BEACHBODY: Insanity

[arizonafitclub]

Whether is it the next step with P90X or your first adventure with Beachbody, let's talk about Insanity: The program or the nutrition guide, report you progress, make other Insanity friends...do it here!

:) Monica

[arizonafitclub]

Elizabeth Lyster: Everybody "knows" how to lose weight: diet and exercise, right? Well, what we eat and our activity levels do make a big difference in whether we achieve and maintain a healthy weight, size, and condition.

Getty Images
However, human metabolism changes over our lifetimes. When we're young (teenage and adult in our 20s), relatively minor changes in diet and exercise can produce weight loss. When I was in high school, when my jeans felt too tight, I just stopped eating cookies for a couple of weeks, and that did the trick! As we get older, our metabolism slows down. This slow-down in metabolism is like a hill that gets steeper as it goes down. That is, your metabolism is slower in your 30s than in your 20s, and it gets even slower in your 40s, your 50s, and so on. There are three major mistakes that women make when trying to lose weight. Because of slowing metabolism, these mistakes are especially costly for women over 40.

Here are my Top Three Women's Weight-Loss Mistakes, not necessarily in order of importance:

1. NOT ENOUGH FOOD! How counterintuitive! These days, people are learning quickly about this mistake. All the "trainers-to-the-stars" are writing books promoting the importance of healthy snacking and eating five to six times per day.

Think of your metabolism like a furnace -- if you don't keep fuel in the furnace, the fire will die down and go out.

Here is the heart of why diets don't work -- when you don't eat enough, your metabolism goes into "save" mode. Human bodies are designed this way, to withstand and survive starvation conditions. Feeling hungry may mean you are in this kind of counter-productive metabolic state.

So, it's not your fault -- eating less in this way will not lead to weight loss!

2. TOO MUCH EXERCISE: Exercise is an essential part of maintaining long-term health and weight control. However, there is in fact such a thing as doing too much exercise, or exercising too intensely. Exercise is hormonally depleting, especially for women over 40.

If exercise is experienced as stressful, this can stress the adrenal glands. Adrenal glands make cortisol in response to stress. When there is too much cortisol release, the body goes into the "save" mode I mentioned earlier, and will retain weight, especially around the midsection. This is one of the most tricky subjects for me to discuss with my patients who are over 40, are healthy eaters, exercise intensely, and are frustrated by lack of weight loss or even weight gain despite all their efforts.

You have to exercise smarter, not harder. For example, exercise programs that include weight-lifting will build muscle mass, which in turn raises the overall metabolic rate. This makes a person burn more calories, even at rest! In other words, it's not just about burning calories by exercising harder. If your best efforts at weight loss are not working well, you may be over-exercising.

3. NOT ENOUGH SLEEP! When you understand the work done by the adrenal glands, it becomes clear why not getting enough sleep, or good enough sleep quality, can cause weight retention or weight gain.

We talked in the last section about excess cortisol release caused by stress. Cortisol is released when we are tired and don't rest -- it's what keeps tired women from falling asleep at the wheel while they are ignoring their fatigue and running around doing all the things they have to do every day. Perimenopause and menopause-related symptoms can also interfere with good sleep quality. Depression (which is not a "natural" part of menopause) can also disrupt sleep. Stressful life events, such as the loss of a loved one, also cause cortisol release (both by interfering with sleep and from the stress itself).

Chronic lack of sleep leads to cortisol release, which also leads to craving junk food -- all of which of course leads to weight gain. Because this kind of weight gain is mostly around the abdominal area, we feel "bloated" and uncomfortable.

Poor eating habits related to fatigue and stress make this a vicious cycle that prevents reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

So, what everybody "knows" about how to lose weight leaves out some crucial information. These top three mistakes that people make in trying to lose weight are especially costly for women over 40. Yes, you have to eat well and keep fit, but you have to keep a balance, and you have to get enough rest!

Here's to your health!



Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/05/weight_loss_mistakes.php#ixzz0br2CEbOI

[aabbott]

So who out there is doing Insanity too?? I am on Day 14....taking my fit test later today...Can't wait to see how I'm doing! Will post results later!

[arizonafitclub]

I can't wait to see the results. I was actually really surprised at my day 1 and day 14 results!

[aabbott]

Okay..so here goes:

Fit Test #1

Switch Kicks: 40 (not properly)
Power Jacks: 42
Power Knees: 70
Power Jumps: 23
Globe Jumps: 5
Suicide Jumps: 10
Push-up Jacks: 2
Low Plank Oblique: 48 (apparently I wasn't very flat when I did this)

Fit Test #2:

Switch Kicks: 35 (proper)
Power Jacks: 50
Power Knees: 88
Power Jumps: 25
Globe Jumps: 8
Suicide Jumps: 14
Push-up Jacks: 10
Low Plank Oblique: 48 (perfect form this time)

So I think I did okay.....Hopefully I will be more coordinated for Fit Test #3 and will kill it!

Hopefully this post will show up!

[Dave]

Aabbott Great improvement. Look at the push-up jacks! From 2 to 10! Globe jumps too. That's awesome.

I did Insanity Upper Body Weight Training from the Deluxe Package today. AWESOME. I had to write a post about it: http://www.thefitclubnetwork.com/2010/01/my-new-fav-workout-insanity-upper-body-weight-training/

Check it out. Shaun T., Insanity intensity, and weights! Just an awesome workout.

Dave

[arizonafitclub]

I had the same issue with the poor form on the last move. The nailed it on the second fit test! GREAT JOB!

[AprilLewis]

My Insanity Fit Test Results so far....

#1
Switch Kicks- 87
Power Jacks- 62
Power Knees- 93
Power Jumps- 38
Globe Jumps- 10
Suicide Jumps- 20
Push-Up Jacks- 32
Low Plank Oblique- 58

#2
Switch Kicks- 120
Power Jacks- 68
Power Knees- 117
Power Jumps- 47
Globe Jumps- 11
Suicide Jumps- 23
Push-Up Jacks- 35
Low Plank Oblique- 67

#3
Switch Kicks- 143
Power Jacks- 68
Power Knees- 126
Power Jumps- 81
Globe Jumps- 13
Suicide Jumps- 25
Push-Up Jacks- 42
Low Plank Oblique- 71

Hope I can do better on the next fit test!

[Dave]

Yeah April, you should be really disappointed. I mean you didn't improve your power jacks at all. ;) That's awesome!!! The numbers from #1 to #3 are crazy. Keep up the good work!

[Mpresev]

Hey friends, I'm on my first week of Month 2 of Insanity.. Yesterday was Max Conditioning and I almost gave up 25 minutes into it but I keep saying "I want the lean super fit body".. I never ever ever ever ever had a hard workout in my life.. I thought Plyometrics from P90X was the hardest but Max Conditioning takes the crown. Actually all the workouts from Insanity is indeed insane.. Today is Max Intervals I think. I sooo can't wait to finish this month to get back into P90X while at the same time eat right.

[Dave]

Hey friends, I'm on my first week of Month 2 of Insanity.. Yesterday was Max Conditioning and I almost gave up 25 minutes into it but I keep saying "I want the lean super fit body".. I never ever ever ever ever had a hard workout in my life.. I thought Plyometrics from P90X was the hardest but Max Conditioning takes the crown. Actually all the workouts from Insanity is indeed insane.. Today is Max Intervals I think. I sooo can't wait to finish this month to get back into P90X while at the same time eat right.

Max Cardio Conditioning is one of the hardest workouts on the planet. Moving from Insanity to triathlon training was such a relief. My tri workouts are way longer, but nothing is as hard as Insanity...nothing.

[AprilLewis]

Haha thanks Dave. :P I was a teensy bit disappointed though. Power Jacks just aren't my friend... lol I will do better on next time on power jacks!

[Mpresev]

Haha thanks Dave. :P I was a teensy bit disappointed though. Power Jacks just aren't my friend... lol I will do better on next time on power jacks!


Power Jacks . That thing burns my legs.. This Insanity workout is something else..

What do you guys think of Max Intervals? That's what i'm doing tomorrow..

Thoughts on Cardio Abs? I did Cardio Abs today and I like it except for the warm up l.o.l.. No, it's cool. :cool:

[kiwisue]

HI everyone,
I am on week 3 of insanity and I am loving it! Some days I easily manage my 5 meals of 300 calories and other days I am so hungry!! I am noticing that my body shape is changing and i am hoping that soon the measurements will reflect all my hardwork!!!
Anyone else finding that they have up and down days with their hunger?
Also what is your favorite meal on insanity? I am eating a lot of fat free cottage cheese mixed with fage 0 % and 2 tsps of pineapple!

[Mpresev]

Remember when I said that Max Conditioning was the hardest workout I'd ever done? Not anymore Max Intervals takes the pie. I just finished it and if you do Max Intervals then you know you worked out.. That was a workout. .. It worked out my legs, glutes, abs, chest, arms, my toe nail and my hair. Oh and my eyebrow. ;);) That was a tight workout.




Worked out at 9:30am.
Post workout food:
3egg whites
2 turkey bacons
half cup of oatmeal
Protein Shake.

I feel good
:)




HI everyone,
I am on week 3 of insanity and I am loving it! Some days I easily manage my 5 meals of 300 calories and other days I am so hungry!! I am noticing that my body shape is changing and i am hoping that soon the measurements will reflect all my hardwork!!!
Anyone else finding that they have up and down days with their hunger?
Also what is your favorite meal on insanity? I am eating a lot of fat free cottage cheese mixed with fage 0 % and 2 tsps of pineapple!

[dmoritz]

I've been doing Insanity as well. We just did our second fit test on Monday and I pulled something in my back. It's too bad, my numbers were looking good up until that point. This is my 2nd round and I just LOVE it. I think I'm going to mix up either the X weight workouts or Chalean Extreme with Insanity. I just miss doing weights.

kiwisue - I also have days that I can't eat enough and other days that I'm not that hungry. You are not alone!!!

Mpresev - I think all the max workouts are hard. Talk about a puddle of sweat...

[JimNAZ]

Hi everyone!

My fiance (Robin) and I are on our 5th day of the 3rd week of Insanity. I have never done a cardio exercise program before and this thing is crazy! I lift weights every now and then same taking Bikram Yoga but that is about it. I have felt like a slug the last couple years and had enough. When I started Insanity I could barely hold my breath for 30 seconds. Now I can hold it for 72 seconds! (I know thats korny . . .) The first day (fit test) I was about ready to colapse. My numbers were way low and it took well over an hour for me to recover. Now, I am able to go through the whole warm up with out having to take a break, although not as fast as everyone on the DVD. (*** It is nice to see them sucking wind once in a while too!) And, I recover half-way through the stretching. 10-15 minutes after the whole workout I am even kidding around with Robin as to whether we even worked out. (Please note "kidding" and this IS a heavy duty workout but I feel good afterward compaired to first few days.)
All of the above is based on cardio. Unfortunately strength wise I am feeling burned out. I have muscle fatigue during the workout portion and it seems to get worse every day. (Just started to really notice this week.) My legs feel like concrete and I can barely lift them for log jumps or hurdles. And holding in squats is impossible.
What gives? My cardio has improved off the charts but I feel weaker every day. I realize this is a tough workout. Is this to be expected? I worry that if I have trouble now how will I get through the 2nd month?
Also, I have not seen any change with my body fat. I am having trouble getting enough calories in each day. Should be around 2000 and I struggle to get over 1600. The first week I was really low because I was following the nutrition guide so I was under 1500 each day. That week I was starving all the time. Now, my blood sugar is more steady through the whole day. I have a sense of hunger in between meals but make it through ok. The problem is that the past couple of days food tastes blah and I have to force myself to finish a meal! How can I get up to 2000 cals a day like this?
Since last Saturday I have been tracking everything I eat using Daily Burn. It is kind of a pain but it is also nice to see the breakdown of everything.
What should be the ratio of carbs/fat/protein?
Not sure how detailed I should get here or should I post in nutrition(?)
We have to work out first thing in the am and get up at 4:45. Finish by 5:40 and usually eating breakfast by 6:30. I have been using NO Xplode as a workout drink. I have it mixed by the bed and start drinking as soon as I wake up. A couple of days this week I tried to do a recovery drink (4:1 - juice/protein powder) but was concerned of doing too much since I need to eat breakfast right away.
We have been using the nutrition guide that came with Insanity to help with meals. Trying to avoid a lot of processed foods and useless sugar. We used to have a (very bad) desert every night around 10 and stopped that completely. This is why I cannot understand why I cannot see any changes with my body!

Anyway, I am not quiting that is for sure! Just hoping for some guidance so I (we) can do this right.
BTW: Robin is 5' 2" and around 110lbs. She is lucky to get in around 1100 calories a day. She tries to eat more but just can't and feels sick if she forces it.

Help . . .

Jim

[JimNAZ]

I just wanted to add my daily ratios since I started tracking:

Fat/carbs/protein

17.25/54.35/28.4
21.67/51.18/27.15
15.28/54.54/30.18
18.31/58.11/23.57
18.82/61.64/19.54
21.46/51.26/27.28
16.1/54.59/29.31
21.87/56.56/21.58

** All bread/pasta is multi-grain

Jim

[desertkoala]

I'm an Insanity graduate. You must stick with it. I can sum it up a few ways:
1. It will make your heart stronger.
2. It will shave time off of your running. I shaved 30 seconds off my miles.
3. It will bore you out of your mind if you let it. It is very repetitive and you need to suppliment this workout with other activities to keep your 'sanity'. I liken it to water boarding. Shaun T will drown you in your own sweat till you admit to any manner of wrong doing in order to bail.
4. It is humble pie for any P90X multi-graduate. Be prepared to start from ground zero with your expectations.
5. There is a ton of controversy over whether you will lose upper body muscle definition. From my experience, the answer is yes. I lost tricep and bicep defintion - but not enough to get freaked out about. My numbers for pushups and pullups never went down by more than a few % points. BUT on the plus side, core, ab and obliques became far more defined. I think I'll traid a bit of tricep mass for some cut obliques thank you.
6. Insanity is not a year round program.

Net-net. Plan your fitness program for a FULL year. Not 90 days. Not 60 days. Not a week. In my case, I map out my fitness thru the entire year. I finished Insanity and now I'm onto Round 4 of P90X.

Watch here to see me destroy the fitness test: http://www.blip.tv/file/3078608

Enjoy.

[scourtney7]

Martin, you are a FREAK!

I am 3 days behind you. Finishing up Insanity on Wed or Thursday depending on whether I make it NCFitClub tomorrow night. What do you think I should do next?

shannon

[Dave]

[B]Jim/B] My first reaction is that your calories are just too low. I think what might be happening is that your not really taking in enough calories throughout the day and then you are asking your body to perform under extreme stress first thing in the morning. When do you eat your last meal at night? If it is at about 7 pm, you are going a really long time without eating anything before your workout. They call it "breakfast" because you are literally breaking a mini-fast from the night before.

NO Explode is ok, and I use that regularly, but it doesn't have any real caloric value in it. I just looked, and my tub says it has 25 calories in it. That's just not going to fuel you through the meat grinder that is Insanity.

This may also explain why your body fat has not changed. You have to feed your body to get it to burn calories. It is kind of like a fire. If you add wood to a fire all day it burns perfectly. If you dump a bunch of leaves on it, they burn quickly and the fire is left to die. Sugary carbs are like leaves. If you put too much wood on it at one time the fire is overwhelmed and gets smothered. That's like only eating twice a day and gorging yourself when you do. Eat 5 or 6 meals throughout the day and you probably should be having something (my suggestion is a protein shake because it is easy to digest) about an hour before you go to bed.

So, I think that's it. The other possibility is free radicals. This one is sneaky, but it really happens. I can't recall whether you said if you are taking good multi-vitamins. Here's some info: http://www.thefitclubnetwork.com/2009/02/free-radicals-not-so-rad-after-all/

Don't sweat the ratios too much. If I was going to make any criticism about them, it would be the fats. Try to hit at least 20% there. Eating healthy fats does a lot of things, but one thing it does is to make your fat cells more efficient. They are a great place to store energy, particularly carbohydrate based glycogen when the liver and muscles are all full up. If you can get them to work right, they release that energy when you need it most and you become a very efficient machine.

Hope this helps. Now, the fortune is in the follow up. Let's check back in in about a week.

[JimNAZ]

Dave, thanks for the feedback!

Yes, we usually eat dinner between 7-8 pm. I was always worried that if I ate too late it would just be stored as fat. (I guess that will depend on "what" I eat right?) Usually my mid-afternoon snack is around 3pm so I am starving by 7-8. I guess I will have to try to get another snack in (?) before dinner and eat later (?). We usually are in bed by 10 since we get up before 5 to work out. (Unfortunately this is still the only time it will work where both of us can workout together.)
If we continue to eat around 7-8 will adding a small protein shake right before 10pm then bed be too soon?
The past couple of days I have been able to get up over 2200 calories for the day. We also added Udo's oil twice a day so my fat intake has increased also.

I understand about no fuel for the workout. It makes a lot of sense. The N O Xplode was just for some energy to do the workout since we can not eat before.
Again this morning I could hardly use my legs for some of the moves. BUT . . . my cardio has gotten so much better! I dropped 25+ bpm since the first day.
* Taken during one of the breaks after warmup.

I will work at getting more fuel for the fire . . .

Thanks again for the feedback and advice!

Jim

[Dave]

Jim

A couple of thoughts. About 2 weeks ago I started taking protein shakes around 9pm. I did this because I was in the process of cutting out excess sugar from my diet and while I was doing some research I found that protein shakes are generally (you have to look at the lables, mine has very few carbs) easy to digest for the body and will not cause an insulin response (the issue I'm trying to avoid). This morning I jumped on the scale and weighed in at 163.4 lbs. That's the lightest I've been in about 10 years. Simultaneously, I've been eating more fat. So, that's working for me.

I think you are just running out of gas. My suggestion would be to try and get something down before you work out. A banana is great because it has sugars and potassium that will help power you through the workout. I find that a protein shake often sloshes around in my stomach while doing something like Insanity, but you might give that a try. Try mixing it with half the fluid, so it is kind of thick. That seems to reduce the slosh. I'd suggest you eat something as the first thing you do when you get up. That will give you a little time to digest the fuel while you rub the sleep out of your eyes, put your shoes on, and pray that today's Insanity workout is going to be better than yesterdays.

Hope that helps.

Dave

[JimNAZ]

Thanks Dave!
Everything makes sense and I appreciate the direction. I love bananas and have at least one a day so there are always a bunch in the house. I will also shop around for a protein drink that is low on carbs and give it a try at night.

This creates another question though (should I be posting under nutrition?):

If I can do a protein drink or even just a banana before workout and then have a recovery drink right after, I can only eat breakfast before I leave for work. This means a protein drink, recovery drink then breakfast within about 2 hours. Should I count all of that as one meal or separate meals? So far all of my meals (including mid morning/aftenoon snacks) are around 300-500 calories each.
I know a banana is around 100 cals and the juice/protein I use for recovery is around 250 calories. I can't eat my mid morning until around 10am so I usually have a 350+ cal breakfast to get me through.
Will this be too much or am I over thinking this?

Jim

[kiwisue]

I'm an Insanity graduate. You must stick with it. I can sum it up a few ways:
1. It will make your heart stronger.
2. It will shave time off of your running. I shaved 30 seconds off my miles.
3. It will bore you out of your mind if you let it. It is very repetitive and you need to suppliment this workout with other activities to keep your 'sanity'. I liken it to water boarding. Shaun T will drown you in your own sweat till you admit to any manner of wrong doing in order to bail.
4. It is humble pie for any P90X multi-graduate. Be prepared to start from ground zero with your expectations.
5. There is a ton of controversy over whether you will lose upper body muscle definition. From my experience, the answer is yes. I lost tricep and bicep defintion - but not enough to get freaked out about. My numbers for pushups and pullups never went down by more than a few % points. BUT on the plus side, core, ab and obliques became far more defined. I think I'll traid a bit of tricep mass for some cut obliques thank you.
6. Insanity is not a year round program.

Net-net. Plan your fitness program for a FULL year. Not 90 days. Not 60 days. Not a week. In my case, I map out my fitness thru the entire year. I finished Insanity and now I'm onto Round 4 of P90X.

Watch here to see me destroy the fitness test: http://www.blip.tv/file/3078608

Enjoy.

WOOHOO Martin nice fit test mate! Now that I have seen yours I am going to do my best to blow you out of the water with my results! Stay tunes!

[speedykiwi]

I do believe Insanity will be next on my plate after I finish my current round of P90X (37 days left), but I just keep thinking about it more and more, and I'm so tempted to start it sooner, especially when I have to work at the office or a client site (I generally work from home) when I can't get a run in before dark. I see more and more people pairing it with P90X, but it just looks a bit scary to me on it's own! The problem I have faced this last week is that CardioX and even KenpoX aren't really as challenging as that run that I would rather be doing as that secondary cardio workout. Does anyone have any thoughts?

[AprilLewis]

My INSANITY Fit Test Results #4 & 5

#4
Switch Kicks- 148
Power Jacks- 72
Power Knees- 132
Power Jumps- 95
Globe Jumps- 14
Suicide Jumps- 25
Push-Up Jacks- 41
Low Plank Oblique- 75

#5
Switch Kicks- 156
Power Jacks- 75
Power Knees- 141
Power Jumps- 108
Globe Jumps- 15
Suicide Jumps- 28
Push-Up Jacks- 45
Low Plank Oblique- 78

[scourtney7]

Way to go April!!!!! You totally rocked that girl!!!

[AprilLewis]

Hey thanks! :)

[scourtney7]

AprilLewis What are your plans for fitness once you complete Insanity?

shannon

[AprilLewis]

I'm going to start a P90X/INSANITY hybrid. I'm super excited!!!

[Mpresev]

Hi gang, I finished month 2 of Insanity last Sun and have moved on to P90X again.. When I started P90, at the end of the workout I'm not that tired(thanks to Insanity training). Will I go back to Insanity? No.. Here's the thing, I kept pausing and pausing but the last week of Insanity I was able to handle the workout in style. Insanity is hard for me . There were some day that I felt it wasn't at all fun.. I don't like the idea of exhausting my body . I'm looking for a new cardio workout plan.. Rev ABs, Rockin Body and Hip Hop Abs(yayyy) are all very inviting to me. I appreciate the drop of waist line from 33 - 30. Wow!!! I'm claiming a 30 waist line? That hasn't happened since 1989 when I was a Freshman in High School and when Terrence asked me to be her special friend(wink wink nudge nudge).

Did I accomplish my six pack with Insanity while at the same time eating healthy? I can definitely see definition on my tummy.. It's not quite developed yet but it's there.. I expect doing P90X and eating healthy will be my smokin gun.. I want that 6 Pack.. I don't care as I'm going to get this handled.. I want to be more sexier than my wife damn it.. *wink.

I'm looking forward to Hip Hop Abs or Rev Abs or Rockin Bod after I finish P90X.





Good luck with Insanity folks.. Remember to eat enough calories to finish your workout in style.. If you need to take a break then by all means take it..

[scourtney7]

Mpresev Congrats on completing Insanity! That is pretty big deal if you ask me! I also worked my way through it and like April I am now doing a hybrid plan that I got from a fellow coach. April we should compare plans, I find that mine is little tough on the arms, shoulders, and biceps, as many of the days following P90X upper body work are Insanity which can be strenuous on the upper body as well. I find that the Drills are the toughest for me because my arms and shoulders just don't have the gas in the tank after P90X. So April let's chat and see what your plan looks like. I'm curious if you are having any of the same issues that I am.

So Mpresev What are your plans? Any interest in joining April and I as we work our way through the Hybrids? I am about a month into my plan. April how far are you?

Shannon

[CyberFitnessGuru]

Its all about Insanity! I cant wait to finish the whole P90 x system so I can come back around to Insanity.

[Mpresev]

Mpresev Congrats on completing Insanity! That is pretty big deal if you ask me! I also worked my way through it and like April I am now doing a hybrid plan that I got from a fellow coach. April we should compare plans, I find that mine is little tough on the arms, shoulders, and biceps, as many of the days following P90X upper body work are Insanity which can be strenuous on the upper body as well. I find that the Drills are the toughest for me because my arms and shoulders just don't have the gas in the tank after P90X. So April let's chat and see what your plan looks like. I'm curious if you are having any of the same issues that I am.

So Mpresev What are your plans? Any interest in joining April and I as we work our way through the Hybrids? I am about a month into my plan. April how far are you?

Shannon


I probably won't do Insanity ever again.. I want a cardio workout that's stable but fast.. Max Intervals is just not my thingy..

... I'm doing a little hybrid right now though. . Instead of doing Ab Ripper X, I do Cardio ABs from Insanity instead(hey!! no crunches)..

[DaniH]

Hey there people! :)

So nice to read all of your posts about Insanity - makes me feel better! I'm in my last week of Insanity and.....all I can say is WHEW! What a program. I miss my P90X and can't wait to go back. I'm pretty excited to see the end results and how my running may have improved.

I just noticed a few of you are doing a hybrid with Insanity/P90X, I'd love to hear what you are doing. I would like to still incorporate the program in somehow. (Just not every day). Something to think about for next week when I finish up.

Thanks for any tips! Congrats to anyone and everyone who has put that Insanity DVD in! :)

Dani

[scourtney7]

Dani I will be glad to email you my hybrid plan. I'm in week 4.

[DaniH]

That would be so great! Thank you so much!! dmframe@yahoo.com

Dani :)

[scourtney7]

you got it. first thing in the am check your inbox

[Mpresev]

Scourtney, I realized that doing cardio makes me feel better so I decided to create my own Hybrid to start tomorrow.. I can't wait.



Mpresev Congrats on completing Insanity! That is pretty big deal if you ask me! I also worked my way through it and like April I am now doing a hybrid plan that I got from a fellow coach. April we should compare plans, I find that mine is little tough on the arms, shoulders, and biceps, as many of the days following P90X upper body work are Insanity which can be strenuous on the upper body as well. I find that the Drills are the toughest for me because my arms and shoulders just don't have the gas in the tank after P90X. So April let's chat and see what your plan looks like. I'm curious if you are having any of the same issues that I am.

So Mpresev What are your plans? Any interest in joining April and I as we work our way through the Hybrids? I am about a month into my plan. April how far are you?

Shannon

[scourtney7]

How was Day 1? We did Insanity Pure Cardio and AbX at Fit Club tonight and I hit a major wall. Maybe I pushed a bit hard this weekend when I did doubles, maybe I didn't eat the right balance of food, maybe it was just an off day but oh well, i shall keep pressing play and giving my best.

Where'd you get your hybrid plan from? I am always curious to see how other people have theirs laid out!

Shannon

[Mpresev]

Scourtney, do you eat a little something an hour before your workout? Pure Cardio is tough as I need good carbs for it..

BTW, Scourtney you are soooo fit now... I saw your older picture and now you look Jillian Michaels fit. I'm proud.


Basically I'm just substituting Plyo X, Kenpo X and Yoga X with Max Intervals, Pure Cardio, PLyo Circuit with my P90X workout. I'm doing everything to get cut.. It's hard but I know I have to be patient.. My six pack is forming though on a good day l.o.l..

Here's this weeks plan:

Mon: Chest and Back plus Cardio Abs(insanity)
Tues(today): Pure Cardio(I kind of hate those squats or lunges l.o.l)
WEd: Arms and SHoulders plus Cardio Abs
Thurs: Yoga X or Max Intervals, I'm not sure yet.
Fri: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Sat: Max Conditioning Insanity.

Sun: Eat cake j.k..

[JimNAZ]

Yeah! Robin & I finished Insanity!!!! Cannot believe it has been 9 weeks already! What a difference between day 1 and the last day.
Unfortunately I did not take a lot of measurements and pics before starting so not a lot to compare to. But I know for a fact that I lost a few lbs and inches and feel a hell of a lot better!

I know the numbers won't "WOW" you but keep in mind that when I started I was an out-of-shape soon to be 50 year old! :o

Switch Kicks: 44/55/60/61/64 * both legs count as 1
Power Jacks: 30/41/50/50/55
Power Knees: 50/72/100/100/110
Power Jumps: 11/25/30/31/35
Globe Jumps: 3/10/9/8/9
Suicide Jumps: 10/15/18/19/19
Push up Jacks: 11/20/22/26/29
Low Plank: 12/25/25/29/30 * both sides count as 1
** I just couldn't do any more of some of these without compromising form

For those that know the program, the first day we started I barely got through the warm up for the fit test, and it took me over an hour to cool down after the test.
* I laugh at the fit test warm up now!!!!

My HR in the beginning was in the high 180's and in the end it was between 156-162 depending on the workout.

I HAVE ABS! Ok they still have a little insulation around them but they are there! It is amazing how much you use your abs with all those moves during the workouts. Great way to "trick you" into doing ab work. :p

We cleaned up our eating and actually have been pretty "primal" the past few weeks.

Plus: Ran into Dave (on the Internet) and was invited to this wonderful forum. Thanks everyone for all the help with my questions!


Now there are some "cons" to doing Insanity . . . in no particular order:

Have to buy new belts - they look funny with the wear marks all exposed!

I fit into a pair of jeans that I haven't worn since last summer - I really wanted to throw them out!

I spend more time in front of a mirror with my shirt off - what's that all about???? :cool:

My favorite (pairs) of jeans are all baggy and don't fit - now I have to buy new stuff!

I walk around all day feeling my abs - that's just weird . . . (does anyone else do that?)

I find myself talking like Shaun T - "Peace out"

Well that's about it . . . next week we start P90X and the journey continues!

** Oh yeah . . . as much as I would like to take ALL the credit for going from zero to one million mph with doing Insanity, I owe it all to Robin. She was my rock throughout this whole experience. Although she also benefited from this program she was already in good shape and did not have to get up at 4:30 every morning to do this. She did it for me and I could not have done it without her!

I am already practicing my "X" pose . . .

Jim

[scourtney7]

JIM and ROBIN Congratulations on a job very well done!!!!! Welcome to the club of "Insaniacs!" Those of us who have made it through Insanity are definitely tough cookies and mentally strong! The program is everything that it is advertised to be, for those who don't know. It is insane. There are times when you think that there is no way you can survive another second and then you look up and see that there are another five minutes of exercise before the "break." And I don't know why they are called "water breaks," either. We all know what happens when you drink water during Insanity! :( So anyways, I just wanted to jump on here and give MAD PROPS to Jim and Robin for completing Insanity!!!!! Very well done!!!! What are your plans for the next round?

Shannon

[scourtney7]

Mpresev I almost missed your awesome compliment up there!!!! Thanks!!! I love me some Jillian Michaels!!! I know that she is tough on her team on the BL but she knows what she is doing and she does it darn well!!! I think I am going to steal that line from you and use it as my status update on Facebook today!! You just made my day!!! As far as eating before Insanity and Pure Cardio, I usually work out about two or so hours after I eat. If it's the morning, my favorite recipe is the Proatmeal from the Insanity guidebook. I love that stuff!! I am not as good at getting through the Insantiy workouts in the mornings though, they are just too strenuous. Typically I work out b/n 6 and 7 in the evenings during the week. So I will eat right off the plan all through the day and that way my body has the fuel it needs to move through the workouts. Also I can always tell if I have not had enough water throughout the day beforehand. And I know that I would never have gotten through Insanity without my Shakeology!!!! Hope that helps!!!

Shannon

[Mpresev]

l.o.l I did Pure Cardio yesterday around 4'ish and I slept around 11pm.. I woke up around 4'ish am because I had too much energy still and couldn't go back to sleep ..

[JimNAZ]

JIM and ROBIN Congratulations on a job very well done!!!!! Welcome to the club of "Insaniacs!" Those of us who have made it through Insanity are definitely tough cookies and mentally strong! The program is everything that it is advertised to be, for those who don't know. It is insane. There are times when you think that there is no way you can survive another second and then you look up and see that there are another five minutes of exercise before the "break." And I don't know why they are called "water breaks," either. We all know what happens when you drink water during Insanity! :( So anyways, I just wanted to jump on here and give MAD PROPS to Jim and Robin for completing Insanity!!!!! Very well done!!!! What are your plans for the next round?

Shannon

Thanks Shannon!
Not sure when another round of Insanity will be. Need to tackle P90X now! I have a feeling we will be doing more of a hybrid like a lot of others with mixing in some Insanity cardio.

Jim

[arizonafitclub]

Jim and Robin!!! CONGRATS! I hope you'll be able to make it to fit club soon! I know how hard insanity is so you two are heros for finishing!!!

[JimNAZ]

Thanks Monica!

Yeah, Unfortunately Robin teaches yoga on Tuesday nights but I plan on making it soon!

Jim