I’ve completed one round of Power 90 and one round of Power 90 Master Series and am on my second week of P90X (but I started the first week about a month ago).

Saturday (1/16/10) Chest and Back – After a little break it was harder getting through the entire routine with the same weights and reps I had been up to, got about 3/4 of the way through before hitting a wall. Hope next week I can push through and be back on track.

Sunday (1/17/10) Plyometrics (Plyo X) – I had recorded the new P90X infomercial and sat down to watch it with my wife who blew off the gym today. A little more than half way through she said “Let’s go work out”. The workout room has the baseboard radiators closed off so it’s usually cold with the sub 30 degree (F) New England temps and she thought it was freezing and too cold to work out. Once the warm-up was done I asked if I should open the window as it felt pretty hot and we were starting to sweat… She made it about half way through before getting nauseous and calling it a night. I wasn’t far behind her.

Monday (1/18/10) Shoulders and Arms – I made it a little more than half way through (to the first round of Two-Angle Shoulder Flyes) when my elbow started to hurt. I’ve had surgery for persistent Lateral Epicondylitis, or tennis elbow and still get pain when I push it. I don’t want to go through another surgery and months of recovery so I tend to be more cautions now.

Tuesday (1/19/10) Yoga X – This goes way beyond the Power 90 yoga that was mixed in with the workout routines! This is the first time I’ve made it through the whole hour and a half yoga workout. More or less. I didn’t do the Crane or Wheel pose and had some trouble with some of the others but definitely saw an improvement.

Wednesday (1/20/10) Well, what was supposed to be Legs and Back day turned into a day off. What started out as a mild headache in the morning turned into a full on migraine by the end of the work day. Took a Treximet (sumatriptan and naproxen sodium) when I got home and was asleep by 6:00pm.

Thursday (1/21/10) Legs and Back – My legs were still a little sore from doing Yoga X two days ago but nothing too bad. I didn’t finish the whole thing but made it further than last time. I track everything with an OpenOffice.org spreadsheet (I’m a big fan of open source software) and made it up to the Sneaky Lunges.

Friday (1/22/10) Kenpo X – Glutes are really sore from the previous few days. Pushed through it anyway and finished Kenpo X without a problem.  This is one of the easier workouts for me.

Saturday (1/23/10)  Day off – Well if you consider a day off to be tearing a dishwasher apart, re-assembling, re-installing to find it still doesn’t work, remove, disassemble, trouble shoot (found the broken magnet in  the motor time) search for (discontinued) parts on line……..

Sunday (1/24/10) Day off – Target shooting (airgun field target) in 35 degree weather.

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Workout Routines for 1-16-10 to 1-24-10

Insanity uses interval training to beat the “stress adaptation response” which normally causes your body to get used to exercise and stop improving.  Interval workouts use sets where you perform at maximum effort then one of lower intensity, then repeat the cycle to achieve a cumulative effect.  Adding high intensity exercise with your heart rate at 80% of maximum forces your body to use fast-twich muscle fibers that are not normaly used in cardio workouts.  These muscle fibers will continue burning fuel even during lower intensity exercise.  With Insanity you will likely be working out at 85% of maximum and as a result you could be burning as much as 1,000 calories per hour!

While Shaun T’s earlier DVD programs Hip Hop Abs and Rockin’ Body were dance based, Insanity uses sports science and high level conditioning techniques to create its body composition changes.

While programs such as P90X and ChaLEAN Extreme focus on weight training to build muscle and burn fat, Insanity uses only the resistance of your own body to crank up your cardio, lower you body fat percentage and sculpt your muscles.  The only gear you need are water, a towel, and you own commitment.

Insanity is geared towards people in top physical shape, extreme athletes, graduates of other Beachbody programs, cardio workout lovers and former scholastic athletes.  It is not recomended for beginners, pregnant woman, obese people, people who aren’t willing to work hard or people who don’t consistently do high-impact exercise.  There are other Beachbody programs that can help to get us ready for Insanity.

Insanity by Shaun T, Beachbody's newest, most extreme DVD workout!

Insanity includes:

10 Insane workouts!

1: Dig Deeper
& Fit Test

To start, Shaun will put your body to the test and see what you’re made of.

2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Burn fat with intervals of intense lower-body plyo and sweat-inducing cardio.

3: Cardio Power & Resistance

Build lean muscle and upper-body definition with strength-training and power moves.

4: Cardio Recovery

Shaun goes easier on you once a week so you’re ready for the next round.

5: Pure Cardio
& Abs

Skip the intervals—this nonstop cardio workout is all extreme.

6: Cardio Abs

Do explosive intervals of cardio and core moves for rock-hard abs.

7: Core Cardio
& Balance

Take a break after month 1 and gear up for month 2 with this workout.

8: Max Interval Circuit

The interval circuit that’s more intense than anything you’ve ever done before.

9: Max Interval Plyo

Push your legs ’til they beg for mercy with power and plyo, all at your MAX.

10: Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs

Get pushed to your limit with this extreme cardio workout.

Insanity can be purchased here for $119.85 the Deluxe package can be purchased here for $164.70 and the Deluxe Results and Recovery package can be purchased here for $239.70

If you join the Team Beachbody Club you can save 10% on all Beachbody products.

Or sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach and save 25% on Insanity as well as all Beaqchbody purchases and 50% on all shipping, all while potentially earning money just for getting fit!

You can see a longer video with behind the scenes filming action on my Videos page.

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Beachbody releases Insanity!

The program is broken down into two alternating routines, the ‘Sculpt’ which is a resistance based circuit training workout and the ‘Sweat’, which is a cardio/aerobic/abs workout.  All the exercises are designed to be done at home with a minimum of equipment such as the included resistance bands.  Through the entire program you are reminded to go at your own pace and hit pause when necessary.  You will be better off going slow and completing each workout than pushing yourself too hard and burning out half way through and not finishing all the exercises.

Level 1-2 Sculpt is about 29 minutes.  You start with a stretch based warm up followed by three sets of various resistance based exercises.  These range from several different types of push-ups, upper body resistance band sets of overhead presses, curls, triceps extensions, etc. and lower body workouts such as lunges and squats.

Level 1-2 Sweat lasts around 36 minutes.  After your warm up stretching it’s right into power yoga moves such as upward and downward dog, plank, warrior, etc.  Then you start with 2 rounds of low impact aerobics followed by 2 rounds of higher intensity aerobics then some lateral X, boxing type foot work..  Now that your really starting to sweat its into a few rounds of Kenpo style kicking then a few rounds of punches.  After a few minutes to cool down get comfortable on your back for 10 sets of 10 different crunches.

Halfway through the program or when your comfortable with the workouts you switch to the level 3-4 which ramps things up.  Even though your still told to go at your own pace your subtly reminded that it’s level 3-4 and you should try to “Bring It”. The workouts are a little longer and you are either adding sets, doing harder variations of the exercises or just adding new exercises to target different muscle groups.

Also included are:

• Program Guide
• 90-day calendar
• New Fat Burning Express DVD
• Fat Burner Meal Plan
• 6-Day Fat Burning Express Plan
• Success measurement card and tape measure
• And a Power Sculpting Band FREE!

The program does not use any sort of fad diet or magic pill, just tried and true methods that work such as calorie deficit and resistance training.  If you read the Beachbody web site you will notice it says “Fat Burning” and not “Weight loss”.  There is an important difference, while you want to lose fat you don’t want to lose lean muscle along with it.  That is just what will happen if you only diet without resistance training at least 3 times a week.  It’s not just a DVD exercise program, it’s a way to start a new, healthier lifestyle.

If you have any questions about this or any other Beachbody workout PLEASE use the contact page on the top menu bar to email me, I really do want to help you on your journey.  Beachbody has other DVD workout programs that might be a better fit for you depending on your goals, the style of workout you enjoy  and how fit you are now.  As a Beachbody coach I’m here to help you get the most out of your workout time.  You can pay it forward when its time, there is nothing quite like the feeling you will get when you help someone reach their fitness goals.

You can read more on the Beachbody forums where people post their stories and before & after photos.  Sign up for a free account here.

The cost is $59.85 and it can be purchased here.

If you want to save %10 you can join the Beachbody Club.

If you would rather buy Beachbody products such as Power 90 for 25% off, help others get fit, and even possibly make money while getting fit you can sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach like I did.

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Review of Power 90 In-Home Boot Camp DVD Workout Program

Monday morning I got up at 4:30am and did a full workout of the sculpt 3 – 4 DVD.  It was decent, I pushed most things up a notch. 58 total push-ups, a new personal record, 6 of those being triceps push-ups which I have a hard time with. 118 squats, another personal best.  Monday night was a late night out being the final classroom night and written test of the MSF rider class my wife and I were taking that I talked about in my last workout review.

Tuesday morning it was not easy to get out of bed after 5 hours sleep. The Sweat 3 – 4 workout was slower than usual with more pauses…  It was an even later night being the final riding range and evaluation for the MSF class.

Wednesday I over slept.I was only able to complete a little over half the workout before running out of steam and figured I’d get the rest of the workout in after work.  Wrong.  We had company coming over to join us for an outdoor concert as part of our towns 4th of July celebration.  Another late night…

I was beat Tursday and give it a pass, felt like I had let myself down on this one.

Friday was the same, we left for a weekend of sailing so that was the end of the week as far as Power 90 went.

This weekend I’m on vacation so I will be getting back on track!

A full review of the Beachbody Power 90 In Home Bootcamp DVD workout set can be found Here.

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Power 90 Workout Review for 6-29-09 To 7-5-09

What made me think of this conversation was a recent article on over training over at T-Nation. I’m not going to repeat everyting in the article but they talk about seeing muscle gain by doing a set to failure (while keeping good form), possiblly two or three sets max, then moving on.

It’s always nice to have another source back up the theory of what your doing.

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You do HOW many sets?

I got in a full 8 hours of sleep last night but was still a little behind I guess, since I got up a half hour late today.  I made it through Sweat 4 – 5 without any problems but was running really late so skipped the Ab Ripper 200 routine and will have to do that one after work.  I also left for work without bringing in any healthy snacks so it’s looking like cafateria food today.

A full review of the Beachbody Power 90 In Home Bootcamp DVD workout set can be found Here.

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Power 90 Workout Review (update) 6-25-09

This week has been slightly different as my wife and I are a taking motorcycle safety class which is required to get our licenses in the state of RI. These are Monday and Tuesday after work and get out at 10:00pm followed by a 1 hour drive home then winding down before bed.

Now for this mornings workout… Wednesday is sculpt 3 – 4 which I usually like more than the sweat 3 – 4 even though its a harder more tiring workout for me. I’ve been logging my reps and weight and early on noticed I wasn’t doing so well. 2 fewer decline pushups, only 7 bicep curls instead of Mondays 8 with the same weight, etc.

After the end of the second set with the lunge / squats I was done… I was definitely disappointed in myself but will finish the workout tonight after work.

The only thing I can think of that has changed and might be responsible for this laps in my ability to “bring it” is the lack of a decent rest the past 2 nights. Part of the program, along with the workouts and diet, is getting 7-8 hours sleep to recover and rebuild. OK, this point has been driven home, lesson learned!

There is one more week of these night classes then its back to my normal routine, lots of rest and pushing myself to do one more rep, a little more weight, one fewer pause each workout.

A full review of the Beachbody Power 90 In Home Bootcamp DVD workout set can be found Here.

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Power 90 Workout Review 6-24-09