Sunday, July 21, 2013

INSANITY - Month 2: Enough of the INSANITY Already!

Just when I said to myself, "This isn't so insane after all," I started month two.  It was definitely harder than month one!  Not just because the workouts were longer (some were about 60 minutes) but because my body was tired!  You go through the rest of the DVDs -- the MAX DVDs, which I'll list out later, and you really feel it.

 
Overall, I am glad I completed the program, even if it did take me longer than 60 days.  Starting in the end of June I began my training for the half marathon I'll run in October.  I couldn't wait any longer if I want to be ready and I decided that I would alternate between running and INSANITY.  I certainly couldn't run and do INSANITY in the same day so this was my best option.  It took me a few weeks longer to complete INSANITY this way but I'm okay with that, at least I completed it.  Also, INSANITY really helped prepare me for my training since it is such a great cardio conditioning workout!

 
I had to make many modifications during the second month.  Again, I am okay with this since I know I still got one heck of a workout.   Keep that in mind if you do INSANITY or any other workout.  Don't give up just because it is hard.  Just do the best you can.  Following this approach I could see that I made improvements over the course of the second month. Surprisingly, my arms and shoulders were what felt the most fatigued and at the end of the month my version of push up jacks still didn't look like the DVD.  I still dug deeper and did the best I could do. 

 
                         

Food
 
I wasn't trying to lose weight, I just wanted to improve my cardiovascular ability and gain more muscle.  However, if you are trying to lose weight this will help you!  A word of advice: Follow the meal plan that comes with INSANITY!  When you do INSANITY, you will burn anywhere between 200-1000 per workout depending upon gender, body size and effort.  You will want to eat more, which you will be able to do because you are burning so many calories.  However, you have to eat the right things and be careful no to eat too many calories.  Most people underestimate how much they eat so it is easiest to just follow the plan but you can also use it a guide.  But if you do the later make sure you count calories. 
I've seen it  a lot -- so many people do the Beachbody workouts and/or drink Shakeology but then they don't watch what they eat.  The workouts and the meal plan go hand in hand.  When I first tried P90X I didn't follow the meal plan and guess what?  I didn't see results.   When I did P90X in January I followed the meal plan and lost about 16 pounds!  I used the INSANITY meal plan as a guide and I also counted calories since I wanted to maintain my weight. 
 
The Workout

The DVDs in month 2 are:

 

MAX INTERVAL PLYO
MAX CARDIO CONDITIONING
MAX RECOVERY
MAX INTERVAL CIRCUIT
CORE CARDIO AND BALANCE
CARDIO ABS

 

The structure of the workouts are the same: warm up, stretching, the LONGER workout, and then a cool down stretch.  Since the workouts are longer (did I mention this before?) you will need to dig deeper, as Shaun T asks you to do.  About half way through I'd start thinking maybe I should stop.  Its mental.  I would play this game with myself.  I would say "just do 5 more minutes" and then I'd say "you've invested too much to quit now," and I'd finish the workout!
 

I don't mean to scare you but I want you to know it is not easy.  It shouldn't be easy.  If it was easy you wouldn't see results.  I said this in the last review, INSANITY is not for beginners, in my opinion.  If you are truly a beginner, you should start with something else first but INSANITY isn't something you should be afraid of (unless you have back or knee injuries). 
 
Results
I am not posting before and after pictures or including measurements because I didn't change much on the outside.  However, I know I am more fit than when I began.  I will do INSANITY again, probably in the Spring.  I am also probably going to include some of the workouts as substitutes for the cardio workouts in P90X when I do that again in the winter. 
 
So if  you are looking for a workout you can do at home without equipment and you want to get results and test yourself, this is the workout for you. 
 
You can check it out on my website www.beachbodycoach.com/katsquest

 
My fit test results

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