Postponing the Pull-Up Routine: INSANITY Ensues

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post on a new pull-up plan that I decided to embark on – a 100 pull-up per day routine.  I reasoned that with an awkward summer schedule, doing pull-ups throughout the day was a great way to add to my usual workout regimen.  And so for the past couple of weeks I have diligently maintained my routine by completing at least 100 pull-ups every day (in a couple of instances where I had no access to a pull-up bar, I subbed in pushups).

But it looks like I’m already going to have to make a change and postpone this new pull-up routine that is fast becoming a daily habit.  Why, you ask?  Well, last week Em went for it and decided to buy a copy of Insanity.

Insanity is a grueling 60(ish) day workout led by Shaun T. (a former track athlete) and a part of the Beachbody family (i.e. P90x and the famous Tony Horton).  It is based on the concept of what Shaun T. calls “max interval training” designed to push individuals for 2-3 minutes of extremely high-level exercise followed by very short recovery time (30seconds – 1minute).

This creates an “insane” workout full of prolonged, high-intensity stretches followed by short recovery periods.  The result is an overall workout that is designed to achieve visible results through a lot of high-intensity cardio moves.  It is supposed to be a great total-body workout, all with no equipment needed.

Do either of us need to do Insanity?  Probably not.  But Em has talked about it for a while, and my main source of good hard sweat-inducing cardio – basketball – has been tough to get to because of my weird summer work schedule.  I’ll also begrudgingly admit that while my overall fitness is solid (in fact, I’m hoping to put on some weight and muscle – can’t afford to lose any…), I could probably stand to add in a bit more cardio. Plus, Shaun T. challenged us (“If you’re already fit, I challenge you…”).  Em is looking for something that she has to commit to and do everyday (and really anything that provides a calendar where she is able to check stuff off daily).  So Insanity will work out well for both of us, and we’ll be able to create some group solidarity.

In addition to the workouts that come in the 10 disc set, Insanity also comes with an “Elite Nutrition” guide.  Logically, it makes sense that in order to maximize results and efficiency, it takes both a healthy diet and a good workout routine.  Unfortunately, however, a lot of people don’t seem to understand that these are both necessary (and even for many who do understand, they may not know what a healthy diet is…).  So a nutrition guide is a nice addition to the workouts.

I have always claimed to Em (who has remained skeptical until reading through the nutrition guide), that we actually do a pretty darn good job of maintaining a healthy diet – lots of chicken, fish, and vegetables!  (Thanks for backing me up on this one Insanity!)  So while we may make some slight adjustments, I think we will be focusing our energy on the workouts.

So we’re doing the whole she-bang!  We took our starting weight, we took our different measurements, and we have now completed the Day 1 “Fit Test” so that we will be able to track our progress.  We are also doing the Before/After pictures (if you submit these pictures after completing the 2 month program, you get a free Insanity T-shirt – and I’m all about free T-shirts!).

So while the pull-up routine was great while it lasted, it’s getting put on the back-burner while Insanity takes place!  I’ll be sure to provide occasional updates and news on how the program is going… It looks to be a tough two months, but the hard work will certainly deliver some results!