Stop the Insanity

So after 9 weeks of pounding my body, I'm finally finished with Insanity. The program was definitely as hard as advertised, and there were definitely days when I wanted to give up. But I stayed consistent in my workouts, not skipping a single day (though I did need to move around 2 rest days due to scheduling issues) for the entire program. And the end result? Well, if I had to give the program a grade, I guess I'd give it a B+. Overall, I think the emphasis on cardio and jumping is definitely great for really pushing your body and hitting those muscles that guys tend to neglect (legs, glutes, quads, calves). And as an admitted "show muscle" workout guy (chest, biceps, back, etc.), this was definitely a change of pace. That's not to say that I haven't seen a change in the show muscles. If anything, I think I look more "cut" than I have ever looked (though still not 100% of the way there) and my triceps are definitely bigger, thanks to the insane number of pushup type movements. However, I definitely don't see the same differences as the "Before/After" guys they show on the website. Admittedly, that may partially be some of my own doing as I didn't follow the diet as strictly as I should have. But I truly killed myself during the workouts, collapsing in a heaving heap of sweat at the end of each day. And in general, I followed the diet fairly closely, only cheating a bit only on the weekends.

Still, I do see some differences since the start of this program. I look leaner overall, and I've definitely got more definition in the abs. And perhaps more importantly, I feel healthier and more energetic on a daily basis. My cardio has improved, and I can run farther without tiring. So perhaps the tangible benefits of Insanity are more on overall physical fitness, rather than getting ripped. Or perhaps the old saw I've been reiterating about diet trumping exercise is even more true when it comes to really getting that lean physique.

Ultimately, I don't regret doing Insanity. As far as DVD workout programs go, this one is definitely up there in terms of intensity and degree of difficulty. If you truly push yourself, you are going to be tired EVERY single time you finish a workout. But on the plus side, this fatigue goes away very quickly and is replaced by a true sense of accomplishment. And even though I may not look exactly like Shaun T., at least I'm fitting into my tighter pants these days. But as far as the quest for the six-pack goes, well, we'll have to continue to seek out that white whale through my next workout program.

Insanity and Diet

As I near the home stretch of the Insanity program, I’m left with a few thoughts. First, the workouts truly are insane. Even 7 weeks in, I still dread the workouts, realizing that I’m going to be hurting for a good 30-45 minutes while I’m doing them. However, this is equally counterbalanced by a true sense of accomplishment once I’m done with the daily workout. As ambivalent as I am prior to starting a workout, I know that once I’m done, I always feel energized, rather than dead tired. Don’t get me wrong. Right when Shaun T. tells us we’re done, I collapse in a heap and gasp for breath before starting the cool down stretch. But for a good 30 minutes to an hour afterwards, I truly feel energized; like I accomplished something that day. And really, that feeling basically helps make up for the hour each day that I feel like my body is about to give out.

Another thing that I’ve come to realize as I continue to work through Insanity is a reaffirmation of my long held belief that diet is more important to any workout program than exercise. Sure, exercise will get you most of the way there. And sure, you can’t simply diet or exercise in isolation and expect results. But if I had to estimate the importance of the two, I would say that for most people, results are 75% diet/25% exercise. Sure professional athletes who put in daily 3-hour workouts can attack their steaks drenched in butter with aplomb. But for the rest of us workaday stiffs, simply adding a 30 minute cardio routine to your usual workout is not going to let you get away with stuffing your face with the extra Krispy Kreme doughnut every morning.
I’ve tried to be fairly strict about my diet during the week, when I’m traveling. But on the weekends, I’ve let myself “cheat” a bit. It’s just hard to eating lean turkey and protein shakes every night, especially when you’re living in a foodie mecca like San Francisco. So yes, I will eat out with friends on the weekends. And I probably didn’t need the extra serving of Naan to go with my butter chicken last Friday night (and on that note, I probably didn’t need the butter chicken either). But there’s only so much denial I can take before I go food crazy.

That being said, after 7 weeks of Insanity, I definitely see a difference in terms of overall fitness and the way I look. I’m definitely not going to be on the website for their before and after pictures, but I’m personally very satisfied with my results so far. So as I wrap up the final two weeks of Insanity, I’m optimistic that this grueling workout will have paid off for me. And it will prepare me well for whichever program I try next.

Insanity Interim

Okay, so the once a week entry thing hasn't quite been working out. But at least I've been sticking with the exercise program. Which, ultimately, is the most important part, right? I've successfully completed month 1 of Insanity and it's been rough going at times. Particularly (of course) sticking with the diet. Full confession: I haven't been sticking with it exactly. Although I try to do my best to keep my calorie count down during the week, and limit my carb intake, I have had to occasional sandwich and, ummm, potato chips.

That being said, the workout portion has been going very well. I think the best part about Insanity is the fact that the workouts (at least during the first month) are relatively short. At most, the full routine, including both warmup and stretching doesn't take longer than 45 minutes. Also, I love the fact that you don't need to trek all the way out to the gym to do it. Everything is cardio or body resistance, which means I can bang out the entire workout in my hotel room without having to drive to a gym.

As far as results go, I have to say they're somewhat mixed at this point. Although my girlfriend swears I look thinner and my family says I look too thin now, I somehow still feel a bit unsatisfied with my gut. I'm guessing that's probably more a function of the chocolate I had this morning rather than the workout program, but still, I guess I was hoping Insanity would let me "cheat" more on the diet portion than other workout programs. However, I remain hopeful as I enter the Insanity "recovery" week. After all, 30 days into P90X, I wasn't all that satisfied with my progress. But by the end, it was all worth it...

The Weigh In

Although it may be a bit late to do an official weigh-in, seeing as how I've already started my new workout program, I figure it's good to get a decent track of where I'm at in terms of a starting point for this 6 month endeavor. So here are the metrics:

As of 9/25/09:

Weight: 132 lb in underwear
Waist: 29in (not an exact measurement, but it's my jeans size)

I'm not really looking to lose a lot of weight during this project. As the old adage goes, muscle weighs more than fat. So ideally I would actually hope to gain some weight as long as it coincides with a reduction in fat. However, I think that reasonable targets for me would be to get down to about 130lbs, while reducing my body fat percentage. The only problem there is that I don't actually know my body fat percentage. I know personal trainers at 24 hour fitness will provide body fat calculations, so that might be my next stop. I'd definitely like to get some official statistics before we get too far into this.

Day 1 Thoughts...

Collapsing into a sweaty, gasping heap on the floor of my hotel room, I curse Shaun T's name between snatches of breath. That's pretty much my review for Day 1 of Insanity. The sad part? I just finished the "Fit Test." Basically, this is the test you do every two weeks, first to see if you can actually do Insanity, and then to see your improvement over time. This test consists of about 10 different exercises, done in 1-2 minute intervals with roughly 1-2 minutes of rest in between. Sounds easy, right? Well, it depends. As with any video workout, the key is really to try your hardest. If that sounds so blatantly cliche, it's only because it's true. Obviously, if you half-ass your way through each exercise, you'll break a bit of a sweat, and think to yourself, "This isn't so hard." But if you honestly train at your maximum level, then even the Fit Test is going to push you.

And so begins my 60 day Insanity journey. As usual, the hardest thing is maintaining the diet. Not that it's incredibly strict. But more that I love to eat. But if 60 days of lean protein is what it takes, then I'll manage...

Just Crazy Enough to Try Insanity

Last week, my friend told me about a new workout for people who really want to push their limits. It's called Insanity and it was created by Shaun T. At first, I was a bit skeptical, as this is the same guy who created Hip-Hop Abs. Now, don't get me wrong, maybe there's something to the whole dance/workout combo. But the whole idea of hip hop dancing your way to a six-pack seems a bit too gimmicky for my tastes. Nevertheless, I decided to do some research on Insanity and what exactly the program involves.

As far as I can tell, the focus of Insanity is primarily around core, cardio, and plyometric (jump training) workouts. No weights are required so it's perfect for my hotel-hopping consulting lifestyle. There are some ab workouts involved, but it seems like for the most part, the focus is on core and cardio work. The program itself is 2 months long and it is broken up into two 4-week phases with a week recovery between phases. Of course, nutrition is a major component as well, and they provide a nice booklet of recipes and recommended foods. The diet is strict, but not as bad as the first phase of P90X. Without going into specifics, they are recommending a 40/40/20 Protein/Carb/Fat% count. Hard, but manageable.

I'm still not sure how I'm going to balance this in with my my current CrossFit workouts, but I'm going to try it and see how it goes. Stay tuned as I discuss the different workouts.

I Have an Excuse

Okay, so there's no real need for me to excuse myself from my...er, one reader. But still, it's worth noting for posterity the reason why I haven't posted in over two weeks. After all, the entry right above this one clearly states that I will post a new entry at least once a week. So what's the reason for this almost immediate breakage of my ground rules? A European vacation...

Which brings me to my point for today. How do you work out/eat right while you're on vacation? The answer? You don't. I just spent the past 10 days in Rome and London. And on the first morning, I woke up at 8am, went to the hotel gym, and started doing ab exercises for a good 15 minutes. When I got back to the room, I was tired, my stomach hurt, and I promptly had to get up and do "touristy" stuff for the rest of the day. It was after this first painful day of trying to work out and vacation that I realized an important lesson. Vacations are not simply vacations from work. They should be vacations from all aspects of drudgery and routine in your life. We don't check our e-mail or answer work phone calls while on vacation (or at least, most of us don't). So why should we kill ourselves with workouts and exercise while trying to relax? Does that mean that if you think it'd be cool to jog through the streets of Rome that you shouldn't? No. But it does mean that you shouldn't spend 30 minutes on a treadmill when you can spend an extra 30 minutes seeing St. Peter's Basilica instead.

And as far as food goes, why not take a vacation from your diet as well. Here I was, in one of the meccas of European cuisine. The city that has a first pasta course and a second meat course with every meal. Was I going to order the garden salad with dressing on the side? Instead, I was going to order what I wanted. That's not to say that vacations are a license to overindulge. For me, it was all about portion control. I'd order what I'd want to eat, and eat about half of what they gave me. Okay, the starving kids in Africa my mom always talked about might not appreciate my wanton wastefulness, but this was the best way for me to enjoy what Italy had to offer.

Ultimately, I probably packed on more daily calories during my vacation than I usually do at home. But I can accept this. Just as long as this vacation does not cause me to slip into old bad habits of diet and exercise after I'm back home. Vacations should allow you to break from routines that you follow on a day-to-day basis, whether that means PowerPoint presentations or abdominal crunches. Use the time away as a reward for months of dilligent diet and exercise. Just as long as you understand that all vacations eventually to come to an end...