Is Insanity too difficult if you are very overweight?

Was spin class too intense for me at 300lb? Yes if i tried to do what the instructor was doing

I'm now doing what the instructor does, maybe not at such an intense pace as hes about 25 and im 50 this year
im also still obese and the instructor is lean and supper fit

Go at your own pace if you cant keep up .........pause take a break and come back to it

I tried C25K (couch to 5k) first session was a 30 sec run if i remember right and i almost collapsed ........I'm now doing 10k non stop running at a slow pace admittedly so from January 2012 no running at all, to June 17th 2012 fathers day I ran a 10k race

Do what you can at your own pace but always push yourself a little if you think you can do a bit more then do it :drinker:

Good luck to you

but I'm thinking I'm a bit too big in the middle still...

I don't mean to sound harsh or to belittle you.............if you keep thinking this, your going to stay a bit big in the middle

I used to think spin class was for fit people .....ITS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BECOME FIT

GO FOR IT :drinker:

Insanity is a crazy workout! And it is really difficult, no jokes. But anyone can do it! Just work yourself up... You might not be ripped in 60 days and you won't be able to keep up with the super fit people in the video, but work towards it.

My first day of insanity took me 65 minutes instead of 45, I had to pause to catch my breath so many times.
I still can't do the stuff where push ups are involved. When they do the push up exercises, I just do as many lady push ups as I can.

I know it sounds silly, but my aim is, at the end of the year, to be able to keep up with the DVD 100% with only his breaks, none of my own!

And remember to eat something about 45 minutes before you start, trust me, you will need it!

I agree with all of the above but add one caveat...if you get discouraged easily 'because you're not keeping up' then don't set yourself up for failure.

The BEST exercise is the one you like and will stick to. If you are motivated by the challenge...GO FOR IT!!!! Just do all you can to set yourself up for success because you deserve it!!!

Lot of high impact work in it. And yes there is such a thing as too heavy for high impact.

When i started insanity i was 5'4" and 200 lbs.
It is HARD but if you take it on your own pace you CAN DO IT. I could not do the high jumps and some other things so i ran in place or modified what they were doing. For example do wall push ups if you can't do real ones.. Slowly but surely you will get better. I'm in month 2 now with 2 weeks to go. I still hurt and i still feel like puking some days but I haven't quit!!! I will do another round after i finish round one and am so proud of myself. I am also 49 years old and my knee problem ( torn meniscus ) is completely pain free!
DO IT!

Almost all workouts are scalable, do the best you can and you will be right there in no time. Find a reason to succeed. Good luck. and good for you.

I tried it (as well as 30DS and such) and, even though I wasn't THAT overweight at the time (maybe only by 10 pounds then,) I was definitely extremely out of shape. I'm working out at the gym at my own pace until I'm more in shape because I fall over after like, 3 push ups.

ETA: Oh, and a lot of those videos seem pretty hard on some joints. I have bad knees (I get constant pain for a month or so, every few months. It even hurts to just stand or walk) and it definitely didn't help.

I started at 300 pounds losing weight

I've dropped to about 217 at my lowest

Currently hanging out in 220ish land and I started insanity 2 days ago

I like to say that I am fairly in "good-enough" shape to start, but it's still difficult, not impossible and if you've exercised enough, you kinda know how to modify moves and have the workout still be effective

just take your time, don't worry about keeping up, be safe, have fun, you'll burn calories and that's what we want

good luck

It is definitely a beast for even those who are in great shape. I do insanity and the best thing to get through the workout is to pace yourself. Don't go as fast as they can if you can't. Your speed and stamina will increase as time goes on. Just don't give up. Keep at it and it will get better!

I am overweight and it's intense however, I was somewhat intimidated at first but I took my time and have successfully finished into my third week. Yay! Just Do it!

I completed the first 3 weeks of Insanity before getting kidney stones and had to stop. At that time, I weighed 247 lbs. Was it hard? Abso-freaking-loutely. But was it doable? Yes. The 45 minutes video took me about 60 minutes to get through because I had to pause it. BUT if you do decide to start it, what you have to remember is GO AT YOUR OWN PACE. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT try to go as fast as Shaun T., or you WILL hurt yourself. And just because you can't do a workout doesn't mean your weak or "too fat" to do it. You'll build up to it. Also, pay attention to the people in the video - they are struggling too. In some of them, even Shaun T. has to stop and he created the damn videos!! I say give it a try.

I haven't gone back to doing Insanity yet (it's been about 6 months since the kidney stones), but I'm planning on starting it up again in March when I finish my current program that I'm doing. And I honestly can't wait to start it again because I'm in better shape than I was before (currently down to 222 lbs and a lot more muscles) and I really want to compare my numbers!

I know this is an old post so I'm not sure if you ever started the Insanity program, but I finished the Insanity program in October. However, it wasn't the first time I tried the program. I think I started it 3 times. The most important thing for me was to get my muscles into shape to start this program so I could keep up and keep from injuring myself. I have weak ankles and problems with my knees and feet. I actually used another Beachbody program called Slim in 6 to gear myself up to start the Insanity program the 3rd time. The experience was completely different and I made waaaay better progress. It was still very hard but in the end I was the strongest I have ever been in my life and my body was thanking me. I've found that if you change it up you don't get as bored doing the workouts.

Good luck!

I think its best to start with easier exercises first..
Walking 4 miles
Zumba at your own pace
30 minute spin classes again at your own pace

Then you graduate to insanity, p90x , body pump, hour spin..

^^^ This. If you've never worked out, I dont recommend starting at such an advanced cardio workout. I recommend building up your stamina. However, if you wont get discouraged by the fact you may only be able to complete a fraction of the workout (in the beginning weeks), then I say give it a try at your own pace.

Ultimately, you have to select a workout that you will be motivated to do. If you dont mind not being able to keep up (if you've never worked out before, only be able to do a small fraction of the workout each day), then I say give it a try. Over time, your endurance will increase.

Good Luck.

P.S. I just noticed that the original post was made 6 months ago. What did you decide to do?

Try Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. It is a 3 month commitment-then progress to Insanity. This way you are building up muscles (especially the ones that you didn't even knew existed) and will be able to be more successful with the latter program. BR is a half hour version of Insanity or P90X. Very challenging- I love it! Good Luck!