The Insanity fitness program is truly insane, but I had to see for myself what all the hype is all about.
I have heard about the Insanity workout for years, but never considered going through it until my friends Kurt and Jules brought it to my attention in Samara, Costa Rica. They have gone through the program a few months earlier and wanted to resume their training again. This presented a great opportunity and a challenge! So, we decided to jump in head first and start our 60 day process.
Insanity with Shawn T. is tough. No matter what your fitness level is – it presents a serious challenge and requires full commitment to yourself. So, we all agreed to pull the trigger and start the process together. The program involves a warm-up routine by the end of which we are all drenched in sweat – head to toe! Next comes a series of stretching exercises followed by high intensity routines for all muscle groups. No weights, just our own bodies and gravity. We had to jump, lift all extremities, did drills, punched imaginary villains in the air, did sets of push-ups, kicks, worked on the core of the body – all that with changing level of intensity that were broken up by brief 30 sec. rests which always seemed to pass by way too fast!
We were doing relatively simple exercises, but the intensity and speed of the moves always took me to my limit for that day. Muscle growth happens when one reaches their limit and they stay in that space of being uncomfortable. What you want to do is stop and rest instead of pushing thought and here we make a choice. Here we are one-on-one with the ego and who wins is completely up to us. We either make a choice to feel and push through or give up and let the ego win. Kurt, Jules and I had to make that choice daily and put the ego back in its place – the metaphorical back seat of the car, while we kept driving forward!
We all need to be clear who is in control – the ego or the essence of you. It is either the programs that run in the background or it is you. The choice is always between staying in the comfort zone or being uncomfortable mentally or physically. We find ourselves in the new territory while experiencing growth, developing mental toughness while increasing self-esteem.
In the course of the program I lost much of my fat reserves, but gained muscle and toned the whole body in the meantime. The total net weight change is +1.5kg in 2 months. Muscle growth occurred throughout the body, but much of it in the legs and upper body. The stubborn fat along the mid-section has largely melted revealing growing muscles underneath.
It is hard to believe what 60 days can do if you commit to transforming your body. If you want results, do not hesitate to go through the program. It is really for everyone, no matter your age, weight, health condition or fitness level. You are always in control of how much to push yourself and how long you rest in-between the exercises. This only means that you are taking control, calling the shots and pushing personal boundaries. You always have a choice and non-action is a choice as well. We are not going to let someone else drive our own vehicle, our body. We take full responsibility for our actions and repercussions – whatever they might be.
Kurt and I would aim to work out together daily, but if that were not possible, each of us would work out alone at home and send each other videos of our sweaty faces to keep each other motivated and accountable. Jules would often join in the fun and added a healthy dose of motivation and accountability to the group. We were happy to have Diederik and Erin join us when they could as well!
So, the bottom line is – what are we going to do to be the best versions of ourselves? You are really worth every bit of energy, financial investment and time put directly into YOU!
No one can do it for us – it is an inside job. Don’t cut yourself short – it is time to re-assert who the boss it and keep the ego observing you from that back seat. Do not delay. It doesn’t make sense to delay the confident, focused, smiling, happy you! We have the most amazing body, the only vehicle to navigate through the world, so let’s observe the world through the best vehicle that we can. It is really up to us!
We always win! It is a choice and we already made it!
p.s. It has been 3 days since I finished the program but I already miss it. It feels like a good friend is gone. I have reached a goal that I have been working towards and now there is a space, a void that calls to be filled somehow. This feeling is quite unexpected and as at the time the exercises seemed never-ending. What do I do now?
I made a deal with my ego! In addition to my regular, non-negotiable morning routine, I decided to only invest 33% of the energy I used to invest in Insanity training from now on…. So now, I committed to 2 days per week to staying with the Insanity – Wednesdays and Saturdays. I figured that I was going strong with 6 days per week + 1 day rest during the program and now I will do 2 days with 5 days of rest. What a fabulous deal! I maintain and go even deeper with physical fitness and discipline while doing a third of the work. The ego swallowed this proposition in a heartbeat!
What great things are you worthy of? Is it time to say YES and to put yourself in the centre of your Universe? Only you can make that decision, my friend…
Much love,
Niko