I’ve officially stuck with Insanity for two weeks! Technically, it’s been 3 weeks, but I’ve done two weeks worth of workouts. This is probably the longest I’ve followed a program, mainly because I’m actually seeing results and not getting bored.
The first step of Insanity is taking a fit test, where you do as many reps as possible of 8 different exercises for one minute each. You write down your results and take the test every two weeks to track your progress. I was supposed to have already been on Week 3, but Whitney’s visit messed up all my workout days. I repeated some workouts from Week 2 last week to make sure I did everything at least once.
Yesterday’s workout included the 2-Week Fit Test. Here are my results from Week 0 to Week 2:
For most of these, I either did worse or the same as last time, even though I’ve been practicing these moves for two weeks. So what gives? I attribute my “lack of improvement” to my lack of good form the first time. Sure, I can do half-assed switch kicks and power knees all day, but it doesn’t mean anything if they’re ineffective.
With programs like Insanity, you don’t really start seeing results until you learn how to do each move with proper form. Once you have the form down, you can focus on things like keeping your butt tight and your core engaged, and that’s when 61 great switch kicks become more effective than 88 mediocre ones.
So what’s the lesson here? Numbers lie! Whenever you’re doing an exercise for AMRAP (as many reps as possible), the numbers don’t mean anything if your form is poor. I’m really excited to see my fit test results in two weeks and compare them to yesterday’s for a more accurate gauge of my improvement.
Since you guys can’t do Insanity with me (unless you have the videos), here’s a 12-minute Tabata style plyometric workout inspired by moves from Insanity that will leave you dripping with sweat.
I still had some energy after the fit test, so I hopped on the treadmill and knocked out 1.7 miles in 20 minutes. My pace wasn’t awesome, but I need all the practice I can get to prep for this 5K.
After the gym, Troy and I went to Publix to stock up for The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush and our pre-cleanse diet. This was definitely the healthiest shopping cart I’ve had in a long time, consisting of only fruits, veggies, fish, oils, and whole grains.
There’s really nothing I love more than opening up my fridge, seeing nothing but bright, fresh colors, and only being able to make a healthy choice.
Overwhelmed by all the choices, I made a smorgasbord of a dinner last night. I grilled up some tilapia in coconut oil with garlic salt, lemon pepper and chili flakes. I made a stir fry of eggplant, bell pepper, onion, garlic, broccoli, mushrooms and pineapple in a ginger-soy-coconut oil sauce on a bed of whole wheat French couscous. I also chopped up some romaine, spinach, arugula, kale, scallions, strawberries, clementines, tomatoes and radishes for a salad and tossed it with a homemade dijon vinaigrette.
There were a lot of very unique flavors fighting for my tastebuds’ attention, but somehow it all worked together. Gordon Ramsey would’ve probably taken away my kitchen utensils for this one.
I’m wondering…
Have you ever tried Insanity or a similar challenge? Did you stick with it? If you did, what was the most drastic or significant change you noticed after you completed the program?
