Day 31 – Continuing Recovery

If I have to look at Ariel’s perfect abs anymore, I am going to scream.  Another morning, another Core Cardio and Balance workout, another day of feeling depressed that I don’t look like them yet.

I made it through the entire workout with NO stops. I even did the hip flexors today without putting my leg down. I really had to push, but I made it! 

Day 30 – 2nd Day of Recovery Week

Today was the second day of Core Cardio and Balance. Again, it felt pretty good, up until the point of those hip flexor burners.  I had to stop the second two parts of each leg to rest for a second.  On my right leg, I had to even stop twice. Funnily enough, my left leg felt stronger.

Then came the shoulder burners. I got in the squat position, and after the first minute already started feeling the burn. I pushed through though and did not break form! I may not have been in the lowest squat, but at least I did it. I also did not lower my arms through the entire set of exercises!  So now, the new goal is to complete this set in a deeper lunge.

The people in this video crack me up though. There is one guy especially who is just drenched in sweat. Shaun T specifically says you shouldn’t be worn out after this workout because it is somewhat of a recovery week.  I mean, I worked up a little sweat, but nothing like some of the other videos. I am not sure what this guy was doing.  And Tanya…don’t even get me started on her. Her little smile/fake controlled breathing thing… Her workouts and emotions just really don’t seem sincere. Unlike one of the girls who says she “feels like sh*t” in the middle of an exercise. That’s my kind of person!

Days 28 & 29 - Starting the "Recovery Week" With Core Cardio and Balance

After the first month is complete, there is supposed to be a day off (Day 28). But since I took Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off from Insanity, I skipped it and went straight to Day 29 – Core Cardio and Balance. This is supposed to be a “recovery” week but I thought the workout was still pretty intense.

It began with a short warmup, using a couple of different exercises from the previous videos, but each was a full minute. Then was the requisite stretching section.

Then there was a series of one minute activities – most were slightly new takes on activities from the earlier workouts, and some were combinations. I actually enjoyed most of them. I really felt myself working my core, and while each was challenging, I found myself able to concentrate and really work my muscles.  Until we got to the hip abductor burners! 

Standing on one leg, you do three sets of 30 second exercises – lift your knee up and down, touching the floor; then holding it up in a high knee position, do pulses up and down; then holding in a high knee position, move the leg out and in (straighten and bend). Wow! These were tough, and I was shaky. I had to stop several times as the burning started.  But at least now I know what I need to work on.

The final set of exercises was difficult as well, mostly because you stayed in an outward squat position the entire time.  The concentration was Shoulder Burners though… Keeping your arms straight out, you first did pulses, then some circles, then over your head… You get the picture. The shoulder part was ok; I could pretty much work through that burn.  But the squat was the difficult part.

Overall, a pretty good muscle workout I think. Not so intense as the cardio sessions, but not as boring as the pure stretching days. We will see how I feel after 6 days straight of it though. Gym after work I hope!

Day 27 – Plyometrics, The Last Day of the First Month of Workouts

Well I made it through the first month.  There was just more day of round one plyometrics to tackle. Even though I was exhausted, I really tried to push through it all. And I did for the most part. The only pauses in workout were during ski abs and in and out abs (as usual). I tried, I really did, but my arms got tired from holding my body, and I was dripping sweat. I have pretty much conquered Level 1 drills now, which makes me proud, thinking how far I came with those. What I have also noticed is my feet start to hurt during some exercises. I wonder if that’s more to do with my old shoes though…

My tailbone still bruised, which makes the squats a little more difficult. The knees hurting again some, which is normal for me. But other than that, my body feels ok.

I hit the gym after work for 50 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the stairclimber. It definitely felt like a good workout day, which I totally destroyed by making lasagna (albeit with squash and zucchini) for dinner.

There is now a one week recovery of sorts, with Core Cardio and Balance every day. Seeing the times on the second month of workouts makes me a little nervous – an hour (or more) every day!  I need to decide whether I can get up earlier to do this in the morning, or if I need to switch the workouts around. Stay tuned for first month overall thoughts.

Day 25 & 26

Day 25 was supposed to be Cardio Recovery. I definitely need to do this on a day where I know I can hit the gym after work so I can burn some calories. Since I failed to get to this video Friday, Saturday , OR Sunday, I skipped it again. I don’t think I have actually completed this workout since the first week. Oh well. I will some stretching in somewhere.

So Monday morning, I hit it hard with Pure Cardio and Cardio abs (Day 26). I felt really proud of myself today. Attempted more squeezing of the core (still not sure if I am doing that right), and less pauses during workouts, even if it meant going slower.

Whew, some of these get tough. I really did do a continuous workout for the most part. I did take about a 2 second pause between activities while we set up for the next one. I made it through about the first 7 or 8 without stopping at all!  It was the frog jumps that got me.  Some of it might have to do with my bruised tailbone which STILL hurts with any squat activity.

I also had some pauses by the time we go to Suicide Jumps, which is the second to last exercise. The last one, Pushup jacks, were fairly constant (maybe one pause), but slow.

Next up was Cardio Abs.  I find tuck jumps and knees out jumps really difficult after completing Pure Cardio. Definitely took a few jumps off here and there. When it came to the ab work, I felt pretty good today. Concentrated on keeping my abs engaged and core tight. The last exercise, upper and lower planks with hip “pulses” hurt but in a great way.  No stops and I could really feel it working. I hope!

I will say I am tired after the workouts, but not like the first week.   I used to be really shaky and weak, but now it feels pretty good to finish. Maybe I am getting stronger, or maybe just getting used to it? 

Weekend, Hangover, and Laziness

Thursday night ended up being a rough one, so I didn’t quite get up early enough for a morning Insanity session.  I also somehow hurt my toe (I think I am falling apart at 31!), so I decided to go to the gym after work. I did the elliptical (mostly on my heels) for an hour, then decided to call it quits.

I had decided I would try to get back into Insanity on the weekends as well, with some additional cardio. Saturday would be a great time to start this with Cardio Recovery. But that morning, I decided I really needed some lazy time. By the time I finally got around to working out, I had to choose one or the other, so I headed to the gym. An hour on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the bike later, it was time to get ready to go out. I was a little gluttonous yet again at dinner, with drinks after. I need to be better about that if I am ever going to see any results.

Sunday brought a nauseous hangover, so I pretty much laid in bed and on the couch all day. It was one of those stay-in-pjs, watch-tv, and eat-toast kind of day. No workout….

Day 24 – Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Whew, did I work up a sweat. My A/C was apparently not working in the apartment, so it was a little warm during my workout this morning. I also really worked on pushing myself. I concentrated on not stopping or pausing on any of the workouts, and I was fairly successful. I even did the Level 1 drills without any stops, which is one of my toughest activities. I did have a few brief pauses during ski abs and in & out abs, but I tried to at least stay in a plank position. I do think I got a better workout than other days. I tried to “squeeze my core,” whatever that means.

The plan was to do additional cardio on the elliptical after work, but I got caught up with the maintenance guy to fix my air. I did get on my little stairclimber at home for 15 minutes, so I guess every little bit helps. Of course, with the amount of food and drink I consumer that evening, I think I could have used about 3 more hours of burning calories.

Week #4: Days 19 – 23

Thursday morning (day 19) was tough. I am getting tired of getting up so early, tired of doing the same workout, tired of not seeing results, just tired in general. But I plowed through and completed Cardio Power and Resistance. I don’t mind this workout so much because I think the intervals are a little shorter. I know I took too many pauses though.  I did hit the gym for a quick 30 minutes of cardio after work though, so I hope that helped.

I was off work Friday, but I still got up early and got on the elliptical for about an hour. We threw my dad a surprise 60^th birthday party (!!), but while we were cleaning up, I slipped and fell hard on my tailbone and wrist….  Not good for a lot of movement in the upcoming workouts.

Saturday morning, I headed back to the gym for elliptical (no Insanity again), but ouch!  I could feel that tailbone bruise… Ditto for Sunday.

Monday morning (day 20) started with Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I tried to push, but on all the activities that involved squats, I could feel the bruise. My knees are also starting to hurt, even though I have been using the braces again for the last week and half or so.  Sucked it up and made it through Insanity and 30 minutes on the elliptical after work. I would have loved to do more, but made myself stop so I wouldn’t hurt myself. Day 21 was an “off day,” but I skipped it, considering I didn’t do any Insanity over the weekend.

It was pretty much the same story on Tuesday and Wednesday – Pure Cardio in the morning, elliptical and Cardio Abs in the afternoon, followed by Cardio Power and Resistance (and afternoon elliptical) the next day.  Knees hurt, soreness in my tailbone. But I made it. I guess. I tried to really push myself Tuesday morning. Fewer pauses even though it was hurting. I think this will make a difference in the future. Going to need to try harder and harder every day and learn to keep myself accountable. 

Week #3, But Only Days 16-18

So the third calendar week of Insanity was not my strongest. I skipped a weekday, took one short day in the gym, skipped Friday…  The workouts themselves are running together. A slight ankle twinge there, a pull in a hamstring there… nothing really has distinguished one day from another. 

Thursday September 20^th was plyometric day, which continues to be my least favorite day. I did also make it to the gym that afternoon for some elliptical. Friday, September 21^st, I forgot to set my alarm, so I missed the morning workout. I started doing stuff around my apartment after work, so I didn’t do an Insanity workout OR gym cardio. But I also wasn’t just sitting there, so I guess it’s not the worst thing in the world.  

This was the first weekend I consciously skipped Insanity to get some basic cardio back in my routine. Saturday, I hit the elliptical for 90 minutes, the bike for 15 minutes, and the stair climber for 15 minutes!  It felt good to just work it out.  Sunday I did 90 total minutes, another successful gym trip.

After Sunday Funday and trouble sleeping, Monday morning came way too quickly.  But I made it through Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs, plus a short elliptical workout after work.  Tuesday was supposed to be the Cardio Recovery Day.  However, I had an event to go to after work so instead of doing a stretching, no-calorie-burning workout, I jumped on the elliptical for 30 minutes in the morning.  Unfortunately, I had a few too many glasses of wine that evening, so I was hurting too much to get up for Insanity in the morning. Aaaaaaand then I decided to just take a total day off and lay on the couch after work.  Uh oh! I cannot let myself get lazy. 

Schedule and Some Thoughts

So thanks to foursquare, the Insanity calendar, and some pictures, I think I finally figured out what days I did Insanity, which days I skipped, and which days I went to the gym instead.  I should really keep better track of this, so I can give my honest opinion about how I feel and any progress I make. I’ll work on that!

I started to feel like I wasn’t doing enough cardio. Yes, I know these workouts are cardio. Yes, I know there are benefits to interval training that I don’t understand. Yes, I know I am working my body. But I tend to look at numbers on the scale, which kept going up.

So I made the decision to try to do some elliptical work in the afternoons whenever I could. I also decided to skip Insanity on the weekends and get in some pure cardio on the elliptical, bike, and stair climber. Since I was taking those days off from the workout, I would skip the actual “day off” on the calendar and just go to the next workout.

Here’s hoping my body can take it!

Day 15 – Fit Test

Well, it’s time to see if I have improved at all! Below I listed the exercises, how I did the first time, and how I did this time.

• Switch kicks = 55, 45 (1 rep=two kicks)
• Power jacks = 56, 63
• Power knees = 90, 105
• Power jumps = 40, 43
• Globe jumps = 8, 11 (1 rep=4 jumps)
• Suicide jumps = 19, 20
• Pushup jacks = 29, 34
• Low plank oblique = 30, 37 (1 rep=2 legs)

So, as you can see, I improved in everything except Switch Kicks. I think (I KNOW) I can do better in that too. I think what happened is that I started slowly, as I do with the interval training. With the intervals, I know I am building up to the 2^nd and 3^rd sets. With the Fit Test, I need to go hard on every exercise from the beginning. I also didn’t look at that result before I started, so I didn’t know what I needed to work to.

I feel pretty good about my improvement. I am especially proud of the globe jumps; those are tough! I do feel like I really pushed myself, so I am scared for the next one. I am hoping I can keep improving.

Day 13 & 14 – Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs & Day Off

Well considering it’s about a week later as I am writing this, I can’t remember too many specifics about this particular workout.  I do know I was proud of myself for not having to pause the video this time! Of course I didn’t quite make it through with taking tiny breaks, but I definitely did better than the last time.

This was the first day of the addition of Cardio Abs. Interesting workout. A short jogging, high knees warmup is followed by some tuck jumps and squat jumps. The comes a series of floor work , sitting in a “c position,” including twists and leg lifts. Finally, you do several exercises in upper and lower plank positions.  I felt ok doing this.  I got a little soreness in my lower back, which I assume means I am not holding my body correctly.  One day maybe I will learn this skill.

Day 14 was supposed to be the day off. I think I skipped it and went straight to the Fit Test, but to be honest, all the days are running together. Sorry for being a non-attentive blogger!   Working on being a more attentive worker-outer!