Insanity is not a workout for the light hearted or for the weak hearted. When you buy the Insanity workouts they have many warnings telling you exactly what i'm telling you right now. Still people tend to move from their regular routine of 4 hours of couch sitting a day to starting a program that is meant for those who already have a workout history. This is where I come in.
My first goal is to give you few guidelines that will help you get from the couch to Insanity. Ask your self a few of these questions before starting up Insanity.
- Have I been on a regular workout program for at least 3-6 months?
- Can I run a mile in 12 or less minutes?
- Can I jump off both feet at the same time and land on a step?
- Can I lift my knee so that it is level with my hip?
- Can you do 15 push ups with proper form?
If you answered no to any of these questions then you should just give up.
NO NO NO NO I'm just joking with you!! Don't give up! That's the whole point of this post silly.
I would suggest being able to do these things before starting Insanity but if you still insist on going for it then lets talk about some ways to make it work for you.
First rule LISTEN TO YOUR OWN BODY! Chances are it's telling you something important. There is a difference between pushing yourself and killing yourself (literally).
Wear a heart rate monitor. Shawn T of course tells you to do this as well. If you can't afford a heart rate monitor (check amazon - they have great deals) then feel your heart rate, watch the clock for ten seconds and count the number of beats in that time frame. Multiply that by ten and boom you have your heart rate. If you have worked out for many years you probably have a good idea where your heart rate is just by how you feel.
When Shawn gives you a break to recover it's important that your heart rate recovers all the way. If you're new to the program this means you take as much time as you need. That could be 1 minute or 10 minutes. Let me say this again, take as much time as you need!
All of this is pretty basic and pretty much applies to any workout program. On Recommendations for the Insane part two we'll talk about alternative exercises, especially for those who have knee or back problems.
Wear a heart rate monitor. Shawn T of course tells you to do this as well. If you can't afford a heart rate monitor (check amazon - they have great deals) then feel your heart rate, watch the clock for ten seconds and count the number of beats in that time frame. Multiply that by ten and boom you have your heart rate. If you have worked out for many years you probably have a good idea where your heart rate is just by how you feel.
When Shawn gives you a break to recover it's important that your heart rate recovers all the way. If you're new to the program this means you take as much time as you need. That could be 1 minute or 10 minutes. Let me say this again, take as much time as you need!
All of this is pretty basic and pretty much applies to any workout program. On Recommendations for the Insane part two we'll talk about alternative exercises, especially for those who have knee or back problems.
