One man's voice Thoughts, rants and commentary of a simple man

Insanity: Day 9 – Pure Cardio

After my 1st Insanity workout, I am thoroughly convinced that Shaun T is a horrible person and may, in fact, be the Devil.

Rudy Valencia
Friend of mine also doing Insanity

I remember thinking the same thing as my friend Rudy last week, when I did Pure Cardio for the first time. Hole. E. Crap! Was that ever a hard work out to do. I got about a third of a work out on that day. Yes, I stayed in motion the entire time, but was not able to keep up with the exercises well as I would have liked to. And the entire time I was thinking that Shaun T was trying to kill me.

This morning was more of the same. But it wasn't nearly as bad. I'm noticing that both Rebekah and I are able to complete more and more of each work out as we go along. This morning we both were able to complete pretty much the entire warm up. That is a first for me. I stopped two times during the entire 10 minutes. Bekah stopped maybe four, if that. We kicked some serious butt for the warm up. I know, it is just a warm up. But anyone that has ever exercised before will tell you that the Insanity warm up is not like any other warm up you will ever do. In fact, the warm up is a work out in and of itself. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself.

After the warm up comes the work out. And in the case of Pure Cardio the work out is 15 minutes of very fast paced agilities with no break between them. It is hell. It is hard, it hurts and it forces you to find that place inside of you where you want to reach just beyond the pain you're experiencing. I know this because this morning both Bekah and I were able to shorten our breaks in the middle of the work out and get back into it very quickly. We are getting more in tune with our bodies and our limits, and we are pushing both our bodies and limits beyond what we thought they were.

Which leads me to a pretty neat conclusion about this work out. This morning I weighed myself at 286.5 pounds before the workout. If you remember, I was at 289.5 pounds yesterday and at one point during last week managed to send my weight as high as 292.0 pounds. But I think that eating right - I mean being conscious about everything that you put into your body - coupled with rigorous exercise will always cause you to lose weight.

Rigorous exercise, like in the case of Insanity, is a process. The more you do it, the better you become at handling the trauma you inflict on your body and recovering from that trauma. Which leads to you being able to do more work, which leads to you being able to burn more calories in the same amount of time as before. The proof to that is when you look at the first day you do Insanity, or any work out for that matter. The first day is very difficult. Your body is adjusting, your stamina is very low. Your muscles don't understand why you are punishing them the way you are. And truly you get a minimal work out at best. But as you progress, you become acclimated to that trauma.

Your muscles begin to handle the work and they begin to expand their threshold of pain - what used to cause you to stop moving after three minutes now takes six minutes. Now when you work out for a half hour you are staying active for more of that half hour, which means more of a calorie burn, which leads to a greater weight loss.

And losing weight makes the working out easier, since you are not lugging around a bunch of extra weight. Which also leads to you being able to do more work in the session because your muscles can now move a little more freely without having to work as hard as it did carrying the extra five or so pounds from a week ago.

I see this wonderful spiral of success coming on that I am super excited about. I cannot wait to see how much weight I can lose doing this while at the same time getting myself physically into better shape. As tired as I am today because of the Pure Cardio work out I did this morning, I am still excited because I am lighter today than the same time last week and I was able to do more work in my work out today than the same time last week. Success and achievement in both cases.

So if you are doing Insanity and you feel as though Shaun T is trying to kill you, be encouraged. He is trying to kill you. But he's doing it for you. And at the end of it all it will be totally worth the pain and anguish you feel as you stare into that man's eyes when he's yelling "Keep moving!" at you and your legs feel like they are made of sponge.

Insanity: Day 8 – Cardio Power & Resistance

Today started a new week for Bekah and I on our journey to complete Insanity. And I have to say that after six days of very intense cardiovascular exercise and a day off, I felt great going into today.

Bekah and I got up, allowed ourselves to wake up slowly then got to work. We both are getting farther along in the warm ups day by day, and today was no exception. In fact, this morning we were both able to pretty much complete the entire warm up with very little stoppage. We still are not at a level of being able to complete it at the same speed as the crew in the video, but we are both giving an extraordinary effort and we can already see the dividends of that effort.

I'm also liking the fact that both of us are recovering a lot quicker than before. Both she and I are pretty much under control after the stretches are over.

I'm pretty excited for where this is going. Now I just need to make sure I handle my business when it comes to eating so I can take advantage of the calorie burn I am getting with the work out. I'm hoping this week that I will be way more disciplined than last week so I can start to see some progress in my weight. I saw some over the last week, but not nearly what it should have been.

And since you were asking, I started at 289.0. Two days later I spiked up to 292.0. This morning I was at 289.0 to start the day. My goal for next Monday, when we take our next fit test, is 285.0. With any luck I will be well under that come next Monday.

Insanity: Day 6 – Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Death be not proud, though some have callèd thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

-- John Donne
Divine Sonnet X

I'm feeling so pumped right now. Bekah and I completed the second installation of the Plyometric Cardio Circuit this morning and, though it was physically demanding, it was not nearly as devastating as it was just this past Monday.

I managed to make my way into the second segment of the second warm up routine this morning without stopping, which is better than yesterday. And I was able to complete almost all of the first half cardio routine without stopping this morning.

Yes, the second half cardio did kill me - I barely got through it - but I was able to make it out alive and all the way through it without stopping too much.

Both Bekah and I are seeing some incredible results when it comes to our physical stamina and endurance with this. After just six days we are recovering much faster than we did a couple of days ago. We are also able to work faster and longer on each exercise not to mention we can actually talk to each other while working out.

On a side note, I'm so very proud of my daughter for going through this with me. She didn't have to do this. She could have given up whenever she wanted. Yet daily she ensures, daily she sacrifices her sleep to be up with me at 5:00 AM to get her sweat on. It is wonderful father and daughter time and to be honest, it is helping me tremendously because she can push me just by being next to me to challenge me though the hardest of the hard times.

So for the end of the first week of Insanity, I have to say that I like the progress I'm, well we're, making. I'm actually looking forward to next week, to see if we can step it up even further.

But more than that, I am looking forward to tomorrow, when we get to actually take a day off and rest our bodies. Oh sweet relief.

Insanity: Day 5 – Pure Cardio

Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,

-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Charge Of The Light Brigade

Well, let me preface this post by saying that I was totally wrong about which routine I was going to be doing this morning. I thought it was Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It was actually Pure Cardio. That, in and of itself, should have been enough to scare me. And it was.

But what really scared me was when, in the middle of the stretch after the warm up, Shaun T, the very fit instructor, says to the camera "I'm nervous about what we're about to do". It was almost like watching a horror flick when the last victim is walking in a dark house, down a long hallway with lots of doorways attached to it. I thought the grim reaper would jump out of my TV any time.

Shaun T was not kidding. The warm ups went as usual, about 10 minutes of gradually intensifying cardio work in 30 second bursts with no rest. Quick side bar to the warm up... I actually was able to complete the entire first 3:30 routine without stopping. That's the first time I've been able to do that.

The stretching was likewise business as usual, save for the warning Shaun T gave about what was to come. And you know what? It was with good reason.

The exercising started with about 20 minutes left on the disc and proceeded to stay at 100% intensity for 15 minutes straight. Minutes, each exercise was one minute long. Rest? There was none. Nope, it was literally 15 different exercises at a "fast as you can go" pace, one minute in duration for each, until almost everyone in the video was on their faces. For the record, Bekah and I were right there with them, prostrate on the ground considering our will to live.

But we pushed on, dug deep and fought hard until the end. When it was all over we were tired, sweaty and totally revitalized from the insane workout we just completed. Yes, we completed it. We stopped at times along the way, but we made it to the end of the routine where even Shaun T himself admits, while laying on the ground drenched in sweat, "That s*** was hard".

Yes Shaun T, you are correct. It was indeed hard. You son of a... nevermind, I have eight more weeks of you.

Thought for the day
As I completed the fifth day of working out with this stupidly intense work out regimen I am reminded that a little endurance through difficult times produces even greater endurance. Like a muscle that is worked out gets stronger, so does one's resolve to not quit, not accept failure and push through until success happens.

It is hard to stay in the thick of this work out. I stop working often. But I always try a little harder today to push through pain. And I am seeing the rewards of that already, even after five days. I was able to push through the first five segment warm up routine for the first time. On Monday, I wasn't able to make it past the middle of the second segment of the first routine.

So if I can encourage you a little bit, when the pain seems unbearable and you feel like you just cannot do it anymore, try to do it for just one more second. Each second. I bet you'll find, as I have, that you have at least one more second of endurance in you.

Insanity: Day 4 – Cardio Recovery

Today was a welcomed change in the Insanity routine for me. It was a "rest" day of sorts. There was no high speed jumping or intense cardiovascular exercise. Today was a day of working out in a way that allowed my muscles to recover from the insane pounding they have taken the last few days. And it couldn't have come at a better time, either.

I'm finally starting to feel somewhat human after these workouts. I'm still a little sore today from some of the exercises yesterday, but this mornings workout actually made me feel better when I was done than when I had started. There was lots of stretching in this one, and lots of no impact muscle work, like squat-and-holds, squat pulses, butt work and even some enjoyable core work.

Bekah and I were able to stay almost in time with the program for the entire program, which was a small victory for the both of us. And when it was all over we both gave each other a high five and were able to walk away from it. That was awesome.

Tomorrow will be a different story, as we head back into Plyometric Cardio Circuit training. But for today, I will enjoy the "rest" I got and the small moral victory that comes from being able to actually stick with the program for the length of the training.

Thought for the Day
I was thinking this morning, on my way to work, that any time you have something challenging and difficult to overcome that there must be something of at least slightly greater importance driving you to get through the challenge. Otherwise, what motivation would you have for conquering it?

What is my motivation for putting myself through this insane program of extreme physical torment? What drives me to continue on even when all I want to do is roll over and die?

There are several answers for this. For me, my family is one of the greatest motivating factors in my life. I have a wife that depends on me providing for her, who loves me and the company I keep her, who actually wants me around as long as I can be. I have kids with a zest for life that requires a father with an equivalent zest for life. I have a son that needs to know that times do indeed get challenging but that working through those times is significantly more rewarding than the fleeting feeling of relief that quitting offers. I have an ego that needs proof daily that I am not a moron, but am indeed a smart, strong man.

There are so many reasons for me wanting... no, needing, to do this. What are your reasons?

Insanity: Day 3 – Cardio Power & Resistance

Stop being a cream puff.

Coach Rich Swift

I finally feel like I'm making some progress with this thing. Not bad for only being on Day 3.

When I say progress I mean being physically able to push myself through some of the pain and discomfort associated with the exercises. Yes, I died out several times throughout the course of this workout this morning. But I managed to stay moving, even when not doing the exercise of the moment, and I managed to make it to the end. Which for me is a pretty decent accomplishment.

Of course, I had some motivation behind me. All five of my kids, all of them, and my wife were awake and in the living with me while I was working out. Some of my kids even participated in the workout somewhat. So of course, I had to keep paces.

I will say that it was hard waking up this morning. I was laying in bed at 5:30 - a full half hour after I want to be up - thinking that I could just sleep and put the workout off until this evening. The soreness in my back, arms and legs was in complete agreement with that line of thinking. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that letting myself off the hook after just two days was weak and would ultimately cost me lots more than one lost day of working out.

So I got up, tried to straighten out my legs which had locked in place because of soreness, got myself dressed and headed for the living room. A few minutes later I got started and felt extremely accomplished if even for just getting out of bed. But as the workout progressed, and I stopped every now and again and again and again, I realized that I could either wimp out and let my body win or I could try to fight through the pain, soreness, tiredness and heavy breathing to at least complete the task set before me.

Which leads me to want to remind anyone that may consider doing this workout... you have to dig deeper.

I know it sounds cliché and commercial and like I read it from the packaging, but it is the truth. From the first moment you pop a DVD in the player you will be challenged to continue with the program. It is hard. Painfully hard. And it requires a certain about of resistance to failure in order to stay with it. I know this because within the first few minutes of just the fit test I was ready to throw in the towel. In yesterday's workout I was ready to call it quits. And this morning I didn't even want to get out of bed.

It is not easy at all to push yourself through the mental blockages you'll invariably face when trying to do something your body doesn't want to do. But I think in the case of Insanity it will be totally worth it. At least I hope it is. I have a wife and five kids depending on my resilience, durability and long life. So if there were ever a motivation to get my butt in gear, there it is. What's yours?