I just completed day 2 of week 2 of the[amazon-product text=”Insanity ” type=”text”]B002QZ1RS6[/amazon-product] (Amazon link) high intensity training program. This is a stark departure from my usual routines of long distance running and cycling.
Why Insanity?
Last summer and fall (2012) my wife trained for and completed her first marathon. She did great!
This summer, looking for something new and different, she purchased the Insanity Training DVDs and did the 60 day routine. She loved Insanity and asked me over and over to join her. Since she tried marathon running for me last summer I decided to give Insanity a try.
After just a week these are my “three things” for Tuesday.
Jump Around! Jump, Jump!
There is a lot of jumping or dancing around, or at least that is the way it feels to me. I am used to running with occasional turns and variations in speed. I have done plenty of interval training so I used to speed work. The biggest difference for me is the multi directional movements through hoping, jumping, and reaching.
Barefoot
I decided to do Insanity barefoot. Running shoes provide zero lateral stability for side-to-side movement and the rise in the heel makes a lateral ankle injury even more likely with side-to-side jumping.
Since I don’t have any cross-training shoes I have decided to do this program barefoot which is having some desirable effects including: Landing gently from jumps on my forefoot and midfoot, good tactile feel for my movements, and comfort. I also believe their are some ankle strengthening and balance benefits to doing work like this barefoot, rather than shod.
Heart Rate
Part of the premise of High Intensity Training, at least as I understand it, is to workout at a higher heart rate. I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time today. Below is my data.
I am looking at two things:
- Heart rate during hard efforts, relative to my max
- Heart rate lowering during breaks, how quickly and how low
Are you into Insanity?
I haven’t taken a “pre” photo or set of measurements but probably should. In addition to spending some time with my wife my goals are to add some upper body strength, continue my quest towards an ab “2 pack”, and add a little bit of strength that will help me sprint to the finish line of an upcoming running road race.
