DVD - Pure Cardio
DVD - Cardio Abs
My ankle was able to handle more of the workout tonight, but I still had to baby it which meant that I wasn't at full cardio capacity. It's frustrating to have my progress seemingly stalled owing to an injury I could have avoided if only I'd had another pair of flat shoes, or had been able to telecommute to the office rather than actually commute like I'd wanted given the storm.
What I have to keep in mind is that though I haven't grown my ability to manage the cardio pace I have been working hard and I am experience positive physical changes. I'm not supposed to officially take my body measurements until this coming Sunday at the 4 week mark, but I broke out the tailor's tape today anyway. At just over 3 weeks I've lost just over 2 inches from my waist, about an inch and a half from my hips and good progress on my uppers thighs and upper arms. With most of the weeks' workouts still to come, I anticipate even better progress on Sunday when I take my sanctioned readings.
I can also feel the results, and I don't mean things like "more energy" or "sleeping better", though both of course are true. I mean, when I feel my body, I note a difference. There is less to pinch on the sides of my torso, and good god my quads are getting hard and tight. I think by the end of Insanity you might just be able to see the definition of the muscles in my thighs.
Showing posts with label quads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quads. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 11
DVD - Cardio Recovery
There's not a whole lot to say about the Cardio Recovery days. They aren't a challenge. My body and my will power appreciate this. It's nice to have a break from the Insanity.
It’s not that the workout is easy. It’s not. Some of the moves require balancing on one foot for upwards of a minute, but in a way that pulls a lot on your hamstrings and quads. You are also expected to maintain slightly stressed squat positions which again require a lot of balance and pull on your hamstrings and quads. I must confess I can’t always hold the positions for the duration of the stretch, particularly when moving from one intense hamstring-quad stretch combination to another. I am happy to report, however, that my balance seems to have improved greatly in the last 11 days. Before Insanity, there were moves in Tae Bo that required balance and I struggled with them every time. Today, I can stand on one foot and hold that position for much longer than I ever could with Tae-Bo and I do not have to work extra hard to do so.
One area I’d really like to work on is my flexibility, particularly in my groin and hips, so that I can do something approximating the splits. At the moment, if I try to do the splits from a seated position, I am only able to open my legs wide enough that they form just over a 90 degree angle. If I start from a standing position, I can get the angle between my legs greater than 90 degrees, but not by much. If I try to push beyond this, if feels like I’m going to tear some vital muscle or tendon in my legs, especially in my thighs. I notice my flexibility improves from one end of the cardio videos to the next, but not so much during the Cardio Recovery DVD. From what I understand, the difference is the workout. Once you've warmed up your muscles, they are more inclined to stretch farther.
There's not a whole lot to say about the Cardio Recovery days. They aren't a challenge. My body and my will power appreciate this. It's nice to have a break from the Insanity.
It’s not that the workout is easy. It’s not. Some of the moves require balancing on one foot for upwards of a minute, but in a way that pulls a lot on your hamstrings and quads. You are also expected to maintain slightly stressed squat positions which again require a lot of balance and pull on your hamstrings and quads. I must confess I can’t always hold the positions for the duration of the stretch, particularly when moving from one intense hamstring-quad stretch combination to another. I am happy to report, however, that my balance seems to have improved greatly in the last 11 days. Before Insanity, there were moves in Tae Bo that required balance and I struggled with them every time. Today, I can stand on one foot and hold that position for much longer than I ever could with Tae-Bo and I do not have to work extra hard to do so.
One area I’d really like to work on is my flexibility, particularly in my groin and hips, so that I can do something approximating the splits. At the moment, if I try to do the splits from a seated position, I am only able to open my legs wide enough that they form just over a 90 degree angle. If I start from a standing position, I can get the angle between my legs greater than 90 degrees, but not by much. If I try to push beyond this, if feels like I’m going to tear some vital muscle or tendon in my legs, especially in my thighs. I notice my flexibility improves from one end of the cardio videos to the next, but not so much during the Cardio Recovery DVD. From what I understand, the difference is the workout. Once you've warmed up your muscles, they are more inclined to stretch farther.
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