Insanity Workout - Complete Review

Whew... it's been a while since my last post.  I thought about posting everyday, but decided against it since it's more or less the same workout and anything new that I post would be about whether my condition was good or not, and frankly speaking, that's pretty boring.

ATTENTION: I've completed the entire 63 days of workout of Insanity and now I feel is the time to put up a complete review.  Before I go into it though, I feel compelled to point out that I will try to be as impartial as possible.  Unfortunately, most of the blogs and sites with Insanity reviews are written by Team Beachbody Coaches.  I feel that by being a Beachbody Coach, any review written by them is inherently biased as they have a vested interest in selling the products.  That isn't to say that all of their reviews are bad, just that it should be taken with a grain of salt.  It would be like asking a Toyota salesman what he thought about a Toyota car...

Now, onto the review!

BEACHBODY INSANITY COMPLETE REVIEW

Rating System: I rated each section on a 1-10 basis.  1 being the worst and 10 being the best.  It would be easier thinking of it as a school grading system.  <6 = F, 6 = D, 7 = C. 8 = B, 9 = A, 10 = A+

Physical Fitness: 8/10
Insanity is touted as a total body conditioning program which is a pretty accurate statement.  Note that it doesn't regard itself as a weight loss program or even a bulking/muscle gaining program.  The Insanity program will get you in great cardio shape.  As it was stated in the Insanity webinar video that I posted, this workout was meant for people who finds that they want to jump into some of the more endurance based scene.

I would HIGHLY recommend this workout program for those in ANY type of sports be it basketball or soccer or even cross-country.  The exercises concentrates on both increasing explosive strength and stamina.

The only downside to this workout is the lack of upper body workout, which is a non-issue if you bought the deluxe package which comes with an upper body weight training DVD.

Difficulty: 9.5/10 - 4/10
I had to give this one a double rating.  For certain people, the level of difficulty will definitely be a bonus, but for others a severe handicap.

When they tell you that it's the hardest program from Beachbody, it probably means that it's pretty tough.  The sheer amount of cardio and plyo makes this workout, for the lack of a better word, insanely tough.  This has its pros and cons.  The intensity of the workout is great for those that thrive on challenge.  Even the most fit person will be left gasping for air on the floor if they did the workout properly.  I don't sweat easily, but each workout had me raining sweat and I loved it.  It makes it feel like I really got a proper workout at the end and gives a great feeling of accomplishment.

But... I DO NOT recommend Insanity for those severely out of shape, morbidly obese (you know who you are), or those with joint and hip problems.  Here's why...

For those severely out of shape: Insanity does not cater to a wide range of fitness level.  What this means is that Insanity (unlike P90X or Turbo Fire, the 2 other "extreme" workouts in the Beachbody lineup) does not have move modifiers to make the exercises easier for those that can't do the regular moves.  You either keep up and do what everyone else is doing or you don't do it at all. Well... to be perfectly honest, there are some modifiers, but they are few and far in between.

For those that are very overweight and/or those with bad joints: Insanity involves a lot of jumps and squats which are very hard on the knees, ankles, and hips.  Very careful attention needs to be paid when doing these exercises.  Even with good shoes and a mat, the workout is harsh on the joints.  Also, there are a lot of reports of people getting hurt during Insanity which probably occurred due to a lack of focus which naturally happens when you get exhausted.

Fat Loss: 8.5/10
I would have to rate Insanity above average in terms of fat loss.  There are better programs out there if your main goal is to lose weight and I would suggest that you try those before attempting Insanity.  My body weight stayed about the same throughout the entire workout program.  But my body fat dropped from about 16% to around 12% which is an overall 25% reduction.  That's not bad.  Also remember that I ate at around my maintenance level.

However, I DO NOT recommend Insanity for those mainly concerned with fat loss.  This is NOT a weight loss program and those that picks this up thinking that it will give them some miracle loss will be sorely disappointed.  The reason I say this is because while you do see a moderate fat loss throughout the program, I feel that a large portion of that comes from controlling your diet and not from the workout itself.  While the workout burns a lot of calories, the high intensity of the workout forces you to consume a fair amount of calories and in particular, carbs, to be able to properly do the workout the next day and not burn out.

Nutrition Plan: 9/10
The nutrition plan that comes with the workout is pretty solid.  For those of you used to working out, it doesn't really offer any new information, but for those new to the workout scene, it gives all the basics.  Some people are pretty nazi about the whole meal plan and only eating off the recommended recipes, but I think that they're limiting themselves and not really 'getting' what the meal plan is about.

I followed the meal plan in that I ate 5 times a day, I tried to keep most of my meals at a 40-40-20 diet, and I noticed that most of what I ate fell under the first two tiers of Michi's Ladder.  I ate pretty healthily before so it wasn't really an issue for me.  I also tried to consume enough calories to be at or slightly below my maintenance level.  Other than these, I really didn't follow the nutrition plan and if you know how to manage your calories and protein to carbs to fat ratio, it isn't a problem to deviate like I did.

Cost: 9.5/10
The only thing that prevented me from giving this workout a perfect 10 in this category is that the cost of the DVD's are quite high.  This can be said for most of the 'big' Beachbody workout programs though.  Insanity does not require you to buy any extra gear for working out which is a big plus since the DVD's are pretty expensive as is.  This makes it less intimidating than if you knew there were additional costs involved.

With that said, if you bought the deluxe package and got the upper body weight training, you would need weights to do the workout.

Trainer: 9.5/10
Shaun T is very motivating as a trainer which is probably the most important element of video workouts.  Also, the one thing that's great that he does that other trainers (Tony and Chalene) doesn't do is that when he tells you to raise your right arm, face right, etc... he means your right arm.  The people in the video will raise their left hand so that all you have to do is to mirror what they do on the screen.  I feel that it's a natural reflex to mirror what is shown on the screen.  It's a small touch, but really impresses.

Videography: 10/10
The videography is great in this due to its simplicity.  It doesn't move around all over the place in an attempt to be dynamic or fancy.  It usually stays centered and only switches to a different view or zooms in to show the form better.  It gives a no nonsense approach and you always know how the move looks.

Length: 7/10
The length of the whole program has its good points and its bad points.  For the good points...  60 days is relatively short compared to P90X and Turbo Fire.  Those 30 days makes a huge difference.  For some, 60 days seems doable while 90 days seems to last forever.  On the other hand, the down side is that there's a huge system shock between the first month and the second month.  The increase in difficulty is so great it actually feels a bit like there should be a month of workout in between the first and the second month.

Other Notes:
One thing that I feel I should mention is that Insanity is very hard on your legs, specifically the quads and triceps.  There's push ups and squats in almost every workout.  This really makes it hard to recover those muscle groups.  There were times when I was completely physically exhausted despite having a full rest day.

In Short:
Here is what I liked about Insanity:

1. Increases total body fitness.
2. Increases explosive strength and stamina.
3. Challenging.
4. Short (60 days) compared to other workouts in its class.

Here's what I didn't like:

1. Very harsh on the joints.
2. Insufficient time for recovery.
3. Lack of upper body workout.

Insanity Workout - Fit Test #4

I completed my fourth Fit Test today.  The results were pretty close to what I expected.  Some, I improved a lot, others not quite so much.

Here's the Fit Test score:


Fit Test 4
1. Switch Kicks  72
2. Power Jacks  68
3. Power Knees  88
4. Power Jumps 40
5. Globe Jumps 10
6. Suicide Jumps 18
7. Push-Up Jacks 31
8. Low Plank Oblique 46

Fit Test Analysis:
As expected, my Switch Kicks did not improve as drastically as before.  I only managed to get 3 extra kicks in during the test.  I would have been able to get a few more in, but due to not paying careful attention to my surroundings, I've lost a few precious seconds to squeeze the extra in.  As I've mentioned in the last Fit Test post, I seem to be reaching a limit of sorts.

My Power Jacks this time around increased less than the prior Fit Tests, but considering the sheer number, I feel I've done quite well.  My opinion on Power Jacks is now similar to that of Switch Kicks.  I don't see myself improving quite as much anymore in Power Jacks.  I went pretty fast throughout the given time limit without rest and only managed to do 68.  I might be able to squeeze a few more in as I get faster, but we all know that it will be a diminishing return.

Power Knees improved quite a bit this time also.  I feel that as I get a stronger core, I am able to maintain my balance better which is crucial for this exercise.

I've also improved in my Power Jumps as well, although far less than the prior improvement.  I was losing a lot of energy by this time, which I think may have been due to improper eating yesterday (more on this later).

When looking at the numbers, I've only improve marginally in Globe Jumps and Suicide Jumps.  I still see a large room for improvement with these exercises.  The large movements required for each of these tends to be quite taxing.

Now for Push Up Jacks and Low Plank Obliques.  I showed a pretty solid improvement this time around.  All those push ups in the second month of the workout is really starting to show.  My lower back has also strengthened considerably since the Low Plank Obliques were not as grueling as before.


Now, about yesterday's eating.  I think this was what really came to bite me in the butt during today's workout.  I only had a glass of juice and 1 meal the whole day yesterday due to a hectic schedule.  Despite eating breakfast earlier today, I think my body wasn't able to recover sufficiently for today.

Insanity Workout - Day 47

I did Max Cardio and Insane Abs today.  A double whammy.  But to be honest, I had to take it a little easy on the Max Cardio workout today.  My quads were shot and while I wasn't feeling tired, I just could not get any strength into my legs.  I'm sure if anyone watched me, they would have laughed at my attempts to jump during the workout.

I did Insane Abs for the first time today.  Wow.  It's a doozy of a workout.  Without doing a single sit up, you burn through your abs at an unbelievable pace.  It's a little over 30 minutes, but I didn't care.  I've been itching for some targeted ab workout.  The one problem that I've run into though was my weak lower back.  Trying to maintain the C-sit position really does a number on your lower back muscles.  Other than that, I loved it.

Insanity Workout - Day 43 + Video

I should have posted this yesterday, but the I had some problems trying to put the video on the blog.  I asked Beachbody for permission to post this a while ago and got the okay to post it a few days ago.  But back to that later.

First the workout.  The Insanity workout has been a real rollercoaster ride for me.  Like the day before, there are days where no matter what I do, my condition is bad and I suffer for it.  Then there are days when I have plenty of energy (like yesterday) and the workout goes very well.

Yesterday was the Max Cardio and while hard, didn't give me that stressed out feeling that I had before.

Now onto the video.

A little about the video.  It is a webinar presented by Shaun T to the Beachbody coaches on what Insanity is really about.  He goes a little into how the workout came to being, how it's different from other Beachbody programs, who the program is for, etc...  It really answers a lot of basic questions that people who wants to start Insanity might have.  The video is a bit long, but I do recommend that you finish the whole thing if you're planning on starting Insanity.





Disclaimer:  I do not own this video.  Insanity goes to Beachbody and co...  Put on here with their permission, etc...

Insanity Workout - Day 42

Bleh... Today was supposed to be a rest day but due to bad scheduling on my part, I couldn't work out yesterday, and did it today instead.  In retrospect, I should have rested today as well and just start on Monday.  It really was one of those days where everything just wasn't working out quite the way I wanted it to.

I only had about 4 hours of sleep the night before and that just wasn't working to my favor.  I had a headache the whole day that turned into a full blown migraine during the workout.  The weather shifted and turned a nice cool weather into a hot upper 90's.  It's October and here in SoCal, we're suffering sweltering heat.

It was Max Interval Plyo again and due to my abysmal performance for the last one, I didn't want to skip it.  Well... it was better than last time... I think.  I couldn't focus on the workout due to the heat and migraine.  The heat, I could have ignored, but the migraine was a whole different story.  The entire workout turned into an ultra-aggravating workout.  Usually, I feel good after the whole thing despite how hard it is, but not this time.

I know this sounds like a whole mess of excuses and to be honest, I seriously thought about just stopping halfway through and calling it a day.  Maybe I should have.  But, at the time, and even now, I believe it was an important test to continue.  I feel that if even once, I make excuses to stop, it would just get easier every time.

Insanity Workout - Day 40

Ha! 40 days in, 23 more to go.

First, I woke up today with my obliques really sore.  My obliques hasn't been sore for any of the previous workouts.  I'm not sure which one it was during the Max Recover, but I'm loving it.

I did Max Interval Circuit for the first time today.  I know it should have been my second time through, but it couldn't be helped.  I'm actually satisfied at my performance today.  It's a pleasant change considering the fact that I was pretty disappointed in my previous performances for the past week.  This isn't to say that I went through the whole workout without resting...  I rested enough.  But I think I did pretty well for the first 2/3 of the workout and really only tapped out on the last set of intervals.

Max Interval Circuit shares the same warm up as Max Interval Plyo.  On the whole, the warm up isn't too bad except for the jumping segment.  I pushed myself really hard and it paid off.  For the previous workouts since I've started on the second month, I ran out of energy during the first third of the workout.  I ran bone dry empty and couldn't work out properly afterwards.  I've tried to tweak it nutritionally.  It's really the only thing I could do.  I increased my carb intake.  An advice here... now is NOT the time to be cutting your carbs.  I increased my overall caloric intake.  I increased my water intake.  Some paid off, other not so much.

Insanity Workout - Day 39

Just finished my Max Recovery.  Honestly, it wasn't too bad.  A bit harder than its predecessor, but the jump in difficulty is far less than the other workouts.  I found it more enjoyable than Cardio Recovery.  Each moves engaged the muscles more and felt more like a workout than Cardio Recovery did.

With that said, I still hate holding position.  I'm told that proper breathing is the trick behind withstanding the burning sensation, but I'm too busy being distracted by it.  Maybe with more practice I would get used to it.  I doubt that that'll happen before Insanity ends though.  My current plan is still to do P90X after Insanity so I'll continue getting used to it by doing Yoga X when the time comes.