So I finally got around to checking out the final workout of the Insanity series – Upper Body Weight Training. In this DVD, Shaun T takes you through some upper body exercises using handheld dumbbell weights.

I have always wanted to try this one since I am focused on adding muscle to the upper body.  The one thing though I never knew was what was required for this workout.  So, I will tell you should you ever want to try this:

• Floor space equal to about the space you use for Insanity workouts
• Free weight dumbbells – I think you really need an assorted variety of weights since each exercise is different.
• a chair
• a weight bench or similar

I personally did not have all of these things.  I only have 2 sets of dumbbells – 10’s and 25’s so I had to improvise on some exercises.

The workout starts out with a familiar warm up of about 6 minutes.  This is what makes this unique is that he blends in his cardio moves with the weight lifting.  You also stay on the standard 3 circuits of 3 exercises each.  But at the end of each repetition you are doing an Insanity exercise like high knees with a twist, or (gulp) power jumps!

I really did like this workout.  I don’t have a weight bench so I did those exercises on the floor.  I know it is not as effective, but it still worked.  I am going to purchase some 15’s and some 20’s so I can do these more effectively next time.  And judging by the pain in my arms and chest today I would say it worked!

After taking a few days off, I am starting to venture back into Insanity.  Yesterday I did Pure Cardio to see how I would feel, and in lieu of taking a run (it was kind of crappy out at the time).   Besides doing Insane Abs on Thursday, this was the first Insanity workout since finishing the program.

Overall, it felt pretty hard.  I don’t think I have lost too much in my week of rest, but this is proof positive that these workouts pretty much can kick your ass no matter how great of shape you are in.  The warm up seemed harder than I remember and my heart rate got pretty high for me.

I think part of the reason this felt difficult is that my eating habits have been slipping a bit.  They are not that bad, just not as regular and disciplined as before.

It was good to get back into doing some cardio as I actually miss these workouts!  I burned 438 calories, so now I can polish off that cheesecake in the fridge

The one workout that I failed to do during my 63 day adventure was Insane Abs.  So today, after taking 3 days off from working out, I decided to give Insane Abs a try.  I was very excited to try this out, not only because it was a new workout, but because I sort of miss Insanity and Shaun T already!

Insane Abs is about 33 minutes in length which is not bad at all on it’s own.  It always amazes me at how many different exercises Shaun T comes up with to exercise the same body parts.  Insane Abs is a direct reflection of that.  First you start with the warm up which begins with simple jogging.  I was scared to realize that as soon as I started jogging my knees hurt   I was hoping they were getting better but I assume they need more rest.  So I had to go gingerly in the beginning.  They did however subside as the body got warm which was good.

Anyway, the warmup consists of jogging, high knees, high knees with a twist, tuck jumps, power jumps, and T-kicks.  T-kicks are kind of like switch kicks except that you keep your legs straight.  Of course you go through this a couple of times to get the body warm.  After this section, you are on the ground the rest of the workout.

Next you go into the C-sit position and begin some of the Insanity!  You start with the ab exercises that he includes in Max Recovery (6 inches, flutter kicks, scissor kicks).  This gets the abs burning for sure.  Then you get into some new ab exercises like power abs.  Picture yourself giving birth and lifting your legs to your chest!  Then there are variations of these.

There is also a set of exercises you perform in the plank position.  You work by hopping in low plank side to side and doing some oblique crunches, etc.  So overall you work every angle of the core until it burns!

It was fun to get back into the workouts and just get the blood flowing again.

Looking back on all of the workouts scheduled over the 63 days of Insanity, I decided to review what I did and did not do and produce my own report card of sorts for you.

• Out of the 63 days, which I tried to follow exactly, I missed only one workout.  This came on day 51.
• I made one substitution/modification on one day due to time constraints on Day 59.
• During the second month, I never added on the Insane Abs workouts.  I just couldn’t justify the time involved with the additonal workouts.  If you have been reading my blog you will know the struggles I faced at times to complete these workouts and still be a good dad and husband along the way.  This workout was added on 4 times during the second month.

Besides those minor modifications I followed the program.  I also adjusted my eating habits to reflect those of the Nutrition Guide.  My scenario was a bit different because i was not really trying to lose weight.  I ate more calories than normal, but they were all low fat, high protein type of calories.

I think I can grade myself with an ‘A’

Here are my final results!  After 63 days of hard workouts here is what I look like now.  A few of my (favorite) observations:

• These crazy muscles developed around my obliques that look like my ribs, but are not.  They are small long muscles that pop out on top of my ribs, so it looks like you are seeing my rib cage (which you are in Day 1) but it is really muscle.
• My triceps really grew from all those push ups as you can see in the top picture
• It must really take a lot of work to get that last abdominal line to form the 6 pack!  I still don’t quite have it, but I am darn proud of my stomach.

From the beginning, my goal was to bulk up, which I think I did.  This routine is a little more difficult probably to gain weight with due to all of the intense cardio, but it hands down beats anything for shaping your body.

So here are some pictures!  You can click on the picture to view a bit larger.

I suppose this is the official last day of the program!  Day 63, the day we all dream about when we first start Insanity.  The day to look in the mirror and relish the accomplishment.  That day is here, and with it comes the last fit test to see the results.

First let me back up a bit to Saturday.  That was my last workout and was very satisfying indeed.  That evening though, my wife and I went to our daughter’s school’s annual fund raising auction.  This is quite a fun event where you can bid on all sorts of great items as well as win incredible prizes with raffles.  But there is one more part of the auction that pertains directly to this post . . . the food!  There were tons of gourmet food spread out for the taking.  Here is a sampling of what they had.  I omitted listing the bevy of meat options as I don’t eat those, but there was plenty of that as well!:

:: Home-style Grits Bar – Top your own Grits with a choice of Traditional Stone Ground White Grits or Aged Cheddar Cheese Grits, with choice of various toppings, including:  Butter, Sour Cream, Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese, Grilled Shrimp, Pulled Pork BBQ, Applewood Smoked Bacon Crumbles, Sautéed Sweet Vidalia Onions, Diced Green Onions and Diced Tomatoes

:: House Made Bruschetta Chips with Choice of Following Toppings – Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped Tomato and Basil Salad with Basil Balsamic Dressing, Black Olive Tapenade, Herb Pesto, White Bean and Roasted Garlic, Fig Preserves, Ricotta drizzled with Italian Honey, Prosciutto, Shaved Beef Tenderloin, Tuscan Chicken Salad, Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Mozzarella Cheese

:: Italian Cheese Display Showcasing Cow, Sheep and Goat Varietals served with Fresh Sliced Pear, Fig Preserves, Nine Grain Crostini and Artisan Crackers.

A Lavish Selection of Sweets, Treats and Confections Featuring Chef Drew’s Choice From Among:

* Turtle Brownies topped with Caramel and Crushed Toffee Pieces
* Old Fashioned Miniature Lemon Tart Bars with Toasted Streusel Topping
* Miniature Coconut Cream Pie topped with Freshly Whipped Cream and Toasted Coconut
* Petit Key Lime Torts topped with Freshly Whipped Cream and Key Lime Mini Wedge
* Vanilla Bean and Cappuccino Crème Brulee served in White Chinese Wonton Spoons
* Fresh Strawberries filled with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Mascarpone Crème Fraiche
* Miniature Chocolate Cupcakes topped with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing with Assorted white and Dark Chocolate Garnishes
* Seven Layer Dessert Bars with a Graham Cracker Crust layered with Crème Anglaise, Dark and White Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips, Toasted Coconut and Pecans

So, needless to say I pigged out!  I think I had like 3 or 4 plates of food and desserts.  But hey, I deserved it.  The only problem was my body was not so happy with me the next day.  It was like a food hangover.  It made me dreading doing the fit test because I felt as though I would not perform to my best with a grumbly stomach.  So I waited until the afternoon to do it and ate well for the morning.  On top of that I did not sleep well at all, probably partly due to the food.

But, in the spirit of all things Insanity, I had to mentally talk myself up and believe I would do well.  I got myself ready and went off to do the fit test.  And here are the final results!

I was very happy with the results.  I pushed myself harder than I can remember and used every second of rest in between exercises.  Looking at the overall numbers, I more than doubled my output on 3 exercises (nearly 4) and had a massive increase across the board.  As for other measurements, I don’t really have any   I didn’t measure inches and stuff at the beginning, so have nothing to compare that with, but I am confident my arms and chest have grown.  As for weight, I weigh exactly the same as when I started.  I wish I knew how to measure my BMI though because I am pretty sure it very low.

In the next day or two I will be posting the final pictures for you all to see for yourselves.  I feel great and enjoy looking at myself in the mirror LOL.  That sure beats the alternative

Day 62 – The FINAL Workout!

I feel like I just climbed Mt. Everest, or completed a marathon!  The journey has come to an end.  I am feeling a range of emotions right now from happy to relieved, to proud.

Today’s last workout was the Max Cardio Conditioning, my favorite of the workouts for the second Month.  As usual it went by fairly fast.  I have to admit though I was clock watching through the entire thing . .  . “only 33:22 left for this ENTIRE journey” .  . . “wow, only 11:43 left”.  By the time I got to the final exercise, which is doing the speed bag jabs in a squat position, I was feeling pretty proud of myself.  I think I flexed every muscle in my body and punched harder than I ever have.  Then the final count down “3, 2, 1, ” and we are DONE!  A fist pump and a celebratory yell was in order. 621 calories burned today out of the tens of thousands I assume I burned over the past 2 months.

Tomorrow is the final fit test and I am looking forward to killing it.  I will definitely be reflecting more over the coming week and will share those thoughts with you all.

And to all of you following along on your own Insanity adventure, always remember:

SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION

Day 61 – The Last Max Interval Plyo

I am so close to the end I can taste it! Today was the last run through the Max Interval Plyo Circuit. I felt back on track and was ready to power through it today. Overall it went pretty well.

It was a little tough though because the weather was SO nice here today. It was 70 degrees out and sunny. Spring is here! My daughter had her 2 friends over and they were playing in the front yard and I had to watch them while I was stuck in front of a TV for an hour. But that’s ok, only 2 more days.

I am actually glad I started this in January because during those months it is so cold and crappy outside that exercising inside is fine. Now I will be free to play in beautiful weather. Perhaps I will do a 60 day round every January?

Oh, today’s calorie burn: 621 calories. I think everyone will vary here in calories based on your heart rate during the workout. My heart rate averages on the lower scale I think, so a higher burn is most definitely possible.

Day 60 of Insanity – What It’s Not Over?

Today marks DAY SIXTY of Insanity!  To the uneducated, people will be thinking this is my last day, but that is not the case.  It is actually 63 days long (an even 9 weeks).  So I still have a few more days.  Of course, all of you following and participating in the workouts already know that

Today is Thursday, which has historically been the recovery day, whether it be Cardio Recovery or Max Recovery.  But in the spirit of Insanity, you don’t get a recovery day this week!  That would not be insane.  So today instead I was slated for the Max Interval Sports Training.

First off, thank you all for the kind comments yesterday.  It’s nice to see so many supportive folks out there and others that are experiencing much the same as myself.  It has really been a blessing getting your feedback and making friends with you on the forum.  And to let you all know, today my mind was in the right place: pushing through, digging deeper, and finishing this program strong!

Today’s workout went fairly well.  I still think this is my favorite workout of the month.  It is so varied that it keeps me interested.  Plus, during the basketball drills today I was envisioning myself in the Tournament shooting threes and backing people down in the post.  Yes, I love March Madness!  During the ladders though my knees were really bothering me.  I had to slow down a lot which was disappointing because I could feel my cardio was ok and that I could have kicked ass on that part today.

Everyday I get closer to finishing, my knees get happier!

Today’s calorie burn: 575 calories.  T-minus 3 days . . .

Day 59 – A Confession And A Modification