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!

Since I do not like doubling up on workouts during the week, I decided to take the fit test yesterday instead before doing the Max Interval Sports Training.

There is not really too much to say about the numbers.  I am a bit disappointed as I decreased my performance in 2 exercises for the first time during the entire Insanity.  I don’t know whether to blame it on not having a rest day before the fit test, performing the fit test in the morning, or just simply that I have not improved in those areas.  I am pretty sure on the power jacks I am much more tentative with getting the form right as to not strain my knees.  Either way it is ok.  I am happy about the progress on some of the other exercises though having improved over 100% on two of them so far.

Today is Sunday, and Sunday’s are supposed to be my rest day. However, as mentioned in my previous post, I looked at the schedule for Monday and it has me slated to do both the Fit Test and the first ONE HOUR workout of Month 2 (Max Interval Circuit). I decided instead to do my fit test today and skip the rest day so I wouldn’t have to be carted off to the hospital on Monday!

Here are my results for the 3rd Fit Test. I have compared my increase in percentage from the last fit test and also show my overall increase since my first fit test. I am very happy with the results!

I am getting stronger at absolutely every exercise which is amazing and a testament to the Insanity workout program. My biggest increase is with push-up jacks where I have doubled my output.  This one particularly makes me happy as one of my goals is to build upper body strength.

After the fit test today I went and did a bunch of yard work with the family since the weather was sooo nice.  It’s funny though, as I am raking leaves, I can feel how much stronger my body is.  I find myself tightening my core and holding form during my raking!  Perhaps I will develop an outdoor yard work exercise program that uses shoveling, raking, weed pulling, and lawn mowing as the exercises.

Alright Month 2, let’s GO!

Day 34 – Core Cardio and Balance: Done!

Today started the third week of the Insanity Workout Program!

Every 2 weeks you are to perform the fit test to see how much you have improved.  Since this was the second fit test, I had some familiarity which was definitely a plus.  What is scary is that every fit test after this has you doing a workout AFTER the fit test!  I am not sure how I will fare with that, but it is 2 weeks away so we will see.

Just to recap, here are the exercises again that are tested.  They are explained in a bit more detail in the Day 1 – The First Fit Test post:

• Switch Kicks
• Power Jacks
• Power Knees
• Power Jumps
• Globe Jumps
• Suicide Jumps
• Push-Up Jacks
  
• Low Plank Oblique

Here are my results from the second fit test along with the results from the first fit test.  I also made a column to display the percentage increase:

Overall I am extremely pleased with the results!  I increased significantly on each and every exercise, so without a doubt I am making progress.  A couple of observations I made during this test were: 1) During the first test I am pretty sure I had poor form all the way through, so I feel some of the Fit Test 1 numbers may have been inflated slightly. 2) While I felt I pushed myself as hard as I could, I think I still could have went harder (although I may say this almost every day!) 3) After the test I was depleted for about 5-10 minutes and needed to sit down.  Contrast this to how I felt after the first one (where I could NOTHING for 30 minutes)  and I am extremely pleased!

I am definitely progressing and the results are starting to show.  I am looking forward to seeing how much I can improve over the next two weeks!

Day 14 – Second Rest Day

Today was the first day of the Insanity Workout Program!

On the first day, the only exercise you will be performing is the Fit Test. The Fit Test is a series of exercises in which you have 1 minute to perform as many as possible.  You do the fit test every 2 weeks to mark your progress.  Here are the exercises and my brief description of them:

• Switch Kicks – Here you basically kick straight up with one leg and alternate while keeping your back straight, you are trying to get your kick to waist level each time.
• Power Jacks – Power jacks are like jumping jacks except each time you come down you go into a squat position.
• Power Knees – Standing up straight with your hands interlaced overhead, and then bringing 1 knee up at an angle across your body and hitting your knee each time.
• Power Jumps – Starting in a squat position then leaping as high in the air as you can.
• Globe Jumps -  Kind of squat jumping around the world.  You start in squat and jump right, back, left, and front.  One rotation equal one globe jump.
• Suicide Jumps – Start standing, then fall into plank position, jump your legs to the front then jump as high in the air as you can.
• Push-Up Jacks -  Like a regular push up, except that you spread your legs on each downward portion of the pushup like a jumping jack
• Low Plank Oblique – Get on your forarms in plank position and then drive your knee to your armpit, alternating knees each time.

They make this fit test sound like a nice little fun exercise to see how well you are doing, but it totally kicked my ass!  It was like a full-on workout to me.  Afterward I was nauseous for about 30 minutes.  Part of this program is pushing yourself as hard as you can, which I did.  I may have to notch it back or I don’t know if I will make it!

Here are my results from the first fit test:

Dig Deeper

Today is Day One!  On the first day of this program we do a Fit Test.  I will be performing the Fit Test in a couple of hours and I will post my results for you all to see.  Then we can all track the progress together.  The Fit Test is done every 2 weeks, and then once at the end of the 60 day Insanity program.

Now it is time to Dig Deep and get down to exercising!

Insanity Workout Blog