I did it, I finished insanity! I hope you get the “Rocky” picture? Ya know the song Getting Strong Now in Rocky? Name of my blog yada yada! Anyways… I did it! I made it through insanity!

CLICK HERE for the before and after picture.

I have to say that I feel great! I think I even look a little better too I did not get supermodel/body builder ripped, but I think I really changed myself. I feel strong, so strong and limber. I also have a lot more energy and that is one of the great rewards in doing the Insanity workout. Having energy and not feeling like a lazy lump is a beautiful thing.

I have to say I was not sure if I would really get through the whole workout. I mean we are talking 6 days a week here, even Saturday which pretty much for me was never, ever a workout day

This has jump started a whole new regimen for me. In fact I had no workout planned today so I hit the gym for the first time in 2 months. Sure if felt good to throw the weights around a bit, but I just did not have that feeling of accomplishment like I did while finishing my insanity workout nor the sweat soaked shirt.

I think the future holds P90x for me hehe. Either that or maybe another round of Max workouts. My cardio after Insanity is great! I am thinking now I want to tone up a bit more and I am thinking that P90x will do that for me. Anyone out there do both yet? If so which did you do first?

So I finished on saturday and they have the final fit test schedule for Sunday which I really did not think I would do. So Sunday rolled along and at about 5:30PM on sunday, don’t ask me how I got motivated, but I went out to the garage to do the fit test.

What was my main goal in the fit test? To beat TANYA in something! haha so i attacked the switch kicks with a passion and beat her. I have to call for the B.S. on some of her numbers lol I mean c’mon some of her results are pretty sick. You know Chris is over on the other side like WTF this is nuts hahah. Anyways you can see I did better in mostly everything. I really felt great during and after doing them as well.

All in all I can say that Insanity is worth it! You really do have to dig deep and get motivated and stick with it. Like I said I am not super ripped, but I feel my physique is much better then when I started and this has built a foundation that I will build off of. We have to remember that the Insanity workout or any other fitness routine that we get into isn’t just about finishing it and then that’s it, it is about creating a lifestyle change to become healthier not just for 60 days, but for the rest of your life. Don’t depend on modern medicine to save you from 90% of the crap you can prevent by eating right and staying in shape!!

You can also read my ongoing Insanity workout review over here http://www.gettingstrongnow.com/insanity-workout-review/

Oh and today’s my 32nd birthday and I could prob whoop the 17 year old version of my self

1. Switch Kicks (2 kicks = 1 rep)

* 1st Test- 47
* 2nd Test – 57
* 3rd Test – 57
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 61 “Beat Tanya ”

2. Power Jacks

* 1st Test- 29
* 2nd Test – 45
* 3rd Test – 42
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 55

3. Power Knees

* 1st Test- 55
* 2nd Test – 67
* 3rd Test – 79
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 87

4. Power Jumps

* 1st Test- 21
* 2nd Test – 15
* 3rd Test – NA
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 38

5. Globe Jumps

* 1st Test- 8
* 2nd Test – NA
* 3rd Test – NA
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – NA no room to do them

6. Suicide Jumps

* 1st Test- 13
* 2nd Test – 17
* 3rd Test – 14
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 17

7. Push Up Jacks

* 1st Test- 20
* 2nd Test – 26
* 3rd Test – 25
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 30

8. Low Plank Oblique

* 1st Test- 24
* 2nd Test – 46
* 3rd Test – 48
* 4th – Had to skip
* Final – 31

Ok so I made it! Well almost. I am in my last week of the Insanity Workout and I am pretty pumped. The last two weeks kind of sucked for my workouts. With traveling and hurting my wrist I really didn’t get the most out of Insanity, but I am attacking this week in full force!

It’s a shame the last 2 weeks were tough, since I really feel that is the point where your body is just ready to go and burn fat like crazy. Am I feeling great? You bet! Do I look better? For sure.

I have to say that this mornings Max Interval Plyo was tough, but I felt great doing it. Stronger and more stable! My wrist was hurting a little bit, but I knew I would be fine doing my thing! All in all I can say that it has been a great experience so far sticking with Insanity. I will have more of a full Insanity review next Monday after I finish this week.

All I can say is stick with it, even if you get hurt or have to miss a day here and there. Also with my wrist being injured I was still able to do the workouts I just had to modify a few. So if I was supposed to be on the ground with my wrist bent, I would instead jog in place or do some other exercise to keep my heart rate up. I know there is a method to the order of exercises, but I had to do something. Dig Deep!!

To read more about my Insanity Workout Review you can check here http://www.gettingstrongnow.com/insanity-workout-review/

Ok so I have 2 weeks left of Insanity. Yesterday I decided not to do the fit test. There were really 2 reasons.

1 it was a time thing. Since I do the workouts in the morning, doing the fit test is really pushing my time.

2 I workout in the morning and I know I don’t get as good results as if I were to do it later in the day. I think I am going to just wait for that last fit test on Sunday to see.

Overall it doesn’t really matter to me, because I know I am in better shape then when I started and I am feeling great!

Of course last night during softball I injured my wrist. I must have done it sliding, but nothing hurt then. When I got home it was a bit sore, but nothing to worry about. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I had sprained it or something. It hurt bad and still hurts. No swelling or purple ness so I guess I just jammed it. Makes me mad because there is no way I can do any moves that I need to bend my wrist with. I skipped this mornings workout and will do it tonight. I am keeping it wrapped so we shall see what happens.

I have been on a strict Paleo diet since Friday and I feel good. If you don’t know what the Paleo Diet is check out the book Click Here basically think what a caveman would have ate and that is the diet. Lean meats, fruits and veggies. I am really liking it so far, the hardest part is just having food available to eat. So you need to prepare your foods in advance. I have a few friends who have lost more weight just on the diet and they are feeling great so I figured I would give it a shot.

As for the Max workouts well as I had said the last week was rough since I was travelling. Getting through the workouts was tough, but for the next two weeks its balls to the wall. With eating super clean on the paleo diet and going all out on the max workouts and am really hoping to shed some pounds and help my abs show through. Also hope to give a nice before and after. Im almost there!!

Be sure to check out my ongoing Insanity workout review here http://www.gettingstrongnow.com/insanity-workout-review/

Yikes it has been a crazy 2 weeks! Unfortunately I had a death in the family so things were all over the place and this past week I was traveling.
So the big question is… were you able to do your workouts? Somehow I did manage to do them. I was able to just fit them in here and there. I only missed on workout while traveling. I actually missed my max interval circuit on Tuesday, so what I did was push it off to wed, then did the max interval plyo on Thursday. I ended up missing the recovery day, but I figure hey my Tuesday of doing nothing was recovery enough right?

Ha it was actually funny to do Insanity in my hotel room. The best part was that there was actually more room in there then my garage. I had to do Max Cardio and it was killer. It was a great way to start off the conference I attended.

I have to be honest. These max workouts have been whooping my butt! I am sweating through shirts like it is nobody’s business lol. My diet has been semi ok these last 2 weeks. I was very proud of myself while traveling. I didn’t grab any deserts or stuff like that all week. Can’t say the same for the beer Phew all I can say is I sweated that out when I got home during my Max Interval Plyo.

I was really looking forward to starting the Paleo Diet, but with traveling it just wasn’t going to happen. So I am starting that now. I have about 2 weeks left of the Insanity workout and I can see a huge difference in energy, look and my overall mental health. It has been a great ride so far.

These max workouts are killer and have a lot of great moves. I really give it up to the people that are in the videos. They are in great shape!

Check out my Living Insanity Workout Review

Helppp!! lol that’s all I can say after today’s max interval workout. Yikes! Was it the fit test I did before it? Was it just because it was monday morning and I woke up at 5:30am so I could get the fit test and the workout in? Who knows. All I know is I got beat up today, but beat up in a good way.

I listed my 3rd Fit Test scores below. My scores are not a huge increase, but I can say this… I was in way better shape doing them today. Better form and I did not feel like I was going to die lol. I also really didn’t push myself as hard as I could have because I had the Max workout next and did not want to be burnt out. Like I said I felt so much better doing the fit test then that last time and that is progress enough for me! I think for the final fit test I will try and do it in the afternoon when I am more awake.

I love doing my workouts in the morning, but I def get a better workout later in the day or evening I just don’t have time to do that.

As for my first Max work out? Just wow. The warm up whooped me good. Some of these circuits are nuts! I sweat more today then any other day before. I know I am getting a great workout! I am really excited to start tweaking my diet a bit more. I have been looking into Paleo Diet type stuff so we shall see how that goes!

There were some points in the workout where I said to myself, self can I really do this for the next 30 days? This is tough!! Maybe ill just turn the dvd off half way through!! aghhhh. Nope gotta push through!! Dig Deep!! Results aren’t going to come if I bail out. I just keep thinking how great I will feel both mentally and physically after the workout!

Also check out some new Shaun T Quotes lol.

And… on a side note!! Haha that kid Jeff is an animal he really works hard, but he needs to take it easy. At the end of the workout he starts spinning on his back and almost takes out Ariel at the end. She was like WTF dude!! hahaha I have to replay it, because I don’t think he hit her, but he came dang close!!

1. Switch Kicks (2 kicks = 1 rep)

* 1st Test- 47
* 2nd Test – 57
* 3rd Test – 57

2. Power Jacks

* 1st Test- 29
* 2nd Test – 45
* 3rd Test – 42

3. Power Knees

* 1st Test- 55
* 2nd Test – 67
* 3rd Test – 79

4. Power Jumps

* 1st Test- 21
* 2nd Test – 15
* 3rd Test – NA

5. Globe Jumps

* 1st Test- 8
* 2nd Test – NA
* 3rd Test – NA

6. Suicide Jumps

* 1st Test- 13
* 2nd Test – 17
* 3rd Test – 14

7. Push Up Jacks

* 1st Test- 20
* 2nd Test – 26
* 3rd Test – 25

8. Low Plank Oblique

* 1st Test- 24
* 2nd Test – 46
* 3rd Test – 48

I did it! I finished my cardio recovery week. It was a good week, tough at some times, but well worth it. Figure I would put a 10 things I learned list.

1. Doing the same workout 6 days a week can be a pain in the a$$
2. At the end of the workout during the stretch, Shaun T says don’t put your head back like me. hehe only took me till day five to here him say DONT!
3. If you keep your arms and elbows up when you are supposed too your abs get a killer workout. No cheating!
4. Ariel is super human! How can anyone bust out those hip flexor moves!
5. I actually missed the normal warm ups!
6. I’m in better shape then the dude with the dread locks with red shorts in front left lol. C’mon bro its recovery week!
7. I know to stop the dvd right after it’s over so I don’t have to hear about Chalean Extreme anymore.
8. Form is key and so is core strength. What a difference with a strong core!
9. Maybe I wish there was more recovery week after I took a peak at Mondays Max workout! Doh!
10. I have learned that if I have gotten this far then I can make it the rest of the way!! Dig Deep & Ssscccoooo!

In all seriousness the recovery week was worth it. There were days I said why not skip today, but I knew if I did then it would just be easier to miss another workout, then another!  I am in great shape and I can really feel it. I did take a peak at the next workout. The Fit Test then into MAX interval circuit! Wow I am going to have to get up  5:30 AM tomorrow lol. I even saw some of the moves they are doing and I am nervous, but anxious to get moving on this!  It has been a trip so far. Can’t wait to see the Fit test results for tomorrow and how bad Max Interval Circuit is gonna whoop me!

So the last time I played basketball was day 1 of Insanity. Normally I play on Monday nights and wed nights. With our new baby, it was getting tough to get out 2 nights a week so Monday was the one day I would normally try to get out a play. It has been so busy and Insanity was tough too. The first 2 weeks I decided to just focus on Insanity since I was pretty sore and I did not want to risk Injury. In a post about soreness I had talked about how I could not wait to see how the Insanity Workout will affect my basketball playing. Well… I got my chance last night.

I was a bit nervous how I would play, but even during warming up I just felt solid. A few minutes into the first game I felt great. My legs were so solid, I had a new spring in my step, and I was able to get my engery back real fast during some intense moments. Normally I play pretty well, but I can tell when I am getting drained and new to chill for a few trips up and down the court. Last night I was like a rocket lol. I was really impressed how the Insanity Workout gave me this boost. I knew it would. I mean there are so many leg moves and jumping that how could it not improve your game!

If I was a basketball coach I think I would have my team do the Insanity Workout before the season starts. For Real! I remember being in high school and doing some stupid warm up stuff before school started and sometimes after. It really did nothing for us and I hated it. Man if Insanity was around I would have loved it, not to mention when the season starts we would all be in awesome shape. Anyways just my 2 cents on that.

All in all it felt great to get a night of basketball in again. I prob burnt another 500 calories if not more. I think if I could start to play consistently again I will be even more on the road to rippedness “is that a word?” Who knows with Max workouts coming I might just focus on that and see how I feel.

Check out my Living Insanity Workout Review which is always changing simply because I am always changing!

Ok so I really didn’t think I would put out a post today, since this week is all the same, but I felt I needed too. When I woke up this morning I really had no motivation to go and do the recovery workout. The only reason I says this is because these are the times it is easier to just go back to bad. We all know what that leads too. One day off, then maybe another and so on!

So I had to tell myself GET UP & SSSCCCOOOOOO I knew if I didn’t I would be disappointed later and starting off my mornings with a workout has been great!

After playing softball last night, my ankle was a bit sore for some reason and getting loose this morning was an issue, but the recovery workout pulled me through. I was glad I got up and did my Insanity Duty! I felt great after the workout and looking in the mirror I could see a difference for sure.

Again part of the reason for this blog is to help motivate others. I know when I was deciding to do the Insanity Workout it helped that I could read other peoples stories and see before and afters so if you have been lacking motivation, just know it happens to all of us. Ya just gotta Dig Deep and push yourself!

How bout you? How has your motivation been lately? If you lack motivation what gets you going?

Ok so with my 4th week behind me I head into day 1 of Recovery Week. Like I said in my last post, I had taken a peak of the DVD and it looked pretty exciting. It was definitely different and is definitely geared for recovery. As I started with those jump rope, switch heel things I was kind of hoping for some jogging in place and missed the normal warm up. Recovery is more slow paced and I did enjoy that. I still sweat and got my heart rate up for sure. You do a lot of different movements and I guess you have too, because 6 days of anything can get boring real fast so Shaun mixes it up a bit for you. There are also tiny little breaks between each exercise so Shaun T can show you how to do them. Of course you can hop right into it if you know how.

At the end when you start moving your arms around, I was like “what is this” lol then when my shoulders were burning I said “ahhh now I see”. I was really impressed with how good my shoulders felt at the end. I also didn’t expect to do level 1 drills. Aghhhh level 1 drills all week long? Doh! I heard the Max workouts hammer you even more with that so I guess Shaun throws it in there for a reason right? Ha there was also another good Shaun T Quote in there too which I added to the quotes page. I know there are more I just have to listen for them!

I also have a softball game tonight which I know isn’t to big of a workout, but you do work a lot of other muscles. I will also try to get a night of basketball in this week to burn off another nice chunk of calories as well as too see how the Insanity Workout has strengthened my legs.

Well since the rest of the week is all Recovery, I may not have anything to post, but who knows I am sure I will come up with something.

Insanity Workout Review

Yes I made it through the first month of the Insanity Workout. When I look back on it I really didn’t think I would make it. I mean c’mon who works out on a Saturday? Nonetheless I manned up and did it. I feel great not only physically, but mentally as well. Like I said I really didn’t think I would get through it, or would at least miss a few workouts. I did Saturdays Plyo Cardio Circuit at around 1pm so I was awake and warm. My goal was to really push through it and give it all I had. I am proud to say I made it through the warm ups without any breaks. Normally I work out at 6am and that first circuit of warm up is a real shock to the system. Through the rest of Plyo Cardio I felt really good. My core was strong and I was able to do the moves with great form. Of course I took a few breaks, but I was right back in it.

So now I wait for recovery week to start. I took a peak at the dvd on Sat to see what lies ahead. It looked a lot different, but exciting. I just hope I don’t get bored with 6 days of this. My goal is to get in at least one night of basketball as well. I am really going to try and start tweaking out the diet as well. We shall see, I think I am still entitled to Friday night pizza right? Maybe only 2 slices instead of 4 hehe.

If you have kept up with this blog I thank you! If you are doing the Insanity Workout, just keep pushing. Like anything else in life, if you want something you have to work for it. I think I will get a picture up at the end of Recovery week.

Dig Deep and SSSCOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!