Jessica Bowser Nelson Fitness

My Journey to Being in Insanity Max 30 Test Group NYC

Here’s the behind the scenes recount of my husband Brian’s Insanity Max 30 test group experience. (To see my journey to being a cast member, go here. And to be the first to get info on Insanity Max 30’s release, go here.) ——————–

Where it All Began

“It all began couple of years ago. I started doing Insanity and fell in love with Shaun T’s message and motivation. But, I could never stick with the meal plans or even the workouts, consistently. I would come out of the gate so strong…eating good, working out every morning…then excuses would creep in and I would start slacking. Been there? It sucks. And I do it every time. Not long ago, I was doing my normal daily stuff, checking emails and such, and came across this ad for a new Shaun T program (turned out to be Insanity Max 30). It said they were looking for people to be in a test group. I was super hesitant to even look into it. Why would I be able to do it? Then my wife saw the same thing and said, “This is just what you need.” With some encouragement, I filled out the application and emailed it in. My feelings were indifferent. I was scared they would say yes, but I was also scared they would say no. Crazy, right? So we waited, not sure what was going to happen. If I got it, I would have to move to NYC for two months. Then it came. Gulp. I was freaking out just wondering. It said they needed to interview me this Thursday in NYC (it was the Friday before) so I booked a flight and took off. I was nervous about whether they would like me or what I was even supposed to do. I have never in my life done anything like this before. I’m just a kid from small town USA flying to NYC at a drop of a dime to interview for a fitness test group. Seriously. I got there and went straight to the interview. I sat down for ten minutes and answered a few questions. She said, “Ok, that’s it. We will get back with you in a week or so.” In my head, I was like…I just flew from Florida for ten minutes??!?!? So there by myself, I got a cab to my hotel room, got checked in and just sat down. I was beside myself. What are you doing? You need to be home working, with your wife. The anxiety of everything was catching up with me. I got up the next day and flew home..not sure what was going to happen. They said they would get in touch with me and let me know in a week or so. So the waiting began.

The Verdict

We were in Las Vegas for the Beachbody Summit and I got the email…I AM IN! The rush of excitement was incredible. It stated that they needed me in NYC for my weigh-in and photos and my first workout IN ONE WEEK! I had to get home and find somewhere to stay for two months, dog sitter, tell work, book flights…what am I doing?? That’s what I was thinking. It was a whirlwind of a few days trying to get everything together. We flew into JFK on a Sunday and got to our apartment in Jersey City. We found the best pizza place in town for my last meal for the next sixty days. Can you blame me? Ha! I was really starting to freak out. I had to learn the subway…where to go…don’t be late…can I do this…just a million things crossing my mind. On Day 1, I woke up, got ready, headed to the subway and I’m just hoping I knew what I was doing. I got to where the shuttle was picking us up and headed to where I thought we were just getting some photos taken and working out. Boy was I wrong. It’s a whole production, cameras, lights everywhere. We were working out with Shaun T and they were filming it. WOW! This is probably one of my best days ever. This was my day 1 of 60 of Insanity Max 30 and I was already being blown away.

They gave us our instructions. They were going to be feeding us for the next two months of the test group, five meals a day, no outside food at all, no drinking, no eating out, no fast food. Nooooooo! Then it hit me. This is for real. And I’m not sure if im going to be able to stick with it. Im usually not the guy who sticks with it and now I have to do it for two months in NYC. Now its just kinda weird. I get up every morning to go work out with Shaun T live everyday. Who gets to ever say that??As far as the workouts are concerned, Insanity Max 30 is the hardest workout I’ve ever done. The Insanity Max 30 workouts are designed to just physically kill you or, at least, that’s how I felt. I came into this wanting to lose weight, just like everyone else. But I got a whole lot more. Being able to work out with Shaun T live, getting his tips, having him push me to my MAX was wonderful and amazing. I have found out a lot about myself during this process. It was a very big eye opener. The one day I remember the most was when he came over to me and was pushing me to work through the pain. “It’s only a minute. Keep going.” That’s all I heard. Then….I DID IT!! I truly MAXED out for the first time in my life. I pushed away all the pain and just went for it. It was all in my mind. After the workout that day he pulled me to the side and asked why I was here doing this. I was kinda caught off guard. I said the typical answer: “To get fit and healthy.” He dug a little deeper in me and we talked for about twenty minutes one on one. He wanted to encourage me that I was not going to succeed until I relized I needed to do this for me no one else. He felt that I had more in me and from this day forward he expected me to push like I did during the workout that day. I was blown away. I couldn’t believe that he really noticed that I needed that talk and that he really does care about my results.  This was most definitely one of the highlights of my journey.

Day 60 Are You Kidding Me?

So today was day 60 of Insanity Max 30! We went back to the same studio as day one. It was kind of surreal to be back there after the last two months. What a journey it’s been! I took about fifteen seconds to reflect back to my first day. it gave me chills when I reflected on what I have done and where I am now. On day 1, I just thought it was going to be working out and getting ripped and in shape. Man was I wrong. I came into this broken, beat down, over weight, lost. I got so much more than I imagined. My transformation was really more emotional. I never thought in a million years that I could feel this accomplished, happy, and strong just by committing to a workout program. Insanity Max 30 is more than a workout. It makes you search for what you have inside of you to never give up.  Failure is what this program is about. Crazy isn’t it? Shaun T pushes you to your breaking point and then brings you back. It’s the best feeling in the world. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life.” To be the first to get info on Insanity Max 30, go here.

Digging Deeper, Jessica Bowser Nelson