Is Insanity a "shortcut"?

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half_moon
half_moon Posts: 807 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was talking to my friend about this. She is a runner and weight trainer, and she recommends that nobody do Insanity, or similar high-intensity workouts. She views them as a "shortcut". I have no opinion, because that's not my style, but I was curious and asked her why she thought this was so, since it looks very difficult and these people put in a LOT of effort and pain to get there.

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.

Mind you, she isn't talking about the MFPers (she doesn't use the forum) or people that become obsessed with muscle. She's talking about the majority of Insanity "users" that use it to lose weight quickly and don't frequent the gym afterwards. She says it ruins their joints and they will not sustain it.

I was wondering if you guys had an opinion on this?

I haven't heard anything negative about Insanity from the forumers, yet, and was curious what you guys thought. I've heard some negative things about the magical cross fit, which intrigued me, but that's a whole other topic.
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Replies

  • MissyMissy18
    MissyMissy18 Posts: 315 Member
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    Bumping, as this is relevant to my interests... thinking about starting Insanity or P90x
  • aaeros
    aaeros Posts: 157
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    I think with any diet or exercise program you could have that problem, Regardless! You can't look at it as a quick fix. It has to be a lifestyle change no matter what you do.

    The stress on your joints might be another issue all together. I don't know enough about it to comment on that. Though it does appear that you need to be in decent shape to start doing Insanity. That's not me. Yet..
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
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    Decent shape? I dunno. I've heard of military trainers who did Insanity and their knees and joints hurt, and they said it was HARD. Nobody seems to worry about the joints, though.

    I feel that any workout that does or can down the line cause injury (by doing it correctly, not just by doing it with wrong form) should not be recommended. There are ways to get a killer body, it just takes time.

    Again, this is purely talk for me, because I have NO interest in Insanity. I like what I'm doing and the pace in which I am doing it. I feel good, even if I know it will take a while. Also, I want it to be a PART of my life. Not my entire life.
  • mocoon
    mocoon Posts: 2
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    Grr. I mean, you can try it. Didn't mean to freak you out.

    You're already in shape so I suppose it wouldn't be that harmful?

    P90X wouldn't be so bad. Was thinking about that one, actually.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
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    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.
  • SelenityJ
    SelenityJ Posts: 168 Member
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    For me, I like insanity because it does remind me of my time in boot camp and in the navy overall. My workouts were like what I've experienced then with insanity. That being said, I also discussed the routine with my mental health doctor (I have bi polar, ptsd, and mstd), my nutritionalist, and my women's health doctor at the VA as we were concerned over what it could mean for my military injured leg but we've found it fine.

    With any exercise routine and diet you mean to do for short term or lifestyle I feel it's vastly important to consult your doctor with it. For me, it meant talking to three doctors and they were all on board with me doing it, at my current health level. I'll be restarting it up again after I've fully settled into the routine of things. (the kids I nanny for start after school activities next week.) Once I've got the timing of when I need to be there I'll fully cement my plans. Right now I'm thinking Insanity will be best to do in the morning when I've the house to myself.

    This is just my experience though. My doctors, two women and one male, all thought it would be a great fit for me. My doctors see me every other week, regardless of if I have an appointment with them or one of the others, so I'm sure that they'll let me know if they think I need to stop. Though I'm pretty in tune with my body so I may well notice if I need to stop before them. So far... I like what I do.
  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
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    I completed Insanity. It wasn't a shortcut to anywhere...maybe I missed the turn labeled short cut? :tongue:

    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.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    I did something similar to Insanity for a while and messed up my joints. Yes, it worked, but there are now about 10 sports I can no longer do.
  • kls13la
    kls13la Posts: 377 Member
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    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.
  • MariaMariaM
    MariaMariaM Posts: 1,322 Member
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    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.

    I did P90X and lost close to 30 pounds in 3 months. I did it again this year and lost another 10. It has been over 2 years since I did it for the first time. People also thought it was a short cut. Now when they see me, they don't think that anymore.
  • camorati
    camorati Posts: 10
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    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.
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
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    It's a lot of high impact stuff. 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.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Sounds like she's just jealous of people who can do those workouts.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    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.

    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.

    ***POST EDITED BY STAFF for violation of guideline number 17***
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    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.
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
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    Insanity is definitely hard on the knees, so I definitely recommend a good amount of recovery time after and not just doing it back to back to back. Do a round of 63 days, and then give your body at least two weeks of good light exercise like biking or walking so that those knees can heal up properly if you experience any amount of discomfort like I know I did.

    It isn't a shortcut though. The whole idea is to burn calories and increase strength and Insanity definitely meets both of those objectives. I think somebody who works at a gym would be resistant to people doing at-home workouts merely for the fact that it means they don't have to pay a membership to meet their fitness objectives.
  • Fittabulous
    Fittabulous Posts: 17 Member
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    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!
  • zellagrrl
    zellagrrl Posts: 439
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    Running is hard on your joints too... I would think it just depends on what you like doing. Unless Insanity literally sucks fat from your body and implants something that appears as muscle, it's not really a shortcut.

    Personally, I focus on strength training, because a) I like it and b) I'd like to keep muscle and lose fat. Insanity sounds like it sucks, but that's my opinion, based on my likes/dislikes. Know thyself, right? So if it sounds fun, give it a shot.
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
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    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.
  • Vx3_
    Vx3_ Posts: 102 Member
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    Any exercise pose a risk to injury. I don't think it's a short cut, but it does improve a lot with not just your weight and shape, but your conditioning, endurance, stamina etc. I like Insanity. The beginning is always hard, but the next day it gets easier.

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