1-23-10: When doing Cardio Abs I find myself in a bit of a Catch-22. Since it follows a hellacious Pure Cardio workout, one in which I found myself swallowing some of my own sweat (I know...delicious right?), the energy and effort for this one becomes somewhat suspect. I did fairly well in the opening exercises, but then came the floor exercises. I gave it a good go, but I felt myself slipping out of form and releasing the core far too often. Unfortunate, since it is probably most important to keep the core tight during Cardio Abs. Ah well. Another thing I noticed was the impact floor exercises had on me this time. An exercise would conclude and Shaun T would offer us a thirty second water break. I usually guzzle large quantities of water when doing any kind of standing exercise. Now, in a seated position, I felt the energy it would take to get up and walk the seven feet to get water became too much. I wanted water. Water would have tasted good, but the need for water seemed to keep losing out to the need to not move for as long as possible.
Another funny thing about these DVDs is that Shaun T keeps reminding us to breathe. Now, of course he is trying to get the timing of the breathing down for us, when to inhale/exhale and whatnot. Still, thank God he tells us to breathe. I make sure to get one extra breath in between my panting, wheezing and gasps.
I still averaged about half of each exercise for Pure Cardio. I need to improve on this, but I don't want to die. A conundrum this is. Oddly, if nothing else, the scissor kicks seemed easier to me this time. This exercise starts with your right arm forward, left arm back, left leg forward, and right leg back. It consists of jumping from this position to the opposite position and back and back and back and back and back. My problem before was I was splitting the legs to much when I was switching them. Not only does this expend more energy, it also got frustrating because it was difficult to land with both feet completely planted on the ground. With the slight adjustment, oddly, this exercise is almost a "break". Very painful still, but Shaun T puts you through much worse in the Insanity program.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Insanity Workout Day 18: Plyometrics Ain't So Bad! Wait...No...Yes, It Still Is Quite Bad
1-22-10: Today I was able to get up at a good time, get ready for work quickly after the workout and made it there before 8:00. Fantastic. I was somewhat worried because I went to bed at 12:30 the night before because I wanted to watch the second to last episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'brien. Disappointing how that all turned out. Anyway, getting up on time and getting to work at a good time made this a successful workout without even considering how the actual workout even went.
The actual workout was...there. I feel that I will notice the most substantial progress on that day I am able to make it through the entire warmup without a break. There is definitely improvement. I am consistently making it through or mostly through the second iteration of the warmup before breaking. I am still taking a decent amount of breaks for the third warmup, but on the flip side I am pushing myself to go a helluva lot faster with the exercises as well.
I still dread stretching. It is my least favorite part of any day's workout. Specifically I hate the hip flexors and every variation for it therein. The balance just isn't there and too much leg energy has to be spent to get in and hold the position. The legs are burning a little too much for an exercise that is supposed to be stretching the hip flexors. Annoying. (Side note: For the final stretch, Shaun T seems to skip the Quad stretch. I feel that this was simply an error in his routine as there is no logical reason for him to skip this one, so be sure to add this to your routine.)
And the workout. Well...some things were done well. Some things weren't. I am still in a hopeless state of exhaustion by the time the basketball drills start. Still, pushing myself through while being as safe as possible. Baby steps. Conquer warmup. Conquer stretching. Conquer workout. The plan is threefold and has successive building blocks. Three won't happen without one and two. Two won't happen without one. One...well...let's just hope that one happens soon. I am starting to think that I may have to repeat the last week of the month one workout before moving on to month two. Actually, have to stay in month one until it is mastered. We shall see how long it takes for that to happen.
The actual workout was...there. I feel that I will notice the most substantial progress on that day I am able to make it through the entire warmup without a break. There is definitely improvement. I am consistently making it through or mostly through the second iteration of the warmup before breaking. I am still taking a decent amount of breaks for the third warmup, but on the flip side I am pushing myself to go a helluva lot faster with the exercises as well.
I still dread stretching. It is my least favorite part of any day's workout. Specifically I hate the hip flexors and every variation for it therein. The balance just isn't there and too much leg energy has to be spent to get in and hold the position. The legs are burning a little too much for an exercise that is supposed to be stretching the hip flexors. Annoying. (Side note: For the final stretch, Shaun T seems to skip the Quad stretch. I feel that this was simply an error in his routine as there is no logical reason for him to skip this one, so be sure to add this to your routine.)
And the workout. Well...some things were done well. Some things weren't. I am still in a hopeless state of exhaustion by the time the basketball drills start. Still, pushing myself through while being as safe as possible. Baby steps. Conquer warmup. Conquer stretching. Conquer workout. The plan is threefold and has successive building blocks. Three won't happen without one and two. Two won't happen without one. One...well...let's just hope that one happens soon. I am starting to think that I may have to repeat the last week of the month one workout before moving on to month two. Actually, have to stay in month one until it is mastered. We shall see how long it takes for that to happen.
Insanity Workout Day 17: The Un-Fitness Test
1-21-10: Oh goodie! The second fitness test. The fitness test starts with a brief warmup followed by a brief stretch. Then eight exercises are performed, one minute each, with the end goal to see how many of each exercise was performed. Ideally I would beat my scores from a couple weeks ago. I did make fair improvement on most of them (only one result was the same as last time). However, I am less interested in my results from the first test to the second test. And here's why: Form. The first time doing these exercises, they were done with a secondary effort towards form. "Hold the core tight?" Well...sometimes, but not really. Proper form happily makes all of the exercises more difficult.
Another oddity is the pacing. Should I do all of the exercises as fast as I can? This might seem like an obvious "yes", but I have a slight problem with it. Many of the exercises become quite difficult, a tribute to the power necessary, when doing them slower. Plus, form is lost with an increase in speed. I still recognize the need for speed, but I want to keep my mind on the power as well as the Insanity Workout, and its unholy ruler, Shaun T, demand an increase in power. All of the cardio madness depends on it.
Fitness test day is a good reminder to go over goals, and why I'm doing this. There are many reasons actually, one of which Vince sort of mentions in his post. He mentions that I'm trying to return to my high school b-ball rec league form. This is not entirely true though. I am trying to greatly EXCEED my high school condition. The effort in high school was random at best and potential was never reached. Now, in some odd way, my biological clock is ticking...no...I don't want to get pregnant, but I do feel the pressures to see what kind of shape I can achieve with this body. At 31, going on 32, it is already a little too late to see what max potential could have been. Still, I contend that by the end of this, I will be in much better condition than I ever was in high school, in all areas (faster, stronger, more agile).
Other reasons may include a pestering need to better myself. This could be in many different areas. However, I've never seriously attempted this for my physical being. In the end, it means being a healthier person. Very early, but so far, not as difficult as I thought it would be so long as I am serious about it. And the idea is for this to be a permanent change. Not some temporary program, and not some temporary diet/meal plan. The idea is to become this person permanently.
Finally, and most importantly, I want to be able to slam dunk...okay...maybe that really isn't one of the goals, but definitely something I am mildly intrigued by. By the end of the year, I plan to drop 40 pounds. This puts me at a weight lower than I was in high school, but still a few pounds over what is recommended for my height. At first this might seem like an extreme goal, but in the end it seems reasonable to me. Consistent workout, increased metabolism, and more restraint on gorging, the plan is 20 pounds the first three months, 10 pounds the next three, 6 pounds the next three, and 4 pounds the last three. This falls into the theory that the later weight will be harder to get off. Side footnote, with the Halloween movie marathon in quarter 4, things will become difficult. Massive quantities of junk food. Craziness. Anyway, my point being that I am a couple inches short of touching the rim now. If I drop 20% of my body weight, while drastically increasing my leg muscles...well...sons of a beotch, the ability to slam could actually become a side benefit, which would amuse the hell out of me. The speed increase also intrigues me. I am very much intrigued.
There are other reasons too for sure, but that's good enough for now.
Another oddity is the pacing. Should I do all of the exercises as fast as I can? This might seem like an obvious "yes", but I have a slight problem with it. Many of the exercises become quite difficult, a tribute to the power necessary, when doing them slower. Plus, form is lost with an increase in speed. I still recognize the need for speed, but I want to keep my mind on the power as well as the Insanity Workout, and its unholy ruler, Shaun T, demand an increase in power. All of the cardio madness depends on it.
Fitness test day is a good reminder to go over goals, and why I'm doing this. There are many reasons actually, one of which Vince sort of mentions in his post. He mentions that I'm trying to return to my high school b-ball rec league form. This is not entirely true though. I am trying to greatly EXCEED my high school condition. The effort in high school was random at best and potential was never reached. Now, in some odd way, my biological clock is ticking...no...I don't want to get pregnant, but I do feel the pressures to see what kind of shape I can achieve with this body. At 31, going on 32, it is already a little too late to see what max potential could have been. Still, I contend that by the end of this, I will be in much better condition than I ever was in high school, in all areas (faster, stronger, more agile).
Other reasons may include a pestering need to better myself. This could be in many different areas. However, I've never seriously attempted this for my physical being. In the end, it means being a healthier person. Very early, but so far, not as difficult as I thought it would be so long as I am serious about it. And the idea is for this to be a permanent change. Not some temporary program, and not some temporary diet/meal plan. The idea is to become this person permanently.
Finally, and most importantly, I want to be able to slam dunk...okay...maybe that really isn't one of the goals, but definitely something I am mildly intrigued by. By the end of the year, I plan to drop 40 pounds. This puts me at a weight lower than I was in high school, but still a few pounds over what is recommended for my height. At first this might seem like an extreme goal, but in the end it seems reasonable to me. Consistent workout, increased metabolism, and more restraint on gorging, the plan is 20 pounds the first three months, 10 pounds the next three, 6 pounds the next three, and 4 pounds the last three. This falls into the theory that the later weight will be harder to get off. Side footnote, with the Halloween movie marathon in quarter 4, things will become difficult. Massive quantities of junk food. Craziness. Anyway, my point being that I am a couple inches short of touching the rim now. If I drop 20% of my body weight, while drastically increasing my leg muscles...well...sons of a beotch, the ability to slam could actually become a side benefit, which would amuse the hell out of me. The speed increase also intrigues me. I am very much intrigued.
There are other reasons too for sure, but that's good enough for now.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Insanity Workout Day 16: Die Another Day Off
1-20-10: It felt good this morning not to have to do a workout. Oddly, without the workout to motivate me, I was unable to get out of bed at a reasonable time (reasonable being the same time I got up to do the workout plus 45 minutes). I am actually optimisitic that by doing this workout I will eventually start showing up to work by 7:30 consistently as well. I just have to get past the point of being a broken mess in the morning. And aside from my sleeping in on days off, I feel that certain things go a little faster. I no longer take a nap in the hallway between the bedroom and bathroom. I no longer nap in the shower. I no longer take my pre-dressup nap. But seriously, when I started a couple weeks ago, my showers were used to recover, lengthy in duration and near boiling. Now, they are pretty quick. While I still could use a little recovery and I'm still tired after each workout, I've learned to dig deeper, which gets me through such difficult life events such as showers.
I did some shopping today. I bought a lot of meat. To try to keep a balance between carbs and proteins, I needed to get more foods that were high on protein, low on carbs to offset the many high carb things I was eating.
My favorite tool has become the George Foreman Grill. Wow. George Foreman vs. Shaun T. What an epic battle of food and pain! I almost use it daily now because it cooks things so danged quick.
Another meal that fits Shaun T's requirements quite well is a bowl of cream of wheat with .75 cups skim milk and 1.5 Tbsp of peanut butter, followed with 4 oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast seasoned with garlic and chile powder. Yum. I like food.
I did some shopping today. I bought a lot of meat. To try to keep a balance between carbs and proteins, I needed to get more foods that were high on protein, low on carbs to offset the many high carb things I was eating.
My favorite tool has become the George Foreman Grill. Wow. George Foreman vs. Shaun T. What an epic battle of food and pain! I almost use it daily now because it cooks things so danged quick.
Another meal that fits Shaun T's requirements quite well is a bowl of cream of wheat with .75 cups skim milk and 1.5 Tbsp of peanut butter, followed with 4 oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast seasoned with garlic and chile powder. Yum. I like food.
Insanity Workout Day 15: Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs and I Want My Mommy
1-19-10: So, did I close the week out strong you ask? You are jumping way ahead. The week ends with a day off, which I excel at, and I wasn't there yet. Today was the first day that Cardio Abs are thrown into the mix. It is a little 15-20 minute add-on workout after Pure Cardio is completed. Because, as you are all aware, I have become such a freaking master at all of these workouts, the most logical thing would be to add more daily workout time. Yikes.
Pure Cardio...well...it beat me up pretty bad again. I believe I have successfully turned the actual workout of 15 minutes into 7.5 minutes. I pretty much did 30 seconds of each exercise mixed with a 30 second break. While ridiculous, this will actually be a decent way to monitor my progress from pure cardio to pure cardio. Next time I will try making it 35-40 seconds of each exercise. I need to pick it up though. In theory, two weeks from now I am supposed to begin the month 2 workouts. Hopefully I can progress enough these final two weeks to be able to accomplish this. A tricky fish indeed.
I do like how Pure Cardio starts with the "Suicides". It is a perfect name of an exercise to start the actual workout. It is like he is actually telling you what his intent is: "By doing this, you are killing yourself." Oddly, this is one exercise I actually kind of like. Well...no...I hate this one less really. Difficult one to explain. Imagine going to your right to pick something up. When you drop down, your right knee is about 90 degrees and your left leg is behind, bent slightly. Then you realize that you made a terrible mistake. The thing you wanted to pick up is actually to your left, so you spring up, shuffle to the left a little, and drop down to the left. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I am so dumb. Why can't I remember which side I put that thing I wanted to pick up on.
A word on Cardio Abs. Not bad. Well...not fun or anything, but compared to his other evil workouts, this is not awful. Don't get me wrong, I still could not get through every exercise, but I feel I kept my heartrate under 740 beats a minute. Still, it is really a haze in my memory right now. Pure Cardio had already sapped my lifeforce enough as to where cognitive functions, partiuclarly memory ceased to be working properly.
Pure Cardio...well...it beat me up pretty bad again. I believe I have successfully turned the actual workout of 15 minutes into 7.5 minutes. I pretty much did 30 seconds of each exercise mixed with a 30 second break. While ridiculous, this will actually be a decent way to monitor my progress from pure cardio to pure cardio. Next time I will try making it 35-40 seconds of each exercise. I need to pick it up though. In theory, two weeks from now I am supposed to begin the month 2 workouts. Hopefully I can progress enough these final two weeks to be able to accomplish this. A tricky fish indeed.
I do like how Pure Cardio starts with the "Suicides". It is a perfect name of an exercise to start the actual workout. It is like he is actually telling you what his intent is: "By doing this, you are killing yourself." Oddly, this is one exercise I actually kind of like. Well...no...I hate this one less really. Difficult one to explain. Imagine going to your right to pick something up. When you drop down, your right knee is about 90 degrees and your left leg is behind, bent slightly. Then you realize that you made a terrible mistake. The thing you wanted to pick up is actually to your left, so you spring up, shuffle to the left a little, and drop down to the left. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I am so dumb. Why can't I remember which side I put that thing I wanted to pick up on.
A word on Cardio Abs. Not bad. Well...not fun or anything, but compared to his other evil workouts, this is not awful. Don't get me wrong, I still could not get through every exercise, but I feel I kept my heartrate under 740 beats a minute. Still, it is really a haze in my memory right now. Pure Cardio had already sapped my lifeforce enough as to where cognitive functions, partiuclarly memory ceased to be working properly.
Insanity Workout Day 14: Power and Resistance is Futile
1-18-10: So...the recovery workout yesterday did not work like it did last time. Oddly, today I didn't feel particularly sore. Moreso weak and tired. I had to do this workout early because I had a busy day of...well...almost nothing at all. I finished watching season 1 of Supernatural. Great show! A little horror movie from week to week. Extremely well done.
The warmup begins. I fight my way through the first two iterations of the warmup. In this instance it is the power jacks that get in the way. Usually jumping jacks are done in the warmup, but on power days power jacks are done which are similar only you have to drop down to a squat position after each one. Just another fun exercise to work the quads. Ugh...this just makes the rest of the warmup hurt more with the heisman, 1-2-3 heisman, butt kicks, high knees, and mummy kicks. I wonder if I can switch the heisman setting to rookie (NCAA Football 2010).
When the actual workout starts, I am dazed. I feel I've been punched 1000 times...all in the quads. Later, I will realize that my calves and arms are sore. During the workout the quads arehaving so much fun, I do not even notice the other evils. Still, only one more day till the end of week two. So far, so good.
The warmup begins. I fight my way through the first two iterations of the warmup. In this instance it is the power jacks that get in the way. Usually jumping jacks are done in the warmup, but on power days power jacks are done which are similar only you have to drop down to a squat position after each one. Just another fun exercise to work the quads. Ugh...this just makes the rest of the warmup hurt more with the heisman, 1-2-3 heisman, butt kicks, high knees, and mummy kicks. I wonder if I can switch the heisman setting to rookie (NCAA Football 2010).
When the actual workout starts, I am dazed. I feel I've been punched 1000 times...all in the quads. Later, I will realize that my calves and arms are sore. During the workout the quads arehaving so much fun, I do not even notice the other evils. Still, only one more day till the end of week two. So far, so good.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Vintensity vs. Pure Cardio II
Pure Cardio = Hell II
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
The memory of my last Pure Cardio defeat resonated within my thoughts for a week. I hit the Insanity
training with a renewed purpose in week 2, intent on defeating my opponent, Shaun T ...er... I mean Pure Cardio. To prepare, I busted out a co-op Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout with Insanity addict Dave Stampor (previously known as Donut Dave) on Saturday.
How did Round 2 of Pure Cardio Insanity go? Well, I am going to try something new and create a chronological timeline of my workout using titles from Van Halen
songs to describe my feelings for each exercise phase:
10. Runaround
11. Can' Stop (Lovin You)
12. Finish What You Started
13. Don't Tell Me
14. Not Enough
15. Poundcake
16. Black & Blue
17. Runnin' with the Devil
18. Eruption
19. Aftershock
20. Dreams
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
The memory of my last Pure Cardio defeat resonated within my thoughts for a week. I hit the Insanity
training with a renewed purpose in week 2, intent on defeating my opponent, Shaun T ...er... I mean Pure Cardio. To prepare, I busted out a co-op Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout with Insanity addict Dave Stampor (previously known as Donut Dave) on Saturday. How did Round 2 of Pure Cardio Insanity
go? Well, I am going to try something new and create a chronological timeline of my workout using titles from Van Halen songs to describe my feelings for each exercise phase: - It's About Time
- Right Now
- On Top of the World
- Everybody Wants Some
- Feelin'
- Unchained
- Feels so Good
- Jump
- Jump (live)
10. Runaround
11. Can' Stop (Lovin You)
12. Finish What You Started
13. Don't Tell Me
14. Not Enough
15. Poundcake
16. Black & Blue
17. Runnin' with the Devil
18. Eruption
19. Aftershock
20. Dreams
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Insanity Workout Day 13: Buffet Recovery
1-17-10: So, again, I hate recovery. I mean...I like to recover. Recovery workouts just hurt however. I did not remember doing as poorly on this one as last time. Though, in retrospect, I guess I did take a lot of breaks from the position holds the first time around. It is crazy. While the actual exercises are certainly awful, it is the position holds that are the killer. By the end, my quadriceps were essentially numb and void. Last time this workout magically made me feel better the next day. So, let's see how I feel tomorrow for the second to last workout of the week.
To celebrate...something...MLK day(???)....I went to a buffet in Ann Arbor. I was doing well at the buffet. Eating in some relative form of moderation. Then I saw they had waffles. I love waffles. They also had powdered sugar and chocolate chips. I love powdered sugar and chocolate chips. They also had butter...well...I never usually have butter on waffles...but, well...it seemed to go with the powdered sugar and chocolate chips. I limited myself to six. Okay, I guess I didn't limit myself at all in the end. It was delicious though. As long as I limit myself to two buffets a week? Weird. I think I have to do a bit better.
To celebrate...something...MLK day(???)....I went to a buffet in Ann Arbor. I was doing well at the buffet. Eating in some relative form of moderation. Then I saw they had waffles. I love waffles. They also had powdered sugar and chocolate chips. I love powdered sugar and chocolate chips. They also had butter...well...I never usually have butter on waffles...but, well...it seemed to go with the powdered sugar and chocolate chips. I limited myself to six. Okay, I guess I didn't limit myself at all in the end. It was delicious though. As long as I limit myself to two buffets a week? Weird. I think I have to do a bit better.
Insanity Workout Day 12: The Happily Obese Response to Plyometrics
1-16-10: A word about obesity. While never caring too much about my weight, I have an unfortunate suspicion that the increased weight does make things more difficult in the workouts. It is a fascinating dynamic I had not considered. What do I mean? Well, say that you are starting to workout in a gym. For your first time, you would start with lower weights. In the Insanity workout, you are only using your body as weights essentially. This means at the start of your Insanity workout you are starting with more weights, and the better shape you get in, there will be a reduction in weights, which is backwards. However, when this happens, I will also be able to expend a little less energy on power and more on cardio...more balance. I can certainly see how this could be frustrating though for people just starting out. Not for David though. David get strong. David get angry. David SMASH!
A cool thing happened for today's workout. Vince came over to participate in the workout. And Vin-a is the master. Very impressive. He didn't even take a break until almost the end of the second iteration of the actual workout. Since he did not take nearly enough breaks, I made sure to take plenty for him. He also was able to offer some tips on form. He let me know that my back was not being kept straight enough on certain drills and that my knee was too far forward on the deep lunge stretch. Another challenge is if you are rather unfamiliar with most drills and can not see yourself doing them. It can be helpful to have someone experienced help out here and there.
Finally, a word on some of the most hated exercises from Plyometrics. I think the theme will be the skiing drills. One is a simulation of slaloming on the slopes by keeping your legs together, swinging your arms back (like you were pulling back on the ski poles), bending your knees, and then jumping to the right. Repeat to the left. Just a painful jumping drill really, which there are many, but I mention this evil one because there is another drill called Ski Abs which is also related to skiing in a different sort of evil way. Here you get into a pushup stance, shoulders over wrists, and swing your legs out to the right, with your legs slanted towards your chest. If that doesn't make sense, think about how you would jump into a crouched position from a pushup position. Instead of the forward crouch, the legs go to the right. Then back. Then to the left. Then back. Then take a break. Do one or two more. Collapse and cry. Do one more. Take a break. Get water. Feign a back injury until the next drill.
A cool thing happened for today's workout. Vince came over to participate in the workout. And Vin-a is the master. Very impressive. He didn't even take a break until almost the end of the second iteration of the actual workout. Since he did not take nearly enough breaks, I made sure to take plenty for him. He also was able to offer some tips on form. He let me know that my back was not being kept straight enough on certain drills and that my knee was too far forward on the deep lunge stretch. Another challenge is if you are rather unfamiliar with most drills and can not see yourself doing them. It can be helpful to have someone experienced help out here and there.
Finally, a word on some of the most hated exercises from Plyometrics. I think the theme will be the skiing drills. One is a simulation of slaloming on the slopes by keeping your legs together, swinging your arms back (like you were pulling back on the ski poles), bending your knees, and then jumping to the right. Repeat to the left. Just a painful jumping drill really, which there are many, but I mention this evil one because there is another drill called Ski Abs which is also related to skiing in a different sort of evil way. Here you get into a pushup stance, shoulders over wrists, and swing your legs out to the right, with your legs slanted towards your chest. If that doesn't make sense, think about how you would jump into a crouched position from a pushup position. Instead of the forward crouch, the legs go to the right. Then back. Then to the left. Then back. Then take a break. Do one or two more. Collapse and cry. Do one more. Take a break. Get water. Feign a back injury until the next drill.
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