Insanity Week 4- The Struggle To Maintain Focus

We finally made it to rest week. I must say, I probably feel a little bit softer than I did at the beginning of Insanity. I think the reason for this is that I have not been as disciplined with the nutrition side of the program as I should be.

 

Since nutrition is 70% of a weight loss/ fitness program, it is not fair to expect to see results from an exercise program without focusing in on this crucial component. It is too easy to get into the mindset that it is ok to eat extra because “well, I got my workout in.”

 

However, just think about that fact that it takes about 30 seconds to eat a cookie with 300 calories, but it is going to take 30 minutes of exercising to burn that same amount. That is why it is so much easier to get fat than to lose it!

Another factor may be timing. With the change of summer into fall, my extraneous activities have definitely gotten more sedentary. The extra evening walks, swims with the kids, and afternoon jogs have been reduced to almost zero.

 

So, now that our family birthday season is done, Susan and I are going to renew our resolve to avoid the extra snacks, stop eating the kids crumbs, and avoid the leftover sweets. Just like everyone else, we struggle to stay on track over the winter months.

 

So, next week is “rest week” which means we have a light exercise regimen. That means we are going to have to be extra careful to eat right, avoid grazing like cattle and try to get some extra movement in.

 

Hang tight with your program! Remember, the hard workouts are not an excuse to indulge the sweet tooth. Those holiday treats are just going to end up hanging over your belt in January!

 

In the comment section below, help us with ways you plan to avoid the extra weight gain over the holidays.

INSANITY workout program- Weeks 2 and 3

Three weeks down on Insanity and I am warming up to, though not hot on the program for my readers.

As stated last week, I like the intensity of the program. If you are feeling lethargic (and who isn’t at 5am when Susan and I get up to do the workout), Shaun T is going to push you to get out of your funk.   I also love the creative new exercises I have learned such as bench press leg raises, power jumping jacks, standing sprints with hurdles, plank oblique knee raises, and ski jumps.  I also love that, when I am limited on time, I know I can still get a good return on my short investment.

There is one big issue about which I want to caution readers. You really need to know your body and pay attention to how you are doing the exercises. Shaun has you moving so fast that it is very easy to sacrifice form just to keep up. There are a lot of moves where you bend over and stand up while jumping.

For example, while watching my wife, I noticed she has a hard time squatting fast enough to get to the ground, so she compensates by bending forward at the back. Since she is also jumping and twisting at the same time, this can seriously compromise her back. There have been a few days where Susan has complained of her back, knees, and shoulders (in the area of the rotator cuff) being pretty painful. I recognize these symptoms as not being “normal” workout aches and soreness, so we have talked through modifying her form on some of the moves.

If you have minimal knowledge of proper body mechanics, be sure to really watch the leader, Shaun T, closely and have a mirror so you can keep an eye on your form. Don’t pay that much attention to the models, as they sometimes don’t have the best form either.

Now, I will go back to watching game 7 of the World Series. Go Cards!

Insanity Workout Chronicle: Week 1

With fear and trepidation, my wife Susan and I started the “Insanity” workout this past week. Insanity is a 2 month program led by trainer and former pro athlete, Shaun T. For the next 2 months I will be journaling through the program and give my thoughts on this popular home workout.

Insanity is quite a bit different from P90X* in that it is VERY heavy on the cardio and sport drills training. In fact, there is very little upper body resistance exercise, in my opinion, though my legs were definitely given a good workout. The set did come with a separate upper body weights workout, but it is not a part of the official “plan”.

The great thing about Insanity is that Shaun makes you dig deep to find another level of intensity and with each set he pushes you harder and harder. If you thought you could sit on a recumbent bike and casually read a book and lose weight, Shaun tries to coach you past that natural passive attitude and show you it is necessary to push yourself to succeed.

Prior to beginning Insanity, we did know that there was going to be a lot of jumping involved, so Susan and I purchased a couple of jump mats on Amazon, and I am pretty glad we did. This workout can be very hard on your joints and if actually done on a gym floor as shown on the video, month 3 would be the “Insanity Joint Replacement Recovery Series”.

If you are trying to use Insanity to lose weight, definitely utilize the meal plan as well. Since the workouts are a bit short, you will need to keep a strong focus on nutrition and perhaps add a few resistance workouts as well.

 *see previous post rating experience with P90x