Going Insane pt 5 - The Sleeping Giant
BigDougie1211
Posts: 3,531 Member
2 weeks down - what can I say?
I'm happy with my progress and to quote Cam from Modern Family
" I'm excited for me ".
My 2nd fitness test was an improvement on the first and, really, what more can I ask for other than improvement?
( I've checked and a night with Pink and a few bottles of Jim Beam isn't an option - stuck up celebrities, think they're better than us )
I won't bore you with the stats, until I've completed the program, but suffice to say there was enough of an increase for me to assume that it's at least partly down to an increase in fitness, rather than just familiarity with the moves resulting in better co-ordination.
My previously sluggish day has, so far, proven to be just an increasingly insignificant bump in an otherwise enjoyable road. In short, things seem to be going well.
I'm suffering from an interesting side effect though - and to explain it's significance, I'll need to go back, through the mists of time and space, to a simpler era. A time when good guys wore white, and bad guys wore black. When beautiful maidens waited patiently to be rescued from towers and the mobile/cell phone was ( at least here in Belfast anyway ) seen as a clear sign that the holder was drug dealer. Seriously, I can actually remember them being banned from bars.
Back then I was a lot slimmer and fitter. Weren't we all, I hear you cry and yes, I suppose we were, but this is my story so be quiet. I played a lot of sports, Football or soccer to any U.S. readers, Gaelic Football, Basketball and Hurling. ( If you're not familiar with the noble art of Hurling, it's been described as a cross between Hockey and Homicide and is recognised by Guiness as being officially the quickest field sport on the planet. Youtube it, it's awesome ).
Anyway, I played most of these sports to a pretty high standard. I was VERY competitive and damn good before age, injuries and alcohol ganged up on me and took their toll. ( If I'm honest, Kebabs and Pizza may have landed a few sneaky punches as well )
At the time though, I was absolutely consumed by my sports. I would spend days after a game analysing my performance, working out why and how we'd won or lost. Was the guy I was up against left or right sided? Quicker or Stronger than me? Was there a weakness I hadn't spotted or one I'd displayed myself and let him exploit.
If I won, I wanted to know WHY. I wanted to make sure I won by a bigger margin next time. If I lost, then there was no way it was happening twice.
I would replay games over and over in my head.
Converesly though, I would PRE-PLAY games over and over as well. I would try to anticipate how a game would go. What would my role be? How would I need to adjust my approach. At times I would just visualise certain in game situations and even specific skills or moves over and over again, so that when the game came around, I was ready. I was in the right mind set and when that scenario arose, I knew how I would react. I would lie awake at night playing games over and over in my head. On the Bus, sitting in class, in work - everywhere.
On reflection that ridiculous tendency towards analysis and preparation probably facilitated my movement into coaching when I finally had to give up on playing at any remotely competitive level.
But now with Insanity, I've noticed that I'm thinking about my next work-out in similar terms. What went badly last time? Where could I improve? Could my transitions between moves be more efficient? Is my hand placement optimal? Am I in the air for long enough? Is the stretching benefitting me or can I improve how I approach it?
That competitive fire is sparking again. That will to win is coming back.
I actually found myself in bed last night thinking about todays work out. It was Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs ( this will only be my 2nd go at Cardio Abs ). Last night I watched myself do the whole work out from start to finish and this morning, I executed it far better than last time.
All of a sudden a fire I thought long extinguished has been re-lit. The old competitive me is starting to re-surface. Maybe it's Shaun T's shouting at me, maybe it's having no-one to answer to, measure up against or blame but myself, or maybe Tania just winds me up. But something has stirred.
I've previously described Insanity as being like a boxing match for me.
The circuits are rounds and it's all about staying on my feet until the final bell.
I stand by that.
But now, I'm not just hanging in there, I'm up for the fight!
I'm happy with my progress and to quote Cam from Modern Family
" I'm excited for me ".
My 2nd fitness test was an improvement on the first and, really, what more can I ask for other than improvement?
( I've checked and a night with Pink and a few bottles of Jim Beam isn't an option - stuck up celebrities, think they're better than us )
I won't bore you with the stats, until I've completed the program, but suffice to say there was enough of an increase for me to assume that it's at least partly down to an increase in fitness, rather than just familiarity with the moves resulting in better co-ordination.
My previously sluggish day has, so far, proven to be just an increasingly insignificant bump in an otherwise enjoyable road. In short, things seem to be going well.
I'm suffering from an interesting side effect though - and to explain it's significance, I'll need to go back, through the mists of time and space, to a simpler era. A time when good guys wore white, and bad guys wore black. When beautiful maidens waited patiently to be rescued from towers and the mobile/cell phone was ( at least here in Belfast anyway ) seen as a clear sign that the holder was drug dealer. Seriously, I can actually remember them being banned from bars.
Back then I was a lot slimmer and fitter. Weren't we all, I hear you cry and yes, I suppose we were, but this is my story so be quiet. I played a lot of sports, Football or soccer to any U.S. readers, Gaelic Football, Basketball and Hurling. ( If you're not familiar with the noble art of Hurling, it's been described as a cross between Hockey and Homicide and is recognised by Guiness as being officially the quickest field sport on the planet. Youtube it, it's awesome ).
Anyway, I played most of these sports to a pretty high standard. I was VERY competitive and damn good before age, injuries and alcohol ganged up on me and took their toll. ( If I'm honest, Kebabs and Pizza may have landed a few sneaky punches as well )
At the time though, I was absolutely consumed by my sports. I would spend days after a game analysing my performance, working out why and how we'd won or lost. Was the guy I was up against left or right sided? Quicker or Stronger than me? Was there a weakness I hadn't spotted or one I'd displayed myself and let him exploit.
If I won, I wanted to know WHY. I wanted to make sure I won by a bigger margin next time. If I lost, then there was no way it was happening twice.
I would replay games over and over in my head.
Converesly though, I would PRE-PLAY games over and over as well. I would try to anticipate how a game would go. What would my role be? How would I need to adjust my approach. At times I would just visualise certain in game situations and even specific skills or moves over and over again, so that when the game came around, I was ready. I was in the right mind set and when that scenario arose, I knew how I would react. I would lie awake at night playing games over and over in my head. On the Bus, sitting in class, in work - everywhere.
On reflection that ridiculous tendency towards analysis and preparation probably facilitated my movement into coaching when I finally had to give up on playing at any remotely competitive level.
But now with Insanity, I've noticed that I'm thinking about my next work-out in similar terms. What went badly last time? Where could I improve? Could my transitions between moves be more efficient? Is my hand placement optimal? Am I in the air for long enough? Is the stretching benefitting me or can I improve how I approach it?
That competitive fire is sparking again. That will to win is coming back.
I actually found myself in bed last night thinking about todays work out. It was Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs ( this will only be my 2nd go at Cardio Abs ). Last night I watched myself do the whole work out from start to finish and this morning, I executed it far better than last time.
All of a sudden a fire I thought long extinguished has been re-lit. The old competitive me is starting to re-surface. Maybe it's Shaun T's shouting at me, maybe it's having no-one to answer to, measure up against or blame but myself, or maybe Tania just winds me up. But something has stirred.
I've previously described Insanity as being like a boxing match for me.
The circuits are rounds and it's all about staying on my feet until the final bell.
I stand by that.
But now, I'm not just hanging in there, I'm up for the fight!
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