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.

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

Ok guys, normally I am all sunshine and flowers about Insanity, but today I have a confession to make.  I need to be honest here . . . I AM READY FOR THIS TO BE DONE!  Don’t get me wrong, I really do love the Insanity workout and am extremely proud of myself (and all of you who are doing it with me) it is just that I feel like I need a break.  I have really only felt this way here in the last week.  It is mentally and physically wearing on me. There are a couple of main reasons for this:

1. Physically, my knees need rest.  Coming into today’s workout my knee issue turned into knees issues.  My right knee was hurting all day as well as the normal left knee.  It was probably the worst they have felt the entire time.  These knees have been through a lot and deserve a break.  I was dreading starting today because I was afraid of how they would do. The rest of my body feels good with a little muscle soreness here and there (which I kind of like).
2. The second reason is more compelling: there are times when I feel like my life revolves around Insanity!  I find myself rescheduling items so I can get in a workout.  Or sacrificing other important tasks or time with the family to do a workout.  Now I understand that you have to be committed to this, which I am, it has just been tough juggling being a good dad, husband, and getting these workouts done without stress.   I am looking forward to coming home from work one day next week and just playing with the kids for an hour instead of huffing and puffing in front of a TV.  This part of Insanity is much tougher for me than the physical part.

The second reason brings me to the “Modification” part of this post.  Here is an example of the choice I had to make today.  I had volunteered to move some items around at my daughter’s school in preparation for the annual auction.  I was slated to show up at 6:00pm and it would only take a half hour.  Well, by the time I get home from work and get prepped and ready to do my workout it is 5:00pm.  Today I was scheduled to do Max Interval Circuit which is a full hour long.  So I had some choices:

1. Skip the workout
2. Do the workout in the evening, which probably wouldn’t get started until 8:30pm or so and mess up my dinner/eating schedule
3. Do a shorter workout

I chose #3.  Instead of Max Cardio Circuit I did the Month 1 Plyometric Cardio Circuit which is 40 minutes long vs. 60 minutes.  This allowed me to get over to the school in time and enjoy dinner with the family.  It was the modification for today that I had to do.

Knowing that I am so close to the finish line is keeping me motivated though.  I only have 3 more workouts and one fit test to go!

Day 58 – Max Cardio Conditioning

Back to the Max Cardio Conditioning today.  It was a really good workout, unlike yesterday.  I came into it much more rested and ready to go.  Plus I still think this is one of my favorite routines of the second month.  I think the reason is because it never stops.  As crazy as that sounds, without breaks between circuits I feel like I am more into it and look at the clock less.  Before you know it, it is halfway over then you are done!

I was drenched in sweat today and tried to push myself as hard as possible.  Each time you do these routines you do get better (unless you are having an off day).  That was true today as well.  I felt satisfied afterward as was ready for the rest of the evening.  4 more workouts and a final fit test to go!

Calorie burn: 548 calories (all negated by a piece of cheesecake later in the night!)

Day 57 – Max Interval Plyometrics

Ok, back in the saddle!  After missing my first workout yesterday I am motivated to push through these last 11 days and finish strong.  Today is one of those days where you are supposed to do both Max Cardio Conditioning and Insane Abs.  I have resigned to the fact that I am not going to do Insane Abs.  I plan on picking it up after the 63 days are up and will write my reviews and experiences then.  So for now, I am pretending I didn’t see that on the calendar.   As people have posted in the forum, we have our whole lives to get in shape, not just these 63 days!

Max Cardio Conditioning went pretty well for me today.  I felt like I performed most of the exercises and was able to keep the heart rate up and pumping the entire time.  My cardio conditioning is definitely improving.  Some of the exercises they just go too fast for me, but I slow them down and try to keep good form and push through as long as possible.

My knee was bothering me throughout the workout.  I noticed it almost immediately in the warm up.  This did change the workout for me in some ways.  While doing anything with a squat I was very very conscious of my knee being placed behind the big toe.  I almost have a built in warning system now since if  the knee is too far forward I can feel the twinge.  I made sure to slow down on those exercises and concentrate on the form.

I still think this is my favorite workout of the month.  It is non-stop, but seems very doable for me.  Today’s calorie burn: 563 calories.

Day 51 – Max Nothing Circuit

Today was slated to have the first double workout of Month 2, Max Cardio Conditioning and Insane Abs.  This is a struggle for me to do, not because of the workout, but because of the time constraint.  I can’t bring myself to working out for 1 1/2 hours when I get home from work and basically ignoring my family and not being able to eat dinner with them.  So, I had the plan to get up early and do Insane Abs and then do Max Cardio in the afternoon.  The plan fell through   I didn’t feel equipped and fueled at 5:30am to start jumping around the living room.  So I skipped it.  There you go, my first deviation from the program the entire time.

Now, for the good part.  I did Max Cardio Conditioning in the afternoon and it was my best workout thus far of month 2.  I did almost the whole thing it felt like and felt strong throughout.  This is by far my favorite of this month.  I am a bit reinvigorated after today because it felt so good.  Looks like I burned 565 calories.

So, then the dilema was this: do I push back Insane Abs to Saturday and double up?  Or do I do the Fit Test on Saturday so I don’t have to double up on Monday?  I have chosen the later.  I feel a rest day is of utmost importance at this stage so I will do the Fit Test in the morning and then Saturday’s workout Max Interval Sports Training.

In all honesty, I don’t know when/if I will do Insane Abs this month, but I will play it day by day. Heck, my abs are already insane so I don’t really need it!

Day 46 – Max Cardio Recovery