I feel the rest... it's quite nice but I'm starting to get bored, waiting for next week monday.
Wall Hs run + back lever +front lever yesterday. was nice I think I''m getting results can''t wait the end of the cycle to upgrade the move variation.
Also tried a few tuck planche using pushup bars, and it was a lot better than last time I tried, when I say a lot better I mean I was able to hold about 5 seconds mutliple times when I wasn't able to get it before.
I really love the synergy between moves... I guess next cycle I''ll be able to include the tuck planche (I almost abandonned the advanced frog because I don''t like it) and reduce the time of training by doing longer reps unless I''m able to get to the next level of the levers (I started by thinking I would need at least 2 cycle by level with short reps and long reps, but I may have underestimated the progression have to see that).
I also did what I would call the negative front lever abs. I'm starting to get excited because I feel the possibilities opening.
Oh yes I tried the tucked front lever pull up too, It's great to see all the possibilities!
When using a tuck position it's actually quite easy, I would put it at about the same level as L-chinups, it's' just that the move itself needs more control of the body position, but the pull itself require less strength because it''s approximativelly just a rotation and you don't actually lift all the body weight. I suspect the tucked front lever rows to be super hard in comparison, I may give it a try just out of curiosity. I just wouldn't want to burn any steps because I feel enthusiastic.
Tonight is quick training : L-chinups and HeS push ups I'll add the abs cause I just like the move.
mercredi 31 août 2011
mardi 30 août 2011
Insanity D31 + gymnastic body
recovery... recovery. Going smoothly.
Did the bulgarian variation for ring push ups and rows. I think I have to be a little more focused on the core, I may not be in the right position. push ups(bulgarian) are not that hard but the rows are quite hard as it is now.
I also tried a core exercise I saw yesterday, it's quite hard. I don't really know how to describe it but it's a bit like doing a partial front lever without the strain on the shoulders and not horizontal. Let''s say it's sort of a negative front lever from pseudo hanging position to horizontal
Did the bulgarian variation for ring push ups and rows. I think I have to be a little more focused on the core, I may not be in the right position. push ups(bulgarian) are not that hard but the rows are quite hard as it is now.
I also tried a core exercise I saw yesterday, it's quite hard. I don't really know how to describe it but it's a bit like doing a partial front lever without the strain on the shoulders and not horizontal. Let''s say it's sort of a negative front lever from pseudo hanging position to horizontal
lundi 29 août 2011
Insanity D30, gymnastic body
Nothing special about D30 just trying not to over do it, maybe I should try to go completly through the shoulder series without a break... but I really want to rest, and doing the gymnastic training at the same time I just don't want to push too much for this core cardio & balance..
Yesterday I tried the wall hand stand run. Well It was as much as I could do it.
The thing is I didn't work for handstand in a loooong time, so it was maybe a little bit to much of an expectation.
Well about the move, it was more a straddle handstand and then I'm using the bars to help me stabilize (and actually not the wall at all)
Secondly it was suggested to do 10 minutes in total, but after 2 minutes it was already too much (I did it 4x 30 seconds) I suppose I will have to build up from that.
And now I have someone who occasioonally helps me spot my levers so that I work levelled. It's a lot harder like that for the front lever. (i mean tucked of course) It seems that it also force me to have a more flat back... maybe it will help me to get faster/ better results (but I keep in minde the hurry slowly advice).
Another thing, if I stop to long after doing the levers.. it's impossible for me to finish the training (my arms feel really tired after they cooled down a little). Yeah I suppose I shouldn't be surprised ....
Yesterday I tried the wall hand stand run. Well It was as much as I could do it.
The thing is I didn't work for handstand in a loooong time, so it was maybe a little bit to much of an expectation.
Well about the move, it was more a straddle handstand and then I'm using the bars to help me stabilize (and actually not the wall at all)
Secondly it was suggested to do 10 minutes in total, but after 2 minutes it was already too much (I did it 4x 30 seconds) I suppose I will have to build up from that.
And now I have someone who occasioonally helps me spot my levers so that I work levelled. It's a lot harder like that for the front lever. (i mean tucked of course) It seems that it also force me to have a more flat back... maybe it will help me to get faster/ better results (but I keep in minde the hurry slowly advice).
Another thing, if I stop to long after doing the levers.. it's impossible for me to finish the training (my arms feel really tired after they cooled down a little). Yeah I suppose I shouldn't be surprised ....
dimanche 28 août 2011
Insanity D27 & D29
D27 was the last power & resistance. I did good. I was really tired afterwards so I consider it was good.
D29 Core cardio & Balance, something new at last! Well I don't really know, it's supposed to be a recovery week. So I started with recovery in mind. light exercises and everything. The truth is that this workout could be as hard as a pure cardio if pushing as much. I didn't push It's been two weeks I've been feeling smal strains on my anckles so I choose to do a real recvery week here. Not that I didn't sweat, I did. At the end of the workout I was sweating as much as for the others. It took just a little bit more time to get there. I will try to do more stretch this week.
After the first 4 weeks is there any visible result?
Yes and no... I'm not sure if it's entirelly due to Insanity. especially for the upper body gains. But one thing is sure, I'm a little bit leaner (the muscle lines are a little bit more visible). And I got bigger thighs. When I say bigger I really mean it : only my largest baggy jeans actually feels comfortable all the others are to small for my legs. How can I be sure I didn't gain fat or something similar? I'm not 100% sure of course but still with the jeans test, my belt is at the smallest and the belt doesn't feel tight at all. For the upper body as I was saying I think it's more related to the gym training but I'm definitelly larger (t-shirt / shirts) same point here I only feel the tightness at the shoulder/chest/upper back section.
I've been looking at the second part of the Insanity program and I can tell this will be really hard. It'll be fun! Need to recover enough. I may not update as much about Insanity this week as it is the same workout all week long. maybe just a few words.. I'll see.
D29 Core cardio & Balance, something new at last! Well I don't really know, it's supposed to be a recovery week. So I started with recovery in mind. light exercises and everything. The truth is that this workout could be as hard as a pure cardio if pushing as much. I didn't push It's been two weeks I've been feeling smal strains on my anckles so I choose to do a real recvery week here. Not that I didn't sweat, I did. At the end of the workout I was sweating as much as for the others. It took just a little bit more time to get there. I will try to do more stretch this week.
After the first 4 weeks is there any visible result?
Yes and no... I'm not sure if it's entirelly due to Insanity. especially for the upper body gains. But one thing is sure, I'm a little bit leaner (the muscle lines are a little bit more visible). And I got bigger thighs. When I say bigger I really mean it : only my largest baggy jeans actually feels comfortable all the others are to small for my legs. How can I be sure I didn't gain fat or something similar? I'm not 100% sure of course but still with the jeans test, my belt is at the smallest and the belt doesn't feel tight at all. For the upper body as I was saying I think it's more related to the gym training but I'm definitelly larger (t-shirt / shirts) same point here I only feel the tightness at the shoulder/chest/upper back section.
I've been looking at the second part of the Insanity program and I can tell this will be really hard. It'll be fun! Need to recover enough. I may not update as much about Insanity this week as it is the same workout all week long. maybe just a few words.. I'll see.
jeudi 25 août 2011
Gymnastic body: basic strength training
A little update on the basic body strength.
Rows and Ring push ups are note THAT challenging (feet approximatively level with rings) 3sets of 5, usually the last few reps feel harder, I will stick with this once a week.
Headstand push ups are hard ( have to break up the last set to finish doing the 3 last reps) and the L-chinups are just "perfectly" challenging 3sets of 4 reps, I feel like I could eventually do a 5th rep but the form wouldn't be good.
Found out another exercise that seems really nice HandStand wall runs. Seems like it's a realy good exercise to do once a week to get strong shoulder. Have to see were I can put them in my training without overtraining and without lengthening the training too much. I may have to do that on saturday... (best day I think as Sunday is an exercise free day)
Rows and Ring push ups are note THAT challenging (feet approximatively level with rings) 3sets of 5, usually the last few reps feel harder, I will stick with this once a week.
Headstand push ups are hard ( have to break up the last set to finish doing the 3 last reps) and the L-chinups are just "perfectly" challenging 3sets of 4 reps, I feel like I could eventually do a 5th rep but the form wouldn't be good.
Found out another exercise that seems really nice HandStand wall runs. Seems like it's a realy good exercise to do once a week to get strong shoulder. Have to see were I can put them in my training without overtraining and without lengthening the training too much. I may have to do that on saturday... (best day I think as Sunday is an exercise free day)
Insanity D26
Best Pure cardio so far.
Did way better on the frog jumps and suicide jumps (the ones I have to stop because it's just after arms)
Regarding arms exercises I didn't do exceptionally good but certainly better than I used to (still need to get a few breaks but get quite a few reps and those exercises are in the last part of training so I'm already quite tired when doing them).
The only thing I changed is when I wanted to stop for a break say to myself :"Are you sure you want to stop? You're not allowed to stop until you can't really go further! Are you sure you can't continue?" Odly enough it worked quite well...
Even more odly I pushed myself harder than usual but I didn't feel exhausted at the end, my muscles were and still are burned up but I asn't totally unable to move as I was at the beginning.
Only bad point this morning was the warm up, maybe it's because I train to much but I find it hard do get the engine starting, I let me get a little more time before starting the warm up with some light move and I start the warm up really lighly. I still finish at full speed like it's supposed to be though. I actually think it's not that bad, but maybe it doesn't burn as much as it would.
Did way better on the frog jumps and suicide jumps (the ones I have to stop because it's just after arms)
Regarding arms exercises I didn't do exceptionally good but certainly better than I used to (still need to get a few breaks but get quite a few reps and those exercises are in the last part of training so I'm already quite tired when doing them).
The only thing I changed is when I wanted to stop for a break say to myself :"Are you sure you want to stop? You're not allowed to stop until you can't really go further! Are you sure you can't continue?" Odly enough it worked quite well...
Even more odly I pushed myself harder than usual but I didn't feel exhausted at the end, my muscles were and still are burned up but I asn't totally unable to move as I was at the beginning.
Only bad point this morning was the warm up, maybe it's because I train to much but I find it hard do get the engine starting, I let me get a little more time before starting the warm up with some light move and I start the warm up really lighly. I still finish at full speed like it's supposed to be though. I actually think it's not that bad, but maybe it doesn't burn as much as it would.
mercredi 24 août 2011
Insanity D25
I have to say it was a little bit of a freestyle training for the last cardio recovery.
I did the slow squat and static squat completely but I did quite a few variation on some exercises...
It was nice and my quads still burn. that's ok. All in all I did this training as it should be done pushwise speacking.
I did the slow squat and static squat completely but I did quite a few variation on some exercises...
It was nice and my quads still burn. that's ok. All in all I did this training as it should be done pushwise speacking.
mardi 23 août 2011
Insanity D24
It was the last plyometric cardio circuit for Insanity!
Yes, this week there is cardio recovery, power & resistance cardio and pure cardio+cardio abs left.
And then there is one week of pseudo recovery before Insanity second level which doesn't have plyometric cardio circuit anymore (Max Interval plyo instead...).
So how was this "last" one? It was a massacre.... both ways.
I did great for the first serie (the one without arms) and so so for the second serie...
I think I really need to learn to push when my arms are burning. I can do that for my legs.. but not really my arms.
Oh I tried some variations at the end for in & out. You're supposed to be in a planck position and bring your feet under you by bending your knees to your chest (yeah it's much more simpler with a picture but I have none...) and then go back in planck position, I tried to do this with straight legs. My conclusion, it's easier to go fast when bending your knees, which is good for interval/cardio training but the straight legs variation asks more power in the abs and more flexibility in the legs. I think in the long run the straight leg variation can be as demanding for interval training just have to get used to the move and try hard.
Yes, this week there is cardio recovery, power & resistance cardio and pure cardio+cardio abs left.
And then there is one week of pseudo recovery before Insanity second level which doesn't have plyometric cardio circuit anymore (Max Interval plyo instead...).
So how was this "last" one? It was a massacre.... both ways.
I did great for the first serie (the one without arms) and so so for the second serie...
I think I really need to learn to push when my arms are burning. I can do that for my legs.. but not really my arms.
Oh I tried some variations at the end for in & out. You're supposed to be in a planck position and bring your feet under you by bending your knees to your chest (yeah it's much more simpler with a picture but I have none...) and then go back in planck position, I tried to do this with straight legs. My conclusion, it's easier to go fast when bending your knees, which is good for interval/cardio training but the straight legs variation asks more power in the abs and more flexibility in the legs. I think in the long run the straight leg variation can be as demanding for interval training just have to get used to the move and try hard.
lundi 22 août 2011
Insanity D23 & gymnastic
Well I know why I though recently the insanity thing was getting easier.
My bicycle had flat tire and so I didn't use it to go to work. meaning 1h to 1h30 of biking less... meaning less strain on the legs.
Today I had to train with yesterday's training still there so I felt it a lot more : my thighs were a lot less responsive to my will, resulting in a warm up session starting really slowly.
I managed to get through the arm part a little better than usual, maybe because I couldn't do my whole gymnastic session yesterday due to lack of time. (I'll finish it tonight with the dynamic variation)
Good news is back lever and fron lever are a little better handled.
Bad news is while the cardio abs is quite nice to warm up for the gymnastic session it results in 16 minutes delay (thus not being able to finish the training when you have plans) and more importantly the L-sit and Straddle sets were a lot harder.
I still think it's a good start for gymnastic session and I will certainly get used to it if I continue. next time is supposed to be friday. Maybe I should use the p90x abs on wednesday to see. (I think it would impair even more the L-sits and straddle so have to think about it).
My bicycle had flat tire and so I didn't use it to go to work. meaning 1h to 1h30 of biking less... meaning less strain on the legs.
Today I had to train with yesterday's training still there so I felt it a lot more : my thighs were a lot less responsive to my will, resulting in a warm up session starting really slowly.
I managed to get through the arm part a little better than usual, maybe because I couldn't do my whole gymnastic session yesterday due to lack of time. (I'll finish it tonight with the dynamic variation)
Good news is back lever and fron lever are a little better handled.
Bad news is while the cardio abs is quite nice to warm up for the gymnastic session it results in 16 minutes delay (thus not being able to finish the training when you have plans) and more importantly the L-sit and Straddle sets were a lot harder.
I still think it's a good start for gymnastic session and I will certainly get used to it if I continue. next time is supposed to be friday. Maybe I should use the p90x abs on wednesday to see. (I think it would impair even more the L-sits and straddle so have to think about it).
dimanche 21 août 2011
Insanity D20 & 22
Technically D22 is not finished, I wanted to try and see if I can use cardio abs to warm up for my gym strength training (and yes I didn't want to arrive late because of cardio abs).
Saturday's' plyo cardio went pretty well for the first half. I was really in it and was pushing through. but second half was just so so. I hope I'm saying that because I feel I should be able to do more rather than because I really did so so on the second half.
Pure cardio this morning warm up was really slow to get me starting... but finally I was able to kick in until the arm part. I think I did a little better for this and the frog jumps. and then it was too late for cardio abs so I decided it would be a good warm up for my evening training.
There is also something... I think I'm getting a little bit bored.. well it's' normal as it is the forth week in the "Gear 1" part of insanity, next week is a "rest" week and then it's the "gear 2" I think I will watch the gear 2 videos to see what awaits me.
I think I should also think about what should come after this... The main problem is I'm working out in my apartment as convenient as it is, it also implies limitation in space as well as in the noise I can reasonably make.
I think this training way with cardio/interval training in the morning is quite nice. I think I'll just take things in the pool of cardio/interval/no weight training I have and make up something for 6 days keeping this 6days workout 1 day rest pattern. well it's ok I still have 6 weeks to figure that out (and I''ll have a bigger pool to take form as I'll had finished gear 2 from insanity, might also take some of the "gear 3" Asylum workout and of course the p90X/p90X+ that I like) The bad part is I should also use a cardio recovery /yoga X type of training to be sure to do balance exercises as well as static strength and stretch.
Saturday's' plyo cardio went pretty well for the first half. I was really in it and was pushing through. but second half was just so so. I hope I'm saying that because I feel I should be able to do more rather than because I really did so so on the second half.
Pure cardio this morning warm up was really slow to get me starting... but finally I was able to kick in until the arm part. I think I did a little better for this and the frog jumps. and then it was too late for cardio abs so I decided it would be a good warm up for my evening training.
There is also something... I think I'm getting a little bit bored.. well it's' normal as it is the forth week in the "Gear 1" part of insanity, next week is a "rest" week and then it's the "gear 2" I think I will watch the gear 2 videos to see what awaits me.
I think I should also think about what should come after this... The main problem is I'm working out in my apartment as convenient as it is, it also implies limitation in space as well as in the noise I can reasonably make.
I think this training way with cardio/interval training in the morning is quite nice. I think I'll just take things in the pool of cardio/interval/no weight training I have and make up something for 6 days keeping this 6days workout 1 day rest pattern. well it's ok I still have 6 weeks to figure that out (and I''ll have a bigger pool to take form as I'll had finished gear 2 from insanity, might also take some of the "gear 3" Asylum workout and of course the p90X/p90X+ that I like) The bad part is I should also use a cardio recovery /yoga X type of training to be sure to do balance exercises as well as static strength and stretch.
jeudi 18 août 2011
Gymnastic body : Upper body press / pull
I love it. it's really a quick training! If I can get results like that it's cool! I guess I can put some effort and do it 3 times a week instead of the 2 times I initially planed, thus being able to do the 3 different pairs.
Now about the choice of the exercises...
L-chinups are just right I guess, just have to make sure I use full ROM, their is a huge temptation not to fully extend the arms when going down.... but 3 sets of 3 are alright, maybe I should try sets of 4 to get it more challenging.
Headstand pushups ... well it's quite strange the first one seemed easy and the last one from the first set was hard. but then the second one from the last set was impossible for me... guess it's challenging enough. I'll see if I can get to 3 sets of 3 as I train hopefully before the 8 weeks so I can move on to another move in the next cycle.
Now about the choice of the exercises...
L-chinups are just right I guess, just have to make sure I use full ROM, their is a huge temptation not to fully extend the arms when going down.... but 3 sets of 3 are alright, maybe I should try sets of 4 to get it more challenging.
Headstand pushups ... well it's quite strange the first one seemed easy and the last one from the first set was hard. but then the second one from the last set was impossible for me... guess it's challenging enough. I'll see if I can get to 3 sets of 3 as I train hopefully before the 8 weeks so I can move on to another move in the next cycle.
Insanity D19
Power & resistance cardio.
Don't know why but warm up felt harder, while the rest felt easier. v-push ups and moving push ups are a lot better now (it's the 4th time I'm doing this particular training). Still far from being able to do full ROM at full speed. It means there is still a lot of room for improvement which is always good. also means if I decide to start Insanity over I know what I can do. (unless by that time I'm already a killer at those moves which is quite doubtful).
Don't know why but warm up felt harder, while the rest felt easier. v-push ups and moving push ups are a lot better now (it's the 4th time I'm doing this particular training). Still far from being able to do full ROM at full speed. It means there is still a lot of room for improvement which is always good. also means if I decide to start Insanity over I know what I can do. (unless by that time I'm already a killer at those moves which is quite doubtful).
mercredi 17 août 2011
Gymnastic body : Upper body press / pull
here is the dependency graph from the exercises in the book:
To make it short there are 4 different types of exercises for pull and press.
3 are one plane and one is "multi-plane".
If you pay enough attention you can see that you can easilly couple the exercises by agonist/antagonist workout groups, well I'm not sure this definition is really good, but the pulls/press pair up pretty well :
- push ups and rows
- pull ups and handstand push ups
- Dips and Reverse curls
And multiplane goes with multiplane but I won't be interested by those for a moment as I'm really building the basic level skills (basics within basics as this is all suppose to build basic strength).
So that's what I'm going to do for a while, alternating between each pair in a "steady state" workout style (choosing something chalenging doing it for 8 weeks until it's no more challenging and go up or down as in my graph).
The static position takes quite a reasonable amount of time so I'm only going to do this pair 2 days a week... should be 3 days so that I can do each pair in a week... I'll see about that...
for now I have monday wednesday friday for static and tuesday thursday for pull/press, lets see if I can motivate myself enough to do saturday also...
I'm still in the process to find the right exercise to start like simple rows were a little bit easy I think as well as simple ring push ups. maybe I should do the elevated version.
Headstand push ups are ok, I mean ok hard.
I''ll see for L-sit chin-ups...
 | |
| Upper body press |
 | |
| Upper body pulls |
To make it short there are 4 different types of exercises for pull and press.
3 are one plane and one is "multi-plane".
If you pay enough attention you can see that you can easilly couple the exercises by agonist/antagonist workout groups, well I'm not sure this definition is really good, but the pulls/press pair up pretty well :
- push ups and rows
- pull ups and handstand push ups
- Dips and Reverse curls
And multiplane goes with multiplane but I won't be interested by those for a moment as I'm really building the basic level skills (basics within basics as this is all suppose to build basic strength).
So that's what I'm going to do for a while, alternating between each pair in a "steady state" workout style (choosing something chalenging doing it for 8 weeks until it's no more challenging and go up or down as in my graph).
The static position takes quite a reasonable amount of time so I'm only going to do this pair 2 days a week... should be 3 days so that I can do each pair in a week... I'll see about that...
for now I have monday wednesday friday for static and tuesday thursday for pull/press, lets see if I can motivate myself enough to do saturday also...
I'm still in the process to find the right exercise to start like simple rows were a little bit easy I think as well as simple ring push ups. maybe I should do the elevated version.
Headstand push ups are ok, I mean ok hard.
I''ll see for L-sit chin-ups...
Gymnastic body : static training
Although this morning insanity cardio recovery was bad, yesterday's static strength traiing was quite good.
I timed myself for the levers and I think I was taking a lot more rest time when I didn't time myself.
It resulted in a herder time finishing the sets for front and back lever. Another modification is the height of the bar I use. I set it up quite higher (a little bit higher than shoulder level). This resulted in some changes to get in position. It was much harder to get in a tucked back lever and it seemed much more easy to get in a front lever. BUT from the 8th rep of front lever it started to be really hard with a failure on my left shoulder (had to focus and control a lot more my moves to finish the last wo reps).
The exercises I did after seemed harder as well, L-sit seemed difficult from the middle of the reps and the low straddle was even more difficult. But the pseudo planche and pseudo reverse planche seemed easier. I also did some static finger hold. I tried a few tuck planche on the push up bars, I think 3 seconds was the best I did. I will continue working on the pseudo planche and try the "ball planche" (as my friends call it) until I can hold it long enough to put it in the workout routine.
Normally today I should do a short dynamic workout one pull exercise and one press exercise. If I can do it (understand not too dead to do it) I will go for a headstand pushup set and a pull up set (I'd like to try the L-sit pull ups but not sure I can make it yet).
I timed myself for the levers and I think I was taking a lot more rest time when I didn't time myself.
It resulted in a herder time finishing the sets for front and back lever. Another modification is the height of the bar I use. I set it up quite higher (a little bit higher than shoulder level). This resulted in some changes to get in position. It was much harder to get in a tucked back lever and it seemed much more easy to get in a front lever. BUT from the 8th rep of front lever it started to be really hard with a failure on my left shoulder (had to focus and control a lot more my moves to finish the last wo reps).
The exercises I did after seemed harder as well, L-sit seemed difficult from the middle of the reps and the low straddle was even more difficult. But the pseudo planche and pseudo reverse planche seemed easier. I also did some static finger hold. I tried a few tuck planche on the push up bars, I think 3 seconds was the best I did. I will continue working on the pseudo planche and try the "ball planche" (as my friends call it) until I can hold it long enough to put it in the workout routine.
Normally today I should do a short dynamic workout one pull exercise and one press exercise. If I can do it (understand not too dead to do it) I will go for a headstand pushup set and a pull up set (I'd like to try the L-sit pull ups but not sure I can make it yet).
Insanity D18
Cardio recovery was simply bad... I was so tired this mornin... still did what I could but that wasn't a lot. I still managed to be a little more in for static leg work but the rest was ... ridiculous.
mardi 16 août 2011
Gymnastic body : static training
Remember when I said I was doing approximatively sets of 10 6 secondes repetition for the levers. That's because I wasn't timing it. Starting today, I will time it so that it's the same as the other exercises.
I will try putting some dynamic basic strength training in my routine 2 days a week (the days I don't do statics) should be a short training as I'll do an upper body press exercise and an upper body pull exercice each time (so no more than 15 minutes as I do 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps as advised in the book). I will keep you updated on those (there are some graph I made for those progression as well).
I will try putting some dynamic basic strength training in my routine 2 days a week (the days I don't do statics) should be a short training as I'll do an upper body press exercise and an upper body pull exercice each time (so no more than 15 minutes as I do 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps as advised in the book). I will keep you updated on those (there are some graph I made for those progression as well).
Insanity D16 & D17
Yep double entry... couldn''t post yesterday so here is a summary:
-D16 plyo cardio : still same problem with the arm exercises, but I'm starting to be able to do more.
-D17 pure cardio + cardio abs : still the same have to make a break for arms exercises, frog jump were just after arms so needed a break too. I did try to have full ROM on arm related exercises though and it was a little easier. All in all I think I'm getting more comfortable with those exercises. The thing is I read somewhere that 3 weeks is too short for real gain in strength, it is more neuro-muscular adaptation, real strength gain need about 6 weeks... I'll see when I'm there. About the cardio abs... well it's boring but it burns enough for me to take a few breaks. But as I said previously, I will certainly soon change to a harder version. (I actually feel more abs during the tucked back lever because I have to do a full contraction).
After 17 days the main gain is to be able to go on longer and I'm not dead tired as I used to be when I finish (recuperation is a lot faster). For now I still sweat a bucket ... don't know if it's because of the weather more than the training... I have to see if I do the workout during winter.
-D16 plyo cardio : still same problem with the arm exercises, but I'm starting to be able to do more.
-D17 pure cardio + cardio abs : still the same have to make a break for arms exercises, frog jump were just after arms so needed a break too. I did try to have full ROM on arm related exercises though and it was a little easier. All in all I think I'm getting more comfortable with those exercises. The thing is I read somewhere that 3 weeks is too short for real gain in strength, it is more neuro-muscular adaptation, real strength gain need about 6 weeks... I'll see when I'm there. About the cardio abs... well it's boring but it burns enough for me to take a few breaks. But as I said previously, I will certainly soon change to a harder version. (I actually feel more abs during the tucked back lever because I have to do a full contraction).
After 17 days the main gain is to be able to go on longer and I'm not dead tired as I used to be when I finish (recuperation is a lot faster). For now I still sweat a bucket ... don't know if it's because of the weather more than the training... I have to see if I do the workout during winter.
dimanche 14 août 2011
Static training.
Friday evening I did again the static training.
I couldn't do the frog stand (Planche progression) and the middle split hold (Manna progression)
but did everything else plus Pseudo planche and pseudo reverse planche (that's the name I gave it).
While pseudo planche doesn't help for the balance of planche, it helps for shoulder strength and I hope the reverse pseudo planche is a little bit the same for Manna.
I can't train every day, it's actually a lot more demanding than I thought. Just as a reference yesterday (sunday) I still had soreness from friday (when I mean soreness it's not just the sensation of stiffness it's enough to tell me I couldn't have trained yesterday).
Some notes about the levers (yeah I like the levers... well it's the newest exercise in my training) :
-Front lever is a lot more difficult for me than back lever.
-If I train Back lever with palm facing the floor (that's the direction recommended in "gymnastic body") it has a big impact on biceps.
I have done only two times the levers... I hope I will get used to it shortly enough, cause I'm a little bit afraid of the front lever, the strain on my left shoulder is sometime so intense that it's painfull (proof once again that my previous training was not symetric... I new it but that's a really visible consequence..my right shoulder doesn't have a problem when I do the front lever.)
I couldn't do the frog stand (Planche progression) and the middle split hold (Manna progression)
but did everything else plus Pseudo planche and pseudo reverse planche (that's the name I gave it).
While pseudo planche doesn't help for the balance of planche, it helps for shoulder strength and I hope the reverse pseudo planche is a little bit the same for Manna.
I can't train every day, it's actually a lot more demanding than I thought. Just as a reference yesterday (sunday) I still had soreness from friday (when I mean soreness it's not just the sensation of stiffness it's enough to tell me I couldn't have trained yesterday).
Some notes about the levers (yeah I like the levers... well it's the newest exercise in my training) :
-Front lever is a lot more difficult for me than back lever.
-If I train Back lever with palm facing the floor (that's the direction recommended in "gymnastic body") it has a big impact on biceps.
I have done only two times the levers... I hope I will get used to it shortly enough, cause I'm a little bit afraid of the front lever, the strain on my left shoulder is sometime so intense that it's painfull (proof once again that my previous training was not symetric... I new it but that's a really visible consequence..my right shoulder doesn't have a problem when I do the front lever.)
Insanity D13 & D15
I kind of feared D13 because it was first time pure cardio plus cardio abs.
Well the exercices in cardio abs are not that hard, but what is hard is the fact that you (well I) do it just after pure cardio. and that you stay in a contracted position most of the time. This is exactly what I hate.
I'm wondering if I should switch to some more "hardcore" abs series like the p90X one (it is more dynamic).
I would have more fun performing it...and I kind of need the "fun" to keep me motivated. The next "double session" is wednesday (shit it's not the usual repartition should have been on friday if I followed the normal order of the training), so I have some time to think it over.
I am also thinking about splitting the training in two (morning and evening) the problem is that except for week 8 (which is really week 9 when you count the rest week) all the "double session" are on a day of the week when I do my gymnastic body training... so I don't really have time to add this abs thing... Do I need to wake up earlier? gosh.. this morning was already kind of hard although I woke up early my mind was not really ready...
Talking about this morning D15 it was the second fit test. As expected (thanksfully) I had some progresses for every exercises. Some not much but some really nice. the best progress is certainly "globe jumps" from 7 to 11. One other note is I think I performed the moves with a better form and maybe a better ROM.
The one I'm a little bit disappointed in is suicide jumps, I was so out of breath that I had to take a rest and didn't perform as well as I would have if I was fresh (yeah normal you would say...)
So that's it for those past 3 days...
Just a small comment : Insanity is actually 63 days (I count rest days of course, all the coaches say rest is part of training).
Well the exercices in cardio abs are not that hard, but what is hard is the fact that you (well I) do it just after pure cardio. and that you stay in a contracted position most of the time. This is exactly what I hate.
I'm wondering if I should switch to some more "hardcore" abs series like the p90X one (it is more dynamic).
I would have more fun performing it...and I kind of need the "fun" to keep me motivated. The next "double session" is wednesday (shit it's not the usual repartition should have been on friday if I followed the normal order of the training), so I have some time to think it over.
I am also thinking about splitting the training in two (morning and evening) the problem is that except for week 8 (which is really week 9 when you count the rest week) all the "double session" are on a day of the week when I do my gymnastic body training... so I don't really have time to add this abs thing... Do I need to wake up earlier? gosh.. this morning was already kind of hard although I woke up early my mind was not really ready...
Talking about this morning D15 it was the second fit test. As expected (thanksfully) I had some progresses for every exercises. Some not much but some really nice. the best progress is certainly "globe jumps" from 7 to 11. One other note is I think I performed the moves with a better form and maybe a better ROM.
The one I'm a little bit disappointed in is suicide jumps, I was so out of breath that I had to take a rest and didn't perform as well as I would have if I was fresh (yeah normal you would say...)
So that's it for those past 3 days...
Just a small comment : Insanity is actually 63 days (I count rest days of course, all the coaches say rest is part of training).
jeudi 11 août 2011
Insanity D12
Cardio power & resistance.
It was one of those morning who you prefer to start it slow... So I wasn't in it till the third serie of warm up.
As I decided at the beginning of the week I focused on having the widest ROM, thus making a bit slower moves.
The good news the arm involving moves seemed in reach. I couldn't do everything without stopping but I guess it's possible (I mean for me who has a hard time with that).
I don't know if it's worth mentionning or if it make smy training void, but I've been modifying the stretching part off the circuit... I'm used to stretch and all so I sometime replace moves by variation that I consider more efficient. (not doing splits yet cause I'm not as flexible as I used to, but I guess I'll come to it soon).
Tomorrow is the start of double training (pure cardio + cardio abs)... I think I will hate the cardio abs... it's semi-static again....
It was one of those morning who you prefer to start it slow... So I wasn't in it till the third serie of warm up.
As I decided at the beginning of the week I focused on having the widest ROM, thus making a bit slower moves.
The good news the arm involving moves seemed in reach. I couldn't do everything without stopping but I guess it's possible (I mean for me who has a hard time with that).
I don't know if it's worth mentionning or if it make smy training void, but I've been modifying the stretching part off the circuit... I'm used to stretch and all so I sometime replace moves by variation that I consider more efficient. (not doing splits yet cause I'm not as flexible as I used to, but I guess I'll come to it soon).
Tomorrow is the start of double training (pure cardio + cardio abs)... I think I will hate the cardio abs... it's semi-static again....
mercredi 10 août 2011
Gymnastic body : static training
My installation is done (actually not completely but enough to get to do the static bodyweight workout I described).
My current static training :
-1)L-sit 12sec * 5
-2)Straddle PB Low 12sec * 5
-3)Middle split hold bent 6sec * 10 (it's even a level under that cause I still can't push my hips off the hands)
-4)Frog stand advance 6sc * 10 (when I can find the correct balance)
-5)Back lever tuck 6sec *10 approximativelly (if I can't hold I just relax.. it's a new move)
-6)Front lever tuck 6sec *10 approx (same as above)
Exercices that are not in the graphic :
-7)Pseudo planche 12sec *10 (it's just static hold of a pushup position with hands near the hips and arms straight, supposed to help me for the planche later on).
-8)Pseudo back-planche position 12sec*10 (supposed to help for mana... not sure though but definitely helps for advance variation of the L-sit)
-9)Finger hold 6sec *10 (standard push up position just on the fingers)
Usually I can't do everything in one evening and yesterday I started back and front lever for the first time.
I did everything except 3, 4, 9 (that's for tonight...)
My feeling on the levers : front lever is a lot harder than expected and back lever involves different muscles from what I thought. The thing is I can still feel my arms so I guess it's really effective.
I have to say I like doing the levers, even in tuck position it still needs a lot of focus and works in a lot more different muscles than it would first seem.
My shoulders are sore.
There is a synergy between all those moves I hope that I can have faster progresses but I keep in mind that while it comes to training I have to "hurry slowly" to avoid any problems.
My current static training :
-1)L-sit 12sec * 5
-2)Straddle PB Low 12sec * 5
-3)Middle split hold bent 6sec * 10 (it's even a level under that cause I still can't push my hips off the hands)
-4)Frog stand advance 6sc * 10 (when I can find the correct balance)
-5)Back lever tuck 6sec *10 approximativelly (if I can't hold I just relax.. it's a new move)
-6)Front lever tuck 6sec *10 approx (same as above)
Exercices that are not in the graphic :
-7)Pseudo planche 12sec *10 (it's just static hold of a pushup position with hands near the hips and arms straight, supposed to help me for the planche later on).
-8)Pseudo back-planche position 12sec*10 (supposed to help for mana... not sure though but definitely helps for advance variation of the L-sit)
-9)Finger hold 6sec *10 (standard push up position just on the fingers)
Usually I can't do everything in one evening and yesterday I started back and front lever for the first time.
I did everything except 3, 4, 9 (that's for tonight...)
My feeling on the levers : front lever is a lot harder than expected and back lever involves different muscles from what I thought. The thing is I can still feel my arms so I guess it's really effective.
I have to say I like doing the levers, even in tuck position it still needs a lot of focus and works in a lot more different muscles than it would first seem.
My shoulders are sore.
There is a synergy between all those moves I hope that I can have faster progresses but I keep in mind that while it comes to training I have to "hurry slowly" to avoid any problems.
Insanity D11
Cardio recovery my ass!
I forgot which exercices there were that makes you burn, now I remember : slow / static squat and slow / static lunge.... I can't hold it all the time... maybe it's only a matter of willpower. Other than that I think this workout is pretty ok for me... oh there's the "Table balance" there's room for improvement there too. Get the back leg higher.
Well my legs are more sore than with the other sessions... how can I tell? Just because of the biking too work after that. It's so much harder/slower.
I forgot which exercices there were that makes you burn, now I remember : slow / static squat and slow / static lunge.... I can't hold it all the time... maybe it's only a matter of willpower. Other than that I think this workout is pretty ok for me... oh there's the "Table balance" there's room for improvement there too. Get the back leg higher.
Well my legs are more sore than with the other sessions... how can I tell? Just because of the biking too work after that. It's so much harder/slower.
mardi 9 août 2011
Insanity D10
Plyometric cardio circuit.
I think my VO2 max has increased quite impressivelly compared to the first time. I don't have the heavy breath of the first time. The arm strength is as always what pulls me down. I can''t go all out on cardio because I'm unable to finish the exercices when it involves to much arm.
Overall I feel less tired at the end of the training, I can (almost) go all out for the exercices that don't involve arms.
Tomorrow is Cardio recovery.... I think I hate it, it's somehow like yoga all those slow motion moves... never been good at that. When I did P90X's Yoga X it was the same.... I'm actually not used to this kind of burn sensation... If it is stretching or dynamic moves related muscle pain... I can stand it no problem...(except maybe the arms :p)
I think my VO2 max has increased quite impressivelly compared to the first time. I don't have the heavy breath of the first time. The arm strength is as always what pulls me down. I can''t go all out on cardio because I'm unable to finish the exercices when it involves to much arm.
Overall I feel less tired at the end of the training, I can (almost) go all out for the exercices that don't involve arms.
Tomorrow is Cardio recovery.... I think I hate it, it's somehow like yoga all those slow motion moves... never been good at that. When I did P90X's Yoga X it was the same.... I'm actually not used to this kind of burn sensation... If it is stretching or dynamic moves related muscle pain... I can stand it no problem...(except maybe the arms :p)
lundi 8 août 2011
Gymnastic body : static training
I will soon be able to train on front and back lever. Just need to finish the installations. and I will officially start a 8 week circuit (although I already started static training for a while now).
If all is good today I''ll be able to try my "max rep" for front and back lever in tuck position, I used to do it a little and my overall strength is better than it used to be for this kind of things, so I expect something like 15 /20 sec for max.
After that I'll introduce the "dynamic basic strength" training in the book. It's mainly upper body training which is good for me as it''s my weakness, and insanity works a lot on legs.
If all is good today I''ll be able to try my "max rep" for front and back lever in tuck position, I used to do it a little and my overall strength is better than it used to be for this kind of things, so I expect something like 15 /20 sec for max.
After that I'll introduce the "dynamic basic strength" training in the book. It's mainly upper body training which is good for me as it''s my weakness, and insanity works a lot on legs.
Insanity D9
I had a hard time waking up and starting...
All over I think I did better than last time, less rest, suicide jumps I did the all minute.
I need to improve on 3 moves :
_Switch kicks I did it all the minute but I didn't jump for the switch every time.
_The 8 push ups planck run thing was bad as always.
_The push up jacks was bad (just after suicide jumps so I guess I was finished already but push-upwise I'm not good)
I tried to concentrate on speed as I wrote yesterday, so I think sometimes my ROM (Range of Motion) was a little bit too small (especially for push-ups).
All over I think I did better than last time, less rest, suicide jumps I did the all minute.
I need to improve on 3 moves :
_Switch kicks I did it all the minute but I didn't jump for the switch every time.
_The 8 push ups planck run thing was bad as always.
_The push up jacks was bad (just after suicide jumps so I guess I was finished already but push-upwise I'm not good)
I tried to concentrate on speed as I wrote yesterday, so I think sometimes my ROM (Range of Motion) was a little bit too small (especially for push-ups).
dimanche 7 août 2011
Insanity D6 & D8
No D7.. it's rest day.
D6 : plyometric cardio. I made it in hte middle of the afternoon instead of morning... (week end and all having time is nice).
It's the last time I do that, I think I really need to do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach otherwise it gives some nausea, have to do breaks not because I can't go on but because I don't feel right.
D8 : power & resistance cardio. The question is shall I concentrate on speed or full range of motion. At my current level there are quite a few exercices for which I can't do both. I guess full range of motion would be better in term of power but then I don't get the benefit from interval training which is the reason why I started Insanity in the first place... Well tomorrow is pure cardio so I guess speed IS the most important for tomorrow.
Just need to make a choice for power & resistance.
Ok so from now on main focus :
-Plyometric cardio circuit : try to be on the floor as little as possible (rebound is the core of plyo training)
-Power & resistance : full range of motion.
-Pure cardio : speed up
There's still one exercice I didn't try for the first month : Cardio abs, first try saturday... I think it will burn cause I've been training for static or high speed not slow motion as in the video... and well you always stay contracted for the entire serie.
D6 : plyometric cardio. I made it in hte middle of the afternoon instead of morning... (week end and all having time is nice).
It's the last time I do that, I think I really need to do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach otherwise it gives some nausea, have to do breaks not because I can't go on but because I don't feel right.
D8 : power & resistance cardio. The question is shall I concentrate on speed or full range of motion. At my current level there are quite a few exercices for which I can't do both. I guess full range of motion would be better in term of power but then I don't get the benefit from interval training which is the reason why I started Insanity in the first place... Well tomorrow is pure cardio so I guess speed IS the most important for tomorrow.
Just need to make a choice for power & resistance.
Ok so from now on main focus :
-Plyometric cardio circuit : try to be on the floor as little as possible (rebound is the core of plyo training)
-Power & resistance : full range of motion.
-Pure cardio : speed up
There's still one exercice I didn't try for the first month : Cardio abs, first try saturday... I think it will burn cause I've been training for static or high speed not slow motion as in the video... and well you always stay contracted for the entire serie.
jeudi 4 août 2011
Gymnastic body : introduction to static strength
In my first post I said I was not using insanity for strength building, but rather inspiration from a book I found by chance : "building the gymnastic body" You can use your favorite search engine to find more about that. here is the graph I've made for the static strength progression in the book.
According to the advices found in the book here is how it works :
-For each progression you check wich move you are capable of.
-For this move check how long you can keep the position.
-Divide this number by two this is how long is a rep, divide 60 by the rep time and you have your number of rep in a set.
-Add between 45 to 90 seconds of rest between reps.
Ok now an exemple: Say you can do an L-sit for 20 seconds, now your rep time is 10 seconds (20/2) and your number of rep is 6 (60/10). I try to get rest time as short as possible for reps of 5 second I consider 45 sec and for 10 secs reps I use 50. So for this exemple I would do:
10 / 50 * 6. a total of 6 minutes rest included.
Now that this is understood 2 more things:
-XR and PB stands for Rings (gymnastic rings) and parallel bars.
-For Static work you can usually use paralleletes or pushup bars instead of parallel bars, and a set of ring with straps attached to a pull-up bar can work instead of real rings.
Ok so now that we have the starting point, how do I go through to that last awesome move in the graph?
I can't really tell you cause I'm not there yet (far from it actually) but this is what I intend to do (following the advices of the coach in the book):
-Keep the same training level for 8 to 12 weeks (The first weeks should be challenging and the last weeks should feel quite easy). The reason is that you need time to improve by challenging yourself, but also time for your muscle to repair itself, well the explaination is better in the book but in short it avoids overtraining and training injuries.
-When your rep is higher than 15 seconds it means you need to level up the exercice
-If you should level up the exercice but can't perform the new exercice, continue with the easier version while experimenting with the new version until you can do the new version.
 | |
| Static strength progression |
According to the advices found in the book here is how it works :
-For each progression you check wich move you are capable of.
-For this move check how long you can keep the position.
-Divide this number by two this is how long is a rep, divide 60 by the rep time and you have your number of rep in a set.
-Add between 45 to 90 seconds of rest between reps.
Ok now an exemple: Say you can do an L-sit for 20 seconds, now your rep time is 10 seconds (20/2) and your number of rep is 6 (60/10). I try to get rest time as short as possible for reps of 5 second I consider 45 sec and for 10 secs reps I use 50. So for this exemple I would do:
10 / 50 * 6. a total of 6 minutes rest included.
Now that this is understood 2 more things:
-XR and PB stands for Rings (gymnastic rings) and parallel bars.
-For Static work you can usually use paralleletes or pushup bars instead of parallel bars, and a set of ring with straps attached to a pull-up bar can work instead of real rings.
Ok so now that we have the starting point, how do I go through to that last awesome move in the graph?
I can't really tell you cause I'm not there yet (far from it actually) but this is what I intend to do (following the advices of the coach in the book):
-Keep the same training level for 8 to 12 weeks (The first weeks should be challenging and the last weeks should feel quite easy). The reason is that you need time to improve by challenging yourself, but also time for your muscle to repair itself, well the explaination is better in the book but in short it avoids overtraining and training injuries.
-When your rep is higher than 15 seconds it means you need to level up the exercice
-If you should level up the exercice but can't perform the new exercice, continue with the easier version while experimenting with the new version until you can do the new version.
Insanity day 5
Today was pure cardio.
When I first looked at the video yesterday it looked endless. after the warm up and stretches it's a non stop serie of cardio exercices.
How I feel? well I think because I was already afraid of this one before even starting, I may not have given as much as I could have... Well I don't mean It wasn't extremly tiring, but I should have pushed myself more with some of the exercices, especially the last one but the burn was already here.
As usual I was still sweating like crazy.
Muscle pain... I would say a little less, but I can't really tell which is from today's' training or the previous days
There is a side effect I didn't foresee. Two times this week I woke up 20 minutes before the alarm feeling fresh, and only one time I had a difficult time
When I first looked at the video yesterday it looked endless. after the warm up and stretches it's a non stop serie of cardio exercices.
How I feel? well I think because I was already afraid of this one before even starting, I may not have given as much as I could have... Well I don't mean It wasn't extremly tiring, but I should have pushed myself more with some of the exercices, especially the last one but the burn was already here.
As usual I was still sweating like crazy.
Muscle pain... I would say a little less, but I can't really tell which is from today's' training or the previous days
There is a side effect I didn't foresee. Two times this week I woke up 20 minutes before the alarm feeling fresh, and only one time I had a difficult time
mercredi 3 août 2011
Insanity day 4
I've started insanity on monday.
I kind of prefer it to p90X (or p90X+) simply because I'm not the dumbbell kind of guy (I recognize dumbbell sometime has its good sides, but still) and will have another subject of training for power gains with body weight training (based on a book I found "'build the gymnastic body").
So about those past 4 days :
-Day 1 fit test... result is ok... I've not been doing any interval/cardio training for a while so the last exercise I could feel the built up fatigue. And as I was already aware of... my arms are weaker than the rest.
-Day 2 plyometric cardio circuit... well that was something, I was still sweating half an hour after the end of it. Ok I'm in shanghai, it's summer, kind of warm and humid weather, but still...and again arms were too weak to finish correctly all the exercises (static arm holds exercises).
-Day 3 power cardio and resistance... The only thing I remember is my shoulder being sore from the V push-ups. I've been doing headstand push-ups for a while (see the part on gymnastic body later) but because this is a lot more reps even with a smaller range of motion (ROM) it had a huge impact on my shoulders (I managed somehow to do it to the end though).
-Day 4 cardio recovery.... HAHAHAHA this is a joke the only recovery here is that you don't do high intensity/speed sets... me thighs burned more than the other days from all the static works... had to wear baggy today cause I wasn't sure I would fit in my other jeans.
I kind of prefer it to p90X (or p90X+) simply because I'm not the dumbbell kind of guy (I recognize dumbbell sometime has its good sides, but still) and will have another subject of training for power gains with body weight training (based on a book I found "'build the gymnastic body").
So about those past 4 days :
-Day 1 fit test... result is ok... I've not been doing any interval/cardio training for a while so the last exercise I could feel the built up fatigue. And as I was already aware of... my arms are weaker than the rest.
-Day 2 plyometric cardio circuit... well that was something, I was still sweating half an hour after the end of it. Ok I'm in shanghai, it's summer, kind of warm and humid weather, but still...and again arms were too weak to finish correctly all the exercises (static arm holds exercises).
-Day 3 power cardio and resistance... The only thing I remember is my shoulder being sore from the V push-ups. I've been doing headstand push-ups for a while (see the part on gymnastic body later) but because this is a lot more reps even with a smaller range of motion (ROM) it had a huge impact on my shoulders (I managed somehow to do it to the end though).
-Day 4 cardio recovery.... HAHAHAHA this is a joke the only recovery here is that you don't do high intensity/speed sets... me thighs burned more than the other days from all the static works... had to wear baggy today cause I wasn't sure I would fit in my other jeans.
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