Insanity Asylum Volume 1

In my quest to do a program that I had not yet done before, I decided that I wanted to up my cardio game.

What better way to do that than with Shaun T?  And it's only a 30 day program....how hard can it be?

Well, this program was a challenge...not only physically, but even more so mentally.

I am not an athlete.

I am the one who barely made the 8 minute mile in high school field hockey.  I am the one who just strived for beating my "personal best" during track.  I am the one who was told, "you'd think you'd be better at field hockey since you are so low to the ground" and "Why do you want to do winter track again?  It's not like you are any good."

So....while Shaun was yelling about being an athlete, I had the voice in my head saying, "but I'm not an athlete."  When he was telling me to push, I thought, "maybe it isn't a big deal if I give up."

But here I am, after 30 days...and I did not give up.  Did I stop and catch my breath often?  Yes.  Did I sometimes have to convince myself to keep going?  Yes.  But I did it.  And someday, I'm going to try and do it again....and maybe beat my personal bests.

Equipment:

I ordered an agility ladder and jump rope.  I already had weights, but bands would have done the trick, also.  Shaun uses bands that wrap around his ankles for a couple moves, but I was happy not to have them.

Day 1:  Speed and Agility

Oh my Lord, what did I get myself into?  One, I have not jumped rope since I was a kid.....so to do anything besides basic jumping just wasn't happening.  I had to toss the rope aside and follow the modifier (who does the moves without an actual rope).  I also could not make it the entire time through a LOT of the moves!  I was on my knees quite a bit and tripping over the agility ladder....but that just means there's room for improvement, right?  Boy, I hope so!

Day 2:  Strength

This workout should actually be called, "make your upper body feel like jell-o."  I used my 8 lb. weights for this workout, but I also stopped during a few of the moves.  This is going to be a challenge.

Day 3:  Back to Core

This workout focuses on your entire core....including (and mostly) your back.  The various warm up jacks had me sore before we even began!  It is definitely a nice change of pace as far as NOT being cardio focused....however, this does not mean you will not sweat or be sore.  This is also the video where I realized I need a band.  Luckily, I have a resistance band that works.

Day 4:  Vertical Plyo

This workout scared me from the beginning, but I had to just keep telling myself that I needed to push as hard as I could, break when I needed to, and get back into it as fast as possible.  This workout makes you jump until you just can't jump anymore.....and then do it anyways.  Shaun uses bands during some of the moves, but I'm just not there yet!  It's got to get easier, right?

Day 5:  Rest Day

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!  That's all I have to say.

Day 6-9:  Repeat of Week 1

Is it still hard?  Yes.  Is it better than last week?  Yes.  Do I still feel like I am extremely uncoordinated and have no endurance?  Yes.  This tells me I still need this program....onward I go...

Day 10:  Relief

This really is a rest day....but Relief is NECESSARY.  It is 25 minutes of stretching those sore muscles.  My calves thanked me.

Day 11:  Game Day

This is 60 minutes of non-stop torture....I mean work.  You're going to do a mile run, a 100 meter dash, play soccer, football, tennis, basketball, do long jump, wrestle, swim.....  It is back to back motion.  I'm thinking I lost every competition there was on this day, but I'm looking forward to seeing some sort of progress when it pops up on the calendar again (please tell me I've got a while...).

Day 12:  Back to Core

My upper body is screaming from yesterday's Game Day.....but onward I go.  I still had to shake things out a couple times that were not actually in the workout, but I am seeing progress...

Day 13:  Strength

After these last couple of days, I felt as though I had none (strength, that is).  Those curl/squat/up/down/plank/push-up/spider/mountain climbers get me every time.  I just can't do all of the reps......yet.....

Day 14:  Relief

If I could have kissed Shaun, I would have.  This stretch was absolutely needed!

Day 15:  Speed & Agility

This day marks the halfway point of the entire program.  I'm pretty sure I've made progress over the last time I did this workout, but OH MY GOD does it kill me!  I cannot get to the third box on the ladder in the mountain climber progressions and have to stop and catch my breath throughout the ENTIRE workout.....but it definitely is a great workout!

Day 16-20:  Vertical Plyo x2, Strength, Relief....oh....and Game Day with Overtime...

Although still extremely challenging, I saw improvement in the workouts these five days!  I could do more of the curl/squat/up/down.... and did not have to take extra breaks in Back to Core's Warrior holds and pulses!  Game Day completely wiped me out, so I did not add in Overtime, but I did push harder and get more reps of everything in!

Day 21-25:

This is when I started to really hit the wall.  This is when I kept hearing that voice in my head saying, "You aren't an athlete.  Why are you doing this program?  It is too hard for you."  This is when I had to push through and remind myself that I am almost done.  The days that I actually saw improvements were great.  The days when I was just feeling mentally weak, were not.  But I got through.

Day 26-30:

Vertical Plyo just did not get any easier....but it was nice to do it for the last time! In fact, I have to say, what got me through each of these was, one, knowing that 2 of the five days was a Relief Day and the Fit Test, and, two, knowing that it was the LAST time doing these other three workouts!

Results:

One, I did not follow the nutrition guide and did not adjust my calorie intake from my last program.  This was a mistake.  That said -

There was no change in weight or inches....but considering I did not follow the nutrition guide and DID over do it a bit on the ice cream, I'm fine with that.

Endurance:  I have noticed a HUGE improvement in my endurance during other cardio activities...whether it is going for a hike, running up and down the stairs at home, or doing other workouts.

Overall, this program definitely helped me to increase my cardio endurance and increase my overall fitness level.  If I had really wanted to lose weight, I would have had to have followed the nutrition plan, or at leas adjusted what I was eating.

Do I recommend this program for beginners?  No.  In fact, I don't think I was really ready for it, but I'm very glad that I did it.....and I'll probably do it again much later down the road....just to see if I can.  If you ARE an athlete, and want to up your game, I highly recommend this program.  If you don't really consider yourself to be an athlete, but are in decent shape and want to push yourself...try it out!  It WILL push you.

You can find Insanity:  Asylum here or it is also available On Demand.  You can sign up for a 30 day free trial of On Demand here (hmmmm...Asylum is a 30 Day program....).  Specific questions about the program?  Comment below.

22 Minute Hard Corps

So, after Hammer & Chisel with Autumn and Sagi, I really wanted to head back to another workout with Shaun.....but Tony came out with HIS new program.....SOOOOO.....

Just a small disclaimer...nutrition + fitness + support will create success.  If any of those components are off, you will not see the results that you could....and my nutrition has been OFF.  The first two weeks of the program, I was out of control with Easter candy, Oreos and ice cream.  I reigned it in during week three, but still had more than I should have....and then vacationed at Disney during week 6....AND, caught strep, some sinus thing and conjunctivitis towards the end of that week, so I was down for the count for almost a week at that time....THEN...came Teacher Appreciation Week....with brownies and Boston Cream Pie and cupcakes...SO....The fitness portion of this program was followed (with that 5 day hiatus in there).  The nutrition portion was used more as a guide.

What do you need?

This program is pretty back to basics, so the cardio workouts do not require any equipment.  The resistance workouts do use some light/medium weights and you can even use the sandbag included in the Challenge Pack and Deluxe Kit (sand not included....but it was only $3.90 for a 50 lb. bag at Lowe's...and I only needed 15 lbs.).  You'll also be doing pull-ups, so a pull-up bar or bands with a door attachment would be helpful.  I actually purchased  a pull-up assist so that I could do "real" pull-ups....with help.

The Workouts:

Now...I get bored easily.  Doing the same workout a few days per week would turn me off very quickly....even if it is challenging.  That said, I was a bit nervous about a program that only really had 6 different workouts.  That is why I am glad that I purchased the Special Ops dvds.  It added a little more variety so that I didn't feel bored with the program.  On that same note....this program challenged me enough that I was not feeling like I "mastered" any of the workouts within the first four weeks.

Cardio 1: 

This is 22 minutes of basic moves that really make you sweat!  You get enough of a breather between moves for Tony to explain what you will do, but other than that....you are on the move.  Burpees, bear crawls, T-Jacks, and more.  Nothing fancy, but it gets your heart pumping.  And by the end of the 22 minutes....you'll have done 82 burpees.  Yeah.

Cardio 2:

I like the change in moves from Cardio 1....but it is NOT any easier.  In fact, those gorilla crawls kicked my butt and I had to modify the water bugs.  It is 22 minutes of non-stop work!  Yes, you still get the demos during the first round and you get two 22 second breaks, but that is just enough time to catch your breath before jumping right back in.

Cardio 3:

This workout takes cardio to a whole new level!  You are up and down throughout the entire workout, either doing jumping/spinning burpees or what Autumn calls Surrenders.  The first time this workout showed up on the calendar, I couldn't make all of the reps of every move.

Resistance 1:

Push ups, pull-ups, rowing lunges, squat thrusts, and punching crunches.  It sounds easy, but my upper body was SCREAMING.  Week one, day two, I thought, "I can use my 15 lb. sandbag for this."  That 15 pounds was HEAVY!!  On day one, I had to drop the bag in the third round and pick up lighter weights....and didn't even make it to round three with the bag the next time it came up on the calendar!

Resistance 2:

Each move is so simple.....but that doesn't mean the workout is easy.  I was gasping for air after the first move.  Starting out with 20 weighted burpees gets your heart pumping and jump squats keep it hammering.  Thank God this workout goes by VERY quickly...and there is no bonus round at the end!

Resistance 3:

Oh. My. God.  This workout pops up in week four and my heart rate was up in the "peak" range for the entire second half of the workout.  I was happy to not need to do any pull-ups or chin-ups....but, instead, there are plyo push-ups and jumping lunges while pushing a sandbag over your head.  Oh!  And I never thought I would dread lying down and getting back up....but doing it with a sandbag over your shoulder????  I SOOOO wanted to stay on the ground!  This kicked my butt.....however...again...it's ONLY 22 minutes!

Core 1:

What I absolutely love about this workout is that you are only doing 11 reps of each exercise...SO...even if it is hard, it's over before you know it!  That 15 lb. sandbag was a bit heavy for the rowing figure 8 things....but I was able to push through for 11 reps and be done with it!

Core 2:

Ummmmm..so....that thing I liked about Core 1....well....Core 2 is all the same moves, no demos, 22 reps of EVERYTHING.  OUCH!  My goal the first couple times that I did this was to make it to at least 15 reps of each move!

Special Ops Cardio*:

When the daily directive is to "embrace the suck" you know you are in for it!  Wow!  We started out with 70 weighted push jacks....HELLO????  That's just the beginning!  That 15 lb. sandbag did not make it through all 70!  I had to watch the rolling, sandbag burpee things a couple times before trying them and, the rest of the moves did not get easier.  They are do-able....don't get me wrong...but, boy do they push you!!  I had to put down the sandbag and the weights and catch my breath throughout a good portion of this routine.

Special Ops Resistance*:

You'll need a sandbag or weights for the clean presses in this workout and a bar or band for the track start pull-ups, but nothing else requires equipment.  Don't let that fool you into thinking it is easy.  California rolls?  Really?  This is like the stop, drop and roll of Hard Corps.  You may only be doing five moves, but it will get your heart rate pumping.

Special Ops Core*:

Oh - My - God.  Core 1 was something that I was able to do fairly well.  THIS video, however....it's 22 reps of some crazy moves that work your core HARD!  I threw this in during week 2 and my goal, like in Core 2, was to do at least 15 reps of each of the moves!  This is one that I felt for a couple days after doing!

Hell Week:

The optional doubles schedules can be added to this eight week program.  This not only gives you a ninth week, but pushes you to your limits.  It is seven straight days of doubling up on workouts.  Cardio days involve 2 of the cardio workouts plus Core 2.  Resistance days require two resistance workouts.

Results:

I really wish I had gotten my nutrition under control during this program, but I am still happy with the results.  With the pints of Haagan Daz and other junk food that I was eating, I probably SHOULD have gained 10-15 pounds.  Instead, I held steady at the same weight.  I lost a half inch, which isn't much, but imagine what would have happened if I had actually reigned in my nutrition!!

Will I do this program again?  Absolutely!


Looking to try 22 Minute Hard Corps?  You can get access to this and EVERY OTHER program for an entire year, along with a month of Shakeology and the portion fix containers.  Click here for more information.

Prefer just this program on discs?  Click here.