Insanity Workout...Who has done it?

OnlyOneDR

OnlyOneDR

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So, this is not a New Year's resolution but I did get challenged to do the Insanity workout series for the next nine weeks. I accepted, and will proceed to kick my own butt until March. Today was the weigh in and fitness test with my friend. She has done the series before but it's been a while; I know nothing about actually working out regularly. I am a cyclist and have done some really long rides including a century (100 miler) last September but it is a totally different type of exercise than this. I used to be a "machine" only about six years ago when I had a much more physical job; moved into the office and haven't been nearly as active ever since. I probably gained about 20# in that time ("see food" diet), feel like "blah" more often than I should, and all my older clothes don't fit very well at all. Up in pant waist size, etc. Now at 36 years old it is time to reverse all of that.

I will keep the thread updated with my results. Day 1 weigh in at ~160#, using skinfold calipers I am ~21% body fat on a 5'7" frame. The goal is 145# and 15% body fat when I finish. There is a fit test and checkup about every two weeks throughout the series so I will post on progress when I do them as well as thoughts in between. I bought a good scale (never owned one before) that works with my phone so I can keep track of that easily every morning and I downloaded a health app to allow me to keep track of water and food intake, steps, sleep, etc. My friend has schooling in nutrition so she made a set of targets for me with regard to calorie intake, nutritional breakdown, etc.

The hardest part is in my head, but I am already sore after day one. The plan is to work out every morning before work since my evening schedules are never regular. It's six days per week with Sunday being rest days. End date is March 4th.

So has anyone else done this? What were your results? What was the hardest part about it?
 
I did about 3/4 of Insanity a couple years ago.

I found myself working hard at the start and most of the way through the workout I was getting really bored and unmotivated. I lost about 10 pounds total in the 6 weeks or so I did it. I ended up pulling a muscle in my back and had to stop.


I now do a boot camp in the mornings before work. Since starting it in mid October I'm down 30lbs. I enjoy the boot camp much more as it's at a facility instead of at home and motivation is much higher. There are times where it's the coach and me, sometimes one or two others. That's it. So it's much more intense and effective use of time.

I feel much better and have gone from a 38-40 size pants to a 36.

What I don't like about Insanity is that it's all aerobics and mostly just tone muscle and don't do much for building any bulk. Boot camp uses weights to help build muscle. I also lift weights each morning to add muscle and still have lost 30lbs. Never got any of those results from Insanity and I spend less time with the workout I do now than I did with Insanity.


Everyone is different and experiences vary. I get bored easily when working out, so a self motivated program like Insanity only keeps my attention but so long.
 
Like above I did about 3/4 of it. You need a lot of space to do the workouts. Also like said above after doing it for a while it got mundane. But I kept up with it until I went out of town for a week for a wedding.
 
Its intense. Hardest part was finding the time to do it everyday at home. You will definitely tone up with insanity but will not gain any muscle mass. I dropped about 10lbs and felt a lot better. Like @rockcity said, it was tough to get motivated after coming home from work. Now I do the crossfit thing and absolutely love it. Also, remember a good diet will make all the difference in the world. I started Paleo about 4 months ago and have dropped 25lbs. Good Luck.
 
I did the whole thing a while back. I did P90X and it got me in great shape, did Insanity, then P90X again, then P90X2, then started doing P90X3. By the time they got to the third P90X they apparently had run out of ideas for exercising and it effed my joints all up. The first P90X and Insanity are great though, got me in the best shape of my life. I got out of it after the P90X3 and ma having trouble getting into a new routine and have gotten back to bad habits. :(
 
Well the first full workout kicked my butt around the 30 minute mark but I was able to power through, although much slower, and finish. Whew!

rockcity said:
Everyone is different and experiences vary. I get bored easily when working out, so a self motivated program like Insanity only keeps my attention but so long.
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Yeah, since I have never done anything like this before I am simply trying to stick to something for once. Time will tell.

YJJPWrangler said:
Its intense. Hardest part was finding the time to do it everyday at home. You will definitely tone up with insanity but will not gain any muscle mass. I dropped about 10lbs and felt a lot better. Like @rockcity said, it was tough to get motivated after coming home from work. Now I do the crossfit thing and absolutely love it. Also, remember a good diet will make all the difference in the world. I started Paleo about 4 months ago and have dropped 25lbs. Good Luck.
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I decided that with the way my life is it would be best to do it first thing in the morning (single and live alone). I was up today at 6:30 with the workout starting at 6:45. My evenings are too erratic every day to commit to afternoon/evening workouts. The diet thing is also huge since I never paid any attention to it before. It's really amazing how un-healthy most food is for you.
 
Yup, most "food" nowadays is processed crap. When we go food shopping, we shop the outside of the store. Produce, meat, deli, dairy section. We hardly ever go into the middle of the store. It can be more expensive, but I guarantee that you will feel better and after eating good food for awhile, you will notice when you revert back to bad food.
 
Processed foods make me feel like shit since I've been eating healthier over the last 5-6 months. It is very hard not to eat them from time to time when at work or out with friends/family. I've done the P90X program with success but a good friend of mine said insanity was insane so I stayed away from it. @OnlyOneDR stay on track and don't skip a workout and you will get great results.
 
YJJPWrangler said:
Its intense. Hardest part was finding the time to do it everyday at home. You will definitely tone up with insanity but will not gain any muscle mass. I dropped about 10lbs and felt a lot better. Like @rockcity said, it was tough to get motivated after coming home from work. Now I do the crossfit thing and absolutely love it. Also, remember a good diet will make all the difference in the world. I started Paleo about 4 months ago and have dropped 25lbs. Good Luck.
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Zach is right. You'd be surprised how much weight you can loose just by eating right.

After eating right for the last several months, trying to eat some of my old food is just awful and makes me sick. The food just tastes like salt or grease, or blah. I used to LOVE tater tots. Just the other week we had some the wife and kids were eating and I grabbed a few and wow. A food that I used to love eating I now hated as it tasted like grease and salt!

Now, it's lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, and spices and herbs without MSG or salt. I feel so much better it's crazy! I haven't felt this good or weighed this little in at least 12-15 years!
 
I'm 43 yrs old and have worked out regularly since about the age of 21. I’ve never done any of those type of workout programs. I’m sure they will get you in shape, but the thing about them that I don’t really get is what do you do when the 90 days or whatever is up? Do you start over at the beginning again? I think you are better off creating your own work out program that works with your life/schedule to get you the results that you desire. Create a program that you can do for the rest of you life, not just the next 90 days.
 
@drkelly, pretty much. you can restart the program or move on. I know there are several different sets of P90X/Insanity that are varied by intensity. My biggest issue when working out is getting bored after 3-4 weeks. Moving to a crossfit style gym where the workout is constantly varied and is planned out as been phenomenal for me and the wife. Same here Rob, the old foods that I used to eat are not very appealing now. The first couple weeks sucked but it is well worth it.
 
YJJPWrangler said:
Yup, most "food" nowadays is processed crap. When we go food shopping, we shop the outside of the store. Produce, meat, deli, dairy section. We hardly ever go into the middle of the store. It can be more expensive, but I guarantee that you will feel better and after eating good food for awhile, you will notice when you revert back to bad food.
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Yeah my friend said the same thing about the perimeter of the store. Funny thing is I never really buy much from the middle of the store anyway. My undoing was six years between two sedentary jobs and an ex-girlfriend that loved to go out to eat at "nice" restaurants on the regular. Combined with almost zero exercise for 4-1/2 of those years and I ended up here. I am excited about turning back the clock somewhat.

obullfish said:
Processed foods make me feel like shit since I've been eating healthier over the last 5-6 months. It is very hard not to eat them from time to time when at work or out with friends/family. I've done the P90X program with success but a good friend of mine said insanity was insane so I stayed away from it. @OnlyOneDR stay on track and don't skip a workout and you will get great results.
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Thanks. Day 2 workout seemed somewhat less intense in some ways than day 1. I still started slowing down about 30 minutes in but it wasn't as bad as yesterday. I am SORE. Ibuprofen and I are getting quickly re-acquainted this week.
 
rockcity said:
Hydrate hydrate hydrate.

There is no proof that a lot of water increases the weight loss process but plenty of proof that a lack of water/dehydration practically stops any fat loss. If you aren't drinking at least a gallon of water a day, you aren't drinking enough, especially with a daily aerobic workout.
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Got it. Been killing at least a gallon every day this week.

Day 3 was mostly yoga-type poses with some aerobic stuff thrown in but damn did it kill my legs and core!
 
Also don't be afraid to switch to just deodorant instead of using antiperspirant. Sweating is good for you, also I use to get the 1 liter gatorades drink it down to the label refill with water to the top. So it's not a concentrated. we did 30 days of that p90x, said screw this and went back to combat focused PT and doing WOD/hero workouts when I was in the Army. Definitely stretch going in and then double your stretch time coming out of it. Foam rollers are great too.


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Day 4 was more intense than Day 3 but I don't feel as bad this morning (only had to pop two ibuprofens!). Tomorrow is to repeat Day 1, that one was tough so I am resting up for it!

Still having a hard time sleeping on my own. Last two nights had to take a Benadryl to sleep through the night. I get an hour or two then wake up wide awake. In full disclosure I did screw up my sleeping routine as well (going to bed earlier, getting up earlier). Hoping this resolves quickly because I need my sleep!
 
Take 5 or 10 mg of melatonin about 30 minutes before bed time.
 
Just man up and quit being a baby about it @OnlyOneDR

Seriously, you got this. Like I said the other night, the first two to three weeks are going to suck because your body isn't used to the routine. If you can get through this period, you'll be fine. Keep yourself motivated, eat right and drink plenty of water!
 
I tried it a few years back. After 30 days my knees hurt so bad I could barely walk. Had to quit.
 
Buffy said:
My ortho doc says that workout has made him a lot of money!
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Yeah, I can see how it is easy to over-do it or do the exercises wrong. Thankfully my friend is coaching me on proper form to make sure I don't screw myself up.

strange1 said:
I tried it a few years back. After 30 days my knees hurt so bad I could barely walk. Had to quit.
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I did feel something in my right knee the other day and was quickly corrected about what I was doing wrong with a couple of the exercises. It stopped bothering me already.

fsj80 said:
Just man up and quit being a baby about it @OnlyOneDR

Seriously, you got this. Like I said the other night, the first two to three weeks are going to suck because your body isn't used to the routine. If you can get through this period, you'll be fine. Keep yourself motivated, eat right and drink plenty of water!
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Ha! Thanks man! I had my first repeat today (took my rest day yesterday instead of today so I did yesterday's workout today) and I definitely went a little harder, a little longer than on Tuesday. Not terribly much, just enough to notice. So there's improvement. I think I dropped a solid pound this week as well.

On to tomorrow's workout!

.
 
Two more workouts down. Pushed a little harder and made it a little farther through both of them. I don't feel as bad as I did last week. Taking FAR less ibuprofen. Still having sleep issues, which sucks but I am working through it.
 
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