Is Insanity a "shortcut"?

Bumping, as this is relevant to my interests... thinking about starting Insanity or P90x

Insanity is hard on your knees.
I do not think it is a "quick fix" You aren't going to do Insanity and all of a sudden have a great body or lose a lot of weight. You have to be eating right at the same time and then continue to exercise.
I dont think there are any shortcuts, and I dont really think your friend knows what she is talking about.
I did insanity. It was a bit hard on my knees, so I wont be doing it agian although I may add some of the workouts in with my P90x cardio days.

I completed Insanity. It wasn't a shortcut to anywhere...maybe I missed the turn labeled short cut?

I completed it because it was challenging, because it mimics (in my opinion) similar training that I did for athletic training. Is it hard on your joints? Sure it can be for some. Running can be for some. Squats could be for some. Each of our bodies respond differently.

But a short cut? No. I definitely wouldn't call it a short cut.

She said that a shortcut is a shortcut. In her opinion, nobody recommends losing weight that quickly and, she stressed especially, these workouts are awful for your joint tissue. She said it's just one more example of people doing something that can hurt them or give them pain further down the road, just so they can get somewhere quick. She noted that obviously Insanity isn't the type of thing you can sustain, and most people use it as a "quick fix" and go back to eating what they want because they feel they deserved it after all of their hard work.

What she's saying makes absolutely no sense to me. I didn't lose weight any faster doing Insanity than I would have by running. In fact, I think I might have lost more weight if I had just spent the two months running every day. I actually burn more calories running than doing Insanity, believe it or not. I also disagree that it isn't the type of thing you can sustain. Plenty of people do multiple rounds of it, and I certainly plan on incorporating the workouts into my workout schedule when I finish. I didn't have any issue with my knees, but I was extremely careful.

Obviously like any other fitness regime, there are people who might do it and then fall off the wagon, but I don't see how that's any different than someone getting into running or weight training and then falling off the wagon or doing 30 DS and falling off the wagon, or anything else.

I also wouldn't view something that you have to do 6 days a week for 40-60 minutes which leaves you soaking wet with sweat as a "quick fix," but your miles may vary.

I agree, there is no "short cut" to reach fitness goals. Insanity is working for me and I am not feeling any joint or knee problems.I actually took a "fti test" yesterday and saw a lot of improvement!
As for health related risk while exercising, one can get hurt by doing anything. I for one know I have rolled my ankle just walking, it happens. The human body is an amazing thing with the ability to recover along with modern medicine. Since playing sports in high school, py patella is always in some level of pain. It has gotten better and when it really hurts I ice it.
That being said, I highly support insanity along with calorie tracking on MFP. It is working for me, its my plan and road map to my fitness goals.

Sounds like she's just jealous of people who can do those workouts.

How quickly you lose weight is a function of how much you eat in relation to how much energy your body uses. If you do Insanity and also eat less then yes you're probably going to lose weight very quickly. But I'm currently doing Insanity and eating maintenance (as directed by my Bodymedia Fit armband i.e. 2000-2500 calories per day depending on daily activity) and I'm maintaining my 120 goal that I hit over a month ago. Just b/c you do Insanity doesn't mean you're going to drop weight like crazy. It depends on how you're eating too. I am getting more fit but maintaining my weight. My husband on the other hand is still trying to lose weight so he's eating less than his BMF shows for maintenance each day. It's all in how you balance your food consumption with your activity.

And holy moly no it is not a shortcut, shortcuts are EASY. Insanity will kick your *kitten*. (if you're not already in really really really good shape)

Personally I am excited that my cardiovascular endurance is improving - I've never tried running outdoors before, but after seeing my improvements so far with the program I am going to try next week (once my kids start preschool) - I've never had the confidence to even try before b/c I was pretty sure I wouldn't even make it to the end of the street.

And they do have a very clear warning at the beginning of the workouts that you should be checking with a physician to make sure you're able to do the workouts since they are very high impact. It's not right for everyone. No workout is.

Im an Insanity graduate, and am about to complete Insanity Asylum. My mentor and coach is in the Insanity infomercials, and in the upcoming Insanity Asylum 2 program. It works. Period. It provides faster results due to the science behind it. There isn't anything unhealthy behind it. You follow a balanced diet so nothing wrong there. You are working with your own body strength, so not possible to be cheating in anyway. Your friend might want to do more research into it. Ive previously trained for figure competitions before my last child, and I have never had results that were as great as the Insanity program. Granted i drink the shakeology as well. Because of the HIIT, where there is more high intensity than recovery, it causes you to get the results faster. Id suggest to try the program, and see for yourself! I'm also a beachbody coach and will be starting an online facebook group that will be beginning Sept 10th, for anybody that would like to join. It provides accountability, support, nutrition, and motivation throughout the 60 days. Message me if you are interested in joining!

It's a lot of high impact crap. For a smaller person I wouldn't think it would be so bad, but for my fat *kitten* and with my bum ankle, I had to quit after day 2.

that's a load of crap. a girl on my friends list who has lost over 100lbs (and is now in the 160s) started doing insanity 3 months ago, and after a month she hurt her knee and fluid built up. she had to take a break from it for like 3-4 weeks before she could continue.

Ummm, you're telling me an injury I had is a load of crap? Also, that's great that a 260 pound person can do it. I'm around 350. About a 90 pound difference. Thanks for trying to make an argument out of this though.

She said that a shortcut is a shortcut. In her opinion, nobody recommends losing weight that quickly and, she stressed especially, these workouts are awful for your joint tissue. She said it's just one more example of people doing something that can hurt them or give them pain further down the road, just so they can get somewhere quick. She noted that obviously Insanity isn't the type of thing you can sustain, and most people use it as a "quick fix" and go back to eating what they want because they feel they deserved it after all of their hard work.

People don't "lose weight quickly" on Insanity in most cases. I am on my last week of it and haven't lost a single pound. How about that?

Insanity isn't a workout that is meant to be sustained. It's a way for people to improve on their cardiovascular fitness efficiently.

And that whole "eating what they want because they feel they deserved it.." is just crap. Why does that only apply to Insanity? Wouldn't that apply to any workout DVD, or any workout program for that matter, that people work hard at? Why is she specifically generalizing Insanity as a workout that will cause people to eat sh*tty foods when they've completed it? Makes no sense...

Sounds like your friend is making up excuses to not have to do the hard work herself.

It's a lot of high impact crap. For a smaller person I wouldn't think it would be so bad, but for my fat *kitten* and with my bum ankle, I had to quit after day 2.

that's a load of crap. a girl on my friends list who has lost over 100lbs (and is now in the 160s) started doing insanity 3 months ago, and after a month she hurt her knee and fluid built up. she had to take a break from it for like 3-4 weeks before she could continue.

Ummm, you're telling me an injury I had is a load of crap? Also, that's great that a 260 pound person can do it. I'm around 350. About a 90 pound difference. Thanks for trying to make an argument out of this though.

Not everyone has the ability to complete insanity. It is a difficult program. I don't think it was very nice to say it was a load of crap to someone couldn't do it. At least he made an effort.

It's a lot of high impact crap. For a smaller person I wouldn't think it would be so bad, but for my fat *kitten* and with my bum ankle, I had to quit after day 2.

The heavier a person is, the more stress on the joints. Lots of people think heavy folks shouldn't even attempt eg running until they're within the 'normal' bmi range.

Yes, anyone could injure him/herself walking, crossing the street, what have you, but it's less likely.

I haven't done Insanity but I don't think it is a short cut. Like with everything else, if you don't work to maintain what you accomplished, you are going to lose it.

Agreed. Your friend appears to be the classic example of the "my way is the right way and everything else is wrong" attitude. Insanity is no more of a short cut than running (I am a runner, by the way). And running isn't exactly known to be the best exercise out there for preserving your joints.

The key is to find something that YOU enjoy, that will give you the results you want. Be careful to do your research though, because not every activity is suitable for all people. Anything done with too much intensity can cause injury.

I completed Insanity. It wasn't a shortcut to anywhere...maybe I missed the turn labeled short cut?

I completed it because it was challenging, because it mimics (in my opinion) similar training that I did for athletic training. Is it hard on your joints? Sure it can be for some. Running can be for some. Squats could be for some. Each of our bodies respond differently.

But a short cut? No. I definitely wouldn't call it a short cut.

^^This. I completed Insanity and did it for the challenge. It was by no means a shortcut for me as I didn't lose any weight. I did however gain some much needed self-esteem and motivation to venture more into heavy lifting and strength training. I think, like any program, you get what you put into it.