BeachBody INSANITY workout: official Day 1

No turning back! I'm commited to Insanity. Today was the initial Fit Test, which will happen every couple of weeks during this 60-day program. The goal: get in the best shape of my life (so far!). I've done a couple of the workouts over the past couple of weeks, mixed in with some P90X and some treadmill work, but now I'm starting the dedicated program.

Results from initial Fit Test:

It's a year of P90X that got me to this point, now it's on to the next level...if I survive :)

WW & working out like a mutha is working: down 2lbs last week

Saturday (yesterday) was weigh-in day. Down 2 pounds for the week, so since starting WeightWatchers online, I'm down 5.4 pounds. Starting with the initial weigh-in, the weights were:

152.0 .. 150.2 .. 149.6 .. 148.6 .. 146.6

My goal is tentatively 135 lbs, but the real goal is 10-12% bodyfat, regardless of weight. Shoulder's feeling better, I had a 1/2 hr massage & chiro adjustment yesterday and am feeling pretty good, so tomorrow (Monday) will start the 60-day Insanity program. *gulp*

I'm taking the last week of this month and 1st week of July off to watch the FIFA Womens World Cup, so am thinking *maybe* I'll see about doing the treadmill in the mornings those 2 weeks and Insanity in the evening. Two weeks of doubles ought to burn some fat. Or kill me :)

The MAIN benefit from WW for me has been [a] learning how much fat/points are in some of my former go-to snack foods like almonds, and [b] getting in the habit of logging food/activity. Definitely a big help!

Tight traps, mildly tweaked shoulder = treadmill time...

My tentative plan now is to start the 60-day Insanity program next week. The pure cardio workouts of the program are killer sweatfests, and I dig that (even if I do have to take a lot of extra breaks at present). But the ones that include some power moves - pushups, etc - are going to have to wait a few days.

A week or so ago I somehow massively borked my traps during an Insanity workout. Not the fault of the workout. I store stress in the traps, as do many people. I stretch off and on during the day, and during P90X started skipping doing any shrugs, since the traps don't need more work. But near the end of an Insanity workout last week, the traps on either side of my neck kind of seized up. Just lifting my arms straight out to the sides - let alone over the head - sent pain shooting up into my head. So I stopped and iced the traps and have been trying to take care of 'em and not be too mean to them.

I was supposed to have a massage and chiro adjustment this past Saturday, but there was a screw-up at the clinic, and no one had a key to get in. WTF?!? So I go in this coming Saturday. Meanwhile, I was able to do Insanity's Plyo Cardio Circuit on Monday. Burned 792 calories :)  ...and my inner thighs and even the traps are sore ever since. So it's a few miles on the treadmill for the daily workout until I get this squared away. Hopefully with more ice, more stretching, and a massage or two, I'll be able to start kicking it with Insanity. Either way, I'm getting a good sweat each day, so the fat should keep slowly (so slowly) melting off. But I'm really looking forward to being in the kind of shape that lets me get through an Insanity workout with no extra breaks.

And then it will be time to graduate to the 30-day Asylum workout :-D

Seriously, BeachBody.com has some great workout programs! ...

As a number of my friends and family know, I started doing P90X workouts a little over a year ago. That program helped me get back into reasonable condition. Years ago (wow, I guess it was a little over 25 years ago), Shirley and I were quite serious about working out. I was lifting weights 2 1/2 hours a day, six days a week. And running. And biking. And we'd go hiking, etc. The last day that I did the serious lifting at the gym was the day before our son was born. Priorities change, and that was absolutely fine. I didn't turn into a blob, but I definitely lost some fitness and gained some fat.

There were years of soccer in there and other activities, but once we were empty-nesters - and our son told us about P90X - I decided to give it a shot and get healthier. One workout and I was hooked. Sweat, panting, pain -- all the stuff I missed. I'm definitely stronger, and bodyfat has gone down. But I'm not yet to my 10-12% bodyfat goal.

Well, our son meanwhile bought the DVDs for the Insanity workout. Like P90X, this is another product from BeachBody. He showed us one of the DVDs, and my thought at the time was, "maybe someday, but P90X is slamming me now." Well, as Ben's moved on to the Asylum workout (next level up from Insanity), I decided to buy a copy of Insanity and have at it.

Whew! I started a week or two ago, mixing Insanity with P90X (doing Insanity on days when I wasn't doing P90X). I think now I'm going to just do Insanity for the suggested 60-day program. I use a heart rate monitor when working out (sensor strap around the chest, and display on wrist watch), and that allows tracking of calories burned. I burned 792 calories with today's workout. That is serious!

I've come to realize that I need these serious workouts, along with careful logging of my food/drink intake in order to get the results I want. So here we go! I expect by mid-August to see some definite good changes! BRING IT!

Pushing to dump the last approx 15 lbs of fat...

I have signed up (3 weeks ago) with WeightWatchers online (no way I'd take the time to go to meetings, and no way I'd pay for that). As part of what has become a semi-nightly ritual, I shall gorge later on what's become one of my favorite go-to treats: a plain low-salt rice cake! Oh, the gluttony!!

Sadly - or actually probably happily - I actually do enjoy munching a plain old unflavored bland as Al Gore freakin' rice cake. I never would have thought that would be possible!

OK, so the Weight Watchers thing... Shirley signed up a few weeks ago for the online program (some special deal for, like, 50 bucks for 3 months). So I figured what the hell, I'd give it a try too. Works well if we're both doing the same thing. I've been working out like a futhermucker for a while now -- recently completed a year of P90X, and while I'm definitely in better condition in terms of strength and cardio health and have lost 15-20 pounds over the past year or 18 mos or something -- There's this remaining bit of fat that pisses me off.

My high point weight-wise was just under 170. Not sure exactly what the number was, but it was close. Starting weight on day one of WW was 152. Yesterday was weigh-in day, and I was 148.6. So I seem to be doing about a pound a week. Not bad, but I want more. Goal weight is tentatively 135. We'll see. REAL goal is 10-12% bodyfat. I'm at about 19% now. If I'm doing my math right, hitting 135 should put me around 11% fat assuming the weight loss is all fat. If I gain muscle and hit that weight, then fat % would be less and that'd be cool.

Workouts now are gonna be P90X most days for next 2 months, and Insanity workout on 3 days a week (when P90X would normally be Yoga or Kenpo - which I don't care for - or a rest day ...rest is for the weak!!!!). Except of course that I kinda overdid it on my poor traps (muscles between neck and shoulders) and have had to stick to the treadmill the past few days while I get my traps stretched out. That's not bad; a 5k a day (walk flat for 4 mins, jog uphill for 2, repeat til 5k is done) means plenty of sweat and cardio. But I like to push things. Shirley gets worried hearing me panting and cussing in the dungeon (workout room) during Insanity, or when trying to eek out one more rep during a set in P90X ...and I need to get back to the pain as soon as possible.

Just learned that apparently WW starts everyone at 29 points/week, so I may try to reduce that a little, since I'm not a big guy. We shall see.

Main thing is that there's a program - I do well with programs. One day at a time. Make progress one day at a time. BRING IT!