I have done it! I have completed the Insanity Challenge, probably one of the most difficult workouts every put on dvd. It’s wasn’t easy but I got it done. Looking back on the last 63 days I can’t believe how far I’ve come in this journey.

Before beginning this round of Insanity I was contemplating on which workout I wanted to fully commit to. Prior to Insanity I was just doing a mix of different Team Beachbody workouts and slowly getting results. I wanted to completely commit to ONE program and give it my personal best effort. I was planning on starting an Insanity Challenge group on April 1st and finally decided to do the program with my challengers. We started day 1 on April 1st 2013.

I came into this round more focused than I think I have ever been in any other workout program that I’ve completed. I had already dropped my weight to a comfortable level before starting so I knew the sky was the limit. I didn’t really have a weight loss goal. But over all I knew some weight would be coming off. The trick was to do it the right way with my nutrition. After taking that very first Fit Test I was excited because on day 1 I had just put up my best fit test numbers ever. This was the perfect way to kick this challenge off for me.

Insanity Month 1 In Review:

I have done Insanity multiple time since it’s release date in 2009. The problem was that I never could seem to complete the entire program. This was another reason I decided to do this round with my Challenge Group. I wanted people there to help motivate and support me, while I did the same for them. I could always seem to get through Month 1 with no problem, I just always seem to drop out by the time Month 2 and the Max workouts hit.

The first week of Month 1 was incredible. I felt so invigorated after crushing the fit test that I kept pushing myself harder each day. The hardest week in month 1 is the first week. Partly because on day 4 I wrecked my shoulder in a softball game. And to be honest I thought I was done. I had to switch that first week around but I got all the workouts in just in a different order. Your body literally goes into shock when you introduce it to a program like Insanity. This one reason I recommend properly preparing for Insanity. Once I got through the first week I knew the rest of the month would go off with out a hitch as long as my shoulder would hold up. I can’t stress how awesome it was having the Insanity Challenge group right there along side of me pushing play everyday. We pushed each other and before we knew it month one was in the books.

Month 1 Workouts:

• Fit Test
• Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Pure Cardio
• Cardio Power & Resistance
• Cardio Abs
• Cardio Recovery

Insanity Recovery Week Review:

This was a week I was not looking forward to for the most part. You see, in the Insanity schedule the recovery week is very necessary however it comes at you in the way of Core Cardio and Balance. This is one workout I really enjoy and I do it often when I’m looking for a little cardio workout. It’s only about 38 minutes long and it’s not to difficult in terms of Insanity. The PROBLEM with this week for me is we do this workout 6 days in a row. After about 3 days I was really not feeling it anymore. I even vented to my challengers at one point about some of the cast members [image]. The catch 22 on this is that once we do get through the week we are hit square in the face with monster month 2 and the max workouts.

Recovery Week Workout:

• Core Cardio & Balance

Insanity Month 2 In Review:

The furthest I have ever got in the Insanity Challenge was all the way to the end on week one in month 2. So this time through I knew I was going to crush that but I also knew it wasn’t going to be no walk on the park. The first week of Month 2 is probably the hardest week in the Insanity workout program. After feeling like you’re on a role and ready to crush Insanity after the amazing month 1 you’ve just completed. Month 2 comes in and knocks you right back into reality. The first week of month 2 will literally feel like you just started you Insanity journey all over again. With the introduction of new workouts, new moves, harder moves, more push ups and longer workouts reality will set in and you will realize this will not be completed easily. I have to say for me once I got through that first week, week 2 and 3 were some of the best weeks on the entire program for me. I started to see mine and my challengers results and that just motivates you to go for it. And then week 9 (the final week) gets here. I went into the final week with my mind right and ready to crush it. However it proved to be the hardest week of all for me. I had a rough workout each and every day with the exception of day 62 and 63. I really did feel like I was just going through the motions and I wasn’t really engaged at all in the last week. I think I was physically and mentally drained on Insanity. However I did push through and got it done.

Month 2 Workouts:

• MAX Interval Plyo
• MAX Interval Circuit
• MAX Cardio Conditioning
• MAX Recovery
• Cardio Abs
• Core Cardio & Balance

Insanity Challenge Pros

When I complete a program I like to go over the pros and cons just to give a little personal insight in the program. There are a lot of “pros” to Insanity. One of the best things is the trainer, Shaun T. This guy is just awesome, he is there pushing you the entire time. Now I know it’s a video but he seems to give the right pointers and motivation at the right time. And the whole “Dig Deeper” phrase is really where the results will come. I couldn’t even imagine this workout with a different trainer. Another pro is the music, it’s weird I know but I rather enjoy it. Especially in the end of Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It’s almost like hero music and for me that pushed me harder when I needed to. And just to some up the rest of the Pros I have for this program is the results. Insanity WILL improve your cardio, your stamina and help you “cut” and lose weight. It’s an extreme, high intensity FUN workout. And when you get off the floor in your own pool of sweat after each workout you know you’ve just accomplished something great.

Insanity Challenge Cons

So ya, here we go, what did I NOT like about Insanity. Honestly I really enjoyed the program. If it was easy it wouldn’t be called INSANITY. But there is always something somebody complains about right. For me the only thing that bothered me was the amount of actual workouts. I felt like if we had 1-2 more workouts there would have been more variety. The reason why it bothered me is because we have to double up on workouts every week. I don’t have a problem doing a difficult workout and saying “I’ll see you next week”. But with Insanity you’ll be saying “I’ll see you in a few days”. And the other con I had was the RECOVERY WEEK. The same workout every day for 6 days…really!

My Insanity Measure Of Progress

As I mentioned in the beginning I started Insanity with my best Fit Test number ever. This was kind of scary moment because I was fearful I wouldn’t be able to improve on those numbers. Well Shaun T helped me throw that notion away within the second week. And if I compared week 1 to week 9 fit test numbers, holy cow. I actually impressed myself.

Insanity Elite Nutrition Guide:

The Insanity program comes with a great nutrition guide. It’s called the Elite Nutrition Guide and it’s broken down into 5 meals per day where we would choose from a selection during each meal time. Did I follow the nutrition guide to the letter? NO. But what I did was take a handful of recipes and incorporate those meals throughout the day. And then I just plugged in my own personal meals into the rest of the slots. I actually ate 6-7 times per day to make sure I ate every 2-3 hours. I really enjoyed a lot of the meals from the guide and to be honest most of them are quick fixes taking less than 10 minutes to create. If I was going to be busting my butt with the Insanity workouts every day, I knew I wanted to do the best I could on the nutrition, so why not follow the guide. The Insanity nutrition guide is set up at a 40-40-20 macro-nutrient ratio. This is to make sure you have the right amount of carbs to have the energy for Insanity. The right amount of protein to not lose muscle mass while doing these high intensity cardio workouts. And the right amount of fats to help you drop your body fat percentage. So if you are NOT going to follow the nutrition guide be sure to have your macros set at least in the range of 40-40-20. Personally I went to more of a fat shredder number at 45-35-20. I tracked everything about my nutrition through My Fitness Pal. I posted my nutrition of each day on my Day by Day Journal. 

Supplements I Used With Insanity:

While on the topic of nutrition I might as well go over the supplements I took with Insanity. I really only used 3 different supplements during this round. Because I was eating a lot of protein and I had a hard time getting the right number with food alone, so I used whey protein. I probably averaged about 2-3 scoops of whey protein per day to help me meet my goals. Another supplement I used and if you have done Insanity you’ll hear about it, was the Results and Recovery drink. I drank one of these after each workout. However it’s loaded with carbs so you’ll need to make sure it fits into your daily nutrition goals. For me I only used 1 scoop per day. And if you only do one supplement with Insanity the one I would recommend is Shakeology. I drank my Shakeology every single day and to honest was the best meal of each day. I looked forward to it and craved it like someone would crave a candy bar. Some days if it worked into my nutrition goals, I’d even drink it twice. But it’s not really about the taste as to why I drink it (even though it taste amazing), it has to do with what’s inside, it’s full of vitamins, minerals and superfoods to ensure your body gets everything it needs to perform it’s best each and everyday. If you are struggling with nutrition this is your ticket to successful nutrition. You can learn more about Shakeology here.

Motivation And Support:

In order to be able to complete a program like this you are going to need some extra motivation and support. This is NOT an easy program to do alone. I really do suggest either doing this program with a partner or finding an Insanity Challenge Group to help keep you engaged. When you go at this by yourself and have a day you don’t want to workout, nobody is there to call you out, nobody is there to help motivate you. Would you skip a day if you knew that the other people doing Insanity already pushed play and wanted to know how YOU did. This is exactly how an Insanity Challenge group works. I absolutely don’t think I would have made it all 63 days without my challenge group there pushing me. We motivated each other EVERY SINGLE DAY. And guess what? The results from the challenge group proves it. If you’re the type of person that likes doing things alone then you may be alright, but if you feel you need the support and motivation, get into a Challenge group. Oh and in my challenge groups I have daily tips, motivation posts, nutrition tips and even a weekly video from trainer Shaun T. What more could you ask for?

My Insanity Challenge Results

 This is where I sure most people will just skip down to. That’s ok, I realize this is a long post. I gave this program everything I had to give. Both on the workouts and the nutrition. Did I get a six-pack in 60 days NO, did I lose a ton of weight NO, but what I did gain was much more than any of that, self-satisfaction. I can’t focus on how far I have to go, but rather on how far I’ve been. And that is what I’m proud of, along with the accomplishment of completing a program of this magnitude. 

My body fat goal was to drop my body fat %ed at or below 10% and my weight to be under 180 pounds. Although I didn’t meet the body fat %ed goal, I got fairly close and finished at 13.09% and dropped my weight to 174. I lost a total of 11 pounds and dropped about 7% of my body fat.

I still have work to do but like I said I’m extremely proud of myself.

PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION

What’s Next!?

So what’s next for me? I’m awaiting the all new program from Shaun T called Focus T-25. It’s a 10 week program where you workout 5 days per week, at only 25 minutes per day. Now granted these are going to be Shaun T 25 minutes so you know that it in no way will be easy.  I’m really looking forward to this program especially since we are in the summer months and I have my kids home from school. Every one has 25 minutes sometime in the day right? I’ll be kicking off a brand new challenge group with this program (which I will be doing with them) as soon as possible. If you’d like to join us click here to learn more.

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