Day 60 - Core Cardio and Balance

I'm running a little short on time tonight so this will be short.

Core Cardio and Balance felt pretty nice today.  I can see working this one into my post Insanity routine.  It gave me a nice recovery so I can finish my LAST THREE DAYS strong!

Boy, that day 60 up there looks nice.

Tomorrow is Max Cardio Conditioning and Cardio Abs.  I believe I'll be able to do Cardio Abs before work and the main workout afterwards.  Of course my schedule finally allows me to do that on the last time this workout will come up.

Day 59 - Max Interval Circuit

I think the most important thing I will ever point out about Insanity is this:  Watch the B-Boy do some break dance moves at the end of the workout and almost kick Ariel in the face.  It is the light at the end of the tunnel for this workout.

They say that Insanity is the hardest workout program ever put on DVD.  If that is true, then this is the hardest of the hard.  Max Interval Circuit almost feels like too much by the last circuit.  That being said, this was the best workout I've had yet since I started the program so very long ago.  I felt good (as good as you can feel with the program) and really pushed it.  I guess that is appropriate since it is the last time doing Max Interval Circuit with this go round.

Tomorrow I'll get a bit of recovery with Core Cardio and Balance.  As for right now, I have a sick dog to deal with.

Day 58 - Cardio Abs and Max Cardio Conditioning

I am so glad that I am in the last week of Insanity.  I'm starting to feeling majorly burned out and am in need of a break.  I woke up this morning and did not want to do this workout.  I am so close to the end and I can't mess up now so I reluctantly started it to get it over with.  Cardio Abs went fine.  I can tell that I am improving each time I do it.  I can stick with most of the workout without any breaks until I get to the plank work at the end.  I still struggle with that but am getting better.  Max Cardio Conditioning was tough.  This could be because I am still doing them back to back but my schedule hasn't really allowed me to split them up.  I did my best and was completely exhausted and drenched in sweat by the end.

Following my workout, I had some breakfast, showered and went to my biometric screening.  Here are my results:

• Total Cholesteral of 156 (<200 desirable)
• LDL Cholesterol of 84 (<100 optimal)
• HDL Cholesterol of 51 (40-59 okay but higher is better)
• Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio of 3.1 (<3.5 optimal)
• Blood Pressure 133/78 (<120/80 normal)
• BMI of 24 (that is normal)
• Random Glucose of 80 (70-139 normal)

As you can see most of the numbers are good.  My BP is high, but it always is.  That's actually quite the improvement over the last one.  I get the "white coat syndrome" and I think that always falsely elevates it.  I am happy with these results, especially since it was a biometric screen a few years ago that got me in to working out and eating right in the first place.

Tomorrow is Max Interval Circuit for the last time of this round of Insanity.  I'll do my best to give it my all!  I'm going to do my taxes now.  I can't wait to blow my refund on a bunch of crap and maybe some new running shoes.

Day 57 - Max Interval Plyo

I am writing this on my phone which is a pain in the ass but I'm not near a computer right now and I'd like to get this done.  Please ignore any auto correct typos.
I was up too late and consumed things I shouldn't have last night so this workout wasn't the greatest.  I also had to do it in the morning because my schedule is all wacky from working the swing shift today.  One of the bad (but delicious!) things I consumed was a double black stout.  It lead to some amazing insanity farts today!  I managed to get through the entire workout but I didn't give it my full effort.  So far my final week is off to a bad start but I will rebound tomorrow!
Speaking of tomorrow, I have a health screen I have to go to in the late morning so I will have another early workout.  Hopefully my numbers from the screen will improve over last year since I did all that running, Insanity and have been eating better.  I'll let you know how it goes!
I think tomorrow is Cardio Abs and Max Cardio Conditioning but I am not at home and can't check right now.

Day 56 - Rest Day

I am at work right now so I'm not getting a ton of resting done (or work done for that matter).  I'm also using a work computer that really sucks so I'm hoping this post actually goes up.

Last week I mentioned that I might start using my exercise bike on all my rest days but I decided not to today and make it a true rest day.  Next week is the final week of my first round of Insanity and I plan to give it my all so it would probably be wise to let my body fully recover.  Instead of excercising I will be playing Journey on my Playstation 3.  It is the prettiest and most relaxing video game I've ever played.  Check it out!

I work the swing (shit) shift tomorrow at work so I'm going to have to work out in the morning.  I guess the silver lining is that I'll still be sleeping in for a little bit.

I'm not sure what tomorrow's workout is but I'm guessing Max Plyo.  Unless my memory really sucks, I don't think I've done that one in a while.

Also, the web browser on this computer hasn't been updated for many years so the spell check doesn't work.  Forgive any misspellings, pleese.

Day 55 - Core Cardio and Balance

This was just what I needed.  I'm glad that this workout is thrown in a few times in the second month because you really do need a break.  I woke up this morning completely exhausted.  If I had a full Max workout today I doubt I could have done it.  I feel good now and I have a rest day tomorrow so I ought to be all recovered going into the last week!  I did look ahead to see what I have to look forward to and it does look tough but I noticed that the Max Recovery is replaced with Core Cardio and Balance.  This I like!  I said that I liked Max Recovery but that was just when compared to Cardio Recovery.  Honestly, I doubt I'll ever do either of the Recoveries again.

Tomorrow is my rest day.  I'll be at work for half of it so it won't be as restful as I'd like.  Ciao!

Day 54 - Max Interval Circuit

Yo! I was really procrastinating this morning because I did not want to do a workout today.  I especially did not want to do a 60 minute workout.  I finally got around to it just to get it out of the way so I could move on with my day.  It went well enough.  This is a tough one and I think it is the only workout that makes me feel absolutely spent and exhausted by the end.  I think I managed to do more full body drills than I ever have before.  Actually I'm sure that all the moves have shown noticeable improvement but the full body drills really stick out for me because I struggle they are the ones I struggled the most with.  Oh! Also the floor switch kicks.  I can actually do a majority of that workout now.

Well, the workout is done and it is my day off, so it is now time to relax.  Tomorrow I get a little break with Core Cardio and Balance.

Day 53 - Max Recovery

Another Thursday means another Max Recovery.  It seems last week was so long ago and I can't remember how this workout went then.  I don't think I improved much.  I felt the burn early and it hurt some of the first workouts but I think that has been the case every time I do Max Recovery.  I can handle most of the moves that are off the floor with minimal breaks, but then we get in to the low plank/high planks. Those are sadistic but are also the moves that I put the most effort into.  The whole workout uses a lot of strength but the muscles feel so relaxed once its over.

Tomorrow we wake those muscles up with Max Interval Circuit!

Day 52 - Cardio Abs and Max Cardio Conditioning

I had a meeting at work that went long. Between that and getting home I had problem after problem after problem.  It all resulted in me being short on time as I write this so I'm going to keep it short.  I did Cardio Abs.  It went well.  I did Max Cardio Conditioning.  It went okay.

I kind of zoned out at the beginning of Max Cardio Conditioning.  I'm heading in to the home stretch of Insanity and I caught my mind wandering as it tried to come up with different workout schedules to follow in the future.  I don't mind that the second month workouts are longer.  I would be surprised if they weren't.  However, these double headers (Fit Test & Max Interval Circuit and Cardio Abs & Max Cardio Cond.) are really eating into my free time.  I came into the program knowing that it would be a commitment but days like today go something like: wake up, work, work out, eat dinner and go to bed.  Doesn't leave much time for me to enjoy life.  This was supposed to be a short write up!  What it comes down to is that I am looking forward to finishing my first round of Insanity because I won't be so bound by the workout schedule as I'll be okay adjusting and tweaking it to fit my life.

Aaaaannnndddd tomorrow we are back for a much needed Max Recovery.  I have been sore all week so hopefully this will loosen me up a bit.

Day 51 - Max Interval Plyo

I woke up this morning sore in many places.  That is a good thing.  I knew I pushed myself harder than normal yesterday and the aching muscles is proof.

Today was Max Interval Plyo again.  This one really kicks my ass.  I think there is some variation on push-ups in every circuit and push-ups being my Achilles heel has been well established in previous blogs.  Lots of squats, too.  Then there is the Squat Push-Up that combines the worst two things in the world.  This all results in many many many breaks throughout.  I think by the end of each circuit I am only working half the time.  I would pat myself on the back for doing 8 Power Jumps when Shaun T. tells me to do 8 if I had any energy left to raise my arms.  Despite all this complaining, I gave it my all and had a good workout.  I have the pool of sweat to prove it!  Oh, and I love how Shaun T. says "You did a mayazeeeeeen" during the cool down stretch.  Thanks, Shaun.  I really did.

Back tomorrow with some Max Cardio Conditioning and Cardio Abs.  I had planned to start doing Cardio Abs before work but I've got the early shift tomorrow and I doubt I'll be able to drag my buttocks out of bed earlier than I need to.

Day 50 - Fit Test and Max Interval Circuit

I am extremely happy with my results today, so lets not dillydally and get right in to it!

Remember how I said I doubted I'd be able to get anymore Switch Kicks in that minute duration?  I blew all my previous tests out of the water!  Maybe getting up early to do the Fit Test was a good thing and I was in the zone or something.  Power Jacks, Power Jumps and Low Plank Obliques are all equally as impressive.  I didn't include Power Knees in the previous sentence because I think my form kind of sucks and it's really hard to count that one because it is so fast.  Oh well.  I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.  Suicide Jumps following the Globe Jumps is still a bitch and my arms were very near useless after doing the Push-Up Jacks but all and all I am very encouraged by these results.

Now for my measurements:

As you can see, everything is moving in the right direction.  Everything other than the biceps, that is.  I don't care about biceps so I'm cool with it.  I was shocked by my weight loss.  The decrease nearly doubled since the last Fit Test.  I don't think my waist and hips will really shrink much more in the next two weeks.  Most of the fat I need to lose is in the love handles and it tends to fall the the area between the waist and hips.  I do have some fat still stored in my boobs so I am expecting more of a decrease in my chest in the future.  I'm looking forward to that because my suits will fit better!

I was starting to get a little discouraged with the program and these results are exactly what I needed.  I think most of it can be attributed to the increase intensity of the second month workouts.  They are painful but they seem to do the trick.

Oh, the Max Interval Circuit went very well also.  I was dead by the last rotation but it was the strongest I've been able to do that workout so far.

Tomorrow is Max Interval Plyo.  Hopefully it doesn't knock me off my pink cloud!

Day 49 - Rest Day (kind of)

I have actually never seen an Insanity infomercial before.  I know they exist because whenever I tell someone that I am doing the program they know exactly what I'm talking about because they have watched it.  Apparently it is on constantly.  Well, I was flipping through the channels as I finished my beer late last night and came across the second half of the infomercial.  I was a little disappointed in it.  I know that it was just following all the typical infomercial cliches but Insanity is such a great program that it seems like it could sell itself just from word of mouth.  I doubt I would have been convinced to purchase it based on the silliness I saw last night and the only reason I did get the program is from doing a lot of research on my own.  I should have taken notes while watching it so I could comment on the problems I had with it.  I'll try to go by memory.  First, it said, "Order in the next 10 minutes to receive these free gifts!"  I know that is what all infomercials say but the free gifts were the recovery DVD, the wall calendar, the fitness guide (which is a useless brochure) and the nutrition guide.  Those are all (with the exception of the fitness guide) essential parts of the program are included wherever and whenever you buy it.  Next was when they said you had a 30 day money back guarantee so there is no risk.  That's cool but the announcer said you can decide if it is too intense for you in such a mocking tone that it seemed he was trying to shame you into keeping it even if you can't do it.  I feel they should emphasize that you should be in good shape to begin with before you buy it but you can return it if your fitness isn't at the right level yet.  Besides, there are other reasons  someone might not be able to do the program like illness or injury.  It is very hard on the joints after all.  The finally problem is also my biggest gripe.  The success stories they had have people losing 40+ pounds and being completely ripped after the program.  While these could be true stories, they are very deceptive.  I was thinking: WTF?!  I've only lost like 5 pounds and I'm over 3/4 through the program.  I paid more attention and realized that the infomercial failed to say what time frame the weight loss and muscle growth occurred from. The results shown aren't from day 0 to 63 and one of the people even had "after 3 rounds" listed below the results.  That is half a year of Insanity!  Anyway, bitching complete.

Today was my Rest day but I decided to do a non-Insanity workout because I felt I needed it.  I pulled out the good ol' stationary bike and spent 35 minutes on that.  I'm glad I did.  It was a no impact workout and I feel much better having done it.  Maybe I'll do that again for my next (and final!) rest day.

Tomorrow is another Fit Test and Max Interval Circuit.  I'm not going to try to pull of doing them back to back again so I'll get up early and do the Fit Test before work and the main workout after.  Doing the Fit Test in the morning might hurt my results but I don't care enough about them to let it stop me.

Day 48 - Core Cardio and Balance

This is the same workout from the recovery week.  It is a workout that I quite enjoy.  It offers a good workout but isn't balls to the wall crazy like the other main workouts of Insanity.  Having it pop up in the middle of the second month was a nice change of pace and offered some much needed recovery.  After my lackluster workout yesterday my quads and calf muscles really started to cramp up.  That is pretty unusual for me.  It looks like Core Cardio and Balance will show up a couple of more times in the final two weeks of  the program.  I think that is good because looking ahead, those weeks look pretty rough.

Tomorrow is a rest day.

Day 47 - Max Cardio Conditioning and Cardio Abs

This is the first time seeing Cardio Abs in 3 weeks.  I welcomed it back with open arms!  I thought a short workout from the first month would be refreshing.  It kind of was, I guess.  Like before, I decided to start with Cardio Abs before going into to the main workout.  I think this was my best performance on Cardio Abs yet.  I was even outlasting some of the Insanity crew on the DVD which is surprising since they all have very nice abs.  Maybe I do too under my layer of fat.  Perhaps time will tell.  Unfortunately, Max Cardio Conditioning did not go as well.  I don't know if I was out of steam because of starting with Cardio Abs or if I was just having a bad day.  My muscles fatigued a lot faster than normal and my heart rate didn't get as high as it normally does.  Doing Cardio Abs with Max Cardio Conditioning is the status quo from here on out.  I will try to do Cardio Abs in the morning before work if my schedule allows and then do Max Cardio Conditioning in the afternoon and see if that improves my performance.

Tomorrow is the return of Core Cardio and Balance, the workout from the recovery week.  It will be nice to have an easier workout.  I believe that if you got the deluxe version of Insanity, Core Cardio and Balance would be replaced by something else at this point but I have the basic version so I cannot offer any insight.  I don't even remember there being a deluxe option when I ordered it.

Day 46 - Max Recovery

I didn't really want to do this workout today.  You see, I met a friend last night for some drinks.  It was fun but I regret it today.  I went way over my calorie limit and I was up too late resulting in me being a zombie at work today.  I also ended up having to work later than usual so I didn't have as much time this afternoon to work out as I normally do.  I managed.

I really don't mind this workout.  I hated the recovery days of the first month but this routine is much better and less boring.  I have also learned to just chill if I am having difficulty with a move.  They aren't easy but this is a recovery day so there is no reason to get frustrated or kill myself trying to do a move.  The workout went fine and my body feels nice and relaxed now.  Now it is time for dinner and hopefully an early bed time!

Tomorrow is Max Cardio Conditioning with the return of Cardio Abs!

Day 45 - Max Interval Plyo

Hey friends, look what Shaun T. tweeted this morning:

That made me smile because I'm pretty sure I said the exact same thing a few blogs ago.  It's true, too.  I'm sure there are some people that can go full throttle through an entire workout.  I even saw a YouTube video of some psychopath doing the workout while wearing a weight suit.  No thank you!  I doubt I'll ever be able to get through the entire workout without a ton of breaks, but that's okay.  If I'm giving it my all and seeing results, then that is good enough for me.  Besides, I said from the get go that I am doing this more to improve my running and not so much to become an Insanity god.

Today's workout was Max Interval Plyo again.  I'm pretty sure I showed improvement, but I honestly can't remember how the last time went.  I suppose I could read my previous blog post on the subject but that would require some mouse clicks and my arms are tired from the workout.  So many push ups!  Speaking of, the main area that I know I improved is with the push ups, especially during the Level-3 drills.  I still have to sit half of them out but the first 16 were my strongest push ups ever!  Sometimes I do worry that my form might be off for a lot of the moves.  Shaun T. often mentions I should be feeling this in my butt or in my calf muscles or some other group, but it seems like my quads are the only muscle group that ever really feels the burn.  I don't know if that's a form issue or just a weak ass calf issue.

Now on to nutrition.  Yesterday I decided to do something that I should have done at the beginning: eat a ton of protein. I always have a protein shake after the workout but my daily protein still wasn't as high as it should be.  I was at Costco yesterday to replenish my protein shake supply when I saw the same company made some protein bars that have 30 grams of protein a pop.  I picked up a box.  Those along with the shakes bring me up to 60 grams of protein a day.  I read somewhere that you are supposed to eat one gram of protein for each pound you weigh.  I'll try that.

Tomorrow is Thursday which means round two of Max Recovery!  We'll see if I still find it tolerable...

Day 44 - Max Interval Circuit (full overview)

For me, Max Interval Circuit is the most difficult workout of insanity.  I don't know if it is just the moves Shaun T. has us doing or if it is because it is the longest.  It is nice to push myself so hard but I doubt I'd be able to stick with the program if every workout was like this one.  I haven't been able to do a full write up of Max Interval Circuit because of time constraints on the previous days that I've done it.  I am off work today so here goes!

Warm up and stretching are mostly the same as the other Max workouts so I won't go into them.  They do get the heart pumping, though.  I think my heart rate got up to 160ish which is the top of my "in the zone" range.

The first routine consisted of: pedal/power lunges, Ski Abs/Push Up Jacks/In & Out Abs/Oblique Push Ups, Power Strike, and Frog Jumps.  I think Power Strikes was the only new exercise so I linked a video.  The guy isn't do them quite right but I couldn't find anything better.  Ski Abs/Push Up Jacks/ In and Out Abs is a combination of all those moves one after another for four counts.  I could only do one rep of that each time.  I really hate Frog Jumps.  Like usual, this is repeated three times.  After the third time, Shaun T. throws in Football Runs/Cross Jacks to top off the routine.  This is kind of an odd exercise but it does offer a little recovery to get read for the next routine.

Next up we have Hook Jumps, High Knees with a Twist, High-Low Jabs with Squat and Floor Switch Kicks.  High knees with a twist is the regular High Knee runs but you twist your upper torso and bring your elbows towards your knees to work the obliques.  The only completely new move was the Floor Switch Kicks.  This has always been pretty frustrating for me because my triceps are still very weak and they want to give out after like 2 kicks.  I finally realized today that if I move my hands out a little it eases some of the strain on them so I was able to get something out of the move today.  After the third set, 1-2-3 Jab Across is added for good measure.  I couldn't find a video for that but it is similar to the Heisman 1-2-3's just slower and with a jab at each side.  Shaun T. says it should be easy and our heart rates should come down a little but mine never really did.

The final routine contains the moves: Side Suicide Jumps, Squat Hooks, Full Body Drill and Plank Punches.  Side Suicides are tough but Shaun T. emphasizes form over speed.  I was definitely not going fast with them.  The Full Body Drills require a lot of floor space.  While doing some of the wide runs I kicked the TV tray that held my water and made a mess.  I wasn't happy about that.  Those are also very tough.  I was only able to do about 2 with each interval.  My sweat band was completely saturated by the time we go to Plank Punches so I had to throw a towel on the ground under my face because so much sweat was dripping off of me.  After three rounds of these, we are done and finish up with a short cool down stretch.

I burned 850 calories with this workout today.  Not bad and it means I get to pig out for the rest of the day. Speaking of which, my burrito is done cooking.  Lunch time!

Tomorrow we return to Max Interval Plyo.

Day 43- Max Cardio Conditioning

Hey dudes.  I came very close to skipping today.  I stayed up too late last night watching "Let's Play..." videos on YouTube because I am and IDIOT and a nerd.  So, I was tired all day and it has really thrown me off.  I'm glad I decided to do the workout.  It would suck to miss a workout when I've done the routine so perfectly so far.  I didn't really push that hard because I wasn't feeling great but I still managed to burn almost 700 calories.  It really goes to show how you must be committed to the program in all aspects of life, including sleep.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  The cardio workouts (pure cardio and this one) are my favorite.  I like that I can take a break if one of the moves is kicking my ass and then go right in to the next one.  The variety also helps the time go by faster.  In the other workouts I often catch myself thinking, "Ugh!  Two more sets to go!" but the cardio ones are one move after another.  The end arrives before I think about it!

I'm off from work tomorrow so I can sleep in and catch up on my zzzzzzs.  I don't know what tomorrow's workout is. The calendar is wayyyy over there and I have two dogs on my lap right now.  I can tell you this much:  it is MAX something.  Oh, and say, "Hi!" in the comments.  It'd be nice to know if anybody is actually reading this.

Day 42 - Rest Day

I don't think I've ever been more happy for a day off from working out.  This week has been very punishing and my muscles ache and I'm exhausted.  I did have to work today but now that I'm home, I am going to plop my butt on the couch and chilllllllll

Back to it tomorrow with Max Cardio Conditioning!

PS  Seahawks lost.  It was a heart breaker.

Day 41 - Max Interval Plyo

Good golly this is a tough workout!  Towards the end of each set I am totally dead and only going at half speed (or less).  I don't mind.  It only shows that I am giving it my all.

This is the last workout of the first week of month 2.  I really miss the first month's workouts!  I don't know if its the length of these ones or the alterations to each move that makes them more challenging than their month one counterpart.  No doubt it is the combination of both.  It makes the workouts very unpleasant but I think it has greatly accelerated the results.  I have had noticeable weight loss since Monday and I think there has been more development in ab definition.  I bet month one workouts would seem boring now.  While this workout kicked my ass up and down, I did notice an improvement over the first time I did it earlier this week.  I doubt I'll be able to get through the entire workout by the end of the month but we seek progress, not perfection.  Right?

Tomorrow is my rest day.  I would love to spend it watching the Seahawk's playoff game but I'll be at work and we have no TV.  Sad face.  I could record it but I doubt I'll be able to make it through the day without hearing how it turns out.  Oh well.  As long as I can see them in the Super Bowl, which will certainly happen.  Right?  RIGHT?!

Day 40 - Max Interval Circuit

This one is tough!  After today, I am shocked that I was able to do the fit test before this workout earlier this week.  I wasn't able to do an in depth blog about Max Interval Circuit last time and unfortunately today is no different.  This workout is an hour long and I got home late so I have no time.  This workout comes up again on my next day off so I'll try to do a decent overview then.

Tommorrow we go back to Max Interval Plyo.

Day 39 - Max Recovery

This was the first time doing Max Recovery and I was dreading it because of how much I hated the recovery days from the first month.  My dread only grew when I popped in the DVD and hit play only to discover that this one is 47 minutes long!  I think Cardio Recovery was only a half hour.  Anyway, it turned out not to be too bad and I think my muscles actually do feel better.  They were pretty sore over the past few days.  The actual work out was much like Cardio Recovery in that it was more yoga/Pilates moves.  I liked how Max Recovery was set up more, though.  With Cardio Recovery it was a warm up stretch followed by random moves and then some cool down stretches.  Max Recovery breaks things down into a warm up, Workout 1, Workout 2, Workout 3, Workout 4 followed by a cool down.  Each workout kind of focused more on a particular muscle group or base move.  I don't remember all the stretches and moves and I'm not going to look it up.  I don't think there were as many holding moves as Cardio Recovery which makes me happy.  However, a lot of time is spent in plank position and I am not a fan of that.  It's hard to focus on the appropriate muscle when my noodle arms are shaking and about to give out under me.  If I had known there would have been so much plank work and push ups in Insanity I probably would have spent a month building up that strength.  My verdict so far on Max Recovery is that I like it more than Cardio Recovery but I still think my time would be better spent on a run or a bike.

One dilemma I have is trying to track my calories for the recovery workouts.  I wore my heart rate monitor today out of curiosity even though I don't think they are very accurate for non-cardio workouts (I'm not totally convinced with their accuracy for cardio workouts either).  It reported that I burned over 400 calories.  I do not believe that at all.  I went to a generic calorie calculator and had it crank out a number for 47 minutes of "yoga" and it said about 153 calories.  I think the recovery workouts are a little more intense than an actual yoga workout but I guess I'll go with the lower calorie value.  Any insight?

Tomorrow is the return of Max Interval Circuit.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it will be without killing myself on the fit test prior to it.

Day 38 - Max Cardio Conditioning

As I expected, this was the month 2 equivalent of Pure Cardio from Month 1 and the structure is similar.  Max Cardio Conditioning is longer and the moves are harder, as you would expect.

Things start out with the same warm up as Max Interval Circuit and Max Interval Plyo but when it comes time for the balls out third set, Shaun T. has us do a throw back to the month 1 warm up, which was welcome since I feel those routines did a better job of warming me up than the month two ones. That could be because I am still a weakling and the new warm ups are more difficult.  The main workout starts after the stretching, and like Pure Cardio, they are continuous with no water breaks between.  Here are the moves:

1. High/Low Jab Squats
2. Football Runs
3. Basketball Shots with Squats
4. Right and Left Kicks
5. Diamond Jumps
6. In-Out Push Up Jacks
7. Suicide Jumps
8. High Knee/Low Sprints/Floor Sprints
9. Ski Abs
10. Kick Step Back
11. Squat Twists
12. Over the River Hop
13. Attack
14. Power Knees
15. Ski Down Hooks
16. Belt Kicks
17. Forward/Back Suicides
18. Push Up Abs
19. Plank Punches
20. 8 Jump Ropes/Hop Squats
21. Squat Speed Bag

Sorry, I'm not going to describe the moves.  I'm too tired and hungry.  Maybe I'll add links to some later (don't count on it).  A lot of them are moves we already know, or combinations of two or more moves we are familiar with.  Unlike Pure Cardio, not all of the moves were at full intensity and Shaun T. stressed that control is more important than speed.  I can't remember which those were, though.  I think 10 through 15 were kind of a mid-workout recovery but my heart rate stayed pretty high throughout those.  I think my heart rate actually hit a low point during Push Up Abs and Plank Punches because my arms were dead and I really wasn't doing much during those.  All in all I'm fine with how I did today.  I'm looking forward to getting stronger so I can take less breaks and get even more out of it but I swear at one point during the DVD there are only two people actually doing the moves while everyone else is taking a break.  That makes me feel better.  I have now been through all the main exercises of month two.  They are more difficult and longer but I'm not discouraged.  I remember how shell shocked I was during the very first week, but I got stronger every day and I am confident that will happen during the second month as well.

Tomorrow is Max Recovery and my Max Day Off From Work!  I'm hoping I enjoy Max Recovery more than the recovery from the first month.

Day 37 - Max Interval Plyo

There was a problem at work that happened after I got home this afternoon so I had to deal with that with a long phone call.  That and the length of these MAX workouts is really cutting in to my blogging time for this evening so my descriptions of these moves won't be as detailed as I'd like.

The warm up is the same as Max Interval Circuit and is much more difficult than the first month warm ups.  It consists of jogging, Jumping Jacks - Arms Up (like a regular jumping jack but the arms go straight up and down instead of in a sideways arc), 1-2-3s, Jump Rope S-S (The S-S means side to side), High Knees - Arms Out (good ol' high knees, just this time the arms are held up and out at shoulder height for the duration), Switch Kicks, Hit the Floor, S-S Floor Hops  (I'm not going to try to describe these).  The first time I saw the S-S Floor Hops during yesterdays warms up I think I slung a few F bombs at Shaun T. They didn't seem like a warm up move.  These are all repeated three times, building intensity with each.  The third time you go all out but each move last for a shorter amount of time.  This is followed by the warm up stretch which is about the same as the ones from month one.

The first set contains the following moves: Switch Jumps, Squat Push Ups, Wide In and Out Abs (same as In and out abs but the feet are kept wide), and Power Jumps, our favorite!  This set was tough but completely manageable for me.  After the third set, this rotation is topped off with One Legged V Push Ups.  Just like the V Push Ups of month one, just one foot is on the ground and one is help back in the air.  Not fun!

The second rotation was interesting, starting with Pogo Jumps.  These didn't do much for me, probably because I struggle with the balance so much that I wasn't able to do many reps.  Next is Power Push Ups.  I did better than I thought I would with these but there is still room for improvement.  Globe Twists are like globe jumps, just side to side instead of r-b-l-f.  Still one of my least favorites.  The last move is Level 3 drills.  I thought life couldn't get much worse than level 2 drills but I was wrong!  16 push ups, followed by 16 runs.  Then you hop up and repeat.  I only did one set each time, but still, that's 48 push ups.  Quite and improvement for me!  The second rotation is topped of with one round of Power Lunges/ Hop Squats.  Those are a combination of moves we already know.

The third and final rotation was only done once and my biggest problem with it was just trying to figure out how the hell to do the moves.  I probably said, "Wha.....?" out loud as Shaun T. tried to explain the Side Push Ups.  Those are followed by Kick Stand Hit the Floor which is like a lunge followed by a Super Mario Jump.  Balance was again an issue for me.  Next is 8 Power Knees/8 Diamond Jumps and then Balance Push Ups.  So many push ups!  My problem with this rotation is that all the moves are so different but only doing one set prevents me from really getting the form down.  Anyway, cool down stretch and that's it!

This blog turned out longer than I anticipated.  It is dinner time!  My muscles are very fatigued and it feels like I should eat two giant steaks to get all the protein I need to rebuild them.  I'll probably cook something more sensible.

Tomorrow we discover the Joy of Max Cardio Conditioning!

Day 36 - Fit Test and Max Interval Circuit

Holy crap.  That was humbling.

I don't know if you are supposed to do the Fit Test and Max Interval Circuit back to back.  I'm guessing not but I wasn't planning on getting up at 4:00 in the morning to do one of them.  This update will focus more on the Fit Test and my weigh in/measurements as I'll be doing Max Interval Circuit many more times over the next 4 weeks.

Fit Test Results:

As you can see I improved with all the moves except the suicide jumps.  I think my problem with those is they come too close after the globe jumps.  Globe jumps kill me and there isn't enough time between the two to recover.  I doubt I'll be able to improve much more with the switch kicks or the power knees and I'm going to go ahead and call bullshit on Tanya and Chris's results on the DVD.  I think they were in the hundreds for the switch kicks.  Maybe when I'm bored I'll watch them and count.  Hopefully I can catch them red handed with their lies!  Or I'll be proven wrong and shut up about it.

Weigh in/Measurements

More progress!  Though I would like to weigh less than that, losing 3.5 pounds while gaining some muscles isn't a bad thing.  My BMI is also finally in the normal range.  If I wanted better weight results I could have put in my weight after the workout.  I lost two pounds of sweat and my weight was actually over a pound lower than 173.4 but I'm trying to be consistent so I will always be going with my Monday morning weight.  Numbers are going in the right direction but they only tell you so much.  I do look much better in the mirror compared to day 0 and after seeing what a month 2 workout is like I'm guess that will improve dramatically this month.

I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of the workout today.  I've spent the last 1.5 hours working out and I am hungry.  I will tell you that it was longer than a month one workout and much more difficult.  I stood in disbelief as I watch Shaun T. demonstrate some of the moves he expected me to do.  I am curious how tomorrow will go since I won't be spending all my energy on the Fit Test before it.  

I have almost an 1800 calorie deficiency for today so I am going to eat eat eat now.  I'll be back tomorrow with Max Interval Plyo!

Day 35 - Rest

I get one rest day before month two starts.  I'm an IDIOT and agreed to work part of my coworkers shift today so I'll be at work for 4 hours.  If I had remembered that the Seahawk's first playoff game was today I definitely would have come up with an excuse as to why I wasn't able to work.  I guess I'll record the game.

I'm a little disappointed in myself in the diet department this past week.  More than once I was over my calorie limit, usually do to booze.  I guess starting Insanity in December isn't the best idea with Christmas and New Years in there.  I do feel I need to double down on my efforts to eat right.  I read somewhere that you can't outrun a shitty diet.  Same is true for Insanity.  There is no reason to put myself through this torture if I am sabotaging my results.

I guess I should comment on how I've been handling the diet portion of the program.  Insanity does come with a nutrition guide that gives you certain "food blocks" that are recipes for meals you are to eat 5 times a day in order to meet a broad caloric limit that is based on the Harris-Benedict equation.  That seemed too inaccurate and wasn't really realistic for me to do with the career I'm in so I'm handling it different.  I do eat 5 times a day but they are meals or snacks of my own creation.  I log everything I eat in the free app Myfitnesspal as well as my calories burned during exercise.  I have Myfitnesspal set to have my calorie limits equal to losing about one pound per week.  I'm not sure if that's been happening since the muscle recovery and growth from the first month of Insanity has kind of thrown off my weight.  I think it will be more telling if my strategy has been working with how my weight changes during month 2.  We'll see how much I've lost so far tomorrow with my weigh in for the fit test.

Speaking of tomorrow, I'm scared!  Fit Test AND Max Interval Circuit.

Day 34 - Core Cardio and Balance

Well, Recovery Week, its been fun but it is time I bid you adieu. The workout went exactly the same as the last ones but I burned over 100 more calories.  I'm guessing that since today is my day off from work, I did the workout at a different time of day and it threw off my internal circuitry.  I definitely did not work any harder.  In fact, if anything, I put in a lot less effort.

I had a lot of plans for the rest of my day including seeing the King Tut exhibit in Seattle (sold out), seeing Django Unchained (too lazy) and checking our a new retro barcade that opened in the town I live in (don't want booze and again, too lazy).  Instead I will take a healthy chunk out of season one of Homeland and try to talk myself in to binge eating tomorrow for the last rest day before month two begins...

Day 33 - Core Cardio and Balance

I decided to this one without the music to shake things up a bit.  It was WEIRD!  At first anyway.  Toward the end it actually kind of made it seem more like I was actually in the gymnasium with everybody.  I'll probably keep the music on in the future even though it isn't very good.

Anyway, today was a lot like yesterday so read that post again if you want.  I imagine tomorrow will be a lot like today as it is Core Cardio and Balance for the sixth and last time (this week, anyway).

Day 32 - Core Cardio and Balance

Wow, what a difference a few days makes.  I was feeling pretty good today so I actually pushed it when Shaun T. said I could if I wanted to.  I was even able to do the entire Shoulder Burners routine without stopping.  I didn't think that would be possible on Monday when I did this workout for the first time.  I doubt I'll ever be able to do the entire Hip Flexor Burner routine in its entirety but I think that went better as well.  My ankles were a little achy yesterday and today so I'll have to pay attention to that.  I'm hoping it's just the weather because it would really suck to get injured this far in.  Two more days of Core Cardio and Balance are left. I am missing the variety and intensity of a regular workout but I'm sure I'll miss recovery week when Monday comes around.

Day 31 - Core Cardio and Balance

Even after a month of doing this, I am still learning some very basic things.  The hip flexor stretch during the warm up and cool down stretching never seemed to do much for me.  Today I figured out that my back leg wasn't far enough back.  Fixing that stretches the ol' hip flexor nice!  The hip flexor has it's own website.  Learn all about it!

Anyway, third time is the charm I guess.  Core Cardio and Balance went much better today.  I imagine it has something to do with getting enough calories in my gut.  I always eat better on work days since I have breakfast before work, a big snack during my morning break and then lunch.  I usually sleep through one or two of those meals on my days off.  Tsk tsk tsk.  I also seem to burn less calories each day.  I think my metabolism was probably going a tad haywire from my indiscretions over the weekend and my body is working more efficiently as I detox.

The recovery week is starting to feel a little tedious.  The sun was shining today and I would have much rather gone on a run but as I've said before, I'm sticking to the schedule for my first round of Insanity.  I do think the recovery week would have been very beneficial as a pre-Insanity week before month one to give an introduction of sorts to some of the moves you'll be repeating a billion times over.

Tomorrow! Core Cardio and Balance!  Again!

Day 30 - Core Cardio and Balance

Happy New Year!  My first workout of 2013 went much better than the last one of 2012.  Not being hungover helps.  Today's workout still wasn't the best because my nutrition has been pretty crappy for the past few days but it is recovery week and I have four more days to really get this workout down.  Plus, life should be getting back to normal so I'll be able to get back in to my routine and get back on track.

As I mentioned yesterday, Core Cardio and Balance is much more laid back than other Insanity workouts.  It is still a decent workout but not nearly as strenuous as the regular ones.  I still managed to burn over 400 calories.  The entire workout is broken up into a few parts.  It starts with a warm up that consists of Switch Heel Kicks (kind of like jump roping), Mummy Kicks, Football Shuffles, Log Jumps (sprint in place and then jump like a log is rolling under you), High Knees/Power Jacks, and fast Fast Feet/Hooks.  I think each one last for a minute.  After the warm up is some light stretching, followed by the cardio portion.  This consists of Moving Ski Jumps, Hit the Floor, Level 1 Drills, Heisman's, Switch Kicks/Hop Squats, High Jumps, Moving Plank Walks, Elbow Jabs/Suicide Drills, 4 and 4 Hops and Jab Punches/Jump Squats.  Writing all those down makes it seem like a lot but it's really not so bad and I like the variety.  Next is the Balance portion.  This is tough and I feel sorry for the people on the DVD who aren't able to take as many breaks as me since Shaun T. is always right by them.  I think he calls these moves Hip Burners and Shoulder Burners.  Emphasis on BURN.

I don't have a transition to this paragraph.  At the New Years Eve party last night I found out that my friend has been doing Insanity for quite some time and really loves it.  He gave me some advice and shared some of his experiences with the program.  It is nice talking about it with someone because it is such a difficult program.

Tomorrow is day 3 of the rest week!