Insanity Injury: Continue the programme or start from scratch?

Ouch. Somewhere in between all that squatting, thrusting and mad crazy leaping into the air plyometric stuff, my back has decided to complain. Loudly. One week of Insanity and I’m already injured!

At the end of last week, I reluctantly decided to stop exercising. I’d pulled something at the top of my inner thigh/groin, and my back was starting to grumble about five days of intense back-to-back workouts.

Today, my back is still stiff and sore. Part of me is tempted to do a Plyometric Cardio routine and see if this loosens things up. It probably won’t, though, meaning a few days of Ibuprofen and frustration about breaking the flow of the Insanity programme.

 

Beachbody Insanity, Day 5: Pure Cardio (plus an injury?)

Hola, Insane amigos! Today’s round of Insanity was one that even the formidable Shaun T said he was nervous about. Pure Cardio is a fast-paced round of exercise that’s made a fair bit harder because there are virtually no rest breaks during the routine. You stop as normal after the warm-up and stretching routines, but when the workout starts, you’re riding the rollercoaster right to the end!

On this fifth day, many of the moves in the warm-up, stretches and workout itself are becoming familiar – the suicide drills and ‘level 2′ routines are all starting to seem familiar. Which is good, because most of the workouts we’ve done in this first week are repeated over the next four weeks. That should address a lot of my concerns about form, which I feel is important…

 

Beachbody Insanity, Day 4: Cardio Recovery

A lightning fast update on yesterday’s Day 4 of Insanity. Day 4 is Cardio Recovery, which is a calmer, shorter session that doesn’t leave you dripping like a leaky hose on a hot summer’s day.

Instead, the moves are more about stretching and toning to allow you to recover from the previous two days of craziness. And to prepare you for Day 5′s dreaded Pure Cardio routine, which is 40 minutes of non-stop cardio designed to sweat the living daylights out of you. Drink lots of water!

 

Beachbody Insanity, Day 3: Cardio Power & Resistance

Day 3 of the Insanity workout. The day when our neighbour stopped my wife in the street and asked her what those anguished cries coming from our house were. You know, the howling, the strained panting, and finally the crying at the end. I was hoping that Lisa would’ve told her that we were indulging our passion for S&M while the kids were at school, but instead she told our neighbour that she’s now an “Insanity Widow”.

I predicted yesterday that I’d be pretty sore after Day 2. Yeah. Stiff and sore. In my inner thighs, shoulders, chest and calves. Remarkably, not so much across the abs. Which makes me wonder if my form needs some attention.

Now, today I felt pretty exhausted before I even started the Cardio Power session. So, even getting through the warm-up was a struggle. Just a note on the warm-up routine – like everything else in Insanity, you repeat the circuit three times, increasing your intensity each time. So, by the time you get to the end of the warm-up, you’ll be feeling pretty depleted already. Don’t give up though – because the stretching routine that follows allows ample time to recover before starting the workout proper.

 

Beachbody Insanity, Day 2: Plyometric Cardio

Ah, now Insanity has begun in earnest! If yesterday’s fit test lulled me into a false sense of security, Day 2′s Plyometric Cardio session was a taster of what Insanity is really like. Here’s a quick run-down of what to expect from Day 2. But first:

The aftermath from Day 1: Nothing serious. Yesterday evening was fine, but I woke up this morning with a mild stiffness in my shoulders and inner thighs. No biggie. But I reckon I’ll be stiffer tomorrow!

 

Beachbody Insanity, Day 1: The Fit Test

You probably already know what Insanity is. And no, not the glib definition involving straitjackets and sedation (which incidentally, sounds like a regular week night in my bedroom). Insanity is a 60-day intense workout programme fronted by a guy called Shaun T. Probably because having more than one letter in your surname is inefficient. I’ve already started calling him Shaunty.

Why Insanity?

I’m doing Insanity because I need a focused workout series to:

1. Lose a few more kilos to bring me down to my goal of 75kg. Starting weight today was 78.9kg.
2. Tone up and finally achieve the definition in my abs that I’ve been shooting for.
3. Challenge myself to reach a new level of fitness.