Insanity workout - from one fatty to another.

Marcellus_08

Lets not walk on egg shells here. I'm still pretty high in the 200 lbs range. So this workout for me I have been told I couldn't do it, I wouldn't make it through it and just to stick with walking or simple workouts.
I did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, and LOVED it. Yes, it kicked my *kitten* and I STILL do my workouts the easy way because if I don't I end up stopping to catch my breath to many times or I quit all together.
I work out at home and needed something different from the 30 Day Shred, I LOVED it, had great progress with it, but I really wanted something else to do beside the same ole routine.

So tonight instead of sitting on my butt (which I totally enjoy) I decided to at least TRY this Insanity workout.
It was HARD for me. I live in an apartment so alot of the jumping I couldn't really get that into because it bangs so loudly just walking or shutting a door. So I still did them but not as fast or as high of jumps. I was pleased with what I did, I know I could do better but that is something I am working on. So here are just a few things.

1. I don't recommend doing this if you have bad knees. It involves tons of jumping and squatting.
2. I didn't like the breaks because it made my heart rate go down (Which I'm pretty sure this is only phase one that takes breaks considering you are writing down things to mark your progress for the next Body Test)
3. The calorie burn wasn't as much as I was hoping. All together the workout was about 27-30minutes(Warm up and Cool down). I burned 274.90 calories. Which isn't horrible. But I personally burn more with 30 Day Shred.
4. I FELT sore just doing the workouts. Usually I am sore after, but since it is such what I would call advanced workouts it was rough for me to keep going on certain things. *Some of you may not see this as a hard workout, but when you're still considered OBESE, a flight of stairs looks like hell*
5. I was pleased at how much I sweat haha. I base my workouts on my sweat. Which is weird. When I VERY FIRST started working out I did the Gazelle for 20 minutes and I was sweating from basically every pour in my body. The Gazelle no longer does anthing for me but make me feel lazy. But that's just me. I LOVE sweating during a workout. Makes me feel like I am actually doing something more then walking. After this workout my arms were sweating, my legs were sticky and my shirt..well..lets just say I need to wash my bra.

I totally recommend it so far, but then again I am only on day 1. Yeah, I may not be able to do EVERY workout as they do, or as extreme as they take it. But I do what I can, and I still sweat my *kitten* of and have a good time doing it.

If you are looking for a workout to burn calories I suggest 30 Day Shred
If you are looking for a workout to tone up and build endurance I think Insanity would be the way to go.

I'm going to go shower my stank-*kitten* now.
p.s My shins are throbbing.

alyssa92982

kudos to you for doing insanity! ive been pondering if i should give it a shot after p90x-i struggle with cardio so insanity will probably kill me. thanks for this post and good lluck to ya!

Marcellus_08

Thanks Alyssa:) How are you liking p90x?

change_happens

I think it has to do with the intensity you put into it. I will be purchasing a heart rate monitor before I start Insanity. I won't be starting until after the 30 Day Shred challenge. I figure after building some endurance with Jillian, I would at least be able to tackle something like Insanity.

I read, earlier today, that you can burn a lot of calories with this program. http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4164571

Maybe once you get into the harder levels you would burn more? I don't know... but I am anxious to see what others have to say.

trud72

i agree TOTALLY with you here on this one you can be fat and fit!

i am also still over 200lbs and walked the shred and all the other dvds i have i am about to do p90x i have watched it all and seems pretty easy(execpt all the pushups)!
i run,walk,dvd,crosstrainer the lot,,,i never miss exersice i always do min 2 things a day usually 3 even xmas day!

so sorry to say it people fattys can be fit! and we are proud of it too!

paige2390

Just a heads up.. You want your heart rate to go up and down, intervals are great for you, its what keeps your body from hitting a plato and keeps you burning fat consistently. Thats why you should jog or run then walk so your body doesnt get used to anything its just like switching up your workout because your muscles will become "used" to the activity you are doing and your goals will be harder to reach so you move on from swimming to running then to cycling.

Good luck!

I look forward to my tracker looking like yours!

Marcellus_08

Thanks for all the comments! Trud, I laughed at your fatty comment. It's true tho. I am totally a big girl but I'm not crazy out of shape. I could be better yes, we call can. But I'm making progress:)

Change_happens, I agree with you. Once the levels get harder I'm sure it will burn more.

Paige, I didn't know that actually! That makes me feel alot better. I'll have to stop pushing so hard and just enjoy the cool downs and breaks. haha. Best of luck to you as well!

smack1024

Hey Marcellus,
I just wanted to comment on a few things you posted. I have done almost all of the beach body products but i have to say that Insanity and Turbo Fire are by far my favorite!

First of all, i cannot agree more with you regarding your comments on sweat! If i am not dripping, i dont feel like i did anything. Insanity will def get you sweating, probably more than you have ever sweat in your life actually!

Next, i am not sure why your calorie count was so low. I have done the Jillian 30 day shred and a few other videos of hers too, but Insanity is def my biggest calorie burner of all my workouts. At a minimum i burn at least 500 calories for the beginner videos....and that is if i took a lot of breaks or just had a "blah" day. What type of heart rate / calorie count monitor do you have? Are you sure its working?

My other suggestion is shoes.....i noticed you put a comment about your shins. When i had first started my feet muscles and shins were so sore. I had to do shin stretches and until i got into month two, the soreness didnt stop with my feet.....guess those were out of shape too! In any case, becuase it is so much plyo and jumping, make sure to get the best pair of shoes you can find. It makes all the difference in the world.

Let me know if you have any quesitons, otherwise, best of luck to you and push your self to finish the program. You will see amazing results and feel the best you have ever felt in your life! Be proud of yourself....i know a ton of people who have tried the program and stopped after one day or just watched me workout and said there was no way they would ever try it! And just remember, when you want to quit.....as Shaun T says....Dig Deeper........ha ha....just joking, i usually have to take breaks at that point!!!

Tankplanker

I would have been about 220, 230 lbs (I'm 5'8") when I started Insanity and boy did I feel it. Which workout did you do as ~30 minutes sounds a bit short for any of the normal Insanity workouts? Most of the Pure (stage 1) workouts are around 45 minutes, and the Max (stage 2) are nearer an hour. I'd burn anything from 600 to over 800 calories depending on the workout.

If you can't jump because of noise then I would consider another workout, jumping is vital to the workouts, something like Turbo Fire that has a much smaller percentage of jumping in it. I'm doing Asylum now, and there is even more jumping in that.

The soreness will go, but it will take a few weeks, I did extra stretching as there isn't enough in Insanity for me to help with this.

Marcellus_08

It was just the "Body Test" workout. It was only 30 minutes. Then after that they start at 45 minutes I think.