Tracking Your INSANITY MAX:30 Time Progress with Printables

Here I am already nearing the end of week 3 of Insanity MAX:30, and I already blew one of my New Year’s resolutions…cursing. Thanks, Shaun T. :)

There are two key concepts included in the MAX:30 program that really stick out in my mind: One is the introduction of the high intensity Tabata type workouts that I will dive into in a later post and the other is your MAX OUT time.

I knew you wrote down your MAX OUT time, which is when you needed to take your first break – but is it really that simple?

What It Means to MAX OUT

According to Shaun T, there are two ways you can MAX OUT:

1. When you can no longer keep proper form during an exercise movement.
2. When you just need to take a break to catch your breath.

Example #1 You’re on the floor, lying on your back with your legs straight out. You lift your legs slightly off the floor while bringing one up to 90° and lifting your upper body off the floor enough to clap your hands underneath your thigh. No problem, right? Yeah, that’s what you think when you first start these moves.

Fastforward 30 seconds into the movement, and you find yourself no longer being able to lift your body high enough to reach your arms completely under your  thighs to clap. When this occurs, you have officially MAXED OUT for the workout, because you’re not performing the move with accurate form. This is the point when you write down your time and get back into it as quickly as possible.

Example #2 The INSANITY MAX:30 at-home workout program is really all about getting into a rhythm while simultaneously giving it all. When the point in the workout comes where you’re pushing to your max and you can physically no longer keep up with the workout and you need to take a quick break, you have reached your MAX OUT time.

Is MAXING OUT Bad?

Absolutely not – in fact, MAXING OUT is the main focus of the program. Worried you’re too fit to MAX OUT? Don’t be, because when you are pushing yourself to your limits physically and mentally, you will MAX OUT. Shaun T even maxes out if that tells you something.

You will want to make sure to go into every MAX:30 workout with the goal of finding and pushing beyond your previous MAX OUT time.

MAXED OUT earlier than the last time you did the workout?

No worries – that’s for sure. There is no cause for concern if this happens, because it almost always will at least once – just make a note of it. I also like to ask myself what the cause of MAXING OUT earlier was. Did I push harder than usual? Did I feel a lack of energy throughout the day?

What Kind of Improvements Should You See?

What you should feel within the first week  of following the MAX:30 program is an increase in cardiovascular endurance. I really noticed the warm-ups were not nearly as difficult when beginning the second week.

To give you an idea of what will happen, I’m looking through my own numbers right now. It looks like from workout to workout, I am lasting about three minutes longer each time I do the same workout.

Here are Dan and I’s MAX OUT times for the first three Cardio Challenge workouts:
Bethany
Day 1 – 3:56
Day 7 – 7:56
Day 14 – 10:58
Dan
Day 1 – 3:20
Day 7 – 7:01
Day 14 – 8:30

Every MAX:30 workout should be a challenge to better yourself and is not a competition to outlast someone else. Sometimes Dan beats me, and sometimes I beat him. Though trying to outdo him does motivate me. :) So, a workout buddy is always a good thing.

Giving Your Best Every MAX:30 Workout

I never thought I would actually look forward to a high-intensity workout – it’s not usually my style. And honestly on some days, I still don’t – most often after a very long day of work.

But a funny thing happens when I come home, and Dan has the MAX:30 workout ready to go. I hear the MAX:30 music playing when I walk through the door, I put my workout clothes on, I stretch out and warm-up, get myself mentally ready, and then push play.

It doesn’t matter what I feel like when I first start the workout or if I want to quit the first minute in, because within the first couple of minutes, I am totally in the zone and focused on beating my last MAX OUT time! It’s definitely the competitive aspect of this program that keeps me engaged. I love to challenge myself in ways I’ve never done before, so this is just great.

Just remember to go as hard as you can for as long as you can each and every workout. Make the most of each day’s workout, and the weeks will take care of themselves. And did I mention you will most likely end up in the best shape of your life?!

How to Track Your Max Out Time Progress

The Insanity MAX:30 package comes with a wall calendar and a page in the MAX OUT guide for writing down your MAX OUT times. Being slightly anal, I wanted a simple and cleaner way to to track my MAX out times on the computer that I could also print out.

So, I created this MAX OUT sheet to journal my times.

Click here for an editable Google doc – click file > make a copy to edit

Set a Goal to Accomplish in Your 60 Days

This is a little something I added in. Shaun T says you’ll have amazing results by the end of the 60 days, and I’m sure we will get them.

But I do like to use goals to measure my success. My goal at the end of 60-days is to be in the best physical shape of my life. I want to be able to run a 5K without thinking I might die.

If you have done or are following the Insanity MAX:30 program, I definitely want to hear how has your MAX OUT time improved?