insanity and strenght training?

parteegirl01
parteegirl01 Posts: 84
in Fitness and Exercise
Can I do insanity and strength training in the same day or would that be too much? If not what's a good way to schedule the two so I get the best benefits. I did insanity once for a couple months and gained weight instead of losing it, but I think it's worth a shot to give it another shot, I just want to make sure I do some strength training as well, it seems to keep my muscles from hurting so bad all the time.

Replies

  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
    Not a good idea. Insanity is 6 days a week. You have to have recovery days when you're strength training. The two just aren't made to go together. You could lift twice a week and do Insanity twice a week (although it's not designed this way) but that's as much as I'd do to allow those muscles to recover!
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
    I do insanity, and everything else. I am very active and enjoy jogging, swimming and weight training. However, as hard as I work out with insanity and I sweat a river, I have not lost any weight since I started. You posted that you gained weight from insanity and felt like I can relate. I know people who have lost a lot of weight recently, and they barely exercise. My clothes don't fit any differently until I included Fullbar twice a day in my diet. In one week, my body started shrinking, although the weight stays stubborn. I don't know if Insanity is for everybody, because for some of us we gain more muscle from it. We may be losing, but muscle weighs more than fat, so the scale won't change. I question it for myself, but I hate to give up the two month challenge I'm already committed to. I think the better exercise for weight loss is long walks/jogs, and some weight training, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables to help keep caloric intake low. If you choose do insanity and weight train as well, and results still don't show after two weeks, reevaluate your strategy.
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it is more dense, but it doesn't weigh more.

    A women can expect to gain 10 pounds of muscle in a years time doing heavy lifting.
  • peridot1383
    peridot1383 Posts: 49 Member
    You are likely gaining because you are adding muscle faster than you are losing fat. Muscle is more dense, so the same amount of weight in muscle is MUCH smaller than that amount of weight in fat. Stick with it and as the fat sheds away from your body and your body composition changes so that you are mostly muscle, you will see the weight difference.

    I would say depending on your fitness level you could do light strength training if you wanted to. Insanity is designed to build muscles to make you lean, so if you want to build as well, you could do it. Be careful not to hurt yourself though. Also, I'm not sure if you made it to Month 2, but the workouts are infinitely more taxing on your body. It might not be wise to strength train while you're in Month 2.

    Good luck and dig deeper!
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
    Thanks for clarifying it. The message is similar: a lot of weight bearing exercises can cause a person to either maintain, or to gain weight because they are gaining muscles, although he or she may appear to be leaner. Although you can combine weight training with Insanity (Sean T included a DVD that focuses on upper body weight training with some lower body for those who are interested), for the sake of weight loss, the suggestion made by jnh17 to limit insanity to 2 times a week (maybe 3) if weight training is to be included in the schedule sounds like a good advice.

Categories