Well, not really. I was able to do complete the 2 months BUT I have skipped around a week and a half worth of days because the following excuses:
- Body was too worn out from yesterday's exercise.
- OT at work.
- Social gathering that took a bit chunk of my evenings.
I know, excuses are just excuses but it's hard to do insanity when I'm mentally drained from work because in order to accomplish it, I need to focus a lot, something I can't do when I'm drained. I was doing the Insanity workouts every night because that's my only free time everyday, and the fact that it's suppose to be 6 days a week for 60 days is a really big commitment. From my experience, Insanity is best done by people who have some background in exercise and A LOT of motivation because it's one heck of a workout, really it is!
In the first half of the first week, I was struggling to keep up and I found out that my cardio that I've build up isn't enough. Then as the days progress, I was able to catch up to most of the circuits but I know that my knees are taking a beating from the jumps. The squats were also pushing my legs. In some days, I was hurting while walking, yes walking. Most of the exercises that I've done before this, the pain from my legs will only be noticeable when I walk down (or sometimes up) stairs or steps, but with this one, even simple walking triggers it. For the record, I'm not athletic and this is the first time I've done these kind of circuits in my life. If I was more active before then I assume that I wouldn't be this much affected because my muscles would be used to by now and that I know how to properly take care of myself.
Mostly they are leg exercises but another primary target of this workout are the abs. In every circuit, Shaun T reminds you to keep your core contracted. ALWAYS! But it's hard for someone like me to do that since I'm focusing to keep my form right (another thing Shaun T pounds on you every exercise) and trying to catch my breath and worrying if my muscles can last. Sadly, most of the time, I can't keep my core contracted. Things is, even if it's not, the exercises still hits the abs. That's how effective they are! The heart is pounding and muscles are hurting. That's the summary of Insanity. Stamp in
No Pain, No Gain!
By the end of the first month, I'm accustomed to the exercises and now know the proper form. I can do the circuits with little worry and less unscheduled breaks in between. Then came the second month and then BOOM, the levels or the workouts skyrocketed and now I'm back to catching up with the circuits and boy were they hard! This is the time when I have to skip some days because my body is still broken from the previous day and I know I couldn't do even a single squat. I don't want to take pain relievers because I know that's not the right thing to do and I also wasn't able to drink the recovery formula because I don't have one plus the protein shake I was drinking brought back puberty to my face and I just have to stop because it became unmanageable. I thought of going to the dermatologist back then. That meant that my muscles aren't taking enough nutrients to repair themselves costing me exercises every other day.
Another thing that I wasn't able to follow is the 5-meals a day and a controlled diet. First, the meals are expensive. That's it mostly. I tried to find alternatives and it somehow worked but I assume not as effective if I had the right ingredients. My appetite doubled in just the first week of doing the exercise and actually when I had my follow-up checkup with my heart doctor, I gained a few pounds causing me to hit the overweight mark. He told me to lose weight. Yes, I'm physically fat according to my weight and now if I tell others that I'm fat and they tell me "what I'm talking about?", I'll tell them my doctor said it.
Insanity was still effective considering a lot of things that I've done wrong. I noticed my arms and legs were firmer after and my gut is more pronounced. Seriously, why wouldn't it just fall off? It's like the fats are already out there and it was just the skin that's holding it in. DAMN HARD TO BURN OFF!
In short, I wasn't able to get the results I wanted but I don't blame the workout, I blame myself for it. And I vow to do Insanity again soon! Now I know how the workout works and I know my limitations. Today I started going back to the gym, last week I started running again. I'll build up more body strength and a lot more cardio to take this challenge again! (Plus I need to burn the pounds I gained after the exercise.)
ps: I'm thinking of getting a bike again. Should I? Tern D8 or a roady bike. But I want a Fuji X20! #wants
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