The end of Insanity

Dan & I did it!  We completed the entire Insanity  program by Shaun T about a month ago.  It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  Both mentally and physically although the physical aspect of it was certainly a challenge.  The last 2 weeks of it, it seemed impossible.  Sometimes, during workouts, I’d actually want to cry.  Your body would be completely exhausted and yet you’d have another DVD you’re supposed to put in and complete.  Quitting was never an option and Dan solidified that thought.  If I complained I didn’t want to do it, he’d say ‘well, you can be the first one to quit’.  Obviously, those are fighting words and the workout would be done soon thereafter.

I really wish I’d taken a before/after picture.  I wasn’t that bright I guess.  But I did take my measurements.  Dan had the foresight to take his before/after picture but didn’t do his measurements.  I wish one of us had done both!  The results were by far worth it.  Here’s Dan’s pics

My measurements were a little surprising.  I expected to drop in size and drop in weight but neither Dan nor I followed the food program.  I’m sure that would have made a big difference.  Instead, we chose to use our intense workouts as a reason to snack a little more than normal.  I’m sure my caloric intake rose significantly and it shows in my measurements.  I won’t go into specifics on the numbers but here’s the breakdown in inches

Legs:  +1″

Hips:   +1″

Waist:  – 0.5″

Arms:  + 0.5″

Weight:  +2.5 lbs

Now being a woman, I was a little dismayed to see my numbers increase but I have to say I was very happy in the physical changes I saw in my body.  Those +’s are muscle gain, whether in inches or pounds.  And that’s a positive thing.   For the first time in my life, I feel like I have muscle balance.  That’s fantastic.  Also, my long runs have been unaffected by not running during the week.  I believe the cardio that I did in Insanity was more than enough to maintain my stamina.  It might have even grown.  But it’s certainly been a seemless shift into training for the 25k (15.5 miles) race I have coming up in May.

Here’s Dan’s Fit Test results:

                                           Fit Test #1                Fit Test #5

Switch Kicks                     43                                 65

Power Jacks                      39                                58

Power Knees                     67                                119

Power Jumps                     9                                    49

Globe Jumps                     4                                     11

Suicide Jumps                 13                                     21

Push-up Jacks                  27                                   38

Low Plank Oblique          45                                  95

Here’s my Fit Test results as well:

                                     Fit Test #1                            Fit Test #5

Switch Kicks                40                                             56

Power Jacks                 47                                            64

Power Knees                75                                             117

Power Jumps              21                                               36

Globe Jumps               8                                                 12

Suicide Jumps            11                                               19

Push-up Jacks            15                                               26

Low Plank Oblique     55                                              90

I really can’t say enough good about Insanity.  I loved it and I loved Shaun T as an instructor.  In fact, the only negative I had was the end.  As hard as it was, I was a little panicked for it to be over.  Dan was getting happier as the days ticked off but I grew anxious.  What do you do after Insanity?  What is life afterwards?  Do you just go back to regular workouts?  Did I seriously just work this hard for 9 weeks just to lose it?  I was actually sad to finish the Fit Test for the last time.  Now what?

That question still remains but I’m working on the solution.  I immediately started training for the 5/3 Riverbank Run (25k) but how would I maintain my muscle balance?  I’ve decided to do a little different running schedule and I’ll get into that in a different post.  But know this, I’ll be doing Insanity again.  When this race is over, I’ll be back for a full 9 weeks of all the Insanity Shaun T can dish out.  Are you ready to get insane?