Move Day 1 Today
Switch Kicks 114 130
Power Jacks 60 63
Power Knees 91 98
Power Jumps 32 55
Globe Jumps 11 13
Suicide Jumps 16 20
Push-up Jacks 15 20
Low Plank Oblique 50 60
I am especially pleased with the progress I made on the cardio moves. Power jumps for example are extremely challenging. (They are like wide knee tuck jumps for those who know what I mean.) I am very happy how the program led me to improve my cardio so much. I definitely notice a difference when I am doing other exercises, such as the elliptical at the gym -- non-Insanity workouts seem so much easier now to me.
I improved my upper body strength as well. I actually found this the hardest part of the workout. I had to modify some of the push-ups during the program and do them on my knees, so I think I had less growth here. I know that my upper body is weaker than my lower, so I am glad I got to work it more here. I only wish I had made more progress.
After finishing the last fit test, I decided to take out the fit test of Asylum. While I won't be starting the new program for another week, I wanted to do the fit test to get an idea of the differences between Insanity and Asylum.
It was clear right away how Asylum will be different. The Insanity program is focused on doing max interval training -- you do as many of a move as you can in a short amount of time. Most of the moves are basic, so that you can do them fast without a problem. The instructor, Shaun T, emphasized form, but it's not that hard to maintain this form. With Asylum, this is a much bigger focus on agility and precision of movement. This was almost the focus over speed. For me doing the fit test the first time, I focused almost entirely on doing the moves correctly. These moves are more complex than in Insanity, and I wanted to make sure I was getting them down correctly. The moves were based around using the agility ladder.
If you did not perform the movement correctly without moving the ladder, your rep didn't count, hence my personal focus on the precision of my movements over the number for this first fit test. I kind of wish that I had watched the DVD once through before taking the test to get an idea of the movements, as I wasted time in the fit test just trying to figure stuff out. As a result some of my numbers were a bit lower than they could have been. I did do well with some of the vertical jumping, a move that relied on some of the plyo power I have been able to develop during the Insanity workout.
I will begin the Asylum workout starting, most likely, next Monday, and will begin to report out how things go. I am excited to see how this is a different style workout than Insanity and which areas of my fitness I am able to improve.
Seth is also working on his fitness and has downloaded a Couch to 5K app for his iPhone. I am excited for him to work on that while I am doing Asylum over the next month. When I am finished with Asylum, I am planning to do some running; perhaps even training for something like a 10K. I'd love to be able to run with him!
Seth and I visited my family in Connecticut this Saturday. While there, we went outlet shopping at Clinton Crossing. At the Nike outlet there, I got a pair of Nike Free Running shoes.
They have Nike+ built in to track my runs. Seth had the transmitter, which he's letting me borrow. I set up a Nike+ account. Now when I go running, I'll be able to track my runs on my iPhone and upload them to Nike's site to track my progress. I can't wait to get started once the weather gets warmer, say in mid-April!