Your opinion on Insanity?

Wiltord1982
Wiltord1982 Posts: 312 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I've been wondering recently if Insanity was worth it. I mean, in my opinion, cardio is cardio. So if you're doing 45 minutes of intense cardio, 45 minutes of intense running or 45 minutes of intense soccer, you will burn more or less the same amount of calories and your global fitness will improve similarly. Does this program provide other benefits? I read it's insane (hence the name) and intense, but to what point?

I'm not a beginner and I'm in a pretty good shape already, but I want to push my limits further. Is Insanity the right program for me? I already play soccer twice per week so I might not follow the program strictly, but I plan on doing it most days. I'm aware the program is not the same if you don't do it exactly as planned, but hey, I prefer soccer ;)

Thanks for your input!

Replies

  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    I know a lot of people knock this program. I did it, saw good results and occasionally incorporate a workout into my routine. I prefer Insanity the Asylums much more than Insanity. I feel Asylum both 1 and 2 are more of a full body workout and incorporate weights into the training.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    I've only been doing Insanity since Monday but I think it is quite good. It's some resistance training too and I guarantee no matter how fit you are, it will test you.

    I definitely think it's worth it, the fitness test shows you have far you have come and some of the before and after pictures are astonishing. If you are looking for something to push yourself further, as you say, then yes, Insanity is perfect.
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
    Insanity is very challenging. VERY. When I was starting the program, I talked to diff kinds of people who finished it so I can be more motivated. I talked to fit people, overweight, normal, almost any kind of person that was doing insanity that I come across with on Instagram. And honestly I've never met anyone who can finish every single workout from start to finish without taking longer breaks or reducing the reps. Give it a shot! From being a really pudgy girl, it toned me and took me a bit more than half way through my goal in just 60 days. I dont know any program who can give same results as that :)


    Other benefits for me:
    -Endurance significantly improved.
    -My metabolism is faster. I stopped working out 2 months after I finished Insanity, I stopped watching what I eat, I was sedentary and yet my weight was still like my Insanity results when I checked myself before starting T25! (lost 4lb of muscle though :cry: )
    -I became stronger

    Cons would be too much jumping. I have a bad knee so it was kinda too much for my knee I had to take a week break in the middle of the program.

    Hope I helped :flowerforyou:
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
    You do what you like. I would recommend trying Insanity to see if it is something you would commit to for the entire program. A lot of cities have fit clubs hosted by Team Beachbody coaches that you can attend and do the videos for free. I suggest seeing it there is one in your city and checking it out! I like Insanity because it challenges me and makes me get up and move. After doing this program, almost everything else seems like a cake walk!! :wink:
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    It's a great way to eff up your knees by doing the same movements over and over at full pelt intensity.
  • maz165
    maz165 Posts: 73 Member
    The jumping is the only thing I'd say to be careful about. If your joints are in good condition and you know how to do the movements without SLAMMING your body into the floor, you'll be totally fine, I think. I finished the program all the way through once and was probably in the best cardio shape of my life and lost some weight without watching my diet too religiously. Now I just use them two or three times a week as cardio and I think my body feels less stress from it that way. As with any exercise, do it if you enjoy it and it's not injuring you; stop if it's the opposite!
  • JonathanBB
    JonathanBB Posts: 252 Member
    I did it and finished it. Loved it. Definitely toned up, increased speed and significantly increased endurance. It can be very hard on knees, though I did not have an issue with that. I think it contributed to my developing plantar fasciitis (severly strained muscles in the arch of your feet causing pain in the heels) and had to shift to 2 days on, 1 day off for the second month. Still thinking about doing it again when my feet are fully recovered though for month 2 I would probably do it over an extended period and do 2 - 3 workouts of that per week with yoga or elliptical in between to allow recovery in between.
  • rahlpn
    rahlpn Posts: 551 Member
    A great app to try that has a lot of similar exercises and is free is Sworkit. I have done Insanity so I know what it's all about and know what kind of caloric burn I got from each workout. I downloaded Sworkit onto my iPhone and doing 30 minutes of that (high intesity cardio) is a GREAT cardio workout. It also has yoga, stretching and strength routines. It's good to check out since it's free, that will give you an idea of what Insanity is like, at least that's the closest thing I've seen.
  • healthymissfit
    healthymissfit Posts: 648 Member
    i love insanity. doing a round three starting today!
  • jhc7324
    jhc7324 Posts: 200 Member
    I did Insanity last year and I think you're on point about how you're thinking about it. I was able to push myself quite a bit more following the video than I would have been doing a cardio routine on my own, and I lost some fat/firmed up a couple of soft spots on my body and my fitness level was through the roof.

    Since I finished insanity though I've gotten into a focused lifting routine and my results in that have been a lot more significant than I had with Insanity.

    Its a good program from a cardio/endurance standpoint, but I've fallen in love with the iron so I probably won't be going back anytime soon.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    I'm on month two of Insanity and I absolutely love it. I do, however, miss working more with my weights.

    When I finish round one, I'm going to start another round, but do Insanity Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and get back to lifting on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

    My strength and endurance has increased dramatically since I've been doing Insanity, and I'm seeing and feeling a lot of changes so far. Plus, it's a really fun and challenging program.
  • littlemissmetal84
    littlemissmetal84 Posts: 24
    Agreed, My knees havnt been to kind to me since 2nd week of month two, had to take a break and buy supports.... because of that break i have found extremely difficult re start again fully ( apart from odd day here n there during the week.

    but as a work out i like it, but im fairly unfit any way and have no upper body strength so the push ups after a few i find awful, especially after the first rep' for example.

    im hoping i can get fitter and get into the exercise proper as i want to join a gym but i want to get into the habit of working my butt off dont want to waste a gym membership


    So if anyone wants to add me, help me out alittle i would be greatfull :)
  • GeminiFitness1
    GeminiFitness1 Posts: 63 Member
    The Insanity workout and T25 workouts are ok. Modify the workout if you haven't exercised in awhile. Once you are use to it you can challenge yourself by doing the regular exercise. Most important thing is listen to your body!!
  • tonybalony01
    tonybalony01 Posts: 613 Member
    Personally, I like it because you don't need any additional equipment like weights, pull up bars, or anything like that.
    It incorporates cardio with body weight resistance and maintains a pretty high intensity level throughout the entire workout, so you'll see the normal cardio results along with stronger arms, legs and core.
    The only thing you have to really watch out for is keeping proper form in the different exercises to reduce the risk of injuring yourself.
    My personal results: lost 8 lbs overall, lost 2 inches each from my waist and hips, 1 inch from my chest and improved dramatically in my cardio endurance.
    Hope this helps.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    It's challenging for sure. I'm in excellent shape and the program whooped my butt.

    As for weight loss, I suppose it depends on how much you need to lose. I did it because I was on a gym hiatus and didn't want to NOT workout. I did not lose that much weight or inches for that matter.

    You really need to be aware of proper form when you do the workout. My husband threw his shoulder out doing burpees and I am fairly certain that my foot injury stemmed from the constant jumping that you do during insanity (and I had bought new shoes prior to starting the program).

    It's a great cardio program and if you're looking for something that will force you to workout every day then this will do it since it's a regimented schedule.

Categories