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Saturday, April 21, 2012

Insanity Workout / Review UPDATED 8/21/12

Insanity Workout
Almost burned out on my current workout routine, I was looking for a change up.  I stumbled across this program while thumbing through the channels one day. I'm always hesitant about some of these infomercial workout videos but this one caught my attention. After contemplating and researching for a month (like I do before I buy anything), I decided to pull the trigger. I'm in decent shape.  How Insane can it be?

I received my Insanity DVD set late Wednesday night... late being 9:08PM (UPS working hard!). I decided to go ahead and crank it up since the first workout was the fit test. Basically, a base line test to see how in shape you are, and to have a comparison for later. BUT... before the test, there is a warm up... Apparently, my "in shape", is face down in a pool of my own sweat. This thing kick my a$$. This, as sick as it sounds, made me happy! I'm stoked to have a great new workout what challenges me to "Dig Deeper"!

I'm currently on Day 4 of the 60 Day program and can barely take a normal step length because my calfs are so tired and sore! I look forward to this challenge, review, and better yet.... the results! Stay Tuned...

Be Great!
-Jimmy

UPDATE 1: 4/27/12

Little "Proof in the Pudding"

Note: Recover face up to prevent drowning in your own sweat...
My wife too this image after my Pure Cardio session (Day 5).

Week 1: One week is in the books... I had my Day 7 rest/recovery today. Much needed! After work out 2 and 3, when I got up in the morning, I couldn't take a full step. My calf muscles were so sore and tight. It was like I had not used them ever before. The calf muscle soreness finally subsided around workout 5 and 6. I can now walk normal instead of looking like I was tip-toing or sneaking everywhere. No dramatic weight loss or body changes to note yet, but I hope to have something soon!


UPDATE 2: 5/2/12


Front of Fit Test Card
Week 2: Week two is done & I Re-tested the "Fit Test" to start my 3rd week of Insanity. The Fit Test is a way to measure your progression throughout the weeks of "insane" workouts. It's a group of 8 different exercises that you do for one minute straight (One minute recovery in-between). It's basically an objective number thats shows that you are indeed getting better. I purposely didn't look at my initial test to see what I would get not knowing my original mark(s) would give me true look at if I was really getting better or if I just felt like I was. WELL... "The results are in...." All of my numbers increased. I remember when I first started,  I was toast. The fit test kick my a$$ as did the little warmup before the test started. I was still toast at the end because you are going all out... but the numbers speak for themselves. ALL of them improved. I just added the total reps of all exercises... I will post the full fit test later w/ exact numbers where they belong per exercise. But, for simplicity purposes, total score before was 271, today 309.

Again, no dramatic weight loss to note yet. 2-3 lbs keep fluctuating on my scale, but I always assume it's mainly water weight. I do feel like my pants are a tad easier to button, but that might be psychological effects. I plan to take some more before/after images this weekend to track my progress and see if I can tell anything from the ones I have already had taken.

 My calf pain that killed me in the first week to middle of 2 weeks is GONE! In it's place however, is a little knee pain (Just above the patella of my right knee). Thus far, I am treating it with Aleve, and some stretching. I think it's a result of my inflexibly with some of the kicking exercises because that's when I really feel it. So far it's manageable, I think it's a small case of tendonitis and I can handle that. That being said, I can't stress enough that you REALLY have to watch your form and technique. You WILL get tired and your form WILL break down. If you do it wrong, you can and most likely will hurt yourself. Take breaks and allow your muscles to recover and get some oxygen in the blood. After all, there's 45 more days to "Dig Deep"!

Stay tuned.... Be Great!
 Any questions or comments, hit me up here or on the Twitter @Batteman87

UPADTE 3:
Week 3: This program is still kicking my tail... but I love it! 5-6 lbs weight loss now keep fluctuating on my scale. Still think some of it is a water weight. There is NO DOUBT this will make you sweat! I weighed myself before an insanity workout and after to find out I lost two pounds... (yes I weighed 3 times before my work out and three times after to ensure the scale was right). You have to drink plenty of water through the workouts. But... sip, don't guzzle or you might end up sloshing and puking your way to the end. I managed to keep it down but I could tell if I pushed more that was going to be the ned result.

I feel I am getting better, but that feeling diminishes every time you have to pry yourself off the floor in exhaustion. Learning to pace myself and not over exert too early. I still have to take breaks to let my heart slow down and let my arms, legs, and lungs get the oxygen they are screaming for. Week four is on deck...and so is a little back soreness apparently as I finished week three, I started to notice a little more back soreness...However....this might be secondary to a little yard work/weed pulling so I'm not blaming Insanity. Stay Tuned!

Update 4: 5/14/12
Week 4:  Sweating out of glands I didn't know I had, I successfully completed week four today! My knee pain is gone and my lower back soreness has eased. I did notice as my form diminished with fatigue my back would be sore later that day and night. The fix... STOP as soon as your form goes to shat! Give yourself a sight break to recover, slow down, keep your form/technique. This has since eased my lower back pain/soreness. It was mostly from not listening to when my body needed a break and so it started compensating with bad form and poor body mechanics. As I fixed this, the pain eased (A little Aleve helped too.. But don't have to take it now.).

I can make it through more of the workout now, but still have to take a break now and again to allow my body to recover and replenish all the fluids I am steadily losing. I can also see a little change in my body as can my wife as she made remarked this morning. Again, no significant weight loss. Only 4-5 lbs give or take some water weight. The workouts still kick your tail, and yet I keep coming back for more. Week 5 is "Recovery Week". All week has the title "Core Cardio and Balance". If it's like the "Cardio Recovery" day(s), I'm in for a long week... ~32 Days remain and the results keep me wanting more.



Update 5: 5/23/12
Week 5: A much needed Recovery Week is in the books! Week 5 was one DVD titled "Core Cardio and Balance". It's a bit of a slower pace but don't let that fool you.. this week will set fire to your muscles. You indeed get a workout and by the end of the week you can tell you've gotten better but it still lets you know that you're no where close to "in shape". Excited to start Week 6... I hope...

Before I start week 6, I notice that the Fit Test is included in the same day. I decided to do the Fit Test on my "Recovery Day"/Day off. My rational behind this is.. well during the Fit Test, you go ALL OUT! Doing this exhaust you and your muscles. I strongly recommend doing this for anyone at this stage. For me, at the end of last test exercise, I was curled up in the fetal position almost dry heaving from physical exhaustion. There was no way I could then SAFELY do the next workout keeping good form. And with this program, I can't emphasize the importance of keeping good form.

PREVIEW Week 6: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water"  HOLY $#!T!  Just started week 6 workout one for the "second" portion of the Insanity program. If this program doesn't get you in shape... nothing will. Hang it up, that's a FACT!  I indeed was excited and a little nervous to start this week. My first surprise this morning was to see the average workout length (35-45 minutes)  jump to 59:30 sum seconds. It's no ho-hum workout. It literally beats you down... lets you get up, only to beat you down again..and again. The pool of sweat you end up residing in could now be considered one of the Great Lakes. 6 More days to go this week... BUT that might be extended. We are currently awaiting the birth of or first child- Millie Grace Batte! She is due any time but if she's a no show... We are "going in"!  Will keep you posted on both accounts none the less! Be Great!    

Update 6: 5/28/12
Week 6:  Hard... YES! Results? ...YES! Starting to see a significant change in my body. Not only are the flexibility and endurance improving but, the body fat is decreasing. My pants / shorts fit loose now. I can can synch my belt an extra hole without issue. My wife even stated my calf muscles are bigger and my belly fat is less. I can tell my arms and chest are more toned as well. Total weight loss is 6-8 lbs depending on when I weigh.

The workout is tough and you indeed have to pace yourself if you want to finish the 50-60 minute programs in the second half. Doing the first half sets you up for the second half of this program. You not only have a foundation to start with, but you learn when you can and can't push yourself. Setting a pace you can handle is the key to not getting burned out or discouraged. I will be posting some tips/pointers later on to help anyone going through the Insanity program or at least thinking about it. Knee and back pain are gone. Only notice a little knee "discomfort" when my legs are tired and I sit/kneel to a low seat or to the ground. Overall, no pain.

My wife and I are headed to the hospital tomorrow to have our first baby. Millie Grace Batte is scheduled to be here at some point tomorrow (5/29/12). Once the "dust settles", I will kick start week 7. Dig Deep, Be Great!

Update 7: 6/10/12
Millie Grace Batte - Our New Daughter
Bye Week :-) I know Insanity is a straight ~60 day program however... life happens. My wife and I just had our first baby (girl) on 5/29/12. Only a few complications near the end of the birth process but everyone is recovering well. That being said, for the past 2 weeks I was unable to get to the program. As you can imagine, we are all on a different schedule now. Don't fret, I crank up "Week 7" tomorrow. I will continue to post results, tips, and before and after photos once I'm done. Once my wife is cleared to start, she too wants to join in on the "Insanity" to get her pre-baby bod back.

I know my body has enjoyed the two weeks off but, I have noticed even with the time off...more weight seems to have come off. Clothes (pants/shorts) fit very looser now. Weight loss per the scale is 8-9 lbs total thus far. My wife also continues to report more definition in my muscles (calfs, chest, abs, and arms). Not having any pain in my knees or back. Everything feels pretty good and I'm excited to crank this up again and to see the end result soon! Thanks for reading, I will continue to keep you all posted!
Newborn Insanity Workout

Week 7 Still working through and digging deep! Still see the results too. The only thing I hate as of late isn't the program but not being able to get a routine down where I get a chance to get the session in. I'm back to work after my paternity leave. After working 9-10 hrs I come home and relieve my wife from her shift. I use to get my session in every morning at 5:30AM... This has changed to, when ever I can get it in and if I have more than 3 hours of sleep to survive the extensive workout! I can't stress the fact that you have to keep good form with the exercises or you will eventually hurt yourself. My knee pain is for the large part still gone unless I have a break down in form or I'm too tired. It then slightly reminds me... "I'm still lingering here". The second round of exercises still kicks your tail and I still require breaks as do the folks going through the workout with you. Weight loss is a solid 10 lbs so far with 2 weeks to go. Excited to post some results pics then and hopefully get my Insanity graduation shirt.

Working on my Insanity Survival Tips post that I will publish soon too. If any of you have questions or feedback, please feel free to hit me up!

Millie Chilling after a little Insanity! 

Week 8/Week 9 A new born has the ability to destroy any thing similar to a schedule haha! Found myself cranking up a workout and having to pause to do my fatherly duties. Workout continues to kick butt and take names. Haven't been able to get to the workout as much as I would like on a regular schedule, but that's life. Knee pain (more discomfort really) comes and goes with form/technique breakdown as I mentioned before. Weight loss ~12lbs. Still have to take the after photos and send it in to get my graduation shirt!!! About to post my Insanity Workout Survival Guide! Thanks for reading. I will continue to keep you all posted. My wife is going to start once she is cleared by her doctor. I will be joining her for my round two! Will be logging her and my result too! Thanks again for checking out my blog. Hope you visit again to see the photo results and the round two / post baby version of the Insanity workout! God Bless!

My "Insanity Workout Survival Guide" has been posted! Check it out here!

Thanks again for reading, will continue to keep you all posted.  If you have any questions or comments, hit me up here or on the Twitter @Batteman87


Click Image to check Amazon for prices.
I purchased mine form Amazon.

Update 8/7/12
Wanted to let everyone know that Round 2 of Insanity has started for me and Round 1 has started for my wife. Will be posting the pics later this week/weekend as I get a chance. Will also Have my wife guest post to share her thoughts. As you can imagine, after 9+ months of not doing any "real" exercise, this is a huge wake-up call. We finished Day 2 today and just a few hours after sitting, my wife had some difficulty walking because of the muscle fatigue. Can't wait to see the changes for both of us as we continue! I will be making a new Insanity journey post for everyone to follow. I will post the link here once I get it up! Thanks for reading!

Update 8/21/12
Newborns and hormonal women tend to tend to affect and destroy any semblance of a schedule... I hate it's taken me so long to upload the photos but here is round one of Insanity before (yikes! I blame it on recipe testing for the cookbook... yeah that sounds good.) and after (getting there). As you can see for yourself... If you put in the work, and do it at a pace that is right for you, you can get the results!


Thanks again for looking, reading, and commenting! 

26 comments:

  1. Awesome! Stumbled on your blog, did you ever end up finishing the last 2 weeks?

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    1. Hi there... Still working on it. Will be finishing Insanity soon. Will be updating this soon too. Had to take a little time off because of our new addition and some minor complications my wife had with the birth. Monday ramps up the final stretch of Insanity. Will keep you posted! Thanks for asking and for taking the time to look! Let me know if you have any other questions. I will be posting before and after photos once I am done too if your interested. Have a great day!

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  2. Came across your blog. I am in my 4 week of insanity work out . I am not sure I can finish it due to the pain in my knees. I saw where you said you had knee pain but that it went away, mine however is not.. Congrats on your new baby so pretty!

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    1. Thanks so much for the complement! Congrats on getting to WEEK 4!!! I'm still finishing the last bit of my Insanity workout. My Knee pain did get better. I still notice it some if my form breaks down. It's not as bad as it started out as. I want to say week 5 really was where it started to go away. I did use Aleve (store brand) daily and even put ice on my knees to get the inflammation down. Is your pain above the knee cap or is it below? I have a few suggestions depending where it is. I'm not going to tell you to take medicine but I would highly suggest ice for even 5-10 minutes. I think the ice helped the most. I also learned to stretch before I start, even if it was 2-3 minutes (just stretching my quads and hamstrings). Is there a specific exercise you do that makes you more aware of your knee pain? For me it was the switch kicks and some of the plank exercises. For this, I modified how I performed the exercise. The switch kicks I was trying to kick to high and I wasn't flexible enough yet so my knees took the stress. The fix- I didn't kick near as high. Made a huge difference. The planks, I would gently step back vs jumping and even sometimes allow for a little bend in my knee. This too helped me. Let me know when you feel it most and I'll be happy to try to help with suggestions. Thanks again too checking out my blog or at least finding it a commenting! "Dig Deep" !

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  3. Congratulations on your new addition to your family. My girlfriend and I are on our 2 week of insanity right now. Would love to see some before And after pictures. Keep up the work!!

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    1. I wish you the best with your Insanity journey! I am working on getting the before and after images up! I should have them up sooner than later. Then I want to put one up in my Insanity earned t-shirt! Stick with it, and "Dig Deeper"!

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  4. My husband and I just did the fit test this evening... And we are geared up! Thanks for your blog, it really helped to motivate me!

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    1. Thanks for reading! I remember the first fit test was a bear and I didn't know how I could improve! I was sucking air and rolling on the floor in a pool of sweat. But, come next fit test and the ones that followed, I indeed improved! It's tough.. but stick with it! It's amazing to see the changes and how you can do more. Just be sure to listen to your body. Know your limits and when to take a break. I'm excited to start round two with my wife. Will be posting more photos and will have her guest post for girl perspective / post baby perspective! Best of luck to you and your husband on your insanity journey! Say hello to your soon to be sore calf muscles haha! Too, stay in touch... let me know if you have any questions or just let me know your progress!

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  5. Hi Congrats on the birth of your daughter!! I came across your blog on Insanity work out I am wondering if I have bitten off more than I can handle. I am still 100 lbs over weight but I wanted to kick my weight loss in to over drive I have lost 40 lbs already in all of the commercials they don't really show people that are super over weight that have done this program. But I am fired up to do it!! I know this will kick my A$$ Thank you Angela

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    1. Thank you for the congrats! And more congrats to you for your great weight loss!!! Without a doubt, this program will kick your A$$! My best recommendation is to try everything at a slower pace. Almost a "walk-thru" pace maybe to get the hang of it. After all you have 60+ days! You indeed will get results out of it but don't compromise injuring yourself. If you find an exercise you just can't do, replace it with something else you can do! I believe you can do it, and your results will be great. It's a matter of sticking to it and modifying what needs to be modified until you can do what ever exercise you couldn't do before. My wife and I are looking to start up round 2 for me and round 1 for her next week. Will keep you posted and keep giving tips! Best of luck on your Insanity journey! Keep us posted too!

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  6. Congrats on the birth of your daughter, with your workout experience, I gonna start my beachbody insanity workout. Thanks for such a nice motivations.

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    1. Thanks for the congrats! Best of luck to you on your Insanity workout journey! My wife and I started up this week (round 2 for me round 1 for her post baby!) Looking forward to her perspective and watching her her better as I did, and as I know you can do too! Let me know if you have any questions or tips to share! "Dig Deeper!"

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  7. on week 8, this is when things get hot n heavy. I'm swapping insane abs for cardio abs and max sports interval for the core cardio balance. I've also manged to squeeze in a 3 day a week weight lifting program to increase lean mass. I think that's essential otherwise u just won't gain any significant size, you'll just get skinny. diet is key, if u workout ith insanity but don't tailor your nutritional intake, the only thing that gets better is your cardio.

    Stick with n try to stay consistent it's really hard to gauge tru results if u don't complete the program Start to finish. I know the same thing happened to me the first time around.

    Long term I don't thing that insanity is worth the physical abuse your body endures during the exercises. Is cool to switch it up though..

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    1. Week 8 does get hot and heavy haha! Thats great too that you have been able to get in the 3 extra days with free weights! I agree you won't get max size, but you will get some great tone and definition. Using your own body weight and doing the exercises correctly will also give you some pretty good size, but it really depends on your total goal. I disagree with your take on not following their diet. As long as your intake doesn't exceed your output you will lose weight and shape up as intended. I totally agree that using their included diet plan will get the maximum out of the program but I don't have the time and/or money to do that. I just watched what I ate using portion control and better options like fruit vs french fries. I used FatSecret.com to track calories in/out etc.
      This is a program you have to stick with and be pretty consistent with. But that can be said for everything. If you don't stick with what ever you want to do, you won't see the results.
      Insanity is a tough workout and not intended for everyone, but I wouldn't say that it's very abusive to the body. I think this is where knowing your body and it's limits comes into play. Modify things that you can't do with things you can. As for long term, any and all workouts need to change. This will confuse your muscles allowing for max benefit long term like most all of us desire! Plus doing the same thing over and over and over gets boring! Thats when you fall into the I don't feel like doing it trap. Thanks for your comments and keep up the great workouts!

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  8. Stumbled across your blog while researching this workout program. I had my first child 14 weeks ago and I'm thinking about starting it to get back into shape. I'm curious as to what your wife thinks of it so far....

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    1. Hi there! Congrats on your NEW BORN! If it's your first, like ours, its a whole new world! (For the better of course)! Lauren and I jumped in with both feet a few weeks ago, and boy was it eye opening for both of us. Lauren was surprised at how out of shape she had become in those 9+ months. That, on top of things shifting and moving bone/body wise with her muscles, ligaments, and bones still trying to "tighten" back up after baby hormones make everything lax so the baby can make its way into the world.
      She did have to go at a much slower pace and she had to avoid side jumps and a few other movements because they make her "hips/pelvis like its separating or moving funny". I'm working on her to write a little soon so be on the look out for that. She agrees that it's HARD! But, as she modifies, she still gets a good workout and can get through it utilizing a few recovery periods. Thanks for reading and again congrats to you and your family! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

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  9. Hi Jimmy,

    I really enjoyed reading this post. I can relate to the difficulties of the program. I started it on 01/12/2013. I am only in the first week and am already looking for outside motivational sources. I had read that a great way to stay motivated is to blog about your experience. I have been doing that. I keep a daily blog about my experience with the program. Please check it out sometime. Know that I actually have some viewers will help to keep me motivated to work out and post about it each day. Once again, fantastic results, and congratulations on the child. :)

    Eric B.

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    1. Thank you for you kind words! I will in deed check out your progress. Best of luck to you and yours! Dig Deep!!!!!

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  10. congrats on baby and work out success!!

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    1. Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate your comments! Thanks for checking out my post!

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  11. Your informational blog is great resource for lots of peoples because its having nice advice, so please you can create more like these. thanks for your wonderful sharing.fitness programs for men

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  12. This workout is awesome. If you follow it to a T, you can forget about these diet fads. Bought my program from Amazon. Anyone can use my promo code to get $25 off the regular price here: http://amzn.to/11c3BKk. You can also see other reviews, it's great.

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  13. I loved insanity! Great way to burn fat! Happy blogging wednesday!

    Insanity workout review

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  14. Hey Jimmy,
    Firstly a big congrats. She is a little cutie for sure. :)
    My fiancee and I just repeated week 3 (missed a few days) and we are both feeling a lot better although the results are hard to see as of yet. From your blog I think the main changes will come in month 2 so I am quite excited about that. This program is definitely a killer, especially on your legs but I've always sort of neglected my legs at the gym so this is proper payback and they do feel a lot stronger now.
    Keep up the awesome blog bro...

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  15. This program really works for you! The changes are quite evident, based on the before and after photos. And you did a great job on doing it in moderation. Body building is a hard task, but it doesn’t have to take much of your time. At least, you still have time to do your other duties. All the best!

    Nathaniel Quinn @ Superior Health Care

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  16. It was wondering if I could use this write-up on my other website, I will link it back to your website though.Great Thanks.
    best insanity workout

    ReplyDelete

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