Insanity: The Asylum - beginning 5/30/11 - NEED SUPPORT!

melcowenfitness
melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone,

I start The Asylum tomorrow and am very much looking for support! If you've done (or will be doing) Asylum or any other "extreme" program, I'd love for you to join me here to help keep each other motivated!

Thanks!

Mel
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Replies

  • wdwghettogirl
    wdwghettogirl Posts: 559 Member
    I'm starting Insanity tomorrow (not Asylum). I'll need support too. We can DO IT!!
  • summer_anne
    summer_anne Posts: 35
    i just finished my first week of ASYLUM i love it
  • road2peachtree
    road2peachtree Posts: 294 Member
    I actually JUST finished Insanity and I think I'm going to take a couple of weeks off and then hit the Asylum. I'll check back and see how you're doing....it looks tough.
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    I'm starting Insanity tomorrow (not Asylum). I'll need support too. We can DO IT!!

    I just finished TurboFire and Chalean Extreme hybrid... I've done Insanity, but it's been a few months. Insanity was the toughest workout I've ever done! Soooo.... a little nervous about what Asylum will be like! I did the Fit Test and although I was pleasantly surprised by how many reps I could do of each activity, I confirmed that I really need to work on my form!

    Very much looking forward to improving my agility and speed!

    Keep me posted on your Insanity challenges & triumphs! Look forward to hearing about them!

    Mel
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    I'm starting P90X tomorrow! Still figuring out whether I should be excited or scared :wink:
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    I'm starting P90X tomorrow! Still figuring out whether I should be excited or scared :wink:

    I started with P90X - tough.... but I LOVED it! It's an amazing workout program... be excited!
  • BomDiggity
    BomDiggity Posts: 14 Member
    I've never heard of this program. What is it?
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    I've never heard of this program. What is it?

    It's a high intensity sports performance workout program put out by Beachbody. I'm hoping it'll help me improve my agility and speed... I'm definitely not a "pro" athlete, but I enjoy the challenge!
  • simplysara9
    simplysara9 Posts: 521
    I am on day 5 of Insanity and would love to join a group for high intensity interval training! I could use all of the support I can get right now and through the ~60 days!
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Welcome Sara! You've got support right here! Glad to have you with us.
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Today was Day 2 - Strength... I'm much more comfortable with the weight training day then the cardio day! Chalean Extreme prepped me well for today's workout!

    How's everyone else doing?
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Day 4: Vertical Plyo - aka Death by Jumping! Holy cow!:love: I knew I needed help with shoulder strength... but doing meaningful exercises with my legs was tough! This is one tough workout program but I am so loving it because I know it's going to help with my problem areas - like strength in upper & lower body, speed, agility - I really need to learn how to control where my body goes during exercises... be more aware of form, etc.

    What are you doing to improve your overall health? How do you push yourself to move up to the next level? I would love to hear all about it!
  • wdwghettogirl
    wdwghettogirl Posts: 559 Member
    OMG I am LOVING Insanity!! It is so hard, and I sweat so much it's like I'm standing under a shower head! I've discovered my quads are not as strong as I thought they were. They're usually spent by the end of the warm up and stretch, but then I have to push thru the work out itself. So it's a toughy. But I love it!! And I feel so good when I can keep up with the reps. I may not be as high intensity as some of those people, but if I can keep up with the reps, I'll get stronger and the higher intensity will come. :) I love it! I'm taking it home with me this weekend to visit fam and maybe my mom will try it out with me. :) My younger bro is excited to try it when he gets home from college too. We're just one big, Insane family! lol
  • foreverjade
    foreverjade Posts: 213 Member
    ME TOO ME TOO!!!

    I did the fit/agility test on Sunday, speed and agility on Monday and strength yesterday. I LOVED STRENGTH!!! My favourite weight workout ever, and i have done all the Beachbody staples!

    I know I haven't done Vertical Plyo or Game day yet.... so i'm totally jinxing myself by saying this.... but INSANITY was WAY harder! My first week of Insanity I was ready to puke 3 or 4 times per workout and Aslyum seems far less hard, but maybe because i'm in great shape from Insanity (that's sarcasm btw, lol). Looking forward to Asylum getting much harder and kicking my butt. Otherwise I will have to switch over to the Asylum/Insanity hybrid in the next couple weeks.
  • simplysara9
    simplysara9 Posts: 521
    I made it through my first week of Insanity and started week 2 yesterday. The first week was torture and I was sore everyday! After the first workout I could barely walk the next morning at work (which isn't good because I am on my feet all day!). I am finally comfortable with the workouts and do modify some of the moves because they are too difficult to do with my weight. I am actually enjoying the program and breaking a sweat during the warm up!

    I am not sure what is going on with me today though. I am super tired and can barely stay awake. I am going to eat lunch and lay down for a bit and hopefully be better to workout later this afternoon. I am not use to working out 6 days a week so I think it might have finally caught up to me! I am just afraid if I take another day off (besides what I am scheduled) that I will not stay on track and will never finish! I hope I get through this rut this afternoon and can continue on!
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
    That is interesting to hear that Asylum is not as hard as Insanity....I have been mixing Insanity with Spinning and weights now for about 5 weeks maybe....it is a great mix. I use dfferent DVD's for my weights (Jackie Warner, The FIrm, Bob Harper) and then do 2 to 3 Insanities and then hop on my spin bike, or I will do a spin DVD....I am pretty happy with this routine for now. I think it gives me plenty of variety...I ran last week 3 miles and was so sore. It is interesting how different workouts can make you sore.....I have been sore for 2 weeks, so I guess I am doing something right! Keep us updated on the Asylum....I was thinking of going to TurboFire next....any thoughts on that one?
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Wow! So many posts to reply to!

    @lauristewart - I'm only on Day 4 of Asylum and would agree that it's not "as hard" (so far!) as Insanity but I think it's because every day of Insanity is an intense cardio workout whereas 2 of the 4 days of Asylum have been cardio and the other 2 have been more strength training. As for TurboFire - I LOVE IT! It is by far the most fun yet intense workout I've ever done. I swear it's like a natural drug that leaves you addicted to the workouts. It's hard to stay away from it! I just finished a TurboFire/Chalean Extreme hybrid and will definitely be incorporating both back into my workouts once I'm done with Asylum.

    @simplysara9 - definitely look at the amount of calories you are taking in. Because of the intensity of the workout, you really need to bump up your calories so you don't bonk. I had the same problem when I first did Insanity. Use this Nutrition Guide to help you... http://tinyurl.com/intenseworkoutguide - There's an attachment there - all you have to do is plug in your numbers to figure out the total # of calories you should be eating every day. It comes straight out of the Insanity guide book; just someone else did a nice excel spreadsheet to do the work for you!

    @foreverjade - I too am interested to see how this progresses. Vertical Plyo today - Shaun T had me doing some wicked jumps WITH bands on.... My legs are still Jello 12+ hours later!

    @wdwghettogirl - Keep up the good work with Insanity! I hear ya on the sweating! I just hate it when it gets in my eyes!

    I've been vlogging my workouts every morning as a way to show others "my age" that it doesn't matter how old you are, anyone can get into shape. If anyone wants to see what Shaun T tortures me with on a daily basis, you can go to my Facebook page any time to check it out! www.facebook.com/melcowenfitness2 --- some videos are just too dang funny because of my lack of agility! But I'm okay with having fun with myself! I know improvement is just around the corner.

    Great job ladies! Keep up the good work.
  • simplysara9
    simplysara9 Posts: 521
    I wear my heart rate monitor for every workout so I know what I am burning and I eat most if not all of those calories back.

    A lot of people at work have been sick lately and I just think it is finally catching up to me. I haven't been sick yet this year. I am hoping some rest and vitamin C will do the trick!
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    I would still recommend checking the calorie calculator. Insanity requires a significant amount of calories to be consumed to keep up your energy and to lose weight.
  • foreverjade
    foreverjade Posts: 213 Member
    Just finished Back to Core.... Not my favourite!!! Holy it was painful and such a low calorie burn. I know I can't quit it though because those damn swimming exercises killed me!! Can't wait to get some serious cardio in with Vertical Plyo... don't know if I agree with the way the week 1 schedule was set up...


    Lauri - TurboFire is AWESOME. seriously so much fun! However, if you are used to high calorie burns and hard kore workouts (which from your schedule, it seems like you are), then you will likely be disappointed. While I found TF super hard for about a week, I adjusted quickly. Now, I still use TF workouts on days that I feel lazy or on a scheduled "rest day" (which I never take). I don't think I'll ever quit using TF completely though bc I love doing it.... but I couldn't use it exclusively for a cal burn and I hated the strength workouts that were included in it.
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Today was the 2nd time I did Speed & Agility - actually did better than the 1st time; even with that stupid jump rope! My daughter was teasing me asking if I missed that day in elementary school!

    So for those of you who are doing a tough workout program and not sure why you continue, or wondering if you should continue - DO IT! You will gain more strength and endurance, feel really great physically and emotionally, and it gives you a whole new perspective on life - you will find that you are capable of more than you every thought possible!
  • wdwghettogirl
    wdwghettogirl Posts: 559 Member
    Today completed week 1 of Insanity. Today and yesterday I've been home visiting my fam and my mom has done it with me both days! So proud of her! I love it... the intensity is so awesome. I love pushing myself. Even challenging dvds get easier after a while because you get used to them... I love that Insanity will continue to be a challenge always because the whole point is to keep pushing yourself further and harder than the last time. It's amazing. Love, love, love! :)
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    That's awesome that your mom was able to do it with you! She must be in pretty good shape?!?

    Every day I did Insanity, a thought would pop into my head - "Holy Crap! Really????"... but I'd let that thought subside and before I knew it, the workout was done!

    Glad to hear Insanity is meeting your expectations! Looking forward to hearing about the progress you're going to make over the coming weeks!
  • the1dynasty
    the1dynasty Posts: 3
    I finished Asylum May 18th... i had the same exact thought about it being easier than Insanity... but for some reason, it just got harder and harder as the days went on... i guess that's b/c my form got more focused and my intensity level increased... in other words, mentally it seemed easier, but it definitely got harder... especially Gameday+Overtime lol...

    i gained 2.5lbs on Asylum but lost 2.7% body fat and 2" on my waist... my improvements on the fit test also proved that i actually got better... tho my shoulder started giving me trouble near the end and it affected some of my results...

    overall great program!!! i'm currently on Day 12 of Asylum/Insanity Hybrid!!

    lmk if u want me to post b4/after pics for Asylum!!
  • simplysara9
    simplysara9 Posts: 521
    I am almost done with week two of Insanity. Tomorrow I have a workout then Tuesday is my rest day. The program is getting easier in terms of knowing what to do and having the correct form but it is getting harder because I am using more intensity now. I am no longer watching Shaun T on the screen and am actually facing away from the TV so I do not get distracted by comparing myself to the people on the screen. I have been doing more reps now that I am not watching the other people. It is definitely a good workout.
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    I finished Asylum May 18th... i had the same exact thought about it being easier than Insanity... but for some reason, it just got harder and harder as the days went on... i guess that's b/c my form got more focused and my intensity level increased... in other words, mentally it seemed easier, but it definitely got harder... especially Gameday+Overtime lol...

    i gained 2.5lbs on Asylum but lost 2.7% body fat and 2" on my waist... my improvements on the fit test also proved that i actually got better... tho my shoulder started giving me trouble near the end and it affected some of my results...

    overall great program!!! i'm currently on Day 12 of Asylum/Insanity Hybrid!!

    lmk if u want me to post b4/after pics for Asylum!!

    I'm seriously not looking forward to Game Day PLUS Overtime! But that's over a week away and I'm hopeful!

    I would be shocked if I didn't see more definition in my abs too when I'm done - almost everything I do for these workouts involves the core.

    Would love for you to post your before and after pics as well as your Fit Test stats. How are you liking the hybrid?
  • foreverjade
    foreverjade Posts: 213 Member
    Holy Vertical Plyo is hard!!! My legs hurt so bad... can't move forward or down stairs! lol I love it!

    I decided to change up the schedule to make more sense to me and my life -- going to alternate cardio and strength days for this week. Did strength yesterday, will do speed and agility today, 'rest day' (i am going rock climbing), vertical plyo, back to core, and GAME DAY as day 1 of next week! woo can't wait.
  • Evenbetter
    Evenbetter Posts: 20 Member
    What is Asylum and Insanity? I'm reading about you guys doing these and curious.
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    What is Asylum and Insanity? I'm reading about you guys doing these and curious.

    They're both Beachbody workout programs that you can do at home. Insanity came out 1st and is high intensity cardio. Asylum is also high intensity but alternates cardio with strength training - it's supposed to be more "sports" focused and improve speed and agility.

    Let me know if you want to know more - glad to share!
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Second time around with Vertical Plyo - able to do a little more and jump a little further than the 1st time around!

    How's everyone else doing with your workout?
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