Was it worth it? Would I recommend it? What’s next?
I completed all 63 days of the Insanity Workout!!!!
Sweaty high fives all around.
And yes, you read that right, it’s 63 days, not 60. What’s up with that, Shaun T?
I’ve been finished less than a week and already I miss my nightly sweat sessions with the Insanity crew. So much so that I’ve been doing Insanity Fast and Furious to get my plyo fix. I’ll review this workout next week, but … Spoiler Alert … it’s the hardest 20 minutes of your life.
Anyway, below are the results of my last two fit tests and as you can see I’ve progressed so much in these last 63 days. Power jumps? Can do. Suicide jumps? Yes, please. Pushup jacks? Not a problem.
Tonight, some friends and I are going out to celebrate, not just my accomplishment but my liberation. I can drink beers on patios again. At Happy Hour prices. Another round, on me!
So, was it worth it?
Absolutely. I loved every sweaty second of this program. I got great results, even if the scale refused to budge, so I’m ecstatic. This weekend I even had a chance to lounge around a pool with girls who are about 15 years younger than I am and … what am I a masochist? Of course I didn’t do that. But still. I am happy with my results. All my clothes fit better and look better. I have a lot of energy, I can Power Jump and I earned my T-shirt. (Hate that you have to send in “Before and After” pics to get it, but I’m still tempted.)
Would I recommend the program?
Of course. But with a few recommendations.
- Stick to the schedule: This program is way too hard to do in fits and starts. You’re building up to each new challenge and making progress each week. It’d be so demoralizing to lose the ground you’ve gained, not to mention hard on your body.
- Tell your friends: It’s been wonderful to blog about my experience with Insanity. Not only has it kept me accountable, but also so many of you have reached out to me, via email or Twitter. I appreciate the encouragement more than you know. Having a support system is important so that you can stick to the schedule and stay motivated.
- Don’t be discouraged by the scale: I complained last week that I didn’t lose any weight but I accept that it’s only one measure of success. The way your clothes fit, the amount of a workout you can do as opposed to standing around gasping for air, the definition in your abs – these all count more than an arbitrary number.
- Don’t use Insanity as a license to eat: Even if the scale doesn’t move downward, you don’t want it edging up too much either. Yes, you’ll be putting on muscle but not ten pounds of it. Better fitting clothes, glowing skin and a sense of accomplishment can be your rewards for a tough workout – not an extra helping of dinner or a whole tub of ice cream. Get a pedi or a new pair of jeans to celebrate a milestone like finishing the first month or getting through Max Interval Plyo without collapsing. (Which I actually managed once.)
So what’s next?
I hope to start P90X toward the middle of June. Possibly the 16th. The DVDs arrived this past weekend, as well as a textbook worth of information. I guess I’ll be searching for a pull up bar pretty soon. In the meantime, I’m going to keep on working out with Shaun T as much as possible. I start Fast Draft, an intense writing challenge on Saturday. (More about that next week.) I’ll do the Fast and Furious workout when time is short.
Fit Test Results
Switch kicks: (110)
(120) (130) (130) 135
Power Jacks: (35) (45) (51) (58) 60
Power Knees: (70) (90) (90) (100) 105
Power Jumps: (10)
(20) (35) (41) 45
Globe Jumps: (8)
(10)
(12) (13) 12
Suicide Jumps: (10)
(15) (18) (20) 22
Push-up Jacks: (10)
(20) (28) (35) 40
Low plank oblique: (25) (30) (35 ) (40) 40
Has anyone else done Insanity? I’d love to hear about your experience. Also, if you’ve done P90X, let me know what to expect.
Looking for another way to get your heart rate up? There’s plenty of suspense and romance in Murder on the First Day of Christmas. It’s available on Kindle and Nook, and now in Paperback.
