Is Insanity a "shortcut"?

My husband used a combination of the P90X menu and the Insanity programs along with other basic exercises he could do around the house to get into shape to be able to make it in the Amry OCS Program.

It worked great. He lost weight and got into shape. Once he hit where he wanted to be at physically, he stopped using the programs and now just maintains his own workout program. He is still in shape and has only gained back some of the weight (he tends to like his food...) but is still in much better shape than he was before.

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.

Modify the exercises to suit your level of fitness and before you know it you'll be able to do the program!!!

Personally I feel any program that attaches a timeframe to your results is bad because it promotes impatience. Also, programs such as those by Beachbody, Jillian Michaels, and others promote ignorance. If it weren't for them you would have to actually LEARN about these things yourself to be able to do it right (and you could do it better if you did). I know. Horrible, people should have to learn about how their bodies work in pertaining to fitness and nutrition, right?

I do P90X along with jogging 3 times a week and my knees and joints hurt...well maybe because I played basketball a lot in my younger years and the fact that i'm 43! LOL I haven't done Insanity "yet"...but plan to try it. People can go at there own pace when exercising like that,, I had to sometimes with P90X. Maybe some people should slow up a little if there joints are bothering them. This is an interesting topic none the less.

Im not sure about it being a short cut. I'm doing insanity and my endurance and general fitness is so much better. I tried a JM dvd the other day because i thought id try something different and had to stop as it wasnt pushing me enough. Insanity is making me run better and i think i will always use the dvds to get a good workout in. I havent lost a ton of weight but my body has changed weight and im down a dress size, so result!

It is certainly NO shortcut. I'm in month 2 of insanity now. I haven't been on a scale in a few weeks, but the last time I stepped on one I was down 16 pounds, and I am positive i have lost more. But it is so much more than that. My endurance is way up (on an off day i went for a run...i never run...and was able to do 4 miles in 38 minutes), I am much stronger today, than i was when I started the program, there is visible muscle definition on my legs, chest, arms, and my back. I am even starting to see some abs. I call it my 2 pack.

What insanity is however is addicting. The workouts are very hard, very demanding, and at times can be grueling. But the sense of accomplishment I have when i finsih a work out, and do better than i did just 2 days before is unmatched. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of myself at the end of each DVD. And it is that feeling, and the fact that even though the workouts are hard, they are fun, that is what keeps me coming back for more.

Yes it is high impact, yes if you don't have proper form and balance you could really wreck yourself. But 4 years ago i completely shredded my left knee (torn ACL, MCL and a partial tear to my patella tendon) and i have 3 bulging discs in my lower back. Knock on wood, but i havent had any issues. I wear my knee brace, and if something starts to bother my back (some of the ab work does) i modify the move to suit my body's needs.

As far as not being able to sustain and continue with insanity, well i certainly plan on doing the program at least once more, and then my concern is going to be finding something as challenging as these workouts are. because i honestly feel that after completing insanity, i am going to find "going for a run" to be...well boring

TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!

First thing comes to mind for me is it is obvious she hasn't tried it. Just like with any activity you can hurt your joints if you do not do it right. However, if you follow directions and concentrate on landing softly you will NOT hurt your joints any more than going up and down stairs.

To her point about being a shortcut ... the program - in fact every Beachbody program I have done (P90X, Insanity, Insanity : The Asylum, P90X2) - comes with nutrition guide and stresses the lifestyle change - not a shortcut to losing weight.

That being said, I am quite certain there are a lot of people who do the program once and then go back to their previous routine. But, then again, there are a lot of people who join a gym, go for 2-4 months and then stop going. So, by that same logic her gym membership is a shortcut as well, is it not? ;-)

Insanity definately pushes you to dig deeper and challange yourself. I'm in my 2nd month this week and I do the program with about 5 others I work with and we are all different shapes. We will point out that someone is not squating right, or their butt is in the air while doing pushups. We all look out for each other to ensure we are doing everything in perfect form. Some of the "heavier" people modify some of the moves as well, but they keep moving. Insanity, or any other high impact workout is not a short cut. Diet Pills, Meth, not eating, are examples of short cuts.

I started doing Zumba from April to May, Jillian's 30 DS during the month of June, and I started Insanity at the begining of July and have only lost 10 lbs since April, but a total of 17.5 inches overall. This is not a quick fix.

As for running, I wish I loved to run, but I hate it. To me it's boring. I do know some runners and they experience painful joints, especially when training for a marathon. Anything someone does could cause injury to his/her body, even walking.

Insanity is definitely not a short cut. It is HIIT training, maybe military style, and this is always hard on your joints,as any high impact training would be. That's why it is so important to know how to do it correctly. I am on 2nd round, and I do it jointly with p90x and love both of these routines

I wouldn't call Insanity a short cut by no means. This is a very difficult program and there is nothing about it that would be considered a short cut in my opinion.
I did it twice and decided it wasnt for me because of my foot that I had surgery on. There are a few things that I can not do because of my foot and certainly because of my weight.
I figure I will try it again after losing some more weight and see if it's any better on my foot. But until then I will continue to do what I do now. Which, i admit, is no where near as insense as Insanity.
Kudo's to those of you that can do it!!!!

However, with regards to your friend, my instinct is that she is a fitness snob for whom running is the be-all, end-all. Let's face it, many people feel the need to criticize without much information. No form of exercise is a shortcut. It's all about getting moving and up off the couch. Whether it's cross-fit, Insanity or just going taking your dog for a walk. My recommendation is to ignore the nay-sayers, take a look at what works for you and just stick with it.

I can't say I disagree with this, only because I used to think like her, too. Running is NOT the end-all, be-all of fitness. And when you don't have a gym membership and don't want to run outside everyday, these DVDs are the only things that can keep motivation up to work out and get on with your day. But to each their own -- if she doesn't want to try Insanity, at least don't harp on it by calling it a "shortcut" and short-changing the effort that's involved. Not everyone drops a ton of weight doing it, just like with running.

A shortcut to what? I did Insanity over Christmas/New Year's and didn't lose any weight but my stamina, muscle and general fitness increased massively (and I lost almost 30"). It is a brilliant programme if you want to get FIT. I've incorporated it into my regular routine now and do Insanity workouts mixed with other strength training and cardio throughout the week. They are tough, but the feeling you get when you complete it is definitely amazing.

Completely agree... the stamina you create is amazing... now I wanna go pop in a DVD!

I have done Insanity in the past and just recently started another round. I also go to the gym and run here and there. Insanity is hard on the tendons and joints. Any fitness regimen increases your chance of injuries. I can't even count how many people get injured from weights and running. At the end of the day it's about knowing your limits and being safe. When doing Insanity I put about 2 inches of padding under the carpet to ease the impact. I know alot of runners (friends) who brag about their fitness. When I ask them to try Insanity for a week..Their eyes are open because they realize that is an area where improvement is needed.

No way in the world it is a short cut because it requires commitment and dedication to complete the 60 days :-).

The program is only 60 Days but it mixes well if you drop it to 2-3 days per week in addition to weight training.

People are going to either hate it or love it and everyone will have an opinion about it, Insanity. I have done both of the Insanity programs 3 times each. I did not have any weight to lose when I started and basically tried it out because of some personal stuff I had going on at the time. I needed a way to get out of my head and heal. Insanity more than delivered. I liked it so much that after the first time I waited a week and did it all over again this time prepping for the Asylum which is hands down my favorite workout ever!

I am not a professional in the exercise industry, I'm not a trainer, I'm not a Beachbody coach, none of that, but I've been known to push Insanity off on anyone who is willing to give it a try, and always tell them to modify every move that you cannot do, wear the best shoes that you can find, use the power mat if you have a wood floor, eat right, grab a recovery drink of some kind and feed your muscles and just try it and see how you like it, because it not only trains your body it gets inside of your head and trains your mind, and I think that if you don't completely have your mind right you're bound to repeat the same mistakes over and over again no matter what they are, weight loss or not. When your mind is right and you're on track and focusing everything else changes and just seems to fall into place.

So far Insanity and the Asylum are the only two workouts that I've used that have gotten inside of my head and made me a better person at LIFE. Sometimes I think I used Shaun T as a counselor lol because I refused to go to a shrink. I wasn't crazy I just happened to lose someone in a motorcycle accident want to give it a shot and yeah it was hard as hell and I was in shape and still modified the power jumps and took a few little breaks here and there to catch my breath in the beginning, but the more you do it the better at it you get and your cardiovascular levels increase and it becomes easier each time. Unfortunately most people don't make it that far or give it a chance and then Insanity gets a bad rap because all these people are talking negatively about it. Not that you or your friend are doing that, I'm just saying in general.

IMO, this is the whole reason why EVERY single program says "Do not start any exercise program without consulting your Dr."

We are all different! Some may be at risk of joint pain, etc. but her opinion is just that!