch.

Main Workout (23:30)

Round 1 (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest or transition): hollow hops, squat jumps, plank walk fly spider, single leg swing on Andy’s count (left, then right), bird dog crunch, uppercut squat, suitcase squeeze abs, single arm burpee.

30 second rest break

Round 2 (50 seconds work/10 seconds rest or transition): hollow jumps, squat jumps w/ direction, plank walk w/ push up fly spider, single leg swing drive max reps (left, then right) 1-2 jab/pogo jump, sprint start (right leg, then left) max reps, bird dog crunch w/ push up, double uppercut, ab runners, single arm burpee w/ fly.

40 second rest break

Round 3 (30 seconds work/no rest): hollow hops, plank walk push-up, single leg swing drive max reps (left, then right), single arm burpee, lateral squat jump.

Cool down/stretch (1:00): after a 30 second rest you go into forward fold then a calf stretch.

Overall Impressions: This workout starts out with a bang and is definitely more challenging than Phase 1 Cardio. The work periods are longer, the rests are shorter, and the choice of moves are more advanced. While there was plenty of cardio, I liked the addition the plank variations to work the core. The exercises were really varied and some of them were just downright fun! For me this workout is a winner! As done by Andy I would rate this workout as low advanced. You’ll get a thorough workout and will only mildly destroyed. You can make it more advanced by going faster and making the plyo moves really explosive. Even modified, I think this workout may be too much for beginners and is more low intermediate when done modified. If I have one criticism, it is the lack of cool down and stretch at the end. The workout ends at 27 minutes. It would have been easy to add on an additional 3 minutes of stretches and still come in at around the 30 minute mark.

Instructor Comments:
Andy does a great job demoing the movements and instructing the workout. He seems at ease in front of the camera and has good camaraderie with Graham and Christina (who also seem more relaxed and at ease than in phase 1). His talk focuses on form, on pointing out modifications, and offering encouragement. I enjoyed him as a trainer.

Sabine Reuter