How good is Insanity?

[gabe107]

Im looking to possibly do this and was wondering if anyone else has used this in coordination with lifting for ball? Results? Reviews?

 

[The_Natural]

Insanity is one of the hardest Cardio workouts I have ever done. If you stick with it you will definitely see results.

 

[myhook]

It is all cardio and not much "muscle building". But us will kick your a$$ and get you into shape.

 

[wcoastsoftball]

It is not my type of training, but did try it for a couple months just in case my clients had questions, etc. Go at your own pace, not his pace. The training can play havoc on your knees and lower joints, just be aware and take days off as needed. These types of programs work only because they get people moving that were other wise not doing anything.

My suggestion would be to not do this program as he suggests, but as an alternative "cardio" workout 2, maybe 3 times a week over top of weighttraining.

 

[myhook]

My suggestion would be to not do this program as he suggests, but as an alternative "cardio" workout 2, maybe 3 times a week over top of weighttraining.

Agreed....it is a good cardio workout but I wouldn't only use this and nothing else. I like to mix Insanity and P90x together. I do the P90x workouts and use Insanity for the cardio. Last year at 6'3" in Jan I was 210 lbs. I did P90x for 90 days then Insanity for 60 and in June I was down to 179. Losing 31 lbs makes life on the beach volleyball court much easier. I kind of coasted Sept - December, and just started my training again for this year last week. Here is the training schedule I follow:

http://trek2befit.com/p90x-insanity-hybrid

The key is your diet. You can train as much as you want but if you each like crap you will look like crap. You don't have to be psycho about it but just eat smart.

 

[TyJack09]

Agreed with everything that others have said here...

Last year I was going to do a mixture of both insanity and P90x combined. (myhook has the workout in his post) When I did the Fitness Test that you do on the Insanity DVD before you even begin the workouts, I almost puked halfway through. I realized that I was that out of shape and that my body just wasn't ready for the Insanity DVD's...

Do yourself a favor... Do the fitness test and then try the first couple of workouts. If you find that it is be more counter-productive, Do the P90x workouts for a couple of months to actually get your body in better shape to do the Insanity workouts. Sounds crazy but this is what I did...

After two months of the P90x I hit the "wall" and needed to switch up. Went back to the Insanity and my body was much better prepared for the workouts and I saw great results.

 

[Schoeny]

If you are not currently close to being in shape, I'd go with P90X. It'll help you get into shape.

Insanity is not something I would walk into without having worked out for a while.

Both programs will push you as hard as you want to go, but P90X is a little easier to ease into since it's not purely cardio based. But this is not to say it's easy. I could barely lift my arms/breathe the morning after the first workout because I was so sore (in a good way )

 

[DSNuts48]

It is not my type of training, but did try it for a couple months just in case my clients had questions, etc. Go at your own pace, not his pace. The training can play havoc on your knees and lower joints, just be aware and take days off as needed. These types of programs work only because they get people moving that were other wise not doing anything.

My suggestion would be to not do this program as he suggests, but as an alternative "cardio" workout 2, maybe 3 times a week over top of weighttraining.

Yes, and I consistently see people say, "Just push play, bro." whenever someone doing Insanity is injured. The recovery and stretching on the videos is not enough. I had really tight calves as a result of Insanity.

 

[wannabeaplayer]

what everyone else says, insanity will kick your can but not enough stretching warm up or cool down. Been doing it in conjunction with p90x this time and really like the combo at this time. I do get better cardio on the eliptical doing high intensity invtervals but prefer the core work that comes doing the insanity. Plus my body (knees and back) couldn't handle daily insanity I combo the two making sure I don't do a couple of the exercises that irritate my problem areas. I have seen some great results in my legs without a bunch of pain.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Insanity was a great alternative for me to traditional cardio. one of the best things about it was the ability to work muscle groups similar to ones you would use on the diamond. As a pitcher after doing the workout I found my legs to be much stronger and it gave me to ability to pitch 5 or 6 games in a day without significant fatigue as opposed to 3 or 4. It' s also great for middle infielders or OF who really rely on explosive first steps and do a lot of running and shifting. I found (as a mid 30's guy) my legs were able to recover more quickly after tourneys as a result. You do have to go at your pace and not try to keep up with Shawn, especially in the later portions of the workouts. When you're tired, take a quick breather, then get back at it. Otherwise you really run the risk of injury. Also listen to your body - I struggle on some of the level 1/2/3 drills (kind of like burpees) that put a lot of strain on my joins. I agree with a lot of the other posters - I mix in a few days a week of Insanity with lifting and mix in a day or two of more monotonous cardio (jogging, elliptical) as a "break".

 

[.800King50]

popped an mcl doing this program (first ever injury). other than that it will get results

 

[dponder]

It's as good as you want it to be. If you are the type of person that can push yourself, you'll get something out of it. If you need someone else there like an accountability partner to make sure you push yourself, you might not get a lot out of it. You have to go at your own pace and determine where you are physically. I was doing it for a while but in reality, it's 45 mins of HIIT. I will be substituting riding my bike using HIIT or Tabata as my cardio and it will be much easier on my joints.

 

[AdamDawgDude]

I'm in week 4 of Insanity right now and I'm enjoying it. I completed my first round of P90X last March and did the workouts a couple of times a week throughout the rest of the year. Insanity is tough. It's intense cardio every day and you have to be mentally prepared for that. I know that the Plyo day in P90X was fairly intimidating even when I got into pretty good shape. Insanity is like that every day (with the exception of your 4th day which is a light workout recovery day).

You see quick results with Insanity. I was already in pretty good shape when I started it and I can see some changes already. It's not a great muscle builder for your upper body, but I don't think you'll lose much either. You do a ton of core work, push-ups, and holding plank position for various things. You also do some tricep and shoulder work. It's amazing how tough 8 push-ups can be after you've put in about 30 minutes of killer cardio....

The cardio abs DVD is the best of the bunch. It's awesome--minimal pain and great results. I loved P90X and would recommend that to anyone, regardless of your current level of fitness. However, I like the cardio abs much better than ab ripper x.

Overall, Insanity is tougher to just jump into than P90X. You can burn a ton of calories by lifting weights with a couple of cardio days mixed in. P90X is very effective. If you're not in decent shape, you will struggle with Insanity. Intense cardio everyday is tough on you mentally and physically. However, if you can stick with it and listen when you body tells you to stop, you'll be happy with the results.

 

[Yanny]

The BEST training I have ever done. Started out at 220 pounds and I'm going into the final week and I am down to 193. Shooting for 190 when its over. My diet has been strict with only one cheat day a week but this by far is the best training ever.
I just bought INSANITY: THE ASYLUM for the next go round which concentrates on staying lean while gaining strength...Perfect for Softball Season which is rite around the corner.

 

[Chilli_Dipper]

Agreed....it is a good cardio workout but I wouldn't only use this and nothing else. I like to mix Insanity and P90x together. I do the P90x workouts and use Insanity for the cardio. Last year at 6'3" in Jan I was 210 lbs. I did P90x for 90 days then Insanity for 60 and in June I was down to 179. Losing 31 lbs makes life on the beach volleyball court much easier. I kind of coasted Sept - December, and just started my training again for this year last week. Here is the training schedule I follow:

http://trek2befit.com/p90x-insanity-hybrid

The key is your diet. You can train as much as you want but if you each like crap you will look like crap. You don't have to be psycho about it but just eat smart.

booom...complete truth

 

[Fro Joe]

Agreed....it is a good cardio workout but I wouldn't only use this and nothing else. I like to mix Insanity and P90x together. I do the P90x workouts and use Insanity for the cardio. Last year at 6'3" in Jan I was 210 lbs. I did P90x for 90 days then Insanity for 60 and in June I was down to 179. Losing 31 lbs makes life on the beach volleyball court much easier. I kind of coasted Sept - December, and just started my training again for this year last week. Here is the training schedule I follow:

http://trek2befit.com/p90x-insanity-hybrid

The key is your diet. You can train as much as you want but if you each like crap you will look like crap. You don't have to be psycho about it but just eat smart.

Professional athletes don't even workout 7 days a week. If I had to place a bet I'd bet you're over training.