Anyone else starting a Beachbody workout programme? (T25, insanity etc)

[yumyumpoppycat]

Ok so my Focus T25 box has arrived today! Costs a lot but it has 11 25 minute work outs and some stretchy exercise band things. Idea is that because I have spent a lot I will have to knuckle down and see it through for the next 2 months.

I will probably try it over the weekend and start properly on mon. I am 3 stone overweight so this is going to be a mega challenge! Has anyone else recently started something similar or a new workout dvd and want to help motivate each other?

Awww full - he is gorgeous. We have a crazy Weimaraner called Jackson. She is the kind of dog that starts licking all the salty sweat off you when you're in the middle of a set of press ups.

I am going Full Zone this week to try and shift a kg or two before the weekend - we are off skiing on Sat with the kids for a week and no doubt will be eating lots of carby food on the mountain so am trying to be good before then. Am sitting in my PJs MNing at the moment but will starting Max Cardio Conditioning and Insane Abs in less than 20 mins - see I have written it down again so it must be true. You can heckle me if I come back on and haven't done it!

The FB group is a small group of (originally) runners - only about 15 of us on there who post about exercise, running etc, and we set ourselves group challenges (we are spread across 4 continents, so we do round the world relay races posting our routes and distances from MapMyRun.com etc) but to be honest the group has been a little quiet lately. It was started by an old friend of mine who I knew from my time living in Cambodia, and used to be a couch potato but after 8 months of starting the group had entered himself for his first marathon (he really inspired all of us to get better and more active) - and then 7km into his marathon he had to stop running and couldn't explain why. After a series of tests it turned out he had a brain tumour which had to be operated on immediately and now he can barely see/walk/talk. That was 2 years ago and progress has been slow. So the group has carried on without him but lost its zest a bit - but the experience has made me thankful for what I can do now with my body and to never take it for granted.

Sorry to derail with a dog and a sad story!

Right, Max Cardio Conditioning here I come!

Did Insane Abs (the 30 min work out from Month 2 instead of the 15 mins Cardio Abs from Month 1) and NAILED IT. Did all the moves, no breaks. I remember when I first tried it about 7 months ago I thought I would NEVER be able to do the whole session, I could barely do 25% of it. So pleased.

And then followed up by Cardio Power and Resistance as was pretty pooped from the abs work out, but was still dripping in sweat by the end.

Feeling so virtuous now.

boobz wow, wish I could do half of what you can!

Did Speed 1.0 this morning - think it is my fave (probably because you get breaks to stretch ).

I can also add burpees to moves I cannot do. My arms just aren't strong enough to support 15 stone of weight hence why I find plank type moves so difficult.

Just sat here watching DH do it now, so much easier

I like speed for the stretches too .

Did beta core cardio by mistake (instead of alpha) this morning! It was hard! Anyway, feeling all virtuous now and trying not to muck it up by eating crap.

Yes SarahLou - we must not eat crap! I am trying to be really good this week food wise. I seem to have relaxed a bit too much over the past couple of weeks and it really shows.

Spooky - I started Insanity on June 14 last year, so just over 8 months now - I was shit when I started! In the words of Mr Tony Horton, "just keep pressing play!"

Honestly though, I am getting too muscly. I keep saying I am going to swap to a month of running but it's not great weather at the moment, and Insanity is so convenient.

Well done on everyone's work outs - I really like being on this thread.

Hello everybody!

I did Beta Speed 2.0 this morning. It was great fun, very fast though. My 10 year old DD decided she wanted to do it with me. She was ready to pass out half way through Ha Ha!!! it did make me feel rather good to beat a 10 year old :D

Boobz, I cannot believe you've got a weim! We had a beautiful weimaraner called Boris who sadly passed away in November, hence the new addition named Rufus :) We all miss Boris so much though, don't think there is another breed quite like a weimaraner! Are you on a FB page Weimaraner Uk?

So sad to read a story about your friend but it's truly inspirational and very encouraging for people like us who are only starting out on our way to a healthier and fitter body!

Poor Boris - was he old? Jackson will be 11 in September and has just gotten so slow in the last year - like a different dog. The inevitable is nigh I fear - we've had her since before we starting have the DC, so it will be a horrible time when it comes. You are right, there is no breed like a weim! She drove me potty when the kids were little (barking during naps, insisting on 2 x 1 hour walks a day when pregnant and 2 DC under 3) - but now she is much more manageable.

Well done on beating your daughter, you must be well proud :)

I have dog envy! It's not practical for us to have a dog but we'd both really like one.
I love speed 2.0. It is hard but just feels fun. Can't remember who asked but I think 750g weights might be too light. I use 2.27kg ones and Im pretty weak. I think everyone on the DVd uses heavier than that.
Managed rip'd circuit. Nearly flaked out if it as I had a bad night with ds and am tired but used this thread as motivation!

This thread IS motivating - whenever I think about wimping out I am going to post on here so it makes me do it.

Read an interesting article in The Times 2 today about body fat percentage and HIIT - think I might buy some expensive scales that measure body fat now as I think I have plateaued weight wise so need to work on a different measurement!

Boobz, Boris was only 7 and a half :( He'd never been ill in his life until two weeks before he passed away! Parathyroid Gland cancer, he stopped eating and drinking and was wasting away, the vet couldn't locate the tumour and we had to make the decision to have him put to sleep. The hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life! I'm still recovering :( Your Jackson is gorgeous, treasure her! xxx

Purple, it was me asking about weights, where is the best place to buy new weights girls?

I have to agree, this is a great place for motivation. I felt really good after workout this morning but towards the evening started feeling extremely tired and worn out. Having looked on here, I'm now ready for tomorrow. Bring it on!!!

fullsteam DH was telling me yesterday that Aldi have some cheap dumbbells but haven't checked them out. I need to buy some before I start beta in a couple of weeks though.

boobz what did the article say?

I just checked the schedule and I won't do Speed 1.0 again unless I double up next Friday but I haven't got the time to double up so I am not doing the extra ones. Shame as I really enjoy that work out!

Fullsteam Rufus is ever so cute! sorry to hear about Boris, sounds like it was a very hard time

What was the HITT article saying Boobz?

Purple well done on keeping motivated after a sleepless night.

We did lots of walking with the children today, and I did Cardio workout, but Jackster was right it is hard to exercise during half term. Esp if all 3 insist on trying to join in with workout at the same time in a small front room(or even more annoying make comments that mummy is not as good as the people on the telly). I actually enjoyed the workout once I kicked them out with 10 mins to go

Oh and I have done something v stupid btw. I accidentally posted the speed and total body dvd to love film instead of the rubbish johnny depp dvd we rented. Fingers crossed they send it back. The weird thing is the only other time I posted my own dvd it was the shred workout the annoying thing is why did it have to be the only dvd with 2 workouts on???????

Oh so sorry to hear that Fullsteam - must have been gut wrenching for you. I know we will be very sad when Jackson finally tootles off!

The article was basically about the trend now to aim for less than 15% body fat for a woman (10% for a man) through HIIT training like Insanity, T25, Barry's Bootcamp (have any of you done Barry's? I love it! But obviously can only partake when am in London on business)... and how there are scores of people getting their fat measured rather than using weight as a measure of success. I have no idea what my body fat is but would be interested to know. I can't seem to go lower than 51/52kg, even though I still have pudgy thighs and a mini muffin top. It interviewed an American chap (forget his name) which talked about the best way to get to 15% fat as a woman and it was pretty hardcore - no carbs for 2 weeks to kick start, along with an hour HIIT every day, then slowly reintroducing some carbs as you up the level of intensity. It also said you have to keep pushing your workouts up and up - if you stay at the same level then you will plateau which has happened to me, and which is why I think I now need to get Max Insanity 30 as I am pretty much leveled out on my current workouts.

Food for thought (but could all get a bit obsessive - I know I am not fat by any means!)

Just finished Max Cardio Conditioning.

Boobz - am not sure I'm quite committed enough for that (yet) but I have to confess I'm loving seeing my body change shape. I've got some definition in my arms, legs and tummy for the first time in 3yrs. It's nice not to have to avoid mirrors.
Just did speed 2.0. So fun. And I managed to keep up the whole way through so I'm pleased with that.

I have seen the US Navy Method recommended on the exercise boards, as the best way of roughly estimating body fat without expensive equipment. IIRC, last time I did it, mine was about 25% - kind of at the low end of "averagely slim" / high end of "sporty"!

Love the dog photos! Very cute!

Did T25 Speed 1.0 yesterday, and Insanity Plyometric Cardio today (DM took DCs out for a couple of hours so seized the chance).

I like Speed 1.0 and 2.0 but both of them hurt the underneath of my feet in places. It's the same discomfort I get when I wear flipflops, and my toes kind of grip the sole of the shoe to keep them on - does that make any sense?

poppy I, too, often get an audience of DCs trying to join in and totally get in the way if I try to exercise when they're around! Oops re the LoveFilm thing - did you manage to get hold of them? Bet people do it all the time!

purple genius idea to take the resistance bands on hols with you. I have lugged my proper weights on car holidays (including to France on the Eurotunnel!) but always stick to non-weights workouts if going on a plane. However as you say, I can totally imagine myself getting all tangled up in them, so will try to practice first, before we go away at Easter!

Great work everybody!

Thanks Boobz and Jackster, but now having done the measurements - holy crap i am 40.2 5 % fat! And that's after losing 10lbs ... clearly it was mostly water... boo.

{has a mini tantrum} I don't want to enter the army anyway

Jackster amazon have a section on the website that covers 'help I have sent my own exercise dvd' happy to report after a 3 day adventure the dvd is back, actually really happy to see it . I get that feeling in my feet some times - I have quite wide feet with high instep so hard to get shoes that fit.

Omg, just did the calculations and my body fat is apparently 44% some work to do I think!

Did Lower Focus tonight and I managed to do the lunge sequence all the way through without stopping on both legs!! Progress is being made... Slowly but progress none the less

I too have to exercise with little people around as I work 4 days a week so have to do it when I (and the kids) get home. They also like joining in and then they get bored and do their own thing

Hmm, need to find a tape measure.

Hello everyone - need to do measurements to see how fat I am! Alpha speed done today plus two hours walking around on my knees in a swimming pool and getting drenched by DS. And I resisted cupcakes. Watching comic relief bake off now and feeling hungry

Hi everybody, thanks so much for the support regarding Boris??, much appreciated!

Something highly unusual happened today. I was walking along the street and this young guy whistled and shouted "Hey beautiful" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, this sort of thing hadnt happened to me for a while, actually for a very very long while!!! Hard work is really starting to pay off me thinks ;)

I had a quick look at the body fat scales on Amazon last night and there is one on sale reduced from £79 to £25 with very good reviews. Off to check the army website to see how fat I am. Wish me luck!!!

Ok, not even sure if I've done it right but it looks like my body fat percentage is 29.74% so a lot of work to do still...

I don't have a tape measure with me on hols so I can't discover the horrible truth about my body fat percentage.
Well done spooky on the lunges. I could never quite get through the lunge hold.

And full steam- wow! it's about 15yrs since a builder wolf whistled at me!!
Am in 2 minds re work out today. Is my rest day and I need it but then I might not get the chance tomorrow.....am normally more decisive than this but I was up a lot last night with ds (stupid 4mth sleep regression)

Don't own a tape measure apparently.

Got 17 minutes into Max Cardio Intervals and had to stop - just wasn't feeling it! Rest day today I suppose.

Boobz, you have to find a tape measure asap! I'm desperate to know where you stand with this. Reason being is I think we are roughly the same hight and you were roughly the same weight when you started. So you are a kind of example of what I should aim for :) I've never been lighter than 55 kg in my life so wonder if it's physically possible for me to go lighter than that and perhaps should take body fat as a guideline instead of the weight...

It's one of those funny things to try and find in Rome... if I were in the UK I would just pop into Boots/John Lewis in my lunch hour... but I bet Roman pharmacies don't sell them.

Will see if I can get one on my way home. Although, because I am a massive dickhead, I would rather wait until I buy the expensive fat calculating scales that the article recommended, so I get an "accurate" reading... I would hate to do the Navy test and it hugely miscalculate in the wrong direction and I get all sulky that it's not lower!