Didn’t have time to post yesterday but I did complete Max Interval Plyo…

I would say this past week might have been my best week of exercising I have ever had. I know I sound like a broken record but these max workouts are truly insane…and I completed 5 of them in the last 7 days! That sixth workout (max recovery) was far from being easy too. I was contemplating about doing the P90X Shoulders and Arms routine today (day off) but decided against it. My goal heading into this week is to match the intensity I had last week so I figured I should take today completely off and treat it as a mental health day. Even though I feel physically destroyed following one of these max workouts, I do recover a few hours later…and I actually feel great right now physically. But again, I am thinking it would be in my best interest to take today off with hopes I can start off strong again during tomorrow’s routine.

Weighed the same this week as last so no weight-loss to record. As much as I enjoyed it at the time, I definitely was terrible nutrition-wise last weekend. The last 5 days of insanity routines were the most intense workouts I have ever completed so I still thought I would have lost another pound or so…you just can’t underestimate nutrition, especially when you goal is to lose fat/weight. I am currently at the weight that I completed both triathlons at last year so I really don’t have too much more to lose…and I would be content if I just stayed at this weight. My thought process on losing a few more pounds is I might as well reap the benefits from this extreme exercise program and lose as much as I can….while living a normal life (going out to dinner, etc..)

Max Interval Circuit – It was brutal! I completed this routine 4 days ago but at the time it was my first “max” workout…so I did hold back a bit not knowing what to expect. I didn’t use that approach this time, pretty much gave it my all from start to finish…and collapse on the floor once it was over for about a minute or so until I had the energy to get up and finish the cool down. I definitely kept pace with the video up until the last set when I found myself lagging behind a bit. I also could do a lot better on the “floor switch kicks”, some of the people on the video made my form look silly so I have something to work on next go round.

Max Recovery – I wouldn’t call this 47 minute routine a max recovery workout but it was a nice change of pace. There was no jumping around so it did give  my cardiovascular system a break. The focus was more on the muscles but without using weights. There was a lot of balance postures, slow push-ups and lunges that made the muscles burn throughout. I appreciate having a day like this knowing the other five I will be getting absolutely crushed…

Max Cardio Conditioning – Heading into this workout, I just knew it was going to be crazy…now that I am finished, I can honestly say that was an understatement! The best part of this workout was at the VERY beginning when I saw that it was only 47 minutes long…which was 8-10 minutes shorter than the last two max workouts I completed. From that point on, there was no other good moments in this video…other than when it was over. Needless to say, this workout was ridiculous…but I loved it! I just hope I can keep this attitude for the remainder of the insanity program which is another 3 ½ weeks.

For those that are new and/or have not done this routine yet, see below…

Every Insanity routine starts with a warm-up. Now, it’s debatable if this should even be called a warm-up seeing that you are dripping with sweat by the end. The warm-ups last about 9-10 minutes.

Two sets of:
Jog in place
Jumping Jacks – Arms Up
Jump Rope Movement
High Knees – Arms Out
Switch Kicks
Hit the Floor
Side to Side Floor Hops

Then one set of:
Sprint in place
Jumping Jacks
Heisman pose
123 Heisman
High Knees

*no breaks in between sets*

At the end of warm-up, you get a 30 second break and then it’s followed by 5 minutes of static stretching. Seeing that I have 5 minutes of stretching, I try to go all out on sets 2 and 3 of the warm-up knowing that I will recover by the time the main workout begins.

Main Workout – Each move below lasts about 1 minute and there is no breaks during this particular routine. 

High Low Jab with Squat
Football Runs
8 Ball Shots with Squat
Right and Left Kicks
Diamond Jumps
In-Out Push Up Jacks (4 in-outs/4 push-up jacks)
Suicide Jumps
High Knee/Low/Floor Sprints (8 high knees/8 sprints/8 floor sprints)
Ski Abs
Kick Step Back – considered a  recovery exercise
Squat Twists – considered a  recovery exercise
Over the River Hops – considered a  recovery exercise
Attack
Power Knees
Ski Down Hooks
Belt Kicks
Forward Back Suicides
Push Up Abs
Plank Punches
8 Jump Ropes/8 Hop Squats
Squat Speed Bag

Inspired by Nash getting crushed during yesterday’s max workout, I was determined to feel the same way. I literally had zero problem getting out of bed this morning, once up I was ready to take on the Max Interval Plyo routine in full force. Unlike yesterday when I was a unsure of my cardio endurance holding up, my goal today was not to hold back and just let it all out…

I was definitely more focused this morning  than I usually am before a workout. After all, these are just workouts…not a competitive race and/or game. I felt like I needed to step up and push myself harder throughout this one. The warm-up began and I just kept pace with the video which is a lot faster than the month 1 warm-ups so I thought the pace was perfect. I probably should keep this to myself but I can laugh about it now. During the stretching Shaun T claimed “are you guys ready for that max interval training”, his crew all replied and then he looked at the camera and said “are you ready”…I claimed “Yup, BRING IT” out loud. I just had to laugh that I said it out loud and was dead serious about it at the time, apparently I was focused!

This workout did destroy me but I still felt pretty good through most of it. I kept pace with the video and even exceeded it at times when I showed burst of 100% effort. The only exercise that seems to humble me every time are the “power jumps”, I never felt like I owned this exercise…even dating back to the P90X plyometric days. I did my best to go all out but some of the people on the video did much better. On a positive note, I realized today that it’s doesn’t take long for me to recover now. I was toast at the end of each section but I was able to recover during the 30 second break and give it my all again during the next round.

Overall, unbelievable workout!