Turbo Fire Day 12, Fire 55 EZ

I'm still not sure what EZ stands for. This workout is not easy, but it is fun, with lots of kickboxing. I am starting to notice that my knees are aching though. I'm being careful to pivot like Chalene Johnson says too, but I guess I'm either not doing it right, or that hard floor is just a little too hard on my joints. No swelling though so I think it's safe to ignore it for now.

I think it's time to stop doing the 'new to class' option also. I still struggle a little with the choreography, but I'm picking up on her queus now and I'm able to keep up to the beat of the music, so the next Fire class I'll try without using that option.

As far as whether these classes burn a ton of calories as is claimed, time will tell. I'm not dieting but I'm not eating more so it stands to reason that I should see a slow weight loss if I'm really burning calories for 24 hours.

Turbo Fire Day 11, HIIT 15 and Sculpt 30

Today I did HIIT 15 and attempted Sculpt 30. The HIIT and Fire dvd's are so much fun now that I'm getting better at following Chalene's queus. I'm able to put a lot more energy into them and my heart rate really gets up there. The thing I like most about these HIIT dvd's as opposed to Insanity is that the circuit only lasts about 1 minute, so I'm not holding back, I'm giving it all I've got and it doesn't last so long that I'm bored doing the moves. The 15 minutes absolutely flies by.

The sculping class is pretty boring, but I am going to have to get a resistance band similar to these:

What they send you with the dvd's is similar to this:

This tube band kills my wrists, which are arthritic and prone to tendonitis, thanks to 9 years of sparring in karate and blocking kicks the wrong way (with my hands open instead of fists). Needless to say, after 10 minutes of the sculpting dvd, my wrists were aching and I had to quit. I will get the better resistance band this week before my next attempt at the sculpting class.

Turbo Fire Day 9, HIIT 20 and Core 20

I've missed 3 workouts in a row because of other obligations and shear laziness, so today I made up for it by doing the HIIT 20 class AND the Core 20 class.

HIIT 20 was another interval circuit class and I don't know how Chalene does it, but she makes it fun and the time flew by. She also keeps you highly motivated and inspired to push yourself, and even though it was only a 20 minute workout, I worked up a good sweat and felt like I got a good workout in.

I wanted to try the Core 20 class (so unlike me to do 2 workouts in a row) simply because I haven't worked my abs in forever, except for a few minutes of crunches in karate class. I can already feel it and I'm sure I'm going to be sore tomorrow. This dvd uses uses a resistance band. I don't have a good one like they use in the dvd, but a cheap one without handles came with the series of dvd's so I used that. I will definitely have to invest in a better one with handles because this giant rubber band made my wrists ache.

Now if I can just get my diet in line . . . funny how when i workout regularly I can't seem to diet. It must be lack of coordination. Some people can't rub their bellies and tap their head, I can't exercise regularly and eat right. I'm going to have to work on that.

Side note: On the HIIT dvd's, there's an option you have to choose: fire up the music: yes or no. The first HIT class I did, I chose yes thinking that yes is for music and no isn't. What they mean is yes if you want the music super loud (you won't be able to hear Chalene's instructions well) and no if you just want the music at a normal volume. I can't wait until I can do these HIIT classes with the music fired up loud!

Turbo Fire Day 5, Fire 55 EZ

Fire 55 EZ isn't easy, but it sure is fun! Even doing the 'new to class' option, which goes over the choreography (off the 55 minute clock), the time flew by. This is definitely a program I can stick with.

As far as comparing it to Insanity, it's hard to do. The programs are so different, I'm not sure there is a way to compare them. I think once my body gets used to doing Turbo Fire and I've gone through the whole 2 or 3 months (not sure how long it is when you don't have the deluxe dvd's), I will need to switch to something else short term to shock my body and muscles so I continue to improve.

Turbo Fire doesn't concentrate on muscle building, it's cardio only from what I can tell, so that would be the biggest difference. I know there are some toning dvd's in the series that I haven't gotten to yet, but I don't think they're anything as intense as Insanity's massive amount of pushup circuits. Time will tell though.

Turbo Fire is so much fun to do though, and that makes it much easier to talk myself into actually putting the dvd in and hitting 'play' and giving it all I've got. That alone makes Turbo Fire something I can stick with, whereas I dreaded having to go home and put in the Insanity dvd's, and got to where I skipped workouts a few days a week. You won't see results if you don't actually do anything.

Turbo Fire Day 4, Fire 30

Today was my second time doing a fire workout and it was much easier this time to follow the direction and keep up with the choreography. I got a much more intense workout, with heavy breathing and sweating going on. I really enjoyed the workout and am looking forward to the next dvd in the series, Fire 55 EZ, which is tomorrow.

I'm guessing the moves will be close to the same as the Fire 30 moves, but I'm still going to follow the 'first in class' option if it's available. Another time or two and I think I'll have it down.
The Fire 55 EZ class will give me a good idea on whether Turbo Fire will be able to deliver the intensity that Insanity does, however, with what I was able to do today, I'm extremely happy with Turbo Fire. It's definitely a workout I can stick with for the long haul without beating my arthritic joints straight into surgery.

Turbo Fire Day 2, Hit 15

Today was the Hit 15 class, which went much better than yesterday's class did. When I started it up I noticed there wasn't a 'new to class' option which worried me, but I sucked it up and went on with my workout.

The Hit class is drills lasting about a minute long with breaks in between. It's a lot like Insanity's circuits, only not anywhere close to boring like Insanity's is. Somehow, Chalene makes it fun to do and I was able to get a good workout in, although it was too short I think to get any real results. According to Chalene, doing these circuits gives you an afterburn affect by raising your metabolism for up to 24 hours, but I just don't see how such a short workout can have a great impact when I was killing myself with an hour of those circuits while doing Insanity. When I would do an Insanity workout, I didn't have the energy to pick myself up off the floor afterwards. I could have repeated this workout tonight. I did breath hard after the circuits and I did work up a sweat. I do think once I'm familiar with the routine I'll be able to put more work into it, but I am giving myself a learning curve this first week.

Turbo Fire is fun to do so I'm going to keep on because the thought of going back to Insanity makes me want to curl up on the couch and eat potato chips, which will have a much worse affect on my metabolism.

Turbo Fire, Day 1

Today was my first attempt at Turbo Fire. I say attempt because, even though I chose the 'new to class' option in the menu, it was still hard to follow the choreography.

The class today was called 'Fire 30' followed by 'Stretch 10'. I can see where Fire 30 will definitely give you a cardio workout once you get the moves down. I didn't do great today simply because I couldn't coordinate my arms and legs to the movements I was supposed to be doing. I'd get it down, but by then Chalene was on to another set of moves.

I cranked up the volume on the surround sound and listened to her instructions on choreography and watch intently, trying to mimick her slow moves. Then the music would start and Chalene would go at high speed and I'd be lost. Glad no one could see me trying to keep up! I did work up a sweat, although nothing near what I'd have when doing Insanity.

This will be a lot of fun once I get it down, but I think it's going to take a few days to get my body moving the way it's supposed to. I was half tempted to start the dvd over to try to get the moves down, but decided it can wait until tomorrow.

Insanity Day 38

This is my last Insanity post. I can't say I completed the challenge, but I can say I suffered through over a month of it and I do not like it.

I like the intensity of the workout, and if I was in a gym with the people in the video, I would probably enjoy it somewhat, but being at home in my living room and just going through exercise drills as if I'm still in middle school gym class is not any fun for me.

Did I gain anything from this experience? Yes, I got my exercise mojo back (I had been slacking badly the last 2 years). I'm glad I'm back in the habit of working out regularly again and I feel good mentally. I gained strength and I can see a slight difference in spots.

However, TURBO FIRE IS IN THE HOUSE!!!! It finally arrived and I'll be starting it hopefully this weekend. It promises to be a lot more enjoyable, with great music (hear that Shaun T?) and dance moves. Here's a little secret, I dance like a geeky white boy, so I certainly won't mind hiding out in my living room to do this workout.

Of course, I'll be posting my experience with this so you will still have something to put you to sleep.

Insanity Day 37, Max Interval Circuit

This morning I learned a lesson. It's not a great idea to work out with nothing in your stomach but coffee. I struggled through 40 minutes of this workout, then called it quits. I had to keep stopping and did not have the energy to go any further.

I knew I wouldn't have the energy I normally do. I also knew that if I ate, it would be another hour or 2 before I could work out without getting heartburn. And 1-2 hours is a lot of time to talk myself out of doing this insane workout, so I did what I could.

Insanity Day 36, Max Cardio Conditioning

I think I like this workout better than the other max workouts. Mainly because it's only 47 minutes and because it's not circuits, so I don't have to repeat those exercises 3 times each. The circuits are what get to me. Knowing that after a break, having done 5 exercises in a row, I have to go back and do them 2 more times just makes the workouts drag along.

In this workout you don't have to repeat any of the exercises. The downside is that you don't get any water breaks. But not having the endurance, strength or wind to complete much of it without taking a much needed rest gives me a small amount of time to gulp down some water while gasping for air.

I'm still excited about Turbo Fire coming. It should be here soon and I just can't stop surfing YouTube to watch others doing the workouts. It looks like so much more fun.

Upside note: I haven't really lost any weight, but my jeans are fitting differently, so I peaked a look in the mirror and I'll be darned if my backside doesn't look a little shapelier!

Insanity Day 34

Hey, guess what? I actually worked out today! I did yesterday's workout, seeing as how I laid out of exercise last night. It was Max Cardio Circuit and it's as tough as it was at the beginning of the week when I did it.

I'm still having a hard time motivating myself to do this workout, moreso since I ordered Turbo Fire, which looks like it will be more enjoyable. But I decided I started this adventure and I need to complete it.

I can see some changes. My arms are stronger and I can see muscles in my chest which, let's face it, us older women need to help fight gravity. My legs, especially above my knees to mid-thigh, I can tell have toned up. All these things are encouraging. The scale, however, is very discouraging. I know, I shouldn't be a slave to it, but I just can't resist!

Insanity Day 33

Okay, so I did it again. I laid out of working out. But tomorrow is a new day and I will get through a 60 minute workout. I will, I will, I will!

P.S. Sure hope I don't post tomorrow night that I didn't.

Insanity Day 32

I am so bored with these Insanity dvd's, I simply dread doing them when I get home.

So it makes perfect sense for me to order the next dvd series from Beachbody, Turbo Fire. I checked the reviews and watched some videos on youtube and it looks much more fun than Insanity. It still uses the HIIT (high intensity interval training) technique that Insanity uses, but it has great choreography and dance moves. It also has some kickboxing moves in it, which I enjoy. The price is outragious though.

If you want to learn more about it, go to youtube and search Turbo Fire. I'll start it after I finish Insanity (maybe before) and I'll let you know how it's going.

Needless to say, I wasn't able to talk myself into another hour long video of Insanity today, hopefully I'll do better tomorrow.

Insanity Day 31, Max Cardio Conditioning

I woke up so sore this morning in my butt, thighs and triceps that every time I sat in my office for awhile I got stiff and dreaded getting out of my chair. I was really dreading going home and trying to get through another hour long workout. So I was elated when I saw that today's workout only lasts 45 minutes long. I should have known better, 45 minutes felt like an hour and a half. No breaks, except the ones I had to take because my legs were giving out (way to many).

I hope I see results when all is said and done. I have not started any dieting and have not quit drinking my beer or two a day and so far haven't seen any major changes. I'm definitely stronger and have more stamina, but I don't think I've lost any inches. According to Beachbody I should be burning a whole lot more calories daily than I was before, so it would seem reasonable that I would have a weight loss. Fortunately, three and a half more weeks and then this program is over.

I'm not really enjoying Insanity. Scratch that, I'm not enjoying it at all. I love hard workouts but this workout is getting monotonous. Yeah I know, there are 10 workouts, however, they're all very similar and when I get through a circuit, I think about having to do it two more times and time seems to drag.

Next I'm wanting to try Turbo Fire. It has some dance moves and from what I've seen looks more enjoyable. However, it costs $145.00 which is ridiculous for a workout program. I'll keep looking at reviews of the program and see if they change my mind.

Insanity Day 30, Max Interval Plyo

When I woke up this morning, I was sore and could definitely feel that I had worked out hard yesterday.

Today's workout was really insane, and I can honestly say, I will never be looking forward to doing these workouts. They completely exhaust me. This workout was the toughest so far. The warm up was the same as yesterday, with me getting winded after the second circuit of the warmup.

The pushups Shaun T. comes up with are unreal. I don't know that I'll ever be able to do them properly, but I'm definitely getting stronger so I'm getting something out of it. This dvd had squat pushups (I think that's what he called them). You get in a squat position, fall down on your hands, do a push up and as you're coming up, push hard enough to push yourself back into the squat position. I could do them after some practice but it completely wore my arms out!

Another pushup he did was balance pushups. Get in a regular pushup position, go down, and as you're coming back up, raise your right arm and right leg, then next pushup your left. I could not do these to save my life, but did the best I could. Here's a youtube video of someone that can actually do these pushups.

Then there were the v pushups with one leg bent up. I don't even know how to describe that one other than to say it works the top of your shoulders and I can't do it well either.

Another pushup he did was in standard pushup position, only when you're pushing yourself back up, your legs jump in and you raise your upper body off the ground so that you're standing. I couldn't even come close to doing that one. There are a few other varieties of pushups also, including side pushups, which I'm not strong enough to do, but I try.

If you want to increase your upper body strength and work on balance, this is the workout for you, but warning, you will sweat like you have never sweat before. I started taking a couple Endurolyte capsules before the workouts and that has definitely helped. I am also choking down Hammer Gel if I have to go to a karate class after my workouts.

Insanity Day 29, Max Interval Circuit

Today was the first day of the max circuit, and OMG I only thought the first month was hard! 59 minutes of pouring sweat, not to mention suicide pushups that killed my wrists. Near the end of the warmup, I got a side cramp, you know the kind that you get when you're not breathing right. I suffered through it and got to the end, although I had to stop several times to catch my breath and recover a little. The people doing the exercises in that video are obviously not smokers.

The max circuit has introduces new exercises and even ventured away from the warmup of the first set of dvd's. I was so tired of doing those mummy kicks and hope they don't appear anywhere in this max series.

I haven't lost much weight yet, maybe a couple pounds, but I did see the before and after pictures of a friend and the results are incredible. She says she saw the most changes during the second month so that is helping me to dig deeper and suffer through it.

On a side note, I counted my Insanity days on my calendar and I don't know how I messed it up, but I only have 56 days of Insanity on it, so I skipped a week of workouts somewhere. No biggie though, because if I see some amazing results this month, I'm definitely going to go through this torture again or maybe order Turbo Fire, another of the beachbody workout sets.

Insanity Day 24, Core Cardio & Balance

I’m finally on the recovery week. The one that lets you build back up so you’ll have enough energy for for the max circuit. The regular circuit about killed me so I’m not looking forward to next week. My energy stores were so low I didn’t do any workouts all weekend, and by yesterday, I was definitely feeling better.

I can honestly say that I never, ever, ever look forward to doing these workouts. I’ve read that you get addicted to them and can’t wait to do them. Those people are insane! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not lazy and I love workouts that make you sweat and gasp for breath, but I don’t like feeling so drained and achy after a few days of working out. What’s the point in that? If you’re too exhausted and sore to function because you’ve worked out, then why work out? Isn’t the reason you do it to make you stronger and give you more energy? You’re defeating the purpose. Well I know, we do it to look good too.

This week’s dvd is called Core Cardio & Balance. It’s definitely a nice change of pace. It will make you sweat a little, and there are exercises in there that are difficult, but overall, it’s slower paced and tolerable. I can actually do this dvd AND make it to a karate class afterwards.