This Is Insanity... Game Day

Max Interval Sports Training

Well this is one hell of a work out!!

55 minutes of high intensity sport including Boxing, Football, Basketball, Gymnastics and Track & Field.

As Usual we start of with a warm up, but today the warm up made me feel like a 6 year old girl!! it was constant skipping rope exercises, and i HATE skipping with a passion. But once all that is out of the way and the important stretches are done, We start off with Boxing, and i must say this is my favourite part of the DVD! Its a shame its right at the beginning as it is quite fun and not too hard on the cardio side, and maybe would have made a nice 'rest' about half way through the DVD.

When we get onto the Football side of the routine, things go up a gear and alot more cardio is involved!

Football wide sprints, Drop push ups and Plank Push ups to name a few.

I found this quite challenging, but the way the DVD is set up, you get so much encouredgement  from all of the people on the DVD and also Shaun T gives little motivational quotes every now and again.

At one point i stopped for a quick drink and the next thing i heard was Shaun T shout

"What the hell you doing? you dont need a break! Get back over here"

And i instantly put down my water and got back to it, just like he was in the room prodding me with a stick to get that extra 10%                                                                    out of me.

Basketball... I Love Playing the sport, but i hated it in this DVD but i have a reason!

As i am 6'3 and the room i am doing insanity in, cant be more than 8 foot high.

So when i jump, i have to be alert to not headbutt the ceiling, which isnt ideal, but thats what ive got to work with so its tough.

Gymnastics is a write off for me, im about as flexible as a 2 pence piece!!

i was crying out in pain whilst doing the ab exercises, and felt like my arms were going to snap when doing the complicated stretches and planks, but i held in there and managed to keep my arms in tack long enough to get to the Track & Field section.

Now Track & Field is getting into Shaun T's stomping ground, so no surprise really that he pushes you to your limits with ladder runs, which is basically sprint for 15 seconds, rest for 15, sprint for 30 seconds and rest for 15, sprint for 45 and rest for 15 and then sprint for 1 minute flat out with everything youve got!

than you go back down the ladder to 45 seconds and 30 then 15.

This was great fun when all of the People on the screen run into the middle into a big huddle and just go for it flat out. It really makes you push yourself that extra bit more.

This add on DVD is great fun when you get the hang of the moves, but maybe it would have been better as 5 seperate DVDs and more exercises for each sport, but you cant complain as this is a great work out, and you can expect to burn anywhere over 600 to 1000 calories (not bad for an hours work).

I would thoroughly recommend this workout! If you are on the fence, just take the plunge!

This Is Insanity... Week 5 Review

Max Out

Basically, wow!!

I've never had to push myself to such limits, in such a short space of time.

This week saw me move on from the 'Basic' insanity workouts, and catapulted into the MAX series of workouts

Catapulted to the next level.

.

The warm up changes slightly for the MAX series, but its still the same principle, to raise your heart rate as quick as possible and then give you a 30 second recovery break to let your heart rate drop slightly, and then straight back into the thick of it.

After the warm up we go into the stretches and they are basically the same as the first 4 weeks, but they didn't need changing, they were great for giving you that ultimate stretch before you got into the real hard work.

Week 5 schedule 

Like i have already said, we go max this week and it puts us up against 4 new training sessions.

Max Interval Circuit

Max Interval Plyo

Max Cardio Conditioning

And finally the Max Recovery

But there is also a bonus DVD available (Max Interval Sports Training) that i will review fully another week.

During each of the 3 Interval training sessions i was burning upwards of 650 Calories per session (and losing about 48962496 litres of sweat)

And the Max Recovery DVD saw me burn around 400 calories, but that is still a lot for a stretch session.

Summary

One thing that's for sure, this set of exercises is not for the faint hearted!!

It takes all of month 1 to prepare you for what is to come, and even that doesn't prepare you for the carnage that you will put your body through.

As i keep a track on my heart rate and stats with my Polar Loop and H7, i have noticed over the last week especially, that when i do take a 30 second rest between intervals, my heart rate has started to come down dramatically. 

I know this program is working for me and i feel at the peak of my cardiovascular levels, and I'm only getting stronger, fitter and faster.

My Fitness Pal

I owe You one.

I've always tried to be healthy and have gone through many fad diets and health kicks, but i always go at it hell for leather for about 2 weeks and then it dwindles away and i fall back into a slump and start to feel crap that i haven't stuck to it and that leads to eating junk, its a vicious circle.

Then i Discovered My Fitness Pal and everything changed.
Its an app that i have used before, but i did not realise the community within the My fitness Pal world, its huge!!  There are forums and groups galore for different types of goals, be it gaining, losing or maintaining weight, or even just some general advice and encouragement.


Ive currently got a 38 day streak going on MFP, but some of my 'Friends' on the app have got streaks ranging from 50 to 1000 days which is just crazy dedication to food logging.

One of the great things about MFP is being able to manipulate your macros.
as i get alot of protein a day, i have mine set at;
45% Protein
35% Carbs
20% Fats

And i always find it very satisfying when i get within 1 or 2% of my goals, and its easy to work out what needs to be cut, or what needs to be added to the diet to get your macros bang on where you want them to be.

But for me, the USP (unique selling point) of MFP is the people that use it!
if you're like me and you struggle with motivation, and just need some extra get up and go, the people you get to know on MFP will give you exactly what you need.
Be it a 'you can do it' or if you've had a bad day, a comforting message. Without it i don't think i would be doing anywhere near as well as i am, and if you know me from My Fitness Pal, i just want to say thank you.

This Is Insanity... Week 4 Review

That S#*!S Bananas Yoooo

As the week started, i didn't!

I had a horrible bug that struck me down in my prime, BUT i wasn't going to let that stop me and i went ahead and completed 7 insanity sessions this week. yes 7.

On Thursday, rather than just do the Recovery DVD, i decided to do the Fast & Furious DVD first, and it was definitely a good choice. It made the Recovery Yoga session feel 10 times better.

As i said above, Monday and Tuesday i wasn't performing at my best as i had a 24/48 hour bug, but come Wednesday, i don't know what came over me.

Plyometric Cardio Circuit has been without doubt my least favourite Insanity DVD over the course of the first 4 weeks, but on Wednesday it was like i had an outer body experience and i wasn't actually doing the exercise, almost like i was drunk on a cross between testosterone and adrenaline!

Not that I'm complaining about this outer body experience, it actually felt amazing to feel like i was doing the hardest DVD (in my opinion) and not feeling exhausted, but still pushing myself to my limits and keeping my heart rate high. Id happily like to feel like that alot more ;)

Cardiovascular 

If you've Ever done Insanity, you will know that Sunday is rest day. But whenever rest day comes around, i always feel very lazy and tend to eat far too much junk food, so i decided this particular Sunday i was going to test how much insanity had helped my cardiovascular levels over the past month. And my oh my, didn't it just!!

I turned up at the gym not knowing what to expect as i stepped on the treadmill, but to my extreme surprise, i just kept going and going, and my heart rate was nowhere near where it used to be when i was running at 7/8 mph.

Before i knew it i was closing in on 5km, and i had no idea what my previous personal best was, but as it turns out, my previous best was 26:33.

Boom i hit 5km at a time of 25:38.

Knocking 55 seconds off my PB, But i wasn't going to stop there, i had 10k in sight, and i kept pushing and was alternating the speed between 7 and 10 mph up until i hit 9k, and then i 'went for it' smashed the speed up to 12mph and was sprinting my ass off like poor old Forrest Gump and i crossed the finish line so to speak at 50:02, and to be honest i was gutted i missed the 50 minute mark, even though it was only 2 seconds out.

Now i knew id only ever run 10k once before and i knew it was around 55 minutes the last time, so i had to wait till i got home to analyse, and analyses i did, 55:20 was my previous time, and i had gone and knocked 5 MINUTES AND 18 SECONDS off that time, i was completely buzzing! And i cant wait to try and beat that time again come the end of month 2 of insanity.

Month 1 Review

To say insanity has changed my life would be an understatement.

From day 1 i have continued to push myself through the barriers of sweat, pain and a 24 hour bug, and its been so worth it, I'm in the shape of my life and i feel 100 times better than i did at the start of day 1!

If you can spare 1 hour a day to improve yourself, i would thoroughly recommend jumping on this Shaun T life changing program.

With month 2 starting today, i don't know whether i am nervous or excited, but one thing i can tell you, i cant wait to write my month 2 review and to see the results.

Pump HD Pre Workout

Since I've started going to the gym alot more, i decided to take the plunge into the supplements market and get myself a pre workout.
The geek that i am, i spent many hours browsing the web looking for the perfect supplement for me.

I came across alot of good reviews for the Pump HD Pre Workout, so i took the plunge.

When it arrived just in time for chest day, i was pumped (pun intended) to give this a go and see what all the fuss was about.
With any powdered supplement the first thing you always notice is the Mixability and i was not impressed to say the least. as you start to swill the powder around in the water, it instantly goes a beautiful blue colour, but ass soon as you stop stirring, you notice alot of the white powder floats to the top of the glass, and i constantly found myself swishing the glass as i was drinking it, which is no big problem, but you expect a powder to at least mix into the water.

Ok so mixability wasn't the best, but Taste was amazing for a supplement!
I had the blue ice lemonade flavour, and that 100% gets the thumbs up from me.

Onto the results of this supplement, and i was very surprised at just how much of a 'pump' you got from Pump HD.
On my bench press i felt i had that extra oomph, and i could just push out that extra rep at the end of the 5th set. And also my recovery time was alot quicker between sets, normally i would have 90 seconds between sets, but when i have used Pump HD i have been able to cut that 90 seconds almost in half, and as I'm in the gym before work and on a strict schedule, that's a big deal for me, and i would suspect alot of other early morning gym goers.

Verdict

This is a great supplement and i have incorporated it into my array of different supplements, but specifically for Chest day.

I would definitely recommend Pump HD if you have hit a plateau with your previous pre workout, or if its your first time in the pre workout market.

8 out of 10

This Is Insanity... Week 3 Review

As week 3 began, i cant begin to tell you how pumped up i was for the 2nd fit test.
I just wanted to get home from work, get my gym gear on and press play on the Fit Test!

The fit test as you will already know, consists of 8 exercises that you have to do as many repetitions as you can, in 1 minute.

here are my results for the second fit test. (numbers in brackets are results of my first fit test)

Switch Kicks          (90)... 120
Power Jacks           (58)... 64
Power Knees          (80)... 110
Power Jumps          (35)... 55
Globe Jumps            (8)...  11
Suicide Jumps         (11)... 15
Push up Jacks         (30)... 40
Low Plank Oblique (50)... 52

As you can see my results in the space of 14 days have gone up by rather alot, and it makes me wonder where i can improve when the next fit test rolls around.

Coming to the end of the test i felt a slight twinge in my knee and that set the tone for the week really, and i felt like i had to hold back on most workouts.
If you've ever seen the episode of Family Guy where peter trips over and hurts his knee...
Well yea, that's how i felt.

I have got to admit i am slightly disheartened that I'm not seeing great results around my stomach, but i am only 3 weeks in.
I'm just going to have to stick to this and hope results do get better.

On Friday i decided to treat myself to two new products on my fitness journey, the Polar Loop and the Polar H7 heart rate monitor. Initially i was very worried with having to cut the loop's band, but you get a measurements card with it and its quite easy to work out your size and to readjust the clasp.
After i completed the set up and synchronised both devices with my phone, my god i was happy with the results of this product! the data that it gives back is just what i was looking for, and its all so simple to read, and analyse.

I will point out the data from above was on Sunday (rest day) and I'm not always that lazy.

Once i have more than a few days data, i will write more on my experience with the Polar Products

Over the next week i plan to stop weight lifting as i am experiencing excruciating pain in my forearm, so I'm hoping to put all my energy into Insanity, and see if that can help with my results before the recovery week.

This Is Insanity... Week 2 Review

C'MON YALLLLLL, LETS GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

With the words of Shaun T ringing in my ear, week 2 was a massive triumph for me.
I felt 10 times stronger than the first week, and i think that showed in how much further i was able to push in each workout.

Because im a little bit OCD when it comes to things like this (and i love to write a list), in the old exercise log i decided to draw a table showing my calories burned, and my Average Heart Rate for that particular workout.

As you can see each workout I'm burning an average of 500 to 600 Calories, and also in the second week, my average heart rate has decreased dramatically, even though i feel I'm putting more effort in.
So that only means one thing, my cardiovascular performance is getting better!!

On Thursday it was Cardio Recovery, but i felt so good, i decided to do another insanity workout before the Cardio recovery.
Insanity Fast & Furious.
Now this was a real workout! you would do a brief warm up, and then go into 15 minutes of full pace, high intensity super sets. And my oh my was that tough!
I think in week 3 i will be doing the Fast and Furious DVD a lot more, whilst still doing the insanity program.

Saturday came around quickly, and another week completed was on the horizon, but Insanity decided to step it up a gear and called for 2 programs on the same day for the first time (i know i had done 2 on Thursday but this was on another level)
Pure Cardio was first up and that was followed by INSANE Abs.. I put insane in capitals, because it was bloody insane!!
If you've ever seen the Alien films with Sigorny Weaver, well i felt like one of those aliens was going to burst out of my stomach after 3 minutes of the ab workout! It was that excruciating.
My nan came running into the room thinking i was having a heart attack.

When i stood on the scales this morning, i didn't know what to expect, after putting on weight the previous week.
But to my Surprise, the scales smiled up at me and said 185lbs, so that's 2.8lbs down this week.
But not only that, the definition in my shoulders is really coming through, and my chest is starting to feel tighter, which is a really big deal for me!!


Thanks for Reading and i hope you all have a great week!!

This Is Insanity.. Week 1 Review

Boy Oh Boy.. was that first week tough!!

My journey began with the fit test, and that in itself really lives up to its name.
even with just the warm up, i found sweat dripping from places i didn't know sweat could accumulate!
But i pushed through and got to the first of the 8 exercises that you must complete in order to finish the fit test, the 8 exercises are as follows ;


By the time you get to the suicide jumps, push up jacks and the low plank obliques, your body is screaming for you to drop to your knees, roll around on the floor and cry for Shaun T to stop this madness!

THUS WE POWER THROUGH!!

After you survive the fit test and manage to pull yourself out of bed the next day you get to look forward to the rest of the week which includes 4 of your DVDs.

Plyometric Cardio Circuit    (my least favourite so far)
Cardio Power & Resistance
Cardio Recovery
& Pure Cardio


Results

So now down to the nitty gritty.
And this may surprise you.... But i actually put on 3lbs!
My starting weight was 184lbs and when i weighed myself on Monday of week 2, i was 187lbs.
But not to be discouraged, i am solely putting this down to water and sodium retention, from such an intense week of physical exertion, after not being this active in a while.
yes, I may have 'gained' 3lbs, BUT i can see a difference in appearance already!
I can see that fat is being stripped from my body, and i am seeing more muscle definition, and veins that i didn't know i had!
So this just goes to show, its not all about the scales, but how you feel inside.

I feel great!!
Yes ok, the first few days my body was like a jittering mess, but i have so much more energy throughout the day, my mood is better, my motivation is through the roof and i feel like i'm on the right path.

This Is INSANITY

So i haven't written much recently as I've been so busy with work and and my new workout routine,
so let me fill you in.

I'm still doing weights 5 times a week, but now i have incorporated Insanity workout into my lifestyle.

Insanity is a 60 day program (well its actually 63) and its instructed by a guy called Shaun T.
Shaun is brilliant, Let me just get that in there straight away!
if you are looking for someone to motivate you, look no further. He pops up with words of encouragement none stop through each of the 10 workout DVDs, and it really helps you push through when your body is on the verge of physical and mental breakdown.

Every week i will write a short review of the previous week and share my journey through insanity with you.
and i hope it can inspire you to take on a program like insanity.

Starting A Fresh

So you want to start a new you?
Make life better for yourself, eating healthy, staying active.
Its all down to YOU putting the will power into it and dedicationg yourself on a daily basis to keep going.

First things first, you need to sit down and make a plan!

"fail to plan, and you plan to fail"

A brilliant quote that is unbelievably true.
When you write things down in black and white and you can see what needs to be done, thats half of the battle. now the other half of the battle is telling yourself that you can do it, and that you will do it.

Make yourself a motivation board

  Set your goals, deadlines and most of all reward yourself.
aferall it is you thats putting in the work, so you should get a little something back right?

After all of your goals are written down and clear in your mind, set out a weekly meal plan.
If you dont know what you are going to be having for breakfast, lunch and dinner, youre more likely to snack during the day or eat rubish when it does come to meal times.

Base your diet around a good source of protein, along with plenty of fruit and veg.
you want to aim for 1/2 a plate of veg, 1/4 carbs and 1/4 protein.



And dont forget to get atleast 2/3 litres of water a day.


Up next, work out what days you have available to work out, and plan it!
know what youre going to be doing when you wake up that morning!

And that is it really, to get yourself onto your own program.
you could incorperate Intermittent Fasting into your plan, to burn even more fat.

Good luck