INSANITY Day 25 - Cardio Recovery

So it has been almost a week since I did the Insanity workout. This past weekend was insanity with 5, yes 5, birthday parties, the street party on our street, and a dance recital to attend. My favourite was the dance recital. My daughter is so graceful, I am so proud of her! I think I have finally shaken off the cold that lingered for a few weeks, only to discover that I probably have allergies. I am still coughing, sometimes phlegm but usually not. Getting older is fun! I am learning about all sorts of wonderful changes like developing allergies! Anyway, I did the Cardio Recovery workout today. I forgot how much of a quad wokout it is, just about all the moves involve squats or lunges, pulses or balancing. I broke a sweat although not the typical Insanity sweat, but my quads are still humming!

INSANITY Day 24 - Plyo Cardio Circuit

Did this the day after Day 23 (duh! except I have had to take breaks during Insanity due to life details). It feels good to workout two days in a row, I can feel the gristle start to come off and feel some muscles. Long way to go, but feeling good!

INSANITY Day 23 - Cardio Power & Resistance

Back on the wagon, albeit after a few days rest. I can't shake this cold and it is affecting my sleep and energy levels. Lately I haven't been able to answer the alarm clock and get up for the workout, I need the rest! Anyway, it feels good to get back at it. I kept up with the video, only had to take a break during the last circuit, but I finished strong!

INSANITY Day 22 - Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

Still trying to shake this cold, couldn't workout for the past couple of days while trying to recuperate since I felt so bad on Friday. Had to stop of a bit after a couple minutes of warmup to cough up some junk out of my lungs. I think I am over-tired from all that I am doing in life. Anyway, this was a good workout, I had to stop a couple times near the end as I was maxing out on my exertion. Cardio Abs was tough (as usual). It's not hard to tell I haven't done this routine for a few weeks! Here's hoping tomorrow will be better.

INSANITY Day 21 - Core Cardio and Balance

This is my first Insanity workout for over 2 weeks. I was out of town for 8 days and I have been sick (again!) since I got back. While I didn't formally work out during that time, there were two days when my family and I did a lot of hiking, so I figure there was at least some exertion. I also thought I got rid of the cold, but seemed like it was lying in wait until I got back in Toronto to really sock it to me. I have a dry hacking cough and sometimes feel like I can't breathe. I figured working out this morning would get my juices going to I could cough up this frog in my throat. It kind of worked, but I still hacked my way through the day at work. I only did the Recovery Week workout today (first time, it was pretty good) because I didn't think I could do the workout with the abs routine added at the end. I will try that tomorrow!

Day 20 - Plyo Cardio Circuit

It has been 5 days since my last workout. I have been fighting this cold that has been sending me into coughing fits so I haven't been able to exercise. Even today I was clearing out cobwebs in my lungs as I exerted myself. Good workout though, it feels good to sweat again!

INSANITY Day 19 Cardio Power & Resistance

Hi all, I know it has been a few days since my last post but I have been battling a tough cold since Wednesday night so today was the first day that I felt up to the workout. Even so, today was the first time in this round of Insanity that I could not finish the workout. I had to stop about halfway through to recover, I was feeling nauseated and not in a good way! I ended up finishing after a few minute break, but at a lot lower intensity level. Worse still, I tweaked my right elbow (and also wrist and trap muscle) while doing moving push-ups (that thing where you do a push-up, move to the right while still in the same position and then do another push-up, then move left and do the same move). I hope this doesn't affect my return to my regular routine tomorrow!

Today is Victoria Day, so I have the day off from work, but honestly I haven't really had a vacation for a very long time and I could really use a break. Now to find out where the fireworks will be set off and then find a good place to watch them!

INSANITY Day 18 - Cardio Recovery

Low impact workout but tough on the quads! Lots of slow moves to really feel the burn.

INSANITY Day 17 - Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

This two-workout thing is tough! The Pure Cardio workout is all jumping and moving and pushups. Then add almost 20 minutes of ab work afterwards! Whew! It's good though, I am feeling stronger as the days go by and the more workouts I do.

INSANITY Day 16 - Plyo Cardio Circuit

Catching up on the last couple days of posts, busy weekend with my youngest son's birthday and Mother's Day! This routine was good, I know I am making progrss because I feel better (read: not as exhausted) compared to earlier times doing this workout. Still pushing hard but getting better results and not completely done at the end.

INSANITY Day 15 - Second Fit Test

It's hard to believe it has been two weeks already, but then again life has been so busy that sometimes it feels much longer. Today was my second fit test, another try to max out my reps on 8 exercises. I improved on all my original results, which makes me feel good. Like the first time, I pushed hard and because of two weeks of Insanity, I achieved better results.
Switch Jacks: 52 to 62, 10 more (19% gain)
Power Jacks: 43 to 51, 8 more (19% to gain)
Power Knees: 72 to 89, 17 more (24% gain)
Power Jumps: 28 to 39, 11 more (39% gain)
Globe Jumps: 7 to 10, 3 more (43% gain) Suicide Jumps: 7 to 12, 5 more (71% gain)
Push-up Jacks: 13 to 21, 8 more (62% gain)
Low Plank Oblique: 18 to 24, 6 more (33% gain)

Overall, I am quite pleased with the increases in my capacity, especially the suicide jumps and push-up jacks. This inspires me to keep going and try to improve even more!

INSANITY Day 14 - Day off

It is nice to have a day off from the workouts, to give my body a chance to really recover. I was hoping to sleep in (all the way to 6:30!), but I ended up waking early and not being able to get back to sleep. Tomorrow is the Fit Test after two weeks, I am looking forward to making a note of any progress I have made over the past 14 days!

INSANITY Day 13 - Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

When the instructor says that he is nervous about the upcoming routine, maybe I should be worried! Pure Cardio is all about getting your sweat on, so I achieved that and then some! As if that wasn't enough, the program added Cardio Abs after Pure Cardio. This is how the program gets harder, it adds more workouts. :) Cardio Abs was an intense ab blast routine, with minimal breaks and lots of repetition of ab moves. The high/low plank pulses at the end were insane! I guess that is why they can call it INSANITY! I am feeling the difference in my body, the workouts are somewhat easier, and I notice more muscle tone already. I don't really notice a big change in how my clothes fit, but I figure that will come soon, once my body finds its new balance of getting used to exercising and recovering.

INSANITY Day 12 - Cardio Power & Resistance

I wanted to try and do this workout last night, but after supper, helping the kids with homework and putting them to bed, I was exhausted. In fact, I fell asleep putting them to bed. It was tough getting up this morning, but I convinced myself to get up and work out. I am glad that I did, it feels good to sweat and to stay on track.

INSANITY Day 11 - Cardio Recovery

I actually did this workout this morning, I didn't get a chance to do it yesterday because there were so many errands to run. Cardio Recovery is a combination of cardio, stretching and yoga balance poses, so it wasn't as arduous as the other routines. I plan to do the CPR workout tonight to keep on schedule. We'll see how this "two-a-day" goes after tonight!

INSANITY Day 10 - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

PCC for the third time, felt better during and after than even the most recent time. Still tired but felt good!

INSANITY Day 9 - Pure Cardio

Good workout today, lots of jumping, pushups. I switched sneakers because my old ones didn't have much cushion left in them. Wearing new ones makes a difference, especially considering the amount of high impact moves in every workout. I see by the schedule that i will be doing this workout again in a few days but there will be an ab workout added to it. I guess this is when it starts getting tougher!

INSANITY Day 8 - Cardio Power & Resistance

It seems like my body is adapting already. This workout was easier than the first time I did it a few days ago. Don't get me wrong, I still ended up drenched and ready for a shower but I felt better at the end than 5 days.

INSANITY!!! Day 7 - no workout today

It was good to have a break to give my left knee a rest. That is one difference between Insanity and P90X: Insanity has a lot more jumping, especially lateral jumps and squats, which aggravate one of the ligaments in my left knee.

INSANITY!!! Day 6 - Plyometrics Cardio Circuit

Plyo Cardio Circuit for the second time this week. This first time made me feel like barfing, this time I was only exhausted. It was better this time but my legs still shook at the end. That means I worked them till they couldn't go anymore. Success! Tomorrow is an off day with no workout, but I will post something, maybe a preliminary comparison with P90X.

INSANITY!!! Day 5 - Pure Cardio

Back at it with a vengeance! Today was a relatively short session, less than 40 minutes, but it was full -- FULL! -- of high-intensity cardio. Bell to bell, it was virtually non-stop. Having said that, I didn't really feel the INSANITY until the final 5 minutes, when we had to start doing scissor lunges and sprint/lunge combos. Those lunges will get ya every time! Good workout; I modified the cool-down stretch a bit to suit the muscles that I needed to stretch (calves more than hips).

INSANITY!!! Day 4 - Cardio Recovery

Today was a welcome change of pace from the 100% effort that the other workouts have demanded from me. It was a combination of stretching and cardio work that had some moves that were familiar to me from P90X, mostly balance poses from the yoga workout. There were lots of squats and lower body cardio work; I still broke a sweat, but the pace was not nearly as intense. This is good, so my joints can recover to get ready for the next workout tomorrow.

No workout today

Just getting in from a 14-hour day. Left the house at 6 AM to go to a conference in Niagara Falls and I just got back home at 8 PM. Time for a shower and spend some time with the fam watching Shrek 3 before bedtime. Back at it tomorrow!

INSANITY!!! Day 3 - Cardio Power & Resistance

After finishing today's workout, I wonder if it is a coincidence that the initials for today's workout are CPR? Actually, today wasn't as strenuous as yesterday, but I was still wiped out when it was finished. So "power and resistance" apparently means squats and pushups (as opposed to yesterday which was pushups and squats). Now I understand the INSANITY routine: intense warmup, stretch, then 3 sets of tough exercises, the third set having a bonus surprise set of other moves at the end. Each DVD is about 40 minutes, but it is a full 40 minutes of intensity. It is the last set of moves, combined with each set being faster than the previous one, that makes this workout live up to its name. I thought the V-pushups (doing pushups but in a pike position, shaped like an upside-down "V") until I had to do tricep ball pushups (same thing you are except crunched up in a ball so you are lifting almost all your weight).

INSANITY!!! Day 2 - Plyometrics Cardio Circuit

The insanity continues with circuit training that combines the high-impact and big muscle usage of plyometrics (lotsa jumping) with the heart-rate pumping aspects of cardio. The pace does not let up and the breaks are short -- too short, sometimes! Even the pre-stretch warm up is intense. The 41 minute workout chugs along pretty well, but near the end, my muscles had had enough. I actually worked to failure and my hamstrings were quaking while just standing. I re-composed myself after a short break and "finished strong". The trainer says this on the video and it really resonated with me because that is my philosophy too. I didn't feel that great after the workout until I had some food in me so my body could recover. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

INSANITY!!! Day 1

So Cheryl and the kids gave me the Insanity workout because I was looking for a new workout after P90X. I just did the Fit Test for Day 1. It is more intense than P90X, I didn't think that was possible!

Eight intense moves, each one more strenuous than the last. By the second half of the workout, I was breathing pretty hard, trying to recover between moves. In the spirit of being accountable, here are my Day 1 numbers:
Switch Kicks: 52 (high front kicks)
Power Jacks: 43 (jumping jacks, but squats)
Power Knees: 72 (one knee up to hands, while in a lunge)
Power Jumps: 28 (squat jumps)
Globe Jumps: 7 (4 jumps in a box formation) This is when it started getting tough...
Suicide Jumps: 7 (power burpees)
Push-up Jacks: 13 (push-ups combined with jumping your legs out like a horizontal jumping jack)
Low Plank Oblique: 18 (in plank position, bringing each leg up to your side: Chataranga run in P90X)

I have put off starting this routine for a long time, with lots of excuses: the rec room isn't unpacked so there isn't enough floor space, poor sleep (happens more often than I would like), running in the morning (I do less often than I should), have to work early/late (yes, government workers do this; at least I do when needed). Even this morning was an internal struggle to get out of bed. The longest journey begins with a single step, getting out of bed this morning was that step for this journey. I can't say I have been consistent with working out or especially eating healthy, but let's see how well I do over the next couple months. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!