Prerequisites for success on Insanity

I've done Insanity 3 times, Asylum twice, and insanity/aslyum hybrid (that was the worst lol) and i'm doing p90x now.

I know at least one very out overweight guy that got through the whole program and did really well, but he wasn't new to exercise and had been doing something for over a year before hand.

Its true that its a 'go at your own pace' kind of work out, as unlikely as that may seem in the advertizements. So because of that, any one could possibly do it.

But as some people have said, its possible to do it and not lose weight. Thats because its really easy to eat back all those calories that you burn even when doing insanity. And for me, all that cardio gives me a huge appetite. for me, it was a lot easier eating around 1500 cals a day when i was fat and did nothing then it was to stop at 2,400 when i was thin and my metabolism was burning like a jet engine. in the end, its really all about eating less then you use so you burn fat (when it comes to losing weight, shaping your body is a different story).

In that case, do you really need to work THAT hard? I guess it depends on where you are and where you want to be. If you are very obese and really the main goal is to drop fat... you might not really get that much more out of insanity then a resonable exercise program and soild calorie defecit. If your goals are more body shaping and your not so obese that you don't need to lose 50 lbs before you start to see the changes insanity makes then it might be a good idea.

All that being said, there is no reason not to give it a try if you want. HOWEVER, i strongly recommend you have a back up plan, what are you going to do if you deside its not for you? as long as you have some other exercise plan to fall back on if things dont work out and you follow through with that then theres absolutely no harm at all.

The only thing to keep in mind is this, do NOT try to keep up with the people in the video, (unless you're able). Go at a pace that is challenging for you, but that you're able to maintain throughout the duration of the workout.

Oh and, "eat back your exercise calories" so you can build those muscles! Get a heart rate monitor so you can figure out an accurate burn. I recommend the Polar FT7.

Get a good heart rate monitor so you can push yourself and have the confidence to know that you are working out safely.

For me, I never really exercise. Mostly just required p.e class from k-12. last year I did a lot of biking.
I started doing insanity. First week my legs were so sore, I did not even want to get up to go pee.!!
As days go on, I felt great and not sore. Now all I feel after a workout is great energy.
This is my first workout program I did and I love it. Like others have said, modify some of the workouts, and go at your own pace.

personally i don't know how anyone who didn't play any organized sports where a coach is pushing you to do way more then you would otherwise do gets through these beach body programs lol

but kuddos to all who do. I've seen a few threads where a bunch of people start then theres two people talking to each other in the end

I just started it this week, I'm on day 4 today. I must say its a pretty intense workout but I find that I put forth as much effort as I can and I am sweating like a pig at the end. I don't think you need to start something else to do it, I think you should just do it. It's also a lot of fun too! I am already noticing results in my core. Go for it, you won't know unless you try

I kept trying it but never made it to recovery week due to injuries to my hips and ankle. My conclusion was that between the joint damage from the Army and I was still a little overweight so my body wasn't handling the high impact very well.

I would do p90x first before starting insanity it really helps.

That's what I did as well.

Just do it!

You can modify many of the moves. As long as you're moving and your heart is pumping, you are burning calories. Also, the super fit people in the videos all take a bunch of breaks throughout each workout.

Exactly! The nice thing is you can take a break when you need and modify moves you can't do. For example when I first started doing it I couldn't even do a regular push-up, let alone the crazy ones they do. I would focus on trying to do a few good push-ups when they did that. After my two months of doing it I was able to do most of the moves, just not nearly as quickly as they do in the video. What I love about insanity is that you can track your own progress with the fit tests, you see how much stronger your body has become as you do it.

With that I'm off to go start my first day back into it now. Fit test time!

Do your best...the point of the workouts is max interval. You do the best you can and take breaks as you need them. You will work yourself into shape.

Good luck!