Day 15: FIT TEST 2 (and INSANE ABS)

The day of truth. I felt like an idiot, being all nervous about this fit test when I'm here by myself. The encouraging news if you're new to Insanity is that yes, this fit test is as awful as you think it is and it was just as hard the second time around. I was so tempted to hit "pause" and felt a little queasy a few times. Here are the results:

Exercise	Day 1	Day 15	Percentage increase
SWITCH KICKS	116	121	4.3%
POWER JACKS	48	53	10.4%
POWER KNEES	91	105	15.4%
POWER JUMPS	27	33	22.2%
GLOBE JUMPS	7	10	42.9%
SUICIDE JUMPS	17	18	5.9%
PUSHUP JACKS	20	24	20%
LOW PLANK OBLIQUE	75	74	-1.3%

Overall, that is an average of 14.98% improvement! I am pleased. Even better, my biggest improvement was in the areas I hate most: the hardest plyos. Here is what else I notice results-wise as I begin my third week:

• My skin looks fabulous. Increased blood flow? More water? Who knows.
• Lower blood pressure. I believe my resting heart rate is about the same, but my average BP is about 100/65 or slightly lower. I had mine tested in the doctor's office Friday and even though I was stressed out because I'd just had a bad blood test result monitoring my medication, my BP was 90/60.
• Big change in muscle tone in my shoulders. My shoulders were strong before, but they've increased in size and definition. I can see the little ripply vertical "fingers" a lot better, and the "heart tip" where they attach to the upper arm.
• My formerly too-tight pants are for the most part now comfortable enough to wear. I'm wearing jeans I haven't worn in many months. I'm guessing I've lost 1/2" off my waist at least, but that's just a guess. I can see muscle definition on my hips, and I couldn't before. My belly is definitely tighter.
• I was a good sleeper before, but now I sleep even more soundly. And eight hours is a must and almost involuntary. I only slept seven last night; not great before the fit test, and I'm feeling it. Just couldn't pry my glassy eyeballs away from the Olympics.
• I'm a high-energy person with some nervous energy, and yoga alleviates that for me as does Insanity, but for totally different reasons. Insanity sucks every last little bit of everything out of me. Plus, I'm so focused on just getting through the workout each day that other little things are bothering me a lot less. I feel like I can take on pretty much anything.

I decided the Fit Test wasn't enough for one day and I've been curious about Insane Abs, so I did it as well. I hate this routine, and I probably didn't give 100% to it for the first time since I started. I even had to modify in the warmup, I was so spent. It's longer than Cardio Abs -- about 33 minutes. After two circuits for the warmup (including power jumps and tuck jumps, which I hate most), you spend the rest of the time on the floor. It's much harder than Cardio Abs, although I do like some of the exercises he throws in that require a lot more balance and smooth transitions, such as coming to a plank on the elbows and lifting the leg and opposite arm straight out, and going back and forth.

I don't know if I'll do this one again until the rotation is over and I go back to creating my own workout plan. Then I can see throwing these in occasionally, but right now it's hard to envision tacking this one on after the Max workouts in month 2. Maybe my view will change.