P90X or Insanity??

I'm on day 41 of P90x, and I like it. It is intense, but not as bad as I feared. I have not done Insanity.

On P90x, there is a lot of variation, and it does target everything pretty well. All the moves can be modified for most fitness levels. The downside is that there is a significant money investment upfront - you will need a set of dumbbells (I would say a pair of 10's for straight arm rows, then going up from there to what your max bicep curl is) and a pullup bar. A yoga block will also help with the yoga sequence, which is one of my (surprisingly) favorites.

If you have knee issues, you probably want to just skip Plyometrics entirely. The CardioX routine is a substitute, but I find it to be half the intensity of the other routines, so that would be one to swap out for your favorite gym cardio routine (elliptical, treadmill, swim, etc.).

You can do P90 with a really good set of resistance bands (think $25-$50)- there's a guy in the programs with them. I liked having the pull-up bar though (I think it was $20 and it attaches to any regular sized door frame). You don't have to purchase dumbbells... Having said that- I've had the program for about 3 years and have never completed it. I'm currently working up to starting (and FINISHING) it.

You don't need to do P90 if you have knee problems. The only high impact is plyo and you can always substitute moves or the workout. P90 is just gonna be too easy. Trust me. And forget bands. Get adjustable dumbbells on Craigslist if anything. Bands are ok t the beginning but you will get frustrated. I did month one with bands and I hated it.

Insanity is great but it's lack of strength training makes it my second choice. I did a hybrid back then and I thought It was the best of both words. No strength training = lose lean body mass. Unless you have never really lifted any weights and your pen body weight is enough to keep your lean mass.

For your case, I say go with P90X. By the way, I'm in real shape because of this two programs. I am now doing Body Beast. Good luck!

Insanity is as bad as it sounds - INSANE!! I have heard a number of people suffer from knee problems and other injuries caused by Insanity and have to take a break from it because pressure it puts on the joints. I considered it so did a couple of workouts found on Youtube, suggest you try that as well the fitness test will help you make up your mind. Then I found PT/24 the ultimate Tae bo with Billy Blanks and loves it.7 discs with a 7 day programme over 4 weeks - I love it. mixture of tae bo cardio and strength training with bands, I found the intensity level perfect and challenging - great alternative to INSANITY and each disc is 30 mins so you can mix and match.