A few days after Christmas, a quintet of hardy souls sporting a thin sheen of sweat reached, stretched, jumped, squatted, lunged and jogged in place at Upper St. Clair Community & Recreation Center's gymnasium.

The group participated in the center's Insanity class, a high-intensity interval training program that alternates intense physical activities with brief rest periods.

“People always like that extra push,” said Lisa Reutzel, fitness coordinator for the recreation center. The center began offering the class in April at the behest of instructor Dana Voit, a marketing professional from Jefferson Hills who became a certified trainer in Insanity through Beachbody, a Santa Monica-based company that has created fitness and weight-loss programs.

“I was happy when Dana came to me” proposing to teach the course, said Cari Lackner, who as group exercise coordinator at the recreation center also takes the course.

“We have cardio boot camp and cardio craze,” but some of the moves in both courses require equipment. “What I liked about Insanity is it's just you,” with no equipment needed, said Lackner, 48, of Upper St. Clair.

With hip-hop music as an energetic accompaniment, instructor Voit, 30, first led the five participants through warm-up exercises that included jogging in place, running in place for 15 seconds and walking for 15 seconds.

Reutzel said one benefit of high-intensity interval training is that the recovery periods help minimize injuries. Another is accomplishing more in a shorter amount of time, she said, as the class members did speed running, a broad jump and a move called a “burpee” – bending over, kicking into a plank position, then hopping the legs back toward the body before pushing up to stand.

“They're god awful,” Reutzel said of the burpees. “They get your heart rate up.”

Soon the class members were resting for 30 seconds, which Reutzel said “is really key. You can get injured from overuse.” For every two minutes of exercise, Voit instructed class members to take a 30-second rest. She also encouraged the participants to drink water.

Voit also called out modifications for the exercises, such as doing pushups on one's knees.

“It's doable by anyone,” Reutzel said. People who did the exercises using the modified moves still can obtain benefits, Reutzel said.

The session ended with a cool-down period of lower-intensity activities, including stretches and low lunges.

“I love the endurance and strength” that the exercises foster, said Lori Jansma, 48, of Canonsburg. “It helps me keep up with four kids and helps me take care of my special-needs child” who is 20, she added. And the class helped keep her mentally strong, Jansma added.

Andrew Cross, 40, of Mt. Lebanon agreed. Though he took the class to stay in shape, Cross said the class was “good for my mental and physical health. I'm less grumpy when I exercise.”

“I have two kids, and I work, so a lot (of what she does) has to do with convenience,” said Kaitlin Yacob, 30, of Upper St. Clair. “This has the intensity and allows for quick results. You get your strength, endurance and core” training, she said. Yacob, like Voit, was a college athlete.

Linda Falvella, 59, of Upper St. Clair said the class was “tons of fun (and) an excellent workout. You sweat buckets.”

Sandra Fischione Donovan is a freelance writer for Trib Total Media.

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