Hey Ya'll

Happy Halloween

insanity is a full time job...

Hey everyone....Lemme first say, i'm stoked to join the insanity punx blog. It had been years since I've paid attention to fitness in any serious way outside of recreational activities like bike riding/capture the flag/swimmin etc. So I was initially interested when folks started talking a lot about insanity this summer, and when jordan and allie started this round 2 of the program I really wanted to get on board...So this monday my housemate jon and I got to it...

I vomed after the fitness test....while I guess I considered myself relatively fit-ish, Insanity immediately taught me that while I might not have been OUT of shape....i definitely wasn't IN shape either.

so here are the fit test results... I had trouble keeping count honestly and had to guestimate a couple of the results. A big issue with me and insanity is getting form right the first time going through these exercises and still keeping the pace. I suppose that that part of it will just get easier as the videos repeat and the moves become familiar.

switch kicks: 67?

squat jacks: 35

power knees: 50

power jumps: 16?

globe jumps: 5

suicide jumps: 14

low plank obliques: 41

Jon has to email me his results or I would post them, but I will post these sweet pics that we took before our day 2 workout:

Today is day 6....I'm sort of dreading getting back to the plyometric stuff...That has been the biggest pain. I do not have strong legs, and the first couple days of insanity had me hobbling around...stairs were seriously an issue...day 3 sucked, but I started to feel like I was adjusting, the first recovery workout was GREAT. like...can't stress enough how great that felt.

I feel like I am totally ok with signing up to HURT for an hour a day for most of my week...my big problem has been the time between workouts. feeling stiff and trudging through the day can be tough. I can only hope that this part of it gets easier. I was happy yesterday with pure cardio..I actually wish I had pushed a bit more, because this is my first time with the videos I was sort of expecting a break and an other round, and while i WAS exhausted at the end, I also thought there was going to be like short water breaks and then more pain like the other days...

But i guess I have that to look forward to this evening with the plyometrics again tonight.

Day 9: A Historical Moment

Well, it has happened. After about 6 months of trying to get into shape, losing around 35 pounds in the process, I have visible abs! (granted I had to shave my forest of stomach hair to see the definition.) This is a huge accomplishment for a kid who used to come home, mix a bag of chocolate chips and a jar of peanut butt in a saucepan, melt them together into the aptly name "Fat Kid Stew," and call it dinner. Watch out Australian beach dwellers! Here's hoping for a 6-pack by my New Years hang at Manly Beach!

Side note for the day. I really find that taking my time getting up, eating a quick breakfast of about a cup of oatmeal mixed with 1/4 cup walnuts and a scoop of protein powder and going for a walk to get a coffee enables me to push myself a lot harder than on days when I just get up, eat something quick take a 20 minute digestion period and go for it. Luckily my job these days gives me the time or these luxurious mornings. If you have the time, take it before getting Insane.

A State of the Union

Wow! I can't believe how this blog has gotten people excited about getting fit. Since I started this 8 days ago several friends have started either doing the Insanity workout or have told me they have started something else because they don't feel ready yet. Other cities watch out, Philly punks are getting huge! I invited a few of the new Insane Punx to start writing in this blog, so look for new posts by some first timers. If you are just starting and want to contribute get in touch.

Allie and I have also had some people stopping by to join our workouts. Stefan came on Friday and will probably be joining us for the rest of the week, along with Joe Fox who started today. I don't know how we are gonna fit 4 people in that tiny room, but we'll make it happen.

Also, my friend Ramsey just started her own workout blog about the Crossfit training she is doing Chicago. Check it out here:
Ramsey Gets Big

Day 8: Surviving the Weekend

So this weekend I chumped out. I skipped my saturday workout to hang out with out of town friends and ate like shit all weekend, including eating 2 slices of pizza and 6 grape leaves 30 minutes before I had to play a show (Pink Coffins) We played and I tried to get as much of a workout in during our set as possible. This is where Insanity workout and hardcore mesh perfectly... Think about it; higher go! jumps, faster mosh tactics, more stamina for maniacal movement while singing.... but in reality the pizza negated all potential benefits and I spent the last 3 songs trying not to puke. As soon as we finished playing, I puked. Doh.

Sunday I tried to make up for it by eating healthier (didn't do it, yes Andy Gun Birthday cupcakes) and playing soccer. At soccer I exerted myself a little too much. I didn't really get the full rest day my body needed, which left me tired and not looking forward to today's workout.

I decided to reboot. I slept in, ate a big bowl of oatmeal, walnuts and a scoop of protein powder, drank some coffee, let it digest, and took my time getting started today. It turned out to be exactly what I needed. I feel like I killed today's workout. I didn't take any extra breaks, and only modified the moving push ups for the last 2 sets (the tricep dips KILLED me.) I feel great now! I am regretting my setbacks on the weekend, but realize that I probably need those deviations to keep myself sane as I remember to just keep moving forward.

Pure Cario=Pure Misery

Here goes my first contribution to the insanity punx blog...After today I am quite certain pure-cardio will be my least favorite video. This is my first time around with insanity and like Jordan the first three days annihilated me. Wednesday night I went to bed waddling. Some how I got up the nerve to go to yoga at 9am Thursday morning, after which I surprisingly felt almost 100% soreness free. Little did I know that the recovery video was effectively an abbreviated power yoga session. I think in the future I am going to just go to yoga on Thursdays and call it a recovery.
I would like to note also that today was the first time it didn't feel like i was going to puke. I have limited time in my schedule and i have been fitting the videos in right after I get home from teaching an after school program and before I go back to the studio for an evening session. Monday I was starving so i ate before I did the fit test. That definitely made me want to ralph. Then tues-thurs I waited until after to eat but I drank so much water on an empty stomach that I could feel it sloshing around especially when running in plank position, also a puke worth feeling. Today, however, I ate a few bites of left over breakfast potatoes before beginning which was enough to give the water something to soak into in my stomach and there was no queasiness...even though this was by far the hardest sweatiest work out to date. I lose steam before a lot of the different moves are done. I hope to be able to stick it out longer as I progress through the series.
I hope to keep this up. Being a part of the blog is going to be helpful. I need to get me some before-pictures stat!
Oh and tanya, what a suck up...

Day 4: Recovery!

I only have time for a quick post today. Today was Recovery Day and I needed it. Recovery for me used to me my least favorite day, and not surprisingly the day I most often skipped. When I went through Insanity the first time I was about 40 pounds heavier, had minimal core strength and absolutely no balance. I couldn't do most of the stretches properly so, when I actually decided to to the Recovery Day, I spent a lot of time laying on the floor confused and frustrated. After about 3 weeks last time around I felt much more confident in streches during the other workouts, but still didn't have the control to do a lot of the positions in the Recovery video. This time around I got through almost the entire stretch without falling over once! and, I cannot tell you how great I feel today since! This morning I woke up still sore and really looking forward to the stretch and it was so completely and utterly satisfying. Soreness be gone. Speaking of which, make sure to check out Jeff's comments on the last post about soreness. Great stuff!

Tomorrow Allie and I are going to try and fit our first guest, Stefan, in the tiny room where we get INSANE. Pure Cardio here we GO!

Day 3: Soreness

Ow ow ow ow! I can barely walk today. Allie and I definitely struggled through the warm-up today. The power squats were nearly impossible due to the pain, but we pushed through and after we stretched we both felt sooo much better and made it through the rest of the Cardio Power and Resistance workout.

Right when we finished today I got a text from my good friend and future IP contributor, Cait that said "Are you immobiley sore the whole time you are on insanity?" This is a question I get a lot from friends who do a few workouts and then, more often then not, quit. The answer is NO! It should go away. Last time around this I was rarely sore after week 2. I am hoping it will be quicker this time.

From what I understand, your muscles get sore from lactic acid build up from movements that your muscles are not used to. The more you stick with Insanity, the less your muscles should hurt over time. Other than consistent workouts, eating and drinking water, especially right after the workout, should keep soreness down. Also, make sure you do the stretches, they will make you feel so much better during the rest of your workout. Stick with it! The soreness will stop!

I find that taking a recovery drink, like a protein shake, afterwards helps immensely with my soreness the next day. Vegans definitely check out Vega Whole Food Health Optomizer or the Vegan Pea/Hemp Protein stuff they sell at Whole Foods.

Any other tips on how to get over or avoid soreness would be greatly appreciated.

I am ready for recovery day tomorrow.

Day 2: Update

Wow! Incredibly sore from the fit test yesterday, I don't want to be me tomorrow morning! Today was a horrible, yet exciting reminder of what the actual Insanity workouts were/are like. Today also reaffirmed my previous tradition of pushing myself harder because I hate certain people in the video. My hatred for them fuels my endurance.

List of people I hated today:
-Blue shorts guy during Heismans in the warm-ups
-Tanya.... Fuck Tanya.

Also, Ski-Abs are, as of now, day 2, my least favorite exercise.

Insanity Documents

A few people have downloaded the Insanity Videos and have no idea what to do with them. Here is a link to a .zip file that has the schedule, nutrition plan and other documentation.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CPWCMX9J

A note on the nutrition plan. The first time I did the workout, I didn't change my diet at all. I increased my water intake, which made me less hungry, but other than that I still ate like crap most of the time. This time around I am trying to eat better, but will absolutely still eat Lucky's and other such delicious garbage every once in a while. The Nutrition Plan is not vegan at all, but I found reading it helpful in trying to plan and understand my caloric intake. I guess my biggest piece of advice nutritionally so far is DRINK WATER!

Day 1: Fit Test

Today Allie and I started our second round of the Insanity Workout. Here are our before pics:

and here are our Week 1 fit test results:

	Jordan	Allie
Switch Kicks	98	100
Squat Jacks	52	47
Power Knees	64	44
Power Jumps	34	32
Globe Jumps	10	10
Suicide Jumps	15	11
Push Up Jacks	21	25
Low Plank Obliques	43	40

You can read more about the fit test here.