Insanity Workout: Anyone try it?

allybhoy

SuprSi wrote: »

I have wooden floors too so use a yoga mat. It's not fully wide enough so I'm still dripping sweat on the floor, but it at least stops me from slipping all over the place during the workout.

Think my mam has a yoga mat somewhere, might collect it off her and try that, i had a towel down but again I was sliding around on that aswell, i found it slightly easier in my bare feet then with runners on.

2nd Row Donkey

I do mine in the kitchen which is tiled and it is lethal. I use a yoga mat type thing which helps cushion the impact on jumps etc but it no use for sweat especially if your moving around a lot like suicides, globe jumps, moving press ups etc.

I've done workouts on wooden floors and gymnastics mats and they aren't much better. Went to tymon park and the back garden and grass is just as bad for traction on some exercises. (Not to mention the weird scenario were loads [40 plus] earth worms came up beneath me during two back garden workouts)

Best thing is defo carpet ..

allybhoy

Ok, Day three update for anyone who is remotely interested.
Was a tougher workout than the fit-test but also more enjoyable, was going great guns up until the last set of of exercises, Ski Abs and in-and out abs really had me struggling and had to to take a break at that stage was glad when the warmdown came. Not too bad today, abs a little tight as are my calves but nothing too painful, i have a match after work today thoguh so i might swap tomorrows and todays workout, depending on how i feel when i get home. If im up for it ill do tonights but from what i read online its pretty intense and i dont want to over do it.

allybhoy

Ok, Day four, again sorry if im spamming the thread etc etc.

Played a match yesterday after work, got home about half 9 or so.... was seriously debating whether to do the video as i was shattered but as there was no world cup on i said sure give it a go and see how you get on. Was dreading it as from what ive read this was some peoples least favourite workout in the first month, but once i started the warm up I actually enjoyed this one more than the previous two days workout. The warmup he does is really good, its not too hectic but really gets the blood flowing and sets you up nicely for whats to come even if your a little stiff and sore. I didnt go all guns blazing but i finished every exercise and didnt take as many breaks as i thought i would at the start, the only one i really struggled with was moving push ups, im ashamed to say after the first set i gave up on them and just done normal push ups instead, wasnt able for them at all, very tough.

Today, my calves quads and hammys are throbbing, I went the gym this morning before work and done arms and chest and had to drop the weights down a bit below what i normally do, Energy Levels are low, I think I might be over doing it a tad, but at least today is the recovery day so im looking forward to that one and then go back at it tomorrow. Going to give the gym a rest for a few days aswell otherwise ill burn myself out. Sunday cant come quick enough

Roddy23

You'll feel great after the Cardio Recovery. I even do the recovery workout now if I've had a tough match, or been working out too hard.

I've actually taken this week off from Insanity and am going to get back into it next week. Going to restart week 3 from Monday onwards and this thread has been a nice bit of motivation reading how others are getting on.

SuprSi

I found the some of the cardio recovery workout really difficult, like holding that low squat for a minute - no chance!! Same with the lunges - while I could do the lunges themselves and the pulses, I couldn't hold the position for any more than a few seconds.

2nd Row Donkey

Yeah, keep the updates coming lads, I find them very useful.

Back from holidays now, worked out 8 out of 14 days and just did random month 1 workouts while I was away. Found them tough ... The feed of beer and cocktails the night before didnt help.

not sure what to do next ... rugby training starts again soon so that 3 times a week. Might just keep the workouts going on the other nights to keep the cardio ticking over and to counter act my choc hob nob addiction.

2nd Row Donkey

Alleybhoy ... have I got this right. You do weights in the morning, play a match after work and then do an insanity workout before bed?

Fair play if you can keep that up and do insanity 6 days a week. I'll be even more impressed if you can keep it up in month #2

I think you also mentioned something a few pages back about cardio workouts in your weekly routine. I think you can safely knock them on the head if your doing insanity workouts every day. They should be more than enough to supplement your cardio...

siblers

allybhoy wrote: »

Ok, Day four, again sorry if im spamming the thread etc etc.

Played a match yesterday after work, got home about half 9 or so.... was seriously debating whether to do the video as i was shattered but as there was no world cup on i said sure give it a go and see how you get on. Was dreading it as from what ive read this was some peoples least favourite workout in the first month, but once i started the warm up I actually enjoyed this one more than the previous two days workout. The warmup he does is really good, its not too hectic but really gets the blood flowing and sets you up nicely for whats to come even if your a little stiff and sore. I didnt go all guns blazing but i finished every exercise and didnt take as many breaks as i thought i would at the start, the only one i really struggled with was moving push ups, im ashamed to say after the first set i gave up on them and just done normal push ups instead, wasnt able for them at all, very tough.

Today, my calves quads and hammys are throbbing, I went the gym this morning before work and done arms and chest and had to drop the weights down a bit below what i normally do, Energy Levels are low, I think I might be over doing it a tad, but at least today is the recovery day so im looking forward to that one and then go back at it tomorrow. Going to give the gym a rest for a few days aswell otherwise ill burn myself out. Sunday cant come quick enough

You might want to come up with some type of schedule, you'll end up being completley knackered if you keep up at that rate and you'll end up doing less instead of more in the long run. From my own experience, I wouldn't play soccer and do insanity in the same day and it works well, there were some occasions where I did as I was bored and had plenty of energy but the next day i'd be too fecked to do anything.

allybhoy

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

Alleybhoy ... have I got this right. You do weights in the morning, play a match after work and then do an insanity workout before bed?

Fair play if you can keep that up and do insanity 6 days a week. I'll be even more impressed if you can keep it up in month #2

I think you also mentioned something a few pages back about cardio workouts in your weekly routine. I think you can safely knock them on the head if your doing insanity workouts every day. They should be more than enough to supplement your cardio...

Well that was the Weds\Thurs yes and i was shattered yesterday from it, even putting the cardio recovery video on and going through it was a struggle. After the match I was pretty tired but I didnt want to skip a video after such a short period of time. Im not even a week in and im learning all the time to be honest about what i can and cant do, Weds \ Thurs was probably my limit, I heard it ramps up after day 36 so yeh I doubt ill be able to keep going as I am.

I usually go the gym 3 times a week, twice midweek and then Saturday mornings, this week it was Tues \ Thurs mornings. Before i started Insanity i would do 30-40mins cardio in the gym, either a spin class or threadmill \ bike etc then roughly an hour of weights, but ive dropped the cardio from my routine completely. I really dont want to drop the gym as i go with my best mate and have been going for a good while together, Thursday morning we were doing arms and chest and I had to lower the weights right down but I got through it.

Again, i cant give up the football, but its only 1 game a week, I retired from football last season so i wont have a preseason this summer so thats one of the reasons I took insanity up.

So far all the insanity workouts (IMO) have been focused on the legs and not too bad on the arms. Maybe its because of football or spin classes but my legs would have been fairly strong prior to Insanity so I think thats why im not too bad and would have an advantage over someone who is just starting it with no base fitness etc. For example ive read online people complaining about the squats, power jacks globe jumps, mountain climbers etc and I find these relatively easy..well maybe easy is the wrong word, do-able might be better. What im trying to say is, ive done some of these exercises before, either in a gym or at football training so they arent as daunting to me as they would be to somebody who has never done them or used that part of their muscle before.. Obviously as the sessions ramp up and the workouts get more intensive Im expecting this will change.

By the way, im reading this back, and it sounds to me anyways that im making it out like im in great shape and im a beefcake, im not! Hence the whole reason for doing Insanity in the first place. Like most people i have a bit of timber that im trying to shift from too bad a diet \ alcohol etc, Decided 9 months ago that I wanted to get in better shape and joined the gym started to eat better and have lost a bit since then. Funny thing is when i was playing ball and training twice weekly I nevr watched my diet so was putting on weight even though i was playing football and was fit cardio wise if that makes sense. Because i trained hard and played matches i thoguht i could eat what i wanted, but i couldnt.

ispini1984

Hi All, decided to take plunge and do Insanity to trim down the timber.

just completed fitness test - day one.

my body didn't know what hit it, I did bootcamp last summer to winter so had a fair idea of what to do with the exercises. feck me its tough, but onwards and upwards

allybhoy

Update.

Friday was pure cardio, done it as soon as i got in from work, really enjoyed this video, it was high intensity and got the heart rate going. Probably my favorite one so far.

Saturday, Plyometric Cardio, didnt really enjoy this video the second time around, my energy levels were fairly low Saturday, went the gym saturday morning for weights and done the video at about 4pm Saturday afternoon. Struggled through it to be honest and was glad of the rest day yesterday as i had the mother of all hangovers.

ispini1984

Day two yesterday round 2pm

Tough but the exercises are simple to follow which is good.

It was a quick 40 odd mins, sweated buckets but felt good after it.

Day three to follow

ispini1984

not long after finishing day 3 cardio.

them fecking head shoulder push up yokes, I kept falling over :o

good workout, its very manageable compared to what I think is going to be ahead of me

onwards as they say

niceoneted

I'm really struggling with it all in terms of impact. I'm putting my all into it. Got to day 26. I really am not feeling any fitter - although I can keep going for longer am quicker, and can do the push ups now which I couldn't in first 3 weeks. Not seeing any difference in shape or weight. Am getting frustrated. Had to go away these last few days so going to repeat Wed to sat of last week ie week 4 this week .

SuprSi

niceoneted wrote: »

I'm really struggling with it all in terms of impact. I'm putting my all into it. Got to day 26. I really am not feeling any fitter - although I can keep going for longer am quicker, and can do the push ups now which I couldn't in first 3 weeks. Not seeing any difference in shape or weight. Am getting frustrated. Had to go away these last few days so going to repeat Wed to sat of last week ie week 4 this week .

This has to be a diet thing. You'll be burning quite a lot of calories during each session, depending on how hard you're having to work. If you're not seeing any physical changes after the 1st month, you need to look at what you're eating.

As for the fitness thing, the fact that you're able to go for longer is a big indicator of improving fitness.

Are you tracking your calorie intake at all? Are you following the meal plan that comes with Insanity?

allybhoy

SuprSi wrote: »

This has to be a diet thing. You'll be burning quite a lot of calories during each session, depending on how hard you're having to work. If you're not seeing any physical changes after the 1st month, you need to look at what you're eating.

As for the fitness thing, the fact that you're able to go for longer is a big indicator of improving fitness.

Are you tracking your calorie intake at all? Are you following the meal plan that comes with Insanity?

I would agree with this, you probably need to look at your diet. If you can go longer and harder then you are fitter than you were before you started, if your not getting the results you want then definitely look at your diet. I use the myfitnesspal to track my calories, I dont stick to the diet that comes with it but i am watching what i am eating. I cut back on my alcohol consumption a few weeks ago aswell just to give myself the best results from insanity. Im not off the drink altogether but I dont drink as often \ much as i used to.

Also, you mightnt see it on the scales but are you noticing it in clothes? For example have you got an item of clothing that was previously tight that you havent tried on in a few months? Maybe try it on again and see how it fits. Over the last 4 weeks or so ive gone down a size in jeans, i havent lost a huge amount on the scales though but im a lot slimmer than i was before. this isnt all down to Insanity as im only a week in to the program but combined with my diet and going the gym i am seeing results.

Also did you take pix of yourself without clothes on before you started? If not, take one now, keep going with Insanity for a few weeks and compare the pics.

niceoneted

Thanks guys. I borrowed the set of DVD's and didn't get the diet plan. I'm eating less than I was and no alcohol. My diet is very healthy as it is. I had two surgeries at start of year so was coming from very unfit state as couldn't do anything for the 4 weeks between the surgeries and for 6 /7 weeks after the second one. I'll keep persisting. Thanks again. Try count the cals for few days to see how I'm fairing out.

siblers

What do you eat out of curiosity? It might just be something minor that needs changing.

allybhoy

niceoneted wrote: »

Thanks guys. I borrowed the set of DVD's and didn't get the diet plan. I'm eating less than I was and no alcohol. My diet is very healthy as it is. I had two surgeries at start of year so was coming from very unfit state as couldn't do anything for the 4 weeks between the surgeries and for 6 /7 weeks after the second one. I'll keep persisting. Thanks again. Try count the cals for few days to see how I'm fairing out.

Yeh keep it going and try update us here when you can, if you have changed your diet and are working out nearly every day, you will eventually see results, it might not happen as quickly as you like but you will get there. Best of luck anyways and keep us updated

As for my own update, was in the gym yday morning for weights thne done Insnity very late last night, it was around 11:45pm before i started the video, after a shower and all the rest it was past 1am before i went to bed so im fairly tired today and i have a match later. Not sure if i will get the video done tonight but ill try. By the way, had Pure Cardio last night and it is definitely my favourite workout so far.

Dixie Chick

Love pure cardio as well. In month 2 the "rest" dvd is really good as well. Its about 40 mins , really deep pushups, all slowly done, total killer!!

niceoneted

Breakfast is usually fruit grenola 30g and yogurt or some type of egg, scrambled piached or boiled with one slice whole grain toast with mushrooms and tomato if I have them.
Lunches could be anything, salad sandwich and fruit, I could have some ray it's with salad, pasta/ salad.
Dinners usually with fish, turkey or chicken, with lots veg and could be rice pasta or baby potatoes. I might do stir fry one day. Indian the next - using spices.
Fruit during day. I work shift so some days the timing of everything can be bad.
Other half tells me I'm doing great and they see an improvement in fitness, my ability to do the stuff esp the push-ups etc.
I'll keep persisting.

allybhoy

niceoneted wrote: »

Breakfast is usually fruit grenola 30g and yogurt or some type of egg, scrambled piached or boiled with one slice whole grain toast with mushrooms and tomato if I have them.
Lunches could be anything, salad sandwich and fruit, I could have some ray it's with salad, pasta/ salad.
Dinners usually with fish, turkey or chicken, with lots veg and could be rice pasta or baby potatoes. I might do stir fry one day. Indian the next - using spices.
Fruit during day. I work shift so some days the timing of everything can be bad.
Other half tells me I'm doing great and they see an improvement in fitness, my ability to do the stuff esp the push-ups etc.
I'll keep persisting.

Well im not a nutritional expert but that sounds like a really good diet, its better than mine anyways and im seeing results. Are you keeping that up 7 days a week? Or are you grand mon-fri but then the weekend going on the beer and junk food? I went through a phase of that, i was very good mon-friday then going out for a heap of beer saturday and the odd takeaway, fooling myself that i was allowed to etc. Calories are calories, doesnt matter when you consume them, Keep at it anyay, both the exercise and the diet and you will definitely see results. Few tips from my side that ive heard use, you probably know them anyway.

Try eat something the second you wake up, be it a banana or an apple etc etc, ive been told it helps your metabolism, i would have been notorious for not eating anything before 12pm or lunchtime, then having a huge lunch, so ive started doing that now, smaller portions more often etc.

Drink a pint of water or more if you can 20-30 minutes before your dinner. Apparently it makes you want to eat less food when your eating.

Try get to bed as early as you can and get a good nights sleep as your muscles repair themselves when you are asleep or something.


Anyways, my own update. Had a match lastnight, didnt get home till half9 and was really tired so skipped last nights video. Its the first one ive missed and i felt a bit guilty but there was no way i would have been able to do it especially as i had to be up at half 6 to go the gym this morning.

niceoneted

I'm not drinking at all. We don't do take aways. I'm a believer that breakfast is most important meal in day but have to get workout done on empty stomach. It's a problem I have. I've done few marathons and it took me a long time and a lot mod experimenting to find something that would sit in my stomach for my long runs. I'm drinking at least 3 litres of water a day maybe more. I have heard that one about pint before dinner. Keep forgetting it. I'm working on smaller portions as I think that's my downfall.
I work shift so have some very late nights and also do some weekends.
I did cardio recovery today. Felt good doing it.

allybhoy

niceoneted wrote: »

I'm not drinking at all. We don't do take aways. I'm a believer that breakfast is most important meal in day but have to get workout done on empty stomach. It's a problem I have. I've done few marathons and it took me a long time and a lot mod experimenting to find something that would sit in my stomach for my long runs. I'm drinking at least 3 litres of water a day maybe more. I have heard that one about pint before dinner. Keep forgetting it. I'm working on smaller portions as I think that's my downfall.
I work shift so have some very late nights and also do some weekends.
I did cardio recovery today. Felt good doing it.

Good stuff, well sounds like you are definitely on the right path so, good luck with it.

ConCoBar

I didn't see major results with my first run of Insanity. Yes I was much fitter and could complete the workouts no problem but I changed two things. I cut out bread and potatoes completely and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday did P90X instead and Tuesday, Thursday and Sat I did Insanity. Within 2-3 weeks my shape changed completely.

In saying that, your body isn't going to change much if at all within a few weeks so don't give up. When it does start to change it changes rapidly. Well, I find that anyway. And for this there are a number of reasons too such as seeing results changes your outlook and you end up putting more into your diet and workouts.

My breakfast is 4 scrambled egg (2 yokes), no toast, small porridge with some ground flaxseed.

Lunch is homemade lasagne with wholewheat sheets and side salad (a little honey and mustard dressing).

Dinner is usually chicken, fish, beef (not too often) with vegetables either roasted, steamed or boiled.

Snacks consist of bananas, smoothies, apples, protein shakes.

I'll eat like a pig once a week. I used to eat burritos but cut out the rice when I hadn't football, then cut out the wraps and had a burrito bowl. I never count calories but I did the math the wraps have 112 cals each, the rice was about 150 which meant I was consuming near 375 calories of foods I didn't really need. Some went for potatoes. I cut them out and replaced it with more vegetables. Now I'm in the shape I want I do eat potatoes and a little bread but not much. I was told by a doctor that bread is a waste of a food and the calories could be put to much better use. I used to have scrambled eggs on two slices of toast but not I have the eggs then have the porridge. The porridge is a better food, longer lasting energy and get more from it. The bread is crap. Get rid of it.

ConCoBar

Trying to upload before and after photos but can't. Anyone know how or do I need them hosted?

siblers

You can use Imgur.com

2nd Row Donkey

For goodness sake, don't mention bread again in this thread or them out there (in the rest of the sub-forum) will be all over our insanity thread

niceoneted

Conorooney, thanks so much for that.. As the weeks go on my diet is getting better and the bread is getting less and less. I'm determined to finish out the 9 weeks. I might look at mixing it up with other cardio or the other 25 min workout you can get.