Insanity: Second Month Sucks

I'd like to personally address this post to Mr. Shaun T.

I hate you.

That is all.

Insanity: The Midnight Circuit

So I'm halfway through week four of Insanity by Shaun T. I haven't been posting every day because some days it comes down to write this blog, or go work out. For any loyal readers, I'm sorry, but I will always choose exercise over writing about exercise.

So today I hit the point that I think a lot of us will hit. I'm going to be calling it the Midnight Circuit. So after a long day, I decided that I should eat (kinda important) and spend some time with my family (often more important). As I did this, time flew by us until it was midnight, and I still hadn't done my workout. No, I don't recommend this for anyone, but I think it's going to happen.

Why do I think this is going to happen? Because life gets in our way, it will push things onto us that we often can't anticipate, and as such, we are left to decide "do I go to bed because I really should," or "do I workout because I really should." For each person it is their own call and own choice, but for me, today, it was exercise.

I had to exercise. I've started a challenge group with great friends and I am running it. Oh, and yeah, it was the FIRST DAY! I'm not going to wiff it on the first day! No way! So I worked out. Now I'm here typing this at 1:30 in the morning because I can't get to sleep.

My point is this, you might hit the midnight circuit eventually. That's ok. Don't make it a habit, do better, and try to stick to your plans. I'm happy that I did it. I pushed through it and I'm glad I did. I'm proud of myself and I feel great. I'm likely going to lapse into a coma like slumber when my body does finally relax, but until then, I can ride my endorphins.

It's not the sharpest thing to do, but every day is a knew grinding wheel and we have to decide if we'll take the pain one more time to be at our sharpest.

Insanity Fit Test: Take 2

So tonight was my second time through the fit test and it wasn't any easier. But I actually want to claim that as a good thing. If it wasn't any easier, it means I pushed myself just as hard, if not harder the second time through as I did my first time. That is what I want to be known for, pushing myself and making it a huge part of who I am. Whether it's exercise, homework, or family responsibilites, I want to be able to push myself into things I don't like doing, knowing they'll pay dividends in the end.

The first time set a good high bar for me. In 5 of the 8 exercises, I passed the bar, in 2 of them I met the same bar, and sadly, in one I was just 1 rep below it (dang suicide jumps). But in the end I'm glad to say that I did better. I realize that since a lot of people are going to monitor my progress on this, I might as well put up the numbers. With some of these, I'm very happy with, and with others (suicide jumps) I'm less than pleased with, but we will see what time tells.

1. Switch Kicks
1. 56
2. 62
2. Power Jacks
1. 45
2. 45
3. Power Knee
1. 80
2. 110
4. Power Jumps
1. 30
2. 32
5. Globe Jumps
1. 9
2. 9
6. Suicide Jumps
1. 15
2. 14
7. Push-Up Jacks
1. 21
2. 29
8. Low Plank Oblique
1. 30
2. 46

So judge of it what you will, but for now, I'm going to say good day, go shower, and lapse into my coma.

Getting sharp hurts, but nothing worthwhile ever came easy.

Insanity end of week 2- Cardio Abs

So yesterday marked the end of Insanity week two (since today is a rest day). This was when we incorporated Shaun T's cardio abs. For those with back problems, rest assured, there are no crunches or sit ups, just PAIN! But seriously, I've been proud of my core for most of my life. This wrecked it. I'm not complaining, on the contrary, this helps me win a bet with my wife. I get a six pack, she goes on my favorite hike (a hike she is vehemently against).

So week two is over. I have the Insanity fit test on Monday and I'm excited for it. This is one of the few times I'm excited to see how far I've come with my exercises, but that's because I've really put my heart into this. My progress physically isn't apparent, but I feel a difference. I am not as sore, I have more energy, I can feel a stronger core and legs. These are rewards that come far before any six pack or triceps. These are personal victories.

Tomorrow is the day I get to see how well I've been sharpening.

Insanity day 11: Recovery

The biggest victory of the day: I didn't sweat so hard it was dripping of my face! My body is acclimating to this finally! Well, to the long stretches and squats at least. Yes, it was a recovery day, but to me it was a big deal. I haven't felt good enough to do anything in this program without two bottles of water and a towel to wipe off my sweat.

I know I need to push myself a little harder, but as I go through this, it'll get easier.

Other than that, I've been finding a lot of people who are really interested in being part of my challenge group. If you are reading this and you are wondering what a challenge group is, just e-mail me. I'd love to get you on it.

Working together we all can get very sharp.

Insanity day 10: Cardio Circuit round 2

So today was the second time doing the "plyometric cardio circuit" (say that five times fast, take a break, ok, five more times but faster). So it's interval training where you do a few exercises for 3-4 minutes, take a short break, and go right back at it but faster. So you have to push yourself harder and faster. This is great for cardio, but your body will scream at you. Just warning you.

There really isn't a huge lesson I got from this other than I can do things I don't like doing. Whether it's eating that broccoli, doing an exercise, or completing homework, I can enjoy the discomfort zone. 

Insanity, the days I didn't write

So I'm starting this off on a Tuesday. Yes, I know I've missed a few days on writing, but I do hope you'll forgive me. This weekend was awesome but man was I pushed.

My parents thought it would be awesome to take us skiing on Saturday (and they were right, it was awesome). It was Kaili's first time skiing and she absolutely loved it (and she hates that she loves it since it's an expensive hobby). After a long day of skiing, we rushed off to Hang Time for Lathan's 16th birthday party. For those of you unfamiliar with Hang Time, it's a jumping gym. Trampolines EVERYWHERE! So I got excited and decided to jump everywhere and really enjoy myself. I felt like I was 16 again.

So then the evening hits and I still haven't done my insanity workout yet. No, I didn't skip, but I didn't do the scheduled workout. I did the cardio recovery workout, and I'm very glad I did. It was still the hardest, most physically demanding thing I did, and I'm super happy I did it.

I didn't know it, but all of the other activities that left my wife and parents sore and grumpy didn't affect me as much. My legs weren't as sore, my cardio was fine, and I was able to enjoy them more. That is why I work out. I love being able to do what I want and not worry about how sore I'll be the next day. I want to enjoy myself, my life in a way that is healthy, active, and fun. I don't want to worry about being too "out of shape" to go hiking, skiing, cycling, etc. This is my life and I want to live it.

So Sunday was rest day. I think it's good that the day of rest literally is my day of rest. I enjoyed that day a lot.

Yesterday it was a jump right back into cardio and resistence and today was pure cardio. My wife insists I shower before I get near her. I know she'll love the results at the end of this craziness, but for now, she demands that I be washed before I get too close.

The other huge thing that I'm loving is the challenge group I'm putting together. I've been finding people who I never thought would be interested, but as I talk about it, they often want to join, talk, or buy something from beachbody. I love the fact that there are so many people who want to get healthy. Whether it's because they want to fit that one pair of pants again, or someone more like me, who hates being weak, it's great to see so many people doing something that is great for them.

As a group, we'll definitely help sharpen each other.

Insanity Day 5: Pure Cardio

Pure Cardio would actually be another great name for the workout series. So I was a little nervous when I put in the DVD that says pure cardio on an already cardio intensive exercise program. During our warm-up stretches Shaun T actually stated how he was nervous for the work out. WHAT??? NO! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT LOOK EASY AND LET ME KNOW IT CAN BE DONE!

Yeah, I was terrified going into it. But hey, I made it through and all of my limbs are still attached. Yes I took my own break periods. He actually sent people out of the workout because they were sacrificing their form so he told them to get water and come back after. Man, you know this is a hard workout when some of the most incredibly sculpted guys and girls are being told to stop because they are getting too tired.

What did I really learn from this? Even the experts get nervous about their upcoming tasks, and you know what, it's ok! You don't have to be perfect at everything to try it. You have to do your best and then keep going. That is what it's really about. If you're a surgeon, a salesman, or a janitor, you have to be willing to push your comfort zone to truly achieve something, and it's ok to be scared of that.

We can only reach our potential when we push our limits. This is me, a spear in the coals, hoping to be sharpened soon.

Insanity Day 4: Recovery

Don't let the title of the post fool you, recovery simply means long drawn out squats, stretches, and core exercises. You will hurt from this workout, and it is hard. The biggest difference? My legs aren't quite as sore through the day as they would've otherwise been.

So what did I learn from this one? Recovery is still going to hurt. This one fact has been the tale of my wife and I for the last 6+ months. Last year she had paralyzing abdominal pain. This sucked for both of us (her more than I). It wasn't just the hospital trips, the babysitting schedule, or the grocery list of medications we had to pick up, but the fact that they never truly diagnosed it.

Finally, out of desperation, they decided to remove her gallbladder. After the surgery, the pain was gone. No, they don't know what it was, and no, we really don't care. But since that surgery, we've been in recovery mode. It took a toll financially, emotionally, physically, and even on our relationship. Things are getting better, but they are still moving slowly.

Recovery is a slow process, but it means you're getting stronger. Recovery is the cooling after the trails of fire. They hurt, they are hard, but in the end, they make us stronger. Once the trial is over, it doesn't mean the pain is gone, it means the healing has begun.

From the furnace to the water bath, this spear is getting sharper.

Insanity day 3: Power and Resistance

So last night before going to bed, my wife gave me an incredible leg rub. I owe her big on that one because it was wake up and repeat. As I put in day 3's DVD, I felt my feet ache under every jump. They hurt worse than my legs, my but, or my back. I didn't realize how much strain would go on them. I'm trying to find out the best way to help my feet heal.

Through the workout I realized that as I kept going, my excitement was dropping in the middle of the set. This is likely do to two factors:

1. The idea of something is usually glorified, but in the trenches it's vilified.
2. I was too dang tired to feel like I was giving 100%.

For the second point, I want to let everyone know that I really was giving 100%, but I couldn't do the dang push-ups like I know I could have if I started cold and not in the middle of a set. I hated that and I felt weak again. I pushed through and did what I could, but I wasn't meeting my own standard. The thing is, I don't do the squats and jumps that are stressed in these videos, so in that sense, I've exceeded my expectations. I've got to see the up side if I'm going to see my downside.

For the first point though, this is something that I'm learning more and more. I often get psyched up about something, super excited, energetic, and hit the ground running only to trip, fall, and hobble the rest of the race. When we start something, we know we want to finish it, but we don't always know how bad it will be until we get there.

It's not the physical strain that is the hardest to overcome, it's the mental strain. It's doing what you know you're going to hate, not because you want to love it, but because you want to love having done it. It's the 20-20 hindsight that comes after completing the challenge that will make it all worth it in the end.

This is me, scraping myself against the wetstone, hoping to get sharper.

Insanity Day 2- Pushing Through

Today was day two of Insanity. I woke up achy as an 80 yr old and slowly let my legs drop out of bed. I put in the DVD and began the work out. My legs screamed, my lungs protested, and my feet cried out with each jump, squat and lunge. I did my best to keep up with Shaun, but it really hurt. The worst was what he called Level 1's. By the time we finally got to them, I didn't feel like I could move, but after was just agony. 

It hurts feeling like you can't keep up with the training program you've begun, but I was occasionally comforted by the other assistants in the video who looked to be in much better shape and were still struggling. I know it's not an easy thing going day after day, working out even though your muscles are sore. But at the end of the day though, I got through it. I did it and I think it was worth it. 

I went to school and still walk funny. I have a hard time getting up or sitting down. My appetite has grown 3 fold (which for me is a good thing since I'm still trying to gain the weight). My life is being filled with so many different actions now all from simply giving it my all in the morning. I know life knocks you down better than most. A lot of my life I didn't feel like I could fight back. But now they power is in my hands, I've got the goals, the support, and the means to really accomplish something out there, and so I will.

This is me feeling dull, but getting sharper
.

Insanity, Day 1

You know that kid at the gym who had a hard time doing any exercises because of his size? No, I'm not saying the big guys, I'm saying the pencil-arms, the string bean. You remember that guy? That's me. My senior year in high school I was 6'2" and a whopping 140 lbs. I hated the fact that I got called names, many of them hurtful. I also hating being the weak kid, the one that was never asked to help you move.

I took a weights class my senior year hoping to "BULK UP" and gain some weight. In the 9 months I gained 20 lbs and raised my bench press from 65 lbs (yes, the bar and two 10's) to 155. It was great, but still not where I wanted to be. I left for college and almost instantly dropped 15 lbs. My school schedule got in the way of my fitness and I was making the excuses like "well, I'm walking everywhere on campus, it's not like I'm being a lazy slug." But still, I just couldn't keep the weight on.

So here I am now, a Senior at my university, a nutritional science major, and finally I'm back to 160 lbs. Fitness for me hasn't just been a good idea, it's been something that changes every day. Exercise and good eating make me happy because I feel like I'm making progress.

I signed up this last month to be a beach body coach and am super excited, not only to do the workouts, but to dive into the meal ideas, the eating plans, get supported and support my friends. One thing they told me is that I should be proof of the product, so I got my hands on an Insanity DVD set. I did the fit test today, and yes, it killed me.

During the breaks they give you, I had to pause the video just to catch my breath. I had a headache for a while afterwards and my legs hurt the rest of the day (but my awesome wife rubbed them down when I got home from school). I'm realizing that I'm going to have to go to bed earlier just so I can get the rest I truly need, not the minimum I can survive on.

So this is my work-in-progress story of a skinny kid on his way to fitness, this is my sharp start.