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.