OK, it’s no secret. I love to workout! For me it is fun, a stress reliever, and a time to be creative. However, without very specific goals, I can get bored. I’m a huge fan of setting goals of all sorts, especially shooting for events where you can apply your fitness and put it to the test.
“How much do you workout, Carey? It must be hours every day, right?” NO! I used to overdo it and ended up burnt out and injured, needing to take long periods to heal and/or simply recover. This should be a lifestyle, so that simply won’t do! I’m a huge supporter of moderation. Remember, your body makes its real gains during the recovery, so if you’re constantly working, working, working, you’re not allowing your body the time it needs to make the real gains you’re asking of it. My workouts are about an hour a day on average. Some days are longer (long run days for example). I incorporate lots of stretching and rolling and will do that on my 1-2 rest days each week. Interestingly, the more moderate I’ve been, the better my results! Combine this with what’ going on in the kitchen and it’s a recipe for success!
I shared that I like to put my fitness to the test by entering fun events. These are my mile markers – a chance to see how I’m doing. This coming year we’ve chosen some AMAZING and FUN events to train for that will take us all over the country. How fun is that? Follow along on our travels! Keep an eye on the videos because you better believe we’ll have some fun ones to share! Everything from southern Mexico to central California coast to Georgia to the Rockies. Oh, and the Grand Canyon, too!
The cool thing about traveling? We can take our workouts on the road! Want to learn how? Stay tuned and I’ll show you!
I get SOOOO many questions about food and diet! I LOVE IT! I have a lot of thoughts about food and diet and want to share it all with you. I’m not a nutritionist, but I am happy to share what I’ve learned and what I do.
First, without proper nutrition, your workouts can be fruitless. Garbage in = garbage out. You may get some decent results with less than stellar nutrition, but you won’t be as efficient in getting those results. I love to workout, but I certainly don’t want to be wasting any time! How about you?
My approach to nutrition is pretty simple. I’m a busy mom of two picky boys and I don’t love to cook. I don’t even like to do the grocery shopping. Despite this, it is possible to eat well and still enjoy food! Let me show you how.
What a breath of fresh air! Another day with weather uncooperative for running so it was definitely a sign to stay indoors and attack some core work. As you know, I love core work, but I love having lots of variety and staying away from the same ol’ same ol’ that can be found with endless crunches, etc. There is not a ONE in this Asylum volume 2 workout! You will not spend one minute lying on your back, are rarely will you get to sit down. YES!
For this workout you need a surprising amount of equipment – yoga mat, jumprope, medium weight dumbbells, a few lightweight dumbbells, strength bands, and optionally a pull-up bar. For this first go-around, I opted to not use the pull-up bar, but I can see how tremendous it will be when added! The workout was plenty the way I did it, so don’t hesitate to ease into it – your copy of Asylum Volume 2 isn’t going anywhere!
FAQs about Asylum Volume 2
Here are some new questions that have come my way:
1. Which volume do you prefer? This is a tough question! I am approaching them very differently so it is difficult to say. I also have a few more workouts to preview before putting it together and going for some REAL RESULTS. I definitely think they will go together as a whole very beautifully and that I absolutely recommend that everyone tackle Asylum Volume 1 before taking on Asylum Volume 2.
2. Can I modify for my abilities? Yes! Absolutely! As crazy as these workouts are, they can be modified for a lot of levels. In the videos you will see several different levels of modifying going on as examples for you. Also, if you can only do a few seconds of each exercise to start, then just do that! Just keep going and you will improve. You are doing more than everyone else that is doing nothing!
3. I’m super sore. What should I do? Definitely feel free to throw in an extra stretch day. Get friendly with your foam roller and learn some self myofascial release. Take an epsom salt bath. Get a massage. Do some sort of lighter movement. Drink lots of water. Eat well. Asylum Volume 2 is a bear, but make the schedule work for YOUR body – don’t get married to the schedule.
What types of workouts are in The Asylum Volume 2?
Here’s the breakdown. I am working my way through each so please come back to see reviews and videos for each:
X TRAINER – 50 mins. of speed, strength, power, and agility
UPPER ELITE – 60 mins. of dynamic work for shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, and back
POWER LEGS – 55 mins. of burning work for quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
AB SHREDDER – 20 mins. of ab work with NO sit-ups or crunches
BACK & 6-PACK – 40 mins of 360-degree core work that shreds fat while building the core
CHAMPIONSHIP – 60 mins. of Game Day Take 2
OFF-DAY STRETCH – 30 mins. of stretching and refocusing
What comes with The Asylum Volume 2?
Great question! At the time I’m writing this, the only kit available is the Base Kit which comes with the workout discs, schedules (30 days plus an additional 8 week Asylum 1/Asylum 2 hybrid schedule), quick start guide, and nutrition guide. You will need to have your own agility ladder, speedrope, weights, and floor mat. If you already own The Asylum Volume 1, you should have everything you need. If you don’t, I suggest getting it and starting with that program before taking on The Asylum Volume 2!
Oh, boy! November was probably the busiest month I have ever had and as a result, it took me until now to get to this workout. I did plenty of running, just no Shaun T. Let me tell you what – taking time away like this has me paying today! This is an incredibly fun workout, but also killer on the legs. Power Legs is NO JOKE! Shaun T declares at one point in this video that he is going to “kill you today”; he is true to his word!
For this workout you need your ladder, a heavier dumbbell, and bands. There are plenty of plyo moves, but also some agility ladder work, slower focused work (beware of the final Burn Out!), and all sorts of fun with the bands. Just like all the people in the video, you will be pushing to your max. I definitely suggest starting with a lighter band (yellow or green) and not red like I did. My yellow and green bands have all broken so I thought I’d give it a try. It was doable, but not the smartest way to start. If you’d like to take a peek at some of the moves, scroll down to my review video and leave a review if you like!
FAQs about Asylum Volume 2
I have had some GREAT questions about Asylum Volume 2. Here are some new ones I’ve gotten recently. Please keep sending them my way.
1. Do I need to do Asylum 1 first? I think it helps because Shaun T builds upon what happened in Volume 1, but it isn’t 100% necessary. However, the currently available version of Asylum Volume 2 does not include the agility ladder or speedrope. (You can provide your own or click the links in the previous sentence to buy them separately.) Another reason to have Asylum 1 is to do the hybrid at the end. Can you imagine 8 weeks of Asylum Volume 1 AND Asylum Volume 2 together? YAHH!
2. Is this good to do as a hybrid? YES! I think these workouts are excellent as planned in the Asylum 2 program, but I also think they are great used in conjunction with other programs or other types of workouts. Get creative with your hybrid planning, always looking first at what your goals are.
3. Can I just do these workouts sometimes? This goes along with number two. If you use these along with other types of training, I think it can be an excellent blend. Adding these to my ultrarunning would be really smart, stimulating more work in all energy systems. These would be great to add in with football, soccer, tennis, etc. Take a look at the Agility Tutorial and X Trainer, both of which were very focused on the agility ladder. Give it a shot!
What types of workouts are in The Asylum Volume 2?
Here’s the breakdown. I am working my way through each so please come back to see reviews and videos for each:
X TRAINER – 50 mins. of speed, strength, power, and agility
UPPER ELITE – 60 mins. of dynamic work for shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, and back
POWER LEGS – 55 mins. of burning work for quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
AB SHREDDER – 20 mins. of ab work with NO sit-ups or crunches
BACK & 6-PACK – 40 mins of 360-degree core work that shreds fat while building the core
CHAMPIONSHIP – 60 mins. of Game Day Take 2
OFF-DAY STRETCH – 30 mins. of stretching and refocusing
What comes with The Asylum Volume 2?
Great question! At the time I’m writing this, the only kit available is the Base Kit which comes with the workout discs, schedules (30 days plus an additional 8 week Asylum 1/Asylum 2 hybrid schedule), quick start guide, and nutrition guide. You will need to have your own agility ladder, speedrope, weights, and floor mat. If you already own The Asylum Volume 1, you should have everything you need. If you don’t, I suggest getting it and starting with that program before taking on The Asylum Volume 2!
