I have decided to change things up a bit for this week’s check in post. Since I am already running a week behind (i.e. I have two weeks that haven’t been written up yet) and there isn’t a whole lot to say about Insanity recovery week, I am going to lump recovery week in with week 5. I also took another fit test and set of measurements in week 5, but I think I will save the details for an entirely separate post. With that in mind, let’s jump right in to my Insanity week 5 and recovery week check-ins.
Overview #
Recovery week is technically the fifth week of Insanity, but the workout calendar doesn’t number it, instead just calling it recovery week. It is sort of a cool down from the first month, allowing your body to recover a bit before jumping into month 2. In Insanity recovery week you are supposed to perform core cardio and balance every single day with the seventh day set aside for rest.
For me this was a fairly uneventful week. The only exception was that after two days of core cardio and balance, I was bored out of my mind! This routine is fairly slow in comparison to the previous four weeks, and it was barely a struggle to get through it (the exception being the shoulder burners at the very end… yowza!). In fact, I was actually a little worried that I might lose some of the momentum that I had built up over the previous weeks, and in the end I supplemented in a pure cardio workout on Wednesday and Friday. Otherwise I made it through the week without a hitch.
Insanity week 5, on the other hand, really kicked my butt! I was expecting it to get much more difficult in the second month and I wasn’t let down. But it is a different kind of difficult… In the very first week of Insanity, I was so out of shape that I wasn’t physically capable of completing the workouts in their entirety. In week 5, I have enough strength and energy to power through entire workouts, and yet I still find myself wanting to rest quite a bit. It is not that I am unable to continue, but still my body is telling me to stop. It is definitely an interesting feeling. By week 4 I found myself pushing a little harder with every passing day, but in week 5 I found that I was having trouble keeping myself motivated. Hopefully as I get further into month 2 I will be able to change this.
As a last note, I took my third fit test at the beginning of week 5 and with it, a new set of pictures and body measurements. As noted above, I will do a separate post for all of this shortly, so check back soon. Or if you only came here looking for results, you can check out my pictures page and my measurements page which have already been updated.
But for the rest of you, let’s take a look at:
Insanity Recovery Week In Review #
Insanity recovery week looks like this:
- Days 29 – 34: Core cardio and balance
- Day 35: Rest
As you can see, during Insanity week 5 you are performing the same routine for six days in a row. That routine is core cardio and balance.
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This workout is still challenging in its own way, but it is significantly slower paced than the other routines that have been completed to date. In fact, the hip flexor burners and shoulder burners proved to be the only exercises that were truly strenuous for me. Even so, this entire week went by without a hitch, except for struggling with boredom. After a couple of days I couldn’t take it any more and decided to supplement with the pure cardio workout, which I did in addition to core cardio and balance on both Wednesday and Friday.
Of course I understand the need for a ‘recovery week’ at this point – my body has been through hell for the previous four weeks and now it needs a break. I only wish that they would have put it together in such a way as to keep my attention better. That said, I love that halfway through the program we are completely mixing things up. The change is very welcome and I expect that it will make it that much easier to keep going for another month. However, I feel like this week of rest may have set me back slightly and left me unprepared to start on the max workouts of month 2. But in the end I decided to trust the program and stick to it. I suggest you do the same.
So then how did week 5 go for me?
Insanity Week 5 In Review #
Insanity week 5 looks like this:
- Day 36: Fit test and max interval circuit
- Day 37: Max interval plyo
- Day 38: Max cardio conditioning
- Day 39: Max recovery
- Day 40: Max interval circuit
- Day 41: Max interval plyo
- Day 42: Rest
This was actually the sixth week of the program, but as you can see above, the calendar is marked ‘week 5’ and I am trying to keep it consistent. ;) Being the start of month 2, the workouts get a bit more intense, and are closer to an hour in length on average. With my diet being so low in carbs, I was worried that I might not have enough energy to complete these max workouts. My solution was to stray from my diet plan a bit… I found some leftover tortillas from cinco de mayo and I decided to have a couple with the first meal of every day this week. After completing the week, however, I don’t think diet will be an issue and I will be returning to my original diet plan.
Monday: Fit Test and Max Interval Circuit #
I was as giddy as a schoolgirl on Monday. It had been 21 days since I had last taken the fit test and my body measurements, and I was really anxious to see where I stood. I will save the details for a follow-up post later today, but rest assured, the results were huge!
In the morning I performed the fit test and was shocked at just how difficult it remains. It truly tests your limits and could be an entire workout routine in-and-of itself.
And then in the afternoon I followed up with the dreaded max interval circuit. Shaun T didn’t disappoint with this one, and I nearly dropped out from the warmup alone! As mentioned above, I was overwhelmed with an odd feeling while trying to complete these workouts. I definitely had the strength and energy to keep going, but my body kept telling me to stop. I was left fighting against the voice in my head. I can only assume that the max workouts are designed to work you in a way that your body just isn’t used to at this point, and hope that as I get into next week it will be much better.
Tuesday: Max Interval Plyo #
Whaaa?! Level 3 drills?! 32 doesn’t really seem like that high of a number… Unless we are talking about push-ups and floor sprints. I was only able to complete half of them. On top of that, the wide in and out abs left my hip flexors wrecked. Power push-ups and balance push-ups were no walk in the park either, and I could hardly even get off the floor for the diamond jumps!
Ok, I guess I am exaggerating a little bit here, but max interval plyo was brand new territory for me. This was probably the most difficult workout to date. There are a lot of power exercises that I just wasn’t ready for. That said, I think it is my new favorite routine. I look forward to these strength exercises the most as my body can definitely use it.
Wednesday: Max Cardio Conditioning #
Wednesday’s workout reminded me of a longer version of the pure cardio routine. It is a nice workout – about 28 minutes of straight cardio where the only rest you get are the few seconds Shaun T takes to explain each move. I had to dig soooo deep ;) to get through this workout, but I wouldn’t say that it was more difficult than any of the previous ones (just longer). But as always seems to be the case for me, there was one move that really worked me over – those damn diamond jumps! (far left side of the max workouts picture above)
Thursday: Max Recovery #
In the same vein as cardio recovery from month 1, this isn’t really much of a recovery day. It is basically a bunch of deep stretches to help your muscles recover a bit from the week’s beating. But after holding some of these stretches so deep and for so long my legs were once again turned to jello by the end.
Friday: Max Interval Circuit #
Same as the first day of week 5. It was slightly easier this time around, but not by much. I am certain that by next week, this will change, as one week was all it took for me to get accustomed to the month 1 workouts.
Saturday: Max Interval Plyo #
In the late morning on Saturday I went out for lunch. I was told I should try some Peruvian duck and ordered a simple rice and duck plate. I can’t be certain that this was the culprit, but by the afternoon I had become very sick. I will spare you all the of the details, but from then until Monday I was unable to eat much of anything (besides some rice here and there). Needless to say, I didn’t complete my workout (image credit: Isaac Ashe).
[Despite the fact that it may have been the cause of this horrendous sickness, this duck plate served over a bed of green rice was actually really delicious. If you get the chance, I absolutely recommend trying it.]
Sunday: Rest #
Day number two of ‘rest’ for me… I remained sick on Sunday and spent upwards of 50% of the day in bed sleeping. Of the remaining 50%, probably around half of that was spent in bed watching movies. Talk about a lazy day!
Thoughts On My Results To Date #
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As I mentioned earlier, I will save the specifics of my results for a later post, my measurements page and my results page. But I would like to take this opportunity to state that the results have been significant enough to provide a nice bit of further motivation for me. Knowing all that the first month has already given me and that the second month is even tougher, I am incredibly optimistic for the end results of Insanity. Even so, I am starting to wonder if those results will be as dramatic as I had originally hoped. While my weight loss goals may prove to be spot on, I don’t think I factored in a low enough body fat percentage to really get that ‘cut’ physique I would like. But I am not terribly worried. I am already at the lowest weight I have been in over a decade and in better physical shape than I have been in since I was a kid. If 60 days come and go and I still want to take it a little further, I can just repeat the program. That is one of the beauties of home workout routines like Insanity!
So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
Now It’s Your Turn! #
What did you think of Insanity recovery week? Were you as bored as I was? And what about Insanity week 5? Were you at all prepared for what was in store? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time!
