Day 8

DVD - Cardio Power & Resistance

note: Coming up with a new riff on "crazy" for the title is getting cumbersome ... I think I'll stop it, for now.

I had a little motivation problem today. That's a bit of an over-statement. I just wasn't as gung-ho about getting home to do the workout as I was last week. I keep saying it's only 9 weeks (8 now), but today 8 weeks seemed like a long time. I think I psyched myself out a bit reading a review of Insanity first thing this morning. The reviewer gave up 1 1/2 weeks in and stated repeatedly only the people in the best physical shape should be doing this workout. He complained of legs hurting and too much strain on his knees.

Note to self: Don't let other people's limitations become yours. (Side-note to everyone else: I have enough trouble managing my own self-imposed limitations). My legs and knees are holding up so far. Since Friday last week, I notice pain or tightness most first thing in the morning when I get up after being still all night to sleep, and also when I get up after having been seated for a while. But the constant ache the day after the first couple of workouts has subsided. Last week, after Power & Resistance I was waddling around my apartment. Tonight my legs and knees feel no different than before the workout. I don't know if the other reviewer had other problems, but I self-assessed and compared the way I feel to what he said, I realized I could largely dismiss his experience.

There wasn't a huge improvement over the first time I did this workout. I don't really expect huge improvements, but I guess maybe part of me does because I was a little disappointed that there wasn't exponential improvement. Reminder: check expectations. I am however noticing incremental improvement, and I think that's really what I should be expecting right now. Each time I'm getting a little more done and my breaks are getting shorter. That's what happened tonight. I took 2 2 or 3 seconds-long breaks during the warm-up (it is different than the warm-up in Plyo & Pure Cardio), and made it almost all the way through the first 2 intervals of the first circuit before needing a break. I took a couple more during this circuit, but they were shorter than the ones last week.

The 2nd interval circuit went much the same. With the Power Jump (start in a squat, launch yourself straight up, bring your knees as close to your shoulders as you can, return to squat and repeat), I am unable to do more than 10 reps in a row without stopping for a moment. So that's what I do. I still had trouble with the Moving Push-up. I was able to get the move in, but noticed I was bending the leg in whichever direction I was going, and you are supposed to keep it straight. So I modified a bit to stay with the workout: alternating between regular push-ups and Push Up Jacks. Modifying the moves so I can keep good form and keep the cardio pace seems a good idea. I think I'll have to practice the Moving Push-up before I do this workout again, to see if I can get it down when I don't have to do it at a cardio-pace.

After the workout, as I mentioned earlier, my knees were fine. My shoulders hurt a bit from all of the push-up type moves, but my legs held up well. No pain the rest of the evening. That, in my humble opinion, is excellent progress in a week.