Insanity workout for losing +55 lbs? crazy or possible?

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letzdothiz
letzdothiz Posts: 41 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Im tryin to get a workout schedule started for myslf and im lookin at all the options out there. Ive seen 30 day military diet, the insanity workout, the Jillian Michaels programs, etc. This is so intimidating n costly but i know it can be simpler then it seems right now. I just gota find myslf a good routine n stick to a meal plan. Just dont know where to start and would love some advice. ;0)

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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    calorie deficit is what causes you to lose weight..

    exercise/working out is just an additional benefit..

    I would say learn compound lifts - deadlifts, squats, overhead press, pullup/chin ups, bench press, etc - and then develop a three day a week total body workout and throw in two days cardio and two days rest...
  • V0lver
    V0lver Posts: 915 Member
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    calorie deficit is what causes you to lose weight..

    exercise/working out is just an additional benefit..

    I would say learn compound lifts - deadlifts, squats, overhead press, pullup/chin ups, bench press, etc - and then develop a three day a week total body workout and throw in two days cardio and two days rest...
    This^
  • letzdothiz
    letzdothiz Posts: 41 Member
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    okay sounds good. but how do i go about creating a body workout. do i have to start with certain parts, certain order?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Look up Stronglifts 5x5. Follow the program.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    okay sounds good. but how do i go about creating a body workout. do i have to start with certain parts, certain order?

    once you learn compounds...you can develop a program where you hit arms/legs/back/shoulders/chest/tris and then repeat monday/wens/fri and do cardio on tues/thurs or something like that ..

    so you can do ..

    squat
    dumbbell bent over row
    bench press
    overhead press
    arm curl
    tricp pushdown

    and then repeat he above three times a week ..or something similar..
  • letzdothiz
    letzdothiz Posts: 41 Member
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    ok not bad i think i can do that.. tx! :wink:
  • nohaynicknamesdisponibles
    nohaynicknamesdisponibles Posts: 94 Member
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    okay sounds good. but how do i go about creating a body workout. do i have to start with certain parts, certain order?
    Do this daily http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS7XkoGmhXQ combined with 30 min running or on a Elliptical-trainer for 6 weeks than change the plan again. I can also upload on my Dropbox a 5day-split workout plan in Excel-format; inbox me if you want it.
  • letzdothiz
    letzdothiz Posts: 41 Member
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    ok sooo basic sets of 12 for each body part, cardio nxt day, rest, then start again. Sound bot right?
  • joolywooly33
    joolywooly33 Posts: 421 Member
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    Insanity is a fantastic full body work out. Great for getting your fitness back and losing weight. I still do insanity, but don't follow the schedule any more. I like a variety including lifting - but would definitely recommend x
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    People will recommend a million different things for you - but it sounds like right now the most important thing is to start doing something and stick with it.

    I liked Insanity because it has a schedule, it motivates you to work out hard. I didn't lose a lot of weight on insanity, but my endurance and muscle tone improved a ton, which made me look like I lost a bunch of weight and I'm definitely in better shape.
  • jessupbrady
    jessupbrady Posts: 508 Member
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    Insanity is mostly cardio. You can burn an intense amount of calories doing Insanity. It has a diet plan to help you which can be beneficial since that is really where your weight loss will come from.

    I've done insanity before and I'm doing it now. It will help tone you up and help you burn off some weight. Calories bruned during an exercise are factored by your weight, how long your exercise, and the intensity level you bring to the exercise. As you lose weight, the amount of calories you burn will decrease for the same intenisty level. This is why so many people struggle with those last 10 lbs.

    What the others have said about lifting is definately the best solution. The extra muscle mass will help you burn more calories at rest. You will have to work at finding the balance for you between diet and exercise. There are a lot of great references throughout mfp to help determine proper calorie intake through your TDEE.

    All that being said, I have a medical condition that makes lifting a problem. Although, I am working with a doctor and a trainer to try and help me strengthen my core and get me to the point where I am able to lift. That is why I am running through Insanity as opposed to lifting. I've lost 5lbs in the first 4 weeks, but my strength has increased. Programs like Insanity do have a place and where I have seen people fail with them is they do not change their diet.

    I wish you luck in your venture!
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
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    calorie deficit is what causes you to lose weight..

    exercise/working out is just an additional benefit..

    Ditto above.

    I personally have to mix up my workouts to not get bored. So I cycle, Les Mills Pump (currently), golf (walking the course of course), lift weights, etc. That works for me...figure out what works for you.

    Insanity was too much for me to do 6 days a week (time commitment and recovery), so i did it every other day and it just took twice as long to complete...point again being...do what's right for you.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    ok sooo basic sets of 12 for each body part, cardio nxt day, rest, then start again. Sound bot right?

    No. Way too high a rep range. You want lower reps, heavier weight to maintain muscle. 12 reps is great for when you are bulking to add more muscle tissue, but while cutting, you want to stick with a strength program, like I said, look into Stronglifts 5x5. It's an excellent beginner program, and it's all laid out for you. There's no guess work.
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
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    Insanity is mostly cardio. You can burn an intense amount of calories doing Insanity. It has a diet plan to help you which can be beneficial since that is really where your weight loss will come from.
    Programs like Insanity do have a place and where I have seen people fail with them is they do not change their diet.

    My first 2 weeks the first time I did Insanity I could NOT lose a pound because I failed to change my diet in the correct direction. By the 3rd week I found MFP and haven't looked back. I have since finished Insanity and now do a hybrid that includes it, but not focused on it.

    Definitely watch your food intake when you start lifting: 1) it will increase your appetite 2) you will need to properly fuel your body. Make sure you are making good decisions to satiate both.

    Good luck!!
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
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    calorie deficit is what causes you to lose weight..

    exercise/working out is just an additional benefit..

    I would say learn compound lifts - deadlifts, squats, overhead press, pullup/chin ups, bench press, etc - and then develop a three day a week total body workout and throw in two days cardio and two days rest...

    More quoting of this.
  • letzdothiz
    letzdothiz Posts: 41 Member
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    tx guys u have all been very helpful. :flowerforyou:
  • sjfrank88
    sjfrank88 Posts: 3
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    Like someone else said- Do Squats, pushups bench press db dead lifts(carefully) and do core using the exercise ball, planks etc. Dont worry about vanity muscles yet. You burn a lot more calories doing large muscle groups and work those vanity muscles in the process. And sprinting can be done instead of long hours of cardio. I didnt really see the weight come off until I went from long dull cardio to quick burst intervals.
  • aclos3
    aclos3 Posts: 9 Member
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    I've done the Insanity Asylum and P90X2 through a few cycles and really like them both. They are intense workouts and although you will lose weight if you pair them with a healthy diet, they may be really tough in the beginning. Go ahead and give them a shot, but don't get discouraged if they are too difficult right off the bat. You can put them on the shelf for a couple months while you continue to lose weight through diet and less intense exercise. Then, try them again once you're about 20 lbs from your goal.
  • letzdothiz
    letzdothiz Posts: 41 Member
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    see i do the cardio dvds cus ive tried running and was so out of breath with aching sides i thought i was gona pass out :embarassed: so i stoped all together and well just speed walking feels like im not burning anything so i went wit a cardio dvd. I would love to be able to jog though, i have a beautiful park here with hiking trails that would be perfect just got intimidated by all the pain :grumble:
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I would also say try and set goals for yourself. For me its easy to just do something but having goals will give you direction so you can push yourself. If you don't know how to do this keep talking to people here - you want to progress at a good rate but not too fast because you can end up hurting yourself :-)

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