This is a SUPER intense workout. Like I had to pause it before the last workout circuit to take an extra 2 minute rest. This workout is just over 40 minutes of rediculous cardio/resistance workouts. Like the other Insanity workouts I've done so far, it starts out with a 10 minute warmup that is actually pretty damn intense. The warmup includes lots of jogging in place, squats and lunges. Again during this warmup, the outside of my calves were just BURNING. I think I may have to do some calf stretches before starting Insanity so that I can get through it without this happening - because it really makes the rest of the workout tough. After the warmup, Shawn T and his posse take you through an intense stretch routine that includes a good deal of Yoga. That leaves about 22 minutes left for butt-kicking INSANE training.
He breaks up the Training session into 2 circuits with a short tricep circuit in between. The first circuit is 3 sets of 4 exercises - 30 seconds each. The exercises are Power Jumps, Belt Kicks, Hit the Floor, and V Push-ups. Power Jumps and V Pushups are just like workouts from P90X - but you do way more reps much faster with no rest. Belt kicks are pretty easy, almost a short rest betweek the really tough Power Jumps and Hit-the-Floor. Shawn only gives you a 30 second rest between each intense set - barely enough time to even catch your breath. This is the biggest reason why Insanity is so tough - there's hardly any rest.
The second circuit includes Hurdle Jumps, Globe Jumps, Moving Push-ups, and Floor Sprints. Hurdle Jumps were pretty cool. Globe Jumps are tough. Moving pushups I like but really drain you - and then trying to go right from that to Floor Sprints is almost impossible. If you can do all of this at Shawn's pace, you must be a freakin Olympic athlete.
After finishing the 3 sets of this circuit, I thought the workout was done - and honestly I was 100% spent. Then Shawn T says that they are doing one last 3-set circuit - 8 hop squats followed by 8 pushups. I knew I couldn't do it without taking at least a short breather, so for the 1st time I paused the tape, walked around the gym twice to get my heart-rate down a bit and got to it.
Other than the outer-calf issues, I felt pretty good for this one. I would like the "warm-up" to be less intense (more like P90X) and then spend more time stretching - but I guess I can do this on my own for 10-15 minutes before pressing play.
Diet/Workout:
Kashi GoLean with skim milk and blueberries
Activia Lite yogurt
8 oz V8
Workout: Weight Lifting (45 minutes)
Chicken Cheesesteak
20 oz Pepsi
1 bag Doritos
PowerBar Harvest Energy
Apple
Workout: Insanity (45 minutes)
Spicy Crab Sushi from Wegmans
Rotisserie Chicken (just the dark meat)
Steamed broccoli
Mushroom risotto
20 oz Pepsi
Ice Cream Sandwich
Thoughts on the Day:
I felt like crap when I woke up from eating too late after kickball/drinking Tuesday night so I didn't want to do the Insanity workout and end up throwing up in the morning. I also knew that I'd have the night free after work so I saved the Insanity workout for then. I have a pretty good eating routine in the mornings but sometimes it all goes to shit in the afternoon/evening. I had a good lunch workout with the usual crew downstairs - and I had a ton of energy for it having not worked out in the morning. Fell off the boat with my food decisions for lunch, had a good after-work workout with Insanity then stopped by Wegmans to pick up some dinner. Would have been OK if I could have resisted the pepsi and ice cream, but oh well.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Insanity Day 2 - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Wow. And to think I was already doubting Insanity after just the 1st workout because I didn't think it would challenge me enough. I certainly no longer feel that way. The Plyo Cardio Circuit is rediculous. 45 minutes of tourture with 30 second breaks like every 4-5 minutes. Non-stop work. I started a bit late today (didn't realize it would be 45 min), so I rushed through the warm-up and stretch. The outside of my calves burned pretty bad with all the power squats, and I'm thinking it might not have been so bad if I had done the full stretch routine. Well, now I know for next time.
In my regular workout that I've been doing for over 2 years at lunch, we do something we call burpees - standing to crouch to plank to crouch to stand to jump and repeat x10. That's always been a pretty killer exercise. Well this workout has burpees on crack. Part of the basketball curcuit that you do towards the end has a workout where you go from standing with your hands up to crouch to plank to 4 push-ups to 4 mountain climbers (plank-runners) back to plank to crouch to stand with hands to the sky. And repeat like 10 times. At least. And for the last rep you stay in plank after the plank-runners and do these ski-jumps and then in-and-outs for another minute. For ski-jumps you stay in plank and jump your knees up to your left hand then right hand then left hand then right, etc. In-and-outs you just jump your knees into your chest then back to plank then back to chest, etc.
One of the cool things about Insanity that I like over P90X is that they have like 15 people in the DVD doing the workouts. You know it's a serious workout when these people are dropping like flies during these workouts, not able to finish. I mean, I thought I was a pretty fit guy going into this - especially after doing P90X - but there was NO WAY I was finishing this workout without taking some extra rest. I was whipped. Definitely had a nice steady-stream of sweat going there.
Energy level was good. Probably got about 6+ hours of sleep last night. Ate pretty well yesterday. Feeling good.
Diet (good start, poor finish)/workout:
Workout: Insanity (45 min)
Kashi GoLean with blueberries and skim milk
8 oz V8
Activia Lite yogurt
Powerbar Harvest Energy
Workout: pick-up Soccer (1 hour)
Cosi Chicken TBM flatbread sandwich
Cosi potato chips
1 cup of Coke
Apple
Workout: kickball (hardly a workout but whatever I was outside for an hour+)
unknown amount of Miller Lite
cheeseburger, fries and a coke from MickyD's (poor decision slash no other late-night food options)
In my regular workout that I've been doing for over 2 years at lunch, we do something we call burpees - standing to crouch to plank to crouch to stand to jump and repeat x10. That's always been a pretty killer exercise. Well this workout has burpees on crack. Part of the basketball curcuit that you do towards the end has a workout where you go from standing with your hands up to crouch to plank to 4 push-ups to 4 mountain climbers (plank-runners) back to plank to crouch to stand with hands to the sky. And repeat like 10 times. At least. And for the last rep you stay in plank after the plank-runners and do these ski-jumps and then in-and-outs for another minute. For ski-jumps you stay in plank and jump your knees up to your left hand then right hand then left hand then right, etc. In-and-outs you just jump your knees into your chest then back to plank then back to chest, etc.
One of the cool things about Insanity that I like over P90X is that they have like 15 people in the DVD doing the workouts. You know it's a serious workout when these people are dropping like flies during these workouts, not able to finish. I mean, I thought I was a pretty fit guy going into this - especially after doing P90X - but there was NO WAY I was finishing this workout without taking some extra rest. I was whipped. Definitely had a nice steady-stream of sweat going there.
Energy level was good. Probably got about 6+ hours of sleep last night. Ate pretty well yesterday. Feeling good.
Diet (good start, poor finish)/workout:
Workout: Insanity (45 min)
Kashi GoLean with blueberries and skim milk
8 oz V8
Activia Lite yogurt
Powerbar Harvest Energy
Workout: pick-up Soccer (1 hour)
Cosi Chicken TBM flatbread sandwich
Cosi potato chips
1 cup of Coke
Apple
Workout: kickball (hardly a workout but whatever I was outside for an hour+)
unknown amount of Miller Lite
cheeseburger, fries and a coke from MickyD's (poor decision slash no other late-night food options)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Insanity Day 1
Today was Day 1 of the Insanity workout program for me. Like P90X, I'm going to be doing the workouts before work by bringing my laptop to the gym in my office building and setting it up in the corner. I was pretty excited after doing those marathon P90X workouts (up to 90+ minutes each) that all the Insanity programs were just 30-40 minutes. I knew after taking 3-4 weeks off (not completely off, I was still working out most days - but I was eating like crap), I was ready to get "back on the horse". Also, the timing is good. I want to be RIPPED UP LIKE RAMBO by the time I start going to the beach in June/July.
Today was "Fit Test" day. It looks like I'll be doing this fit test 5 times throughout the 2 months. The test includes testing how many reps of a variety of exercises (switch kicks, power jacks, power knees, globe jumps, push-up jacks, etc) you can do in a minute. I like this idea so you can compare where you are when you start and finish, not just how much you weigh. I couldn't believe it, but I was sweating like crazy after this short, 31 minute workout. I think I could have even pushed harder, but I had a crappy sleep last night and didn't have the energy.
All-in-all, off to a good start. Excited to see where it takes me.
Post-script:
I think I'll try to include my diet for the day as well. For now I'll do it in a workout/eating schedule format.
I think I'll try to include my diet for the day as well. For now I'll do it in a workout/eating schedule format.
morning workout: Insanity
protien shake
kashi fiber cereal with some blueberries and skim milk
activia yogurt
8 oz V8 drink
lunch workout: weight lifting
subway 12 inch chicken teriyaki sub - wheat bread, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, banana peppers (ate half for lunch, half at like 4pm)
2 subway chocolate chip cookies
light-lemonade
16 oz diet snapple
apple
evening workout: basketball
pan-seared halibut
steamed broccoli
brown rice
16 oz diet snapple
ice cream sandwich
P90X Jan-March 2010
On January 4, 2010 I started P90X - an intense 90-day workout DVD program. Coupled with a drastic diet change (not the P90X diet plan but a really clean-food diet), I went from 233 lbs to 199 lbs in 3 months.
I'm really happy about my commitment to the program, and of course the results. 34 lbs in 12 weeks is pretty rediculous. The one thing I would do different is I wish I would have done a daily journal or blog about my progress. I started another Beachbody DVD program today, Insanity. Insanity is a 60-day program 
and the DVDs are only 30-40 minutes long, as opposed to the P90X program, which is 90 days and the DVDs are mostly at least 75-80 minutes each. Insanity is also more cardio-centric, using zero weights. P90X has some days that are zero weight, such as yoga, kenpo and plyo - but the rest all include lifting, pushups and pull-ups.
and the DVDs are only 30-40 minutes long, as opposed to the P90X program, which is 90 days and the DVDs are mostly at least 75-80 minutes each. Insanity is also more cardio-centric, using zero weights. P90X has some days that are zero weight, such as yoga, kenpo and plyo - but the rest all include lifting, pushups and pull-ups. My starting weight for Insanity today is now 205 lbs. My goal weight is to be under 190 lbs. I will also do my best to update my progress daily with posts about what I thought about the workout, how I felt and I guess I'll weigh myself like every week or so.
By the way, the 1st picture is my "Day 90" pic from P90X. The second is my "Day 1" pic from this morning for Insanity.
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