P90X and Insanity... Now That's Insane!

I'm done with my first week of Insanity! 

I have to say that I'm impressed.  Insanity is definitely the best cardio workout I've had.  Of course, it's only cardio.  I was very disappointed with Cardio Power & Recovery.  It's supposed to be resistance training with your body weight, but other than push-ups and some tricep dips there really isn't anything that builds strength.  I threw in some P90X the other night just to get some upper body work in.

I was going to follow the Insanity program to the letter for the full 9 weeks just so I could see the results, but now that I've done all of the Month 1 workouts, I'm 100% sure that I'll lose strength.  I think I'm going to mix it up a little and add P90X and BBL into the schedule.  Of course, there are several hybrid programs out there, but I'm going to custom design one for myself, to fit my needs and my running schedule.  I'll post it when I get it done (or figure out how to add a calendar.)  I also have a group of friends starting their first round of P90X soon -- can't wait to see their results!

In other news... less than 2 weeks until my vacation!  I'm very happy to go back to Virginia if for no other reason than the awesome running trails.  My parents live less than a mile away from a Civil War battleground that's been revamped with running trails.  Some of them are dirt and through the forest.  Others are gravel across fields.  There's even two MASSIVE hills.  Hopefully, I'll get plenty of running time (you know, when I'm not submerged in their pool.)

Sadly, Hershey Park is on the schedule.  I'm not an amusement park sort of gal and I really don't want to gain back what little I've lost because of some stupid chocolate.  Don't forget the chocolate bar waiting for us that's bigger than Harper!

Okay, almost as big as Harper.

But I Like Being Able to Walk...

Yesterday was Day 1 of Insanity (just the fit test) and Brazil Butt Lift's High and Tight (seriously, I've never found a better butt workout). 

Of course, now I can't walk down the stairs.

This is either a good thing or a very, very bad thing.

Brazil Butt Lift

I am so BORED of P90X. Don't get me wrong, it's a great workout, but 90+ days of it gets really old even with 12 different DVDs. I love Tony Horton, but I can recite every single one of his jokes in my sleep. How do people do 2, 3, even more rounds?

Since P90X was always a little too light on cardio for someone needing to lose serious weight, Jason got me Insanity. It's VERY high intensity cardio featuring calisthenics to build muscle. Although, it is highly debated just how effective Insanity is. There are those who are diehard weightlifters who believe that unless you are throwing around dumbbells, you aren't going to gain muscle. Some people say that it's unrealistically intense and that even someone like Lance Armstrong would have problems keeping up. Others love it.

Anyways, the plan was to combine the P90X workouts I like with Insanity. But then, I saw Brazil Butt Lift.

I'll be honest here; I'm a fitness snob. I quietly mocked my mother every time she bought another contraption or workout video from an infomercial. AbRoller? She's got it. ThighMaster? Check. What about an Ab Lounger? Yep. She even spent the money on the electrocute yourself to better abs thing. I spent a couple days trying out her collection of Firm videos, and sure, they may be great for your average unfit, overweight housewife, but they did nothing for me -- the overweight housewife who runs half marathons. So, I was really skeptical when I saw Brazil Butt Lift on Beachbody's website.

Could the people who make P90X and Insanity really sell something so... easy looking? I mean it looks fun. People dancing around on the beach shaking their booty? Very carnival. The workout was made for Victoria's Secret angel, Alessandra Ambrosio and she does have an amazing ass. But then again, she's a supermodel with freak genes and already had a pretty decent backside before the program. Besides, she doesn't have any muscles. There's no way she could out bench me. Hell, she probably can't run more than 5 miles.

Of course, this discussion went on in my head otherwise Jason would probably be a little weirded out.

But I figure, there's a money back guarantee and I really do appreciate what P90X did for me. If people think Brazil Butt Lift works, I'll give it a shot. If I don't like it or if I feel like I'm losing too much fitness, I'll start Insanity.

BBL comes with a workout plan designed for your butt shape; mine is "too much." Day 1 was basics and Bum Bum (Brazilian slang for butt). Basics is just a tutorial about how to do the moves with proper form. Stuff like, put your foot here and your knee here and engage your core, etc. I even thought about skipping it. It's 10 minutes long and to quote a wise man, my biscuits were burning.

I hadn't even started the real workout yet.

Bum Bum is a combination of cardio while doing moves that target your tush. Instead of endless lunges like P90X, you did lunges as a part of a dance move. Squats, leg lifts... they were all there but as part of the cardio. Bum Bum is 30 mins long and I had to pause the disc twice.

How can I make it through 60 mins of Plyo X and then PAUSE a silly little cardio video?

I mean, I didn't even put on my heart rate monitor. Hell, I almost did it in my pajamas because I didn't think I would sweat. I definitely underestimated it.

There are 3 more workouts in the series, and I'm still skeptical that I'll maintain my upper body strength, but I'm going to give it a shot. If anything, I can substitute BBL in for some of the P90X workouts. But for the next few weeks, I want to see what Brazil Butt Lift can do for me.