insanity_packageI did it! I have completed the first month of Insanity and survived. I am into the Recovery week and it’s time to take stock of this past month and my progress.

Insanity is one of Beachbody’s newest workout programs. It is being billed as THE toughest home workout program ever put on a DVD, and with good reason. The workouts are insanely tough.  These are workouts that you can’t think about too much, you just have to do them. If you start thinking about them, it would be easy to find excuses to not work out! I would wager that this program will see more drop outs than a lot of others. You have to be committed and stay committed, not only to finish the program, but to finish some of the workouts!

The Fit Test

The program starts with a Fit Test, as do most of Beachbody’s more advance programs. The program is set up to repeat this Fit Test every two weeks, so you can really track your progress throughout the program. This is a good thing, because it helps to keep you motivate. The Fit Test consists of doing 8 different moves for 1 minute each, doing as many as you can in that minute. Here’s are my numbers for the first and second Fit Tests:

  • Switch Kicks: 120  -  125
  • Power Jacks:  60    -  62
  • Power Knees:  89   -  103
  • Power Jumps: 34   -  38
  • Globe Jumps:  9     -   11
  • Suicide Jumps: 15  -  16
  • Push-up Jacks: 16 -  22
  • Low Plank Obliques: 32  -  73

Boy, quite a bit of improvement there, isn’t there! I’m impressed with myself! All kidding aside, I really  am impressed with how well I’m doing. It is awesome to know that I can keep up with the majority of the people doing the workout on the video, and even better than some. It is reassuring to know that they are collapsed on the floor, laying in a puddle of their own sweat, just like I am, by the end of the workout.

The Workouts

So, what are the workouts themselves? Here’s the line-up for the first month:

  • Plyometric Cardio Circuit - explosive cardio intervals (approx. 40 minutes)
  • Pure Cardio - intense and extreme cardio (approx. 40 minutes)
  • Cardio Power and Resistance - MAX intensity intervals of strength, resistance, sports drills and plyometrics (approx. 40 minutes)
  • Cardio Recovery - not the recovery you may be expecting (approx. 35 minutes)
  • Cardio Abs - high-intensity ab and core workouts (approx. 20 minutes)

All of the workouts start out with 9 minutes of warm-up drills (except for the Recovery and Ab workouts.) By the time you are done with the workout, your heart-rate is at its max and you are dripping sweat. You then go into a wonderful stretching section that last about 5 - 6 minutes. Then comes the real work - the main work-out. The workouts themselves only last anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. That doesn’t sound long, does it? And it really does go by fast, but by the time you’re done…well, you’re DONE! You then finish the workout with another great stretch, and some of Beachbody’s Results and Recovery Formula. Boy, does that stuff taste good after these intense sessions!

When I began the program, I was dead by the end of the warm-up. My legs were worse than my cardio, I will say. My legs just couldn’t keep up with all of the plyo moves. After the first month, I will admit that there are still days that my quads are dying, but I can now make it through the whole program. I am ready to stop by the end, but I make it through.

Core Cardio and Balance is the workout you do throughout the whole Recovery week. Again, it may not be your typical recovery workout, because it still does get your heart rate up and is pretty intense. But it’s not as intense as the main workouts. My average heart rate only got up to the mid-140s, instead of the mid to upper 150s.

I have to say that I’m not looking forward to the second month. The workouts get longer - all of them are 50 to 60 minutes. With descriptions like “The interval circuits get even harder”, and “Your legs will be begging for mercy”, can you blame me? But I will do it. As I did with this month, I won’t even think about what is coming. I will get up in the morning, get dressed to workout and just do it. If I wait, if I think about it, I will chicken out. None of that for me! As Shaun T says, Dig Deeper! Keep Pushing! I can and I will. And I’ll check in here at the end of September and let you know how I did.

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