Starting Insanity 60 Day

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  • freakhazerd2424
    freakhazerd2424 Posts: 611 Member
    Admittedly something has always confused me about Insanity and peoples approach to it.

    I watched a couple of insanity videos. I consider myself reasonably fit, I ran a 10k in close to 50 minutes, I can run for hours if need be, I work out 6 times a week, I am 170 pounds and 6' tall.

    I took one look at those videos and thought "Yeah, not quite in shape enough to do that". Then I come on MFP and see people who are just starting to diet and exercise going out and picking up Insanity. Many of these people are seriously overweight as well or have not exercised at all for years.

    No offense OP but can you actually do these workouts? I doubt I could and from your description yourself I think I'm probably in better shape. Why do people seek out the hardest thing they can possibly find and then slam their face against it repeatedly rather than finding a workout that better fits their level of fitness.

    I'm honestly not trying to be rude but seriously I think I probably could run a half marathon and I would say flat out I am not in good enough shape to do Insanity.

    You know...just like any exercise, there are various levels of intensity...to follow the moves, it's not as hard...I won't say more, but can see where you come from...I had the same question myself...

    I think I can answer that for you. The way beach body markets there products makes them sound awsome. Insanity p90x for example. Also i believe they are much more polished some other work outs. If your new to working out and searching for a program you will see these work outs come up all the time. The hosts such as Shawn t and Tony Horton really do a good job at motivating you in the workouts with helpful tips. They also have some funny things that make them seem like people not just the video you watch if that makes sence. I'm 3 weeks in and I can't do all the work outs. But if this is what gets me excited to work out and I pace myself then why should I not be doing it. The goal is to get up and move for us beginners so what ever makes you want to do it is good. Plus there programs all talk about students and graduates and made it through so it some how makes you feel special and accomplished that you joined this elite group that made it to the end. Hopefully that helps you understand at least some of my reasons for doing this insane work out when not being in great shape.
  • jadejames171
    jadejames171 Posts: 26 Member
    Insanity is BRILLIANT. I love it! Its hardcore but you know you are working your body hard as you sweat like a pig. I've started and stopped at least three times now - due to holidays and work commitments etc. But at the moment, I'm consistent and in to the recovery week (which by the way is just as much of a workout as the others!)

    I've gone from 168 pounds to 148 pounds since starting (although most of the loss was pure diet before being consistent with insanity) and have lost a good few inches all round. However now, weight loss has stalled - I think this may be something to do with muscle weighing more than fat. I feel so much fitter now - when I started I couldn't even do a push up!

    My tips - go at your own pace - if you need a break then stop, catch your breath then carry on. The guys on the video take breaks so why shouldn't we?! The workouts are hard, so just do what you can do. No one is expecting you to get all the moves right or do a work out without stopping when you first start. Drink plenty of water through out and ALWAYS do the warm up and cool down stretches. I always find that as soon as I finish - if I sit on my *kitten* for the rest of the night I ache like hell in the morning, so maybe do house work or go for a walk or something after to keep the muscles working.

    Also - this biggest tip is to measure your progress by how fit you feel and by inch loss rather than using the scales.

    Good luck and have fun!!
  • mattmcleary1
    mattmcleary1 Posts: 1
    I'm 23 and done Insanity last year, I wouldn't go in with too high expectations if I am honest.

    I wanted to use it for the sake of muscle shape and building. It did work in some aspects however, I injured my knee doing it and now have bother with it.

    So make sure to do everything properly and with suitable clothing and space to do it in.

    Good luck.
  • Bellabooksa
    Bellabooksa Posts: 25 Member
    To Aaron_K123, No offense taken and you have a good point. I cannot speak for others, but for myself I have seen and read transformations of those who have done Insanity and or are currently doing the program that are my size or larger and I must admit the positive results are very motivating for me. I agree with you that I am in no shape to be able to keep up with Insanity right now, nor do I expect to...but it looks challenging and also fun, which I am hoping will keep me motivated to push play each day. Hopefully a year from now I will be closer at keeping up with those on the DVD! ;) I'm not expecting anything more than what I put into it, and right now I'm determined to give it my all. :)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    To Aaron_K123, No offense taken and you have a good point. I cannot speak for others, but for myself I have seen and read transformations of those who have done Insanity and or are currently doing the program that are my size or larger and I must admit the positive results are very motivating for me. I agree with you that I am in no shape to be able to keep up with Insanity right now, nor do I expect to...but it looks challenging and also fun, which I am hoping will keep me motivated to push play each day. Hopefully a year from now I will be closer at keeping up with those on the DVD! ;) I'm not expecting anything more than what I put into it, and right now I'm determined to give it my all. :)

    Hey fair enough and I in no way want to sabotage your motivation. Just take it easy and be aware of your knees and your heartrate and don't overdo it or you are potentially going to injure yourself. Its a very tough workout for people of any fitness level really.
  • MilaCzech
    MilaCzech Posts: 3
    Hello, I'm super new here, can I join?
    I started insanity this Monday, so today I completed the 4th exercise (cardio recovery). I'm 25, 5'7 and about 210 lbs. So I'm overweight too.
    So far I love it. It's intense and I have to modify some of the moves. I struggle especially with the push ups but hope I will get better in time. Also my stamina isn't the best, so during the cardio workouts and plyometric I have to take breaks to catch my breath. I think everybody needs to listen to their body and stop if needed.
    Also I'm nowhere near the speed of the video, I go at my own speed, as Shaun T says. Form over speed!
    I know that my body reacts well to high intensity workouts, that's a reason why I got insanity. I lost the most weight when I trained longsword fighting, which was intense too.
    Hope to find someone here who will help me to keep myself motivated and vice versa of course!
  • Bellabooksa
    Bellabooksa Posts: 25 Member
    I'm so happy to read everyone's comments! Thank you so much for commenting! It's so nice to read everyone's experiences with Insanity as well as advice as it really means a lot. My DVDs will be here tomorrow!! YAY!! :) Glad they will arrive prior to Monday so I can play through a few first to see what I've gotten myself into lol! Very excited to see/feel the results. I will definitely post starting pics/day 30/day 60 and pics as I continue.
  • TenderWalnut
    TenderWalnut Posts: 13 Member
    Just be sure and stretch very good before you workout (including calf muscles). I injured myself twice doing that workout and have decided to not ever do it again. Best of luck to you though. In my honest opinion Insanity is more about the diet than the workout. I mean I barely broke 850 calories burned in most workouts. (I am 6'4" 225) My current workout exceeds 1250 calories six times a week and that affords me more wiggle room on food.
  • amyylase
    amyylase Posts: 1
    Hello, I'm super new here, can I join?
    I started insanity this Monday, so today I completed the 4th exercise (cardio recovery). I'm 25, 5'7 and about 210 lbs. So I'm overweight too.
    So far I love it. It's intense and I have to modify some of the moves. I struggle especially with the push ups but hope I will get better in time. Also my stamina isn't the best, so during the cardio workouts and plyometric I have to take breaks to catch my breath. I think everybody needs to listen to their body and stop if needed.
    Also I'm nowhere near the speed of the video, I go at my own speed, as Shaun T says. Form over speed!
    I know that my body reacts well to high intensity workouts, that's a reason why I got insanity. I lost the most weight when I trained longsword fighting, which was intense too.
    Hope to find someone here who will help me to keep myself motivated and vice versa of course!

    I just started this monday as well! good luck :)
  • MilaCzech
    MilaCzech Posts: 3
    Just be sure and stretch very good before you workout (including calf muscles). I injured myself twice doing that workout and have decided to not ever do it again. Best of luck to you though. In my honest opinion Insanity is more about the diet than the workout. I mean I barely broke 850 calories burned in most workouts. (I am 6'4" 225) My current workout exceeds 1250 calories six times a week and that affords me more wiggle room on food.

    I would say the stretching is highly subjective. For example I can't stretch before workout, I would most likely hurt myself. On the others side, I do a lot of stretching AFTER workout. I just found out it works much better for me to stretch when all muscles are warmed up and my heart rate is up.
    Personally, I do more stretches than Shaun T does. I find his stretching routine too short and inadequate. He doesn't do any calf stretches which I miss the most after insanity workout. So I ended up doing the insanity stretching and then continue with my own stretching routine.
  • ohaston
    ohaston Posts: 218 Member
    Hello ALL,
    I just received INSANITY This morning and would love to start. Is it too late?
    Inbox me if I can still join!

    This looks rather scary tho, But IM all IN ! ! ! ! !
  • workout_ninja
    workout_ninja Posts: 524 Member
    Admittedly something has always confused me about Insanity and peoples approach to it.

    I watched a couple of insanity videos. I consider myself reasonably fit, I ran a 10k in close to 50 minutes, I can run for hours if need be, I work out 6 times a week, I am 170 pounds and 6' tall.

    I took one look at those videos and thought "Yeah, not quite in shape enough to do that". Then I come on MFP and see people who are just starting to diet and exercise going out and picking up Insanity. Many of these people are seriously overweight as well or have not exercised at all for years.

    No offense OP but can you actually do these workouts? I doubt I could and from your description yourself I think I'm probably in better shape. Why do people seek out the hardest thing they can possibly find and then slam their face against it repeatedly rather than finding a workout that better fits their level of fitness.

    I'm honestly not trying to be rude but seriously I think I probably could run a half marathon and I would say flat out I am not in good enough shape to do Insanity.

    Im in the same boat as you but I can do insanity - granted, I modify the push ups as I cant do a full one yet but thats about it. The question is why do you doubt your ability to do the workouts and why dont you try it and see before saying its too hard?
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Just be sure and stretch very good before you workout (including calf muscles). I injured myself twice doing that workout and have decided to not ever do it again. Best of luck to you though. In my honest opinion Insanity is more about the diet than the workout. I mean I barely broke 850 calories burned in most workouts. (I am 6'4" 225) My current workout exceeds 1250 calories six times a week and that affords me more wiggle room on food.

    I would say the stretching is highly subjective. For example I can't stretch before workout, I would most likely hurt myself.

    Agree stretching is subjective. I personally skip the stretching part prior to the workout now as static stretching prior to intense workouts has been proven to cause more injuries than it saves.
    This also saves me time in the mornings so its win/win.

    ETA I do my own dynamic stretching instead, which is much quicker than the Insanity routine.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    People with knee pain from Insanity should try doing it barefoot - modern running shoes could be the cause of your discomfort! Shaun T himself advocates barefoot training:

    http://shauntfitness.com/insanity-shoes/

    I am all for barefoot training but really don't want to get into argument with other people on the net, especially those who look down on me just because I have never done a full marathon...LOL

    Puzzled by your comment here sorry? I don't see where full marathon comes from, probably me being dense!
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    People with knee pain from Insanity should try doing it barefoot - modern running shoes could be the cause of your discomfort! Shaun T himself advocates barefoot training:

    http://shauntfitness.com/insanity-shoes/

    I am all for barefoot training but really don't want to get into argument with other people on the net, especially those who look down on me just because I have never done a full marathon...LOL

    Puzzled by your comment here sorry? I don't see where full marathon comes from, probably me being dense!

    I was speaking in real life...when I brought up the subject of barefoot training, I had people who claimed to be marathon runners looked down on me...bascially saying that I don't know what real runners are going through. LOL, not in this thread, sorry about the confusion.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    Just be sure and stretch very good before you workout (including calf muscles). I injured myself twice doing that workout and have decided to not ever do it again. Best of luck to you though. In my honest opinion Insanity is more about the diet than the workout. I mean I barely broke 850 calories burned in most workouts. (I am 6'4" 225) My current workout exceeds 1250 calories six times a week and that affords me more wiggle room on food.

    I would say the stretching is highly subjective. For example I can't stretch before workout, I would most likely hurt myself. On the others side, I do a lot of stretching AFTER workout. I just found out it works much better for me to stretch when all muscles are warmed up and my heart rate is up.
    Personally, I do more stretches than Shaun T does. I find his stretching routine too short and inadequate. He doesn't do any calf stretches which I miss the most after insanity workout. So I ended up doing the insanity stretching and then continue with my own stretching routine.

    I was wondering if he meant to say "warm-up"....stretching usually is more effective if your body is warm, right?
  • JessieJaeg
    JessieJaeg Posts: 7 Member
    I'm on day 20 today and haven't seen ANY weight loss :/ However I feel good, I can do the moves much better. I'm hoping my body kicks into gear in month two?!? I need to stop weighing myself every day and log every bit of food in my mouth. Regardless of numbers I feel a ton better!

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