Insanity: Day 52, 53, 54 – Pain and Sweat

The dreaded Max Cardio Conditioning – Insane Abs combo is absolute pain and sweat.  There isn’t much else I need to say about this.  By the end of the workout, I had been sweating so much that my fingers were wrinkly!  That only happens when I’m swimming, taking a long shower, or washing dishes.  That’s it.    Next time you do this routine, check your fingers and see if there are wrinkles.  That’s the true sign of an insane workout.

Day 53 is Max Recovery.  I must’ve read into the word “recovery” a little too deeply because even this is a challenge.  As far as recoveries goes, this is a grueling one. My lesson here: don’t underestimate any Insanity workout. The squat lunges are long-lasting and painful. By the end of this one, my groin is as stretched as it will ever be and it is not pleasant. When Shaun T. tells me to lift one leg or both legs, they begin to shake badly and it looks like I’m doing a poor man’s Elvis impersonation. [You have to see it to get that one.]

Max Interval Circuit is getting better and better for me.  I felt very good doing the high hook, low hook, power jump combo.  I was able to keep up through all three sets of that and that tells me my core is getting a bit stronger, my hip flexors are getting stronger and more flexible, and my endurance is up.  However, the Full Body Drills are still a beast.

Throughout the Insanity workouts, I can tell which parts of my body were weak and needed to get stronger.  First it was my legs.  Then it was my endurance.  Then it was my legs again.  Next it was my arms and chest.  Then my core.  The past several workouts, I can really feel my shoulders giving out before everything else.  I can’t keep up with the Full Body Drills right now – too many pushups and plank holds.  I’m expecting history to repeat itself and my shoulders to strengthen.  That’s a good sign of progress so I’m hoping it’s soon.

 

Insanity: Day 50 & 51 – Combos

Generally speaking, combos are great.  McDonald’s was probably one of the first companies to market it and profit immensely from them, but combos have been around forever and they always will be.  Why?  Because people love combos. Here’s some of our favorite combos:

Big Mac combo

Combos snack

Costco combination pizza

Master Lock combo locks!

Self-explanatory

There are probably some really terrible combos out there, too, but the one that’s on my mind right now is the Fit Test – Max Interval Circuit combo!  It wasn’t the first Fit Test combo, but this one really destroyed me.  First, let’s check out the Fit Test results:

I was really happy with the results of this test.  I didn’t improve a whole lot like last time, but even minimal improvement felt nice.  I think I’m pretty much at a plateau for a couple of them as I just can’t seem to get over the hump (I’m talking to you Globe Jumps and Suicide Jumps).  It was awesome to see continued improvement in Switch Kicks, Push Up Jacks, and Low Plank Obliques (and to a certain extent Power Jumps).

After busting my butt in the Fit Test, I had to start up again with the Max Interval Circuit.  In terms of difficulty, this is right up there with the Max Cardio Conditioning – Insane Abs combo.  I was tapped out by the time this was over.  My boxers looked like I had dunked them in a bath full of water before putting them on.

One of the common threads of all the max workouts is that it’s hard for me to remember any of the exercises.  My mind must be too tired to think during those grueling 60 minutes.  However, I do remember the Level 3 Drill in the Max Interval Plyo is super ridiculous.  It is part of a larger circuit and consists of two sets of 16 pushups and 16 plank runs, but I have yet to do two full sets in any of the circuits.  That’s pretty much the only thing I remember from the workout and I had to play the video and fast forward to it!

Tomorrow is another combo workout – the dreaded Max Cardio Conditioning – Insane Abs.  Insanity is making me hate combos!

Insanity: Days 41-49 – No Shortcuts

There are no shortcuts to a stronger and leaner body.  You need to exercise and eat properly on a consistent basis.  Even with a 60-minute workout and soaked shorts and shirts, it needs to be done regularly in order to see good progress.  Otherwise, you’re just getting tired.  This is what Insanity is teaching me.  It takes hard work, and a lot of it, to get that coveted six pack (or whatever else you’re trying to do).

Fortunately, I can shortcut the heck out of this blog.  I haven’t posted about Insanity for over a week.  It’s partly due to not having enough time.  However, I will confess the main part of it is because these “maximum” workouts are kicking my butt and as soon as they’re over I want nothing to do with them until the next workout.  Thinking about them makes me sweat.  So, briefly, here are the last nine days of Insanity:

Days 41-46:
The “max” workouts are truly painful.  It’s a whole other level of Insanity.  At the end of the workouts, my mind is not thinking about anything except how tired I am.  It’s similar to how I felt when I first started Insanity.  The body is recovering from a shock of the tremendous workout it just went through.  All my clothes are drenched with sweat like I just got caught walking in the middle of nowhere in a massive downpour.  It was so long ago that it’s hard to remember specific thoughts so I’ll just show the pictures.

Day 47:
Out of the past 47 workouts of Insanity this is the hardest, or should I say the most insane!  It is hard enough doing Max Cardio Conditioning.  On top of that, Shaun T. adds Insane Abs.  It’s not Cardio Abs – it’s Insane Abs!  There is a difference.  I could not keep up with this one at all.  My abs were feeling that sharp pain with almost every movement.  The hardest circuit is the one that includes Six Inches, Pedaling, and Scissor Kicks.  It was so bad that I got a rug burn on my butt from the friction created by my sweat and boxers.  TMI, right?  Only if that means Too Much Insanity!

Clearly, I had no idea what I was in for!

Day 48:
Rest.  Even though I was supposed to be working out.  I’m about six days behind schedule.  So sometimes on rest day I’ll be working out, or sometimes on a workout day, I’m resting.  It’s all kind of screwed up right now and I know that it was planned a certain way, but I’m just glad I’m still in it.  Or as Shaun T. would say, “You gotta be in it to win it.”

Day 49:
Max Interval Sports Training rivals the previous workout.  It’s not as painful in the abs, but overall it is up there in difficulty.  It cycles through football, basketball, aerobics, and track and field drills.  All the exercises are either unique or modified compared to everything else that has been done in the other workouts.  It was great because I felt engaged and was not allowed to mentally check out.  I will say out of all the sports training, I play basketball the most and some of the basketball drills were hard for me to concentrate on because I felt they were really ridiculous.  At one point I thought to myself, “I’ve never done this in any of the games of basketball I’ve played (or watched)!”  What do you expect from Track and Field guy?

Free Oakley Shades for a Star

I went to Central Texas Powersports in Georgetown, TX to test ride one of these (article here) to get a free pair of these.  It had been so long that I almost forgot how to ride.  I had to sit on it and think for about 30 seconds.  Fortunately the age old adage about riding bicycles applies to motorcycles, too.  The weather was above 100 degrees (typical) and I was fully decked out in my riding gear.  I went for a 20-minute ride and by the time I finished, my body and arms were sweaty, my legs and feet were sweaty, and my butt was sweaty.  It kind of felt like an Insanity workout, except I would have about 40 minutes to go.  I really can’t imagine riding a bike in this type of weather.  Boy am I glad I sold my bike before moving to Texas (sarcasm is so much better in person).

This was my first time riding a cruiser and it takes a little bit of time to get comfortable.  The handling is less precise, the weight is much heavier, the seating position is further back and lower, and the braking is more harsh.  I could go on about the differences, but that’s a good enough list to worry about already.  It felt good being on a bike, but at the same time I was bored.  I’m not sure if it’s all cruisers, or just this one, but it didn’t seem to have much character – unless you consider dull to be character.  The best part was when I stripped off my gear.  Actually it’s a tie between that and getting my free Oakley sunglasses.

My final thought is that I’m not ready to be a cruiser guy.  I’m not comfortable on it (maybe I need to try a different model) and there isn’t as much cool factor to it.  As a case in point, there was a guy riding a cruiser in the opposite direction of me and when I waved, he did nothing.  That’s the epitome of “not cool.”  Also, I’m not fat enough.

Insanity: Day 37, 38, 39, & 40 – Maximum Pain

Instead of Maximum Interval Training, I’m calling it Maximum Pain Training.  One of Shaun T.’s crew members says it “hurts so good.”  No, it hurts really bad!  I haven’t been able to work out consistently this past week mostly due to early morning work or doctor appointments.  Honestly, the past two days I felt really relieved that I wasn’t able to work out because I know it’s going to be a butt kicking, and who wants to get their butts kicked?  Anyone?  Didn’t think so.

I don’t feel entirely bad about it either because I don’t want to push my body like a professional athlete would.  This isn’t my profession; I don’t get paid to work out and look good.  I work out almost everyday and occasionally I’ll have a packed week and miss one (or two or three).  But I’m going to be back on the grind tomorrow morning.  I’m not looking forward to it at all.  Insanity has made my body feel better, and seeing slight improvements is a really good motivational factor.  I also want to honor my commitment and see through it to the end.  So even though I feel like I could quit and it wouldn’t make a difference to anyone, I’m going to keep going.  I’ve got about three more weeks to go (and six more until the baby’s due date!).

Day 37:

Day 39:

Day 40:

Insanity: Day 36 – Are you for real?

After recovery week, Insanity gets much harder.  The first five weeks shouldn’t really be called Insanity compared to this.  In a very serious way, it just gets ridiculous.

It started out with my third Fit Test.  I pushed myself hard because I wanted to see major improvement compared to my last Fit Test.  Here are my results:

I pretty much killed it accept for Suicide Jumps (no pun intended) and Push-Up Jacks.  I was really happy and impressed.  The biggest thing for me is that I pushed myself just as hard before, so I know this is pure physical improvement and not merely better effort.  My worst fear is that I plateau.  I need to continue pushing myself and get stronger.

The second part of this workout is where I nearly lost it.  Shaun T. schedules a full workout after the Fit Test and introduces the max interval training.  Remember this commercial back in the 80’s:

That’s how my body felt.  My muscles were completely fatigued.  I couldn’t even lift my legs or arms without taking breaks.  It was seriously the toughest workout so far.  I thought I had gotten to a point in Insanity where I could look forward to each workout, but Shaun T. just reminded me this ain’t no ride in the park.

Insanity: Day 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, & 35 – Recovery

This week of Insanity recovery came at a good time as I started a week-long vacation in Branson, MO.  Most of the 40-minute workout is pretty easy. My internet this week has been really bad in Missouri so this will be a very short and rather uninteresting update.

In the beginning, the most difficult part of this routine is the leg lift, leg pulse, and leg kick routine.  After a couple days, it shifts to the end where Shaun T. works the heck out of your shoulders.

Not much else to say except that I’m halfway done and feeling real good about myself.  I know the hard stuff is coming, but I’m excited because there is an end in sight.  It’s a very small light at the end of the tunnel and I know it will be a painfully slow crawl getting there.  I’m expecting to see more improvement in my core on the way there.

Day 31:

Day 32:

Day 33: (Please excuse my Hawaiian “vacation” shorts)

Cool Refrigerator, Hot Price

Several months ago, my wife and I were in need of a refrigerator.  We had wanted it to be a french door refrigerator with a bottom freezer and began eying a Samsung model.  Instead of describing its awesomeness, I figure it’d be better to provide a link to the refrigerator for you.

It was definitely more than we wanted to spend so we didn’t purchase it right away.  I had been comparing prices for a while and even though Lowe’s consistently had the best price we felt it was outside of our budget.  It was important I compared all the prices to Lowe’s because I still had an abundance of Lowe’s gift cards I was waiting to use.  Then came Memorial Day.

Sears had a nice sale on this exact refrigerator, which priced it lower than Lowe’s.  My thought was to price match it at Lowe’s, use my gift cards, and get free shipping.  Well, it turns out that Lowe’s was having a sale as well.  It wasn’t quite as good as Sears’ price, but the gentleman at the Round Rock Lowe’s I worked with was awesome.  Here’s how this guy hooked me up: he matched the price from Sears, gave me 10% off the total, and gave me a 10% military discount on top of that.  Oh by the way, Texas was having a tax-free sale on appliances that weekend and I also used up all of my gift cards that I got at a 20% discount.

Here’s how that all played out for you numbers guys:

Average Shopper
Lowe’s Sales Price: $1650 (currently on sale for $1619.10)
Texas sales tax: $136.13
Total: $1786.13

Smart Shopper
PM Sears’ Sales Price: $1529.14
10% discount: $152.91
10% military discount or mover’s coupon: $137.62
20% off Gift cards: $78.59
[No sales tax: $102.19]
Total: $1160.02 out of pocket

Total Savings: $626.11 (35% off)

And here are before and after pictures of my kitchen:

And here’s the little workhorse we replaced (Thanks Brett and Loree!):

The guy’s name who hooked me up at Lowe’s is Roman.  He’s a real cool dude.  I learned that the guys in the appliances department at Lowe’s and Home Depot get paid a lower salary that is supplemented by commission.  If you’re looking for an appliance in your kitchen or laundry room, tell him I sent you (I don’t get a cut) and mention my Samsung refrigerator deal.  He’ll probably remember it and I’m sure he’ll give you the best deal possible!  For being a salesperson, he’s very honest – just like me!

Insanity: Day 29 – Midway Point

I’ve been on the Insanity routine for almost one month now – I started on June 7 (my birthday for those of you who haven’t gotten me a gift yet).  In my previous posts, I forgot to count the Off Day and so that’s why it looks like I skipped ahead from Day 25 to Day 29.  This week is the midway point and Shaun T. introduced it as a recovery week – not just a recovery day!  I’m pretty excited about that.  I looked ahead at the week’s schedule and it’s the same cool down routine for the next six workouts.  Maybe I can finally get rid of all the soreness in my legs by the time this week is over.

Core Cardio & Balance worked up my cardio really nicely, and there are still points where I need to rest and take a break.  Most notably are the hip pointer exercises and leg lifts.  I could really tell that part of my leg needs some strength-building.  There were also Level 1 Drills and other familiar exercises mixed in.  I love the way nothing is monotonous in Insanity.  After the first four weeks, I can start to memorize most of the routine, but this came just in time to switch it up again.  I think that really helps me mentally and physically to be somewhat surprised.

I’m going to try to cherish this recovery week.   I looked further ahead and it looks all uphill from there.  It’s like looking down the edge of a cliff before rappelling down it – never a good idea!

Insanity: Day 23, 24 & 25 – Boxers or Briefs?

The past few days have really gotten away from me due to the holiday weekend.  Fortunately I was still able to get in my Insanity workouts.  I’ve been on a solid morning routine and it’s worked out well for me even though I never considered myself a morning person.

It’s hard to tell much of a physical difference from when I first started.  Maybe a little bit of a weight loss can be seen but I would say it isn’t completely obvious.  Of course, I’ve been feeling good and I can now get through the workouts more successfully from when I first started.  The biggest difference, though, is that my boxers (and shorts and pants) don’t fit me as well as they used to.

Around the house I like to wear boxers and basketball shorts.  Half the time my wardrobe is way below the level of decency you’d expect in the suburbs.  It’s almost as if I am single handedly trying to bring back the movement of sagging bottoms.  My wife probably thinks I’m just ready to get freaky even at the most inappropriate times.  I’m sure I can’t be the only Insanity guy that this has happened to.  So I have to ask, boxers or briefs?

Day 23:

Day 24:

Day 25: