Insanity Max Interval and Fit Tests

While I am still dripping in sweat and trying to catch my breath (5 minutes ago I was laying on the floor gasping for air), I wanted to update this blog (and all of you) about my Insanity challenge this past week.

It was the second week of max interval training. The max workouts are twice (or three times) as tough as the first month's workouts. I had no idea what I got myself into. They are usually about an hour long and have more circuits. Incredibly challenging for my heart and lungs but I definitely now understand what they mean when they say "the real changes happen in the 2nd month."

Source

I made the decision to start working out without a heart rate monitor and with a piece of paper covering the time on-screen. I get distracted really easily and distractions really mess with my mental state while working out. I am in pretty good shape for my size/weight, so I don't get out of breath very easily anymore. My (recommended) max heart rate is 199 and to get the maximum results I need to stay within 80% and 90% of this, which is roughly 159 to 179. Because I am technically overweight, I used to get over that pretty fast, but my endurace (lung capacity) is good enough that I could go on, even though my heart rate monitor tells me to take a break or slow down. So everytime my heart rate monitor would start beeping, I would get distracted and very annoyed and I would just completely stop. Or if I would look at the time and see that I am not even halfway, I would feel demotivated and no longer enjoy the workout.

So the decision to work out without a HRM came easily. I did it for a week and absolutely loved it. Could push myself, focus on my fitness, focus on form and not worry about my heart rate. Now I know not caring about your heart rate is not good and I do not recommend this. I think you have to be able to be honest to yourself if you can afford to go without one. After a week though, I decided to wear it again and just do my workout the way I had been doing that week and it turns out I really found my rhythm. I stick around 173 bpm, which is absolutely perfect. So I think I will work out without a HRM and then once a week or so I will put it on just to check if I am still doing good.

Today I had my fourth fit test. My third one was very disappointing, but I think I can attribute that to the fact that it was right after recovery week. My fourth fit test results do absolutely prove what max interval does to my body!

These were my results (1st week - 4th week)

Switch Kicks: 87 - 129
Power Jacks: 39 - 52
Power Knees: 87 - 107
Power Jumps: 20 - 38
Globe Jumps: 7 - 9
Suicide Jumps: 14 - 18
Push-Up Jacks: 15 - 40
Low Plank Oblique: 39 - 63

Every single one of them I have improved on immensely! I am especially happy with the Power Jumps and Push-Up Jacks. Those have to be my favorite moves.

I have 2 more weeks to go of Insanity. I have no idea what I am going to do after that. Maybe another round? Or maybe do Asylum next?

One thing I know for sure: I cannot wait to get my Insanity t-shirt in the mail!! Because you better believe that I earned it!

Source

Insanity Challenge Week 4

So, week 4 is over. That means, Month 1 done! I am incredibly happy and proud of myself.

Source

This past week was good, I pushed harder and felt myself getting fitter and stronger with every workout. I take fewer breaks now and can do more reps of each exercise. I am kind of sad that month 1 is over.

The next step is Recovery Week. The coming week will be 6 days of Core Cardio and Balance. I think I will switch it up a little, because as you might know, I am someone that gets bored of things fast, especially when they are not crazy high intensity... I might add in some other workouts this week.

And then we go into Month 2... It is the "Max Month", where the workouts get longer, tougher, more intense - What? - yeah... I watched the DVDs and I was just thinking "how am I going to do this? Seems impossible!" But truth be told, I had the same thought when I started Insanity Month 1.

I am already looking into what to do post Insanity. I was thinking of Insanity: Asylum, but I think I will first do another round of Insanity- because I am loving it so much!

Weight loss was 2,5 kg this month. Not great (or, well, you all will probably think that is a lot - but you know me, hard to please), but hey, who is complaining? ;)

Choosing the right at-home exercise program

Someone made a comment on Facebook the other day (I will mention her name, not sure if she'd like that) and it got me thinking. At first I was offended, but then I realized, she has a very good point. I started thinking about conversations I've had and comments I have seen the past weeks. This blogpost concerns at-home exercise programs. Some people love em and owe their lives to them, others think these programs are a bunch of crock. I am part of that first group of people, but I used to be part of the latter - and to be fair, I see their point.

The past month I suddenly see lots of people in my timelines (FB and Twitter) popping up that are starting an at-home exercise program. Of course I have seen many starting a program or just exercising at home and 90% of them failing (not finishing, not keeping it up, thinking it is just a temporary quick fix). And I also notice that people don't research what they are doing. An exercise program is popular, the creator of this program has a well-known name, so they pick it up and do it. Why, though? What is this whole trend to want to go with what is popular, especially when it concerns your health?

Surely, these exercise programs (I am talking about Insanity, P90x, 30 Day Shred) are good, generally. And it is easy to acquire them. But I  think they are good for maybe 10-30% of the population that is wanting to get fit (watch when I say: wanting to get fit, this does not include people that are already fit). My personal opinion is that exercising at home is a great alternative to going to the gym. I hate going to the gym, mainly because I don't want to exercise around sweaty people. It is so much easier and more fun to exercise at home. No more "I have no time" excuses, you can jump right into your own shower after. So, I am absolutely a fan of at-home exercise programs. But, caution is necessary here. I don't know about other exercise programs, but Insanity has a very serious health disclaimer that reads:

Insanity is a extreme and physically demanding workout. This is NOT for beginners or individuals with any medical condition which may be compromised by extreme cardio and strength exercise. Consult your physician before beginning this program.

And I am sure other programs like 30 Day Shred also have a warning that will say you need to consult someone. This is especially important because you are working out without supervision, so the chances you will do your body wrong rather than good and get injnured, are higher! Here are a few points that I think are really important when choosing an exercise program.

• Do your research. There are thousands and thousands of at-home exercise programs on DVD or on YouTube. Why not take some time and look at the different types of workouts there are? Before I started, I looked at tons of different videos, reviews, so I knew what was out there, and what could be a possibility.

• Don't go with the trend. And with this I mean, don't do a program because it is popular or easy to acquire. There are so many different programs. My very first exercise program that I stuck to, was Power 90. Pretty sure 90% of you have never heard of this. I didn't care, I just knew that this was the right thing for me. It had some cardio, some strength training, it was perfect for me, I lost 12kg doing this program. I now do Insanity because it happened to be the same company that publishes it and it happened to be the perfect next step for me.

• Understand the different types of exercise. The one workout is not like the other. I hear so many people say: "I've danced for 10 years, so running wouldn't be so hard." Um. What? With dancing you use COMPLETELY different muslces than with running, so no, this simply does not apply. If you'd start running, you'd be a beginner. Same goes for the other way around, "I've been a runner for 5 years, I can run 10k, so plyometrics will be easy." That is not how it works. I've danced for 18 years, I could totally do high intensity dancing for hours - ask me to run a 5k and I would give up halfway through. I simply am not used to that range of motion. My boyfriend, I'd consider him a runner, he can easily run 10k in less than an hour, but when it comes to plyo, he has a hard time. With me, now, it is the other way around.

• Be real. When I wanted to start working out, the program I came across the most (and I mean, every single day), was Bodyrock.tv, it was really popular back then. But, I looked at it, tried it twice, then realized: no, this is not for me. It is too hard. I was a beginner when it came to fitness. Why would I fool myself into thinking I was already up to that level? I needed something for beginners, because chances were I would not stay motivated this way.

• Realize that this is for life. You don't do exercise as home as a quick fix. Too many people start a program with the attitude of "I want to lose 10kg with this program." This is already wrong. You should pick up a program because you want to get fit for life, because you want to add it into your life forever. I am not saying you have to stick to one program for life, but after your program ends after 30, 60, 90 days, then what? You aren't done. You are going to continue with something else or start over. For the rest of your life!! If you're not in it for life, don't even bother starting.

• Don't overdo it. When you picked a program that you feel fits and that you could do for a long time to come, try to still be real to yourself. Follow the program to the tee, don't do much more than the people on the DVD. If you need to, modify some moves but don't compromise form. Take breaks when you need them (heart rate monitor is so important!), there is always a pause button you can use!! ;)

Only when you stick to these points, will you have success with what you are doing. Click here for 11 other workout tips that I put together. Good luck to everyone choosing for an at-home program to enrich their lives :)

Insanity Challenge Week 3

Week 3 of Insanity is done... It was good, again :)

The week started off with another fit test. I was very nervous, but curious to see how I progress and boy did I progress!! I did really well on the fit test and could totally tell my stamina has gone up like crazy. Here are my results (including the results from the first fit test, so you can see how much I improved):

Switch Kicks: 87 - 110
Power Jacks: 39 - 74 (this is crazy!!)
Power Knees: 87 - 97
Power Jumps: 20 - 27 (these are killer, but I am getting better!)
Globe Jumps: 7 - 8 (hate these...)
Suicide Jumps: 14 - 15 (another one of my - ahem - favorites)
Push-Up Jacks: 15 - 21
Low Plank Oblique: 39 - 51

Some crazy improvements there!

The rest of the week went very well also. I loved noticing that my stamina went up so much. But it certainly doesn't get easier. That is the beauty of this program: you get better but because you have to push your limits with every single workout, it simply doesn't get easier.

The only downside of this program is the Cardio Recovery workout. It is meant to give you a little break from the high intensity of the program, but I find it quite boring. The reason why I am in love with Insanity, is that it is so intense and fast-paced. But I guess they put in this workout for a reason, right? To give my muscles and lungs a little break.

The past 2 weeks were a little rocky when it comes to my weight because I had a few "off-days" where I had a lot of starchy foods, I also had my monthly problems, but I am still down 2,2 kg since the start of this program, so I am not complaining!

Anyways, I am looking forward to week 4 - the last week of the lower intensity (what now???) part of the program. After that is a week of recovery and then we go into 4 weeks of Max workouts... Ouch.