Welcome to my INSANITY Workout blog! I have recently completed the entire Insanity workout program from start to finish, all 63 days worth. To use the site easily, I have included links to sections of this site below:
Apparently, there are loads of counterfeiters out there selling copies of the Insanity Workout program. These packages appear to look exactly the same as the official version except for one thing. The DVD’s don’t always work! We have had complaints on our own forum as well as read many stories of people receiving DVD’s that don’t play. Unfortunately, there is no recourse when this happens if you do not buy from the official source.
Beachbody.com is the only place you should buy these DVD’s from . They offer a 30 day money back guarantee and are always there should you have a problem with one of your DVD’s. The counterfeiters just take your money and run! When you are ready to order, use this link to order:
Quotes from users on our Insanity Forum who did NOT purchase official DVD’s:
Day 3 of month two my disc says that it has tthe max cardio conditioning workout on it as well as cardio abs but when I played it cardio abs is the only workout on it. I played all of the discs (got the 13 pack) to see if was on a different one and no such luck. Any suggestions on which workout I should do instead? I did not purchase through beachbody and all of my other dics have worked perfectly. . .
. . . I bought the 13 disc pack, and all the bonus discs won’t work properly. All 3 will start to show the workout then when you get ready to actually start to do them, it skips to the next workout. I am starting to believe I got ripped off buying this set!!!!
. . . I am actually waiting for my insanity to come in the mail right now. I ordered it off ebay, so I’m waiting up to three weeks.
Don’t make the same mistake! Order the official DVD’s using the link below:
Hi Guys, it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted about P90X, so I wanted to give you an update as to where I am in the workout and my thoughts on each of the workouts in Phase 1 now that I have a few of them under my belt. Today is Sunday, which is the rest day and so far I am feeling great!
P90X, as most of you know, is split up into 3 phases. The purpose of this is to continually challenge your muscles and system which leads to bigger and faster results. Tony Horton calls this ‘muscle confusion’. The idea is that just when your muscles get used to performing a particular workout you change it up and ‘confuse’ them which leads to growth instead of stagnation.
So, the first phase of the P90X workout is Phase 1. This is a 4 week phase that consists of 7 different P90x workouts per week (or 6). I do six days a week and rest on Sunday, or you can do the optional P90X X Stretch on that 7th day. I have just finished up 2 weeks of this phase. Here are my thoughts on each workout so far:
Day 1: Chest & Back
This is quickly becoming my favorite workout of all. As you can imagine, it is a workout focusing on chest and back muscles. What this equates to is TONS of pushups and pullups in the 1 hour workout! I installed a pullup bar in my basement especially for this program. I could not get one of those in the door types (like an Iron Gym) to work on any doorway in my house because of the size of my doorways. We have an older house with non-standard sizes.
I also purchased push up bars. I am glad I did as these provide a great range of motion and alleviates the pressure on my wrists. For some reason my wrists are not all that strong.
If you have followed my blog before, or have seen pictures of me on this blog after I did Insanity, you will see I am not a big guy by any means. This means that pullups are HARD for someone like me! So far, all of the pullups I have done have been ‘assisted’, meaning I am using a chair to help me during these exercises. Hopefully by the end of it I will be cranking through pullups unassisted.
Day 2: Plyometrics
Tony Horton calls Plyometrics the mother of all P90X cardio workouts. I call it a tamed down Insanity workout! Plyometrics combines jump training and various other cardio moves to give you a full body workout that is guaranteed to make you sweat and work. The second time through on this it was more challenging than the first, this is because I knew the moves better and pushed myself. The workout is about an hour long which is really a long workout for cardio. Compare that to the month 1 workouts during Insanity which were about 45 minutes long. I was able to get a decent calorie burn by burning 630 and 650 calories respectively the two times I have done this so far. But, my Insanity friends will agree, you haven’t done cardio until you’ve done Insanity!
Day 3: Shoulders & Arms
Part of what I really like about P90X is the variety of exercises. Day 3 of the P90X workout is all about shoulders and arms. I like this workout as well, but have not been able to perform it to its fullest due to not having all of the right dumbbells I needed to do this workout effectively. I have just purchased the missing weights so I should get the most benefit from this next week. My arms are pretty noodly after this workout.
Day 4: Yoga X
I will hand it to Tony, he is pretty well rounded to be able to teach a yoga class, but in my opinion he is not a true yogi by any means. I tried this workout the first week around and I was impressed by how challenging it is. I have done my fair share of yoga over the years and he does a good job combining movement and static stretching. However, I will probably go to my local yoga studio each week on this day and get a bit more of a spiritual experience. It’s hard to listen to Tony and really get my mind in the place it needs to be to practice yoga effectively.
Day 5: Legs & Back
My nemesis! So far this workout is the one that has caused me the most pain. A pain in my ass, literally! It sounds funny, but there are a few exercises in here that does something to totally rip up your hamstrings and glutes. I am pretty sure it is the ‘legs on the wall’ exercise. Looking at it that exercise doesn’t seem too bad, but it burns worse than anything else to me so far. It takes me a couple of days to where I can sit down comfortably after doing this workout. Oh yeah, and there a ton of pullups on this day as well!
Day 6: Kenpo X
Kenpo X is a pretty unique P90X workout, at least to me. It is the most interesting for sure and the hour long workout seems to go pretty fast. The first time around I was a bit hesitant as there are so many different moves and it switches so often. I spent a considerable amount of time just trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. The second time around was a bit better as I knew the moves and was able to push myself a bit more. However, I don’t know how the people in the video are getting their heart rates into the 160’s. I don’t know if I ever got out of the 140’s during the entire workout. But, i will admit this one is kind of fun. It involves a lot of punching and kicking, so you can pretend to hit or kick anyone you want!
Day 7: Stretch X or Rest
Day 7, Sundays for me, is my rest day. You can do the optional Stretch X on this day if you would like. I have chosen not to do this and to just rest so I can’t really comment on what this workout is like. I would imagine it is a low intensity gentle stretching routine, maybe I will try it one Sunday or for sure during the transitional week.
Additional Workout: Ab Ripper X
Ab Ripper X is a very intense P90X workout that will have your core muscles screaming for relief. You are supposed to do this 3 times a week following Chest & Back, Shoulders & Arms, and Legs & Back. I did this the first 2 times and my abs were in pain for a couple of days. I have decided that I will do this once a week after Chest & Back. For me I think this will suffice as I already have some abs and I don’t think I can ‘stomach’ much more, ha ha!
Seriously though, this workout is intense. It is only 17 minutes long, but there are over 300 ab exercises. The people in this video are impressive, because some of these exercises seem utterly impossible to me right now. Maybe when it’s all said and done I will feel otherwise. 🙂
So, there you have it! That is what I have learned so far during this workout. Please feel free to ask questions or provide advice, or simply comment on anything you have read in this post! I look forward to the next couple of weeks of the P90X Workout.
Hello everyone!
It has been quite some time since I last posted. I have been continuing to exercise with a mix of different things, but I seem to always do a couple days a week of Insanity workouts. Well, I have begun a new commitment as of this week: P90X. As you can see from my previous pictures I am a slim guy. This time around I am looking to build some muscle mass and keep my all around fitness. P90X looks like the perfect fit for me.
I started on Monday and am 3 days into it. So far I am really enjoying it. It is taking some getting used to as it is very different from Insanity. I have only a few sets of dumbbell weights and am quickly discovering that I will need a complete set to do this effectively. That was the one thing that was so attractive to me about Insanity was that I did not need any equipment at all. I will be doing some purchasing this weekend after I have done the 3rd muscle workout on Friday to figure out exactly what I need.
As many people who have done both programs before, I can affirm the testament that Tony Horton’s cardio workouts are NOTHING like what Shaun T puts you through! They are challenging, but decidedly easier overall. With that said, I did my cardio workout yesterday (which Tony calls the mother of his cardio workouts) and have to say it was satisfying for a couple of reasons. First, I was able to do just about everything with the people on the DVD and second I burned about 630 calories! The reason the burn is so high is the workout is about an hour long as compared to about 45 minutes for the month one workouts of Insanity. (Note: In month two of Insanity the workouts are about an hour as well and I was burning 800-900 calories during those!).
I have taken some before pictures, but I won’t post them until I reach day 30 and show you guys a comparison. I am really optimistic about this workout as I am already in constant muscle pain 🙂 I figure the first week will be very painful as it was for Insanity and then hopefully it will taper off.
Oh, one more thing. Anyone who has done or seen P90X videos, does Tony kind of annoy you? LOL, he just is kind of dorky to me. I love Shaun T’s personality on the workouts, he is tough but encouraging. Tony, not really sure how to describe it until you see the videos!
It is hard to believe that it has been one month already since I completed the Shaun T high intensity interval training routine also known as INSANITY! It feels like yesterday that I started.
I am happy to say that my life has probably been permanently changed by this whole experience. I have learned what ‘real’ exercise is and now realize that if you want results of any kind (losing weight, gaining muscle, sculpting your body) it takes persistance, dedication and hard work. Nothing comes easy when your goals are high.
Since I have finished the 63 day grueling program I have continued to keep a fairly consistent routine of exercise. I currently am working out 3-5 times per week just depending on my schedule. I like having the flexibility in my life to skip a day here and there if needed. My workouts consist of either one of the Month 1 workouts (Pure Cardio, Plyo Circuit, or Power & Resistance), the upper body weight training DVD, and running. I also plan to add some other strength building routines and yoga into the mix.
Overall my fitness level seems to be staying intact. I may have lost a little edge by not working out every day like when doing INSANITY, but I am certainly in great shape. I am truly amazed at how much better I can run now. My heart rate is so much lower during runs and I just feel stronger. I know this is a direct result of Insanity. A strong body (core in particular) can do wonders in running.
I also am maintaining my beach body abs 🙂 I keep checking to make sure they don’t just disappear! I think by now though they are here to stay as long as I don’t eat a ton of junk (which I don’t) and keep working the muscles. So far maintaining the ‘new’ body has not been a problem.
I plan on keeping this up and making this a permanent lifestyle change. It feels great to be in shape!
This past week was spring break for our kids, so we took the opportunity to go and visit my parents in South Florida. This is where I grew up, so it is nice to go back once in a while. Most of my life was spent on the beach, so it is fun to share this with the kids.
So, I finally got a chance to put my beach body to the test! I think I looked pretty good, and much better than the other nearly 40 dads out there :-). Here is a picture of me and my dad. My dad is great, he is turning 75 this month and works out at the gym 3-4 times a week. We both like to flex for the camera! 😉
I also did a lot of running on the beach, which is my favorite place to run. It felt absolutely great. I could barely get my heart rate up which is a testament to my fitness level now. It was also nice because the resistance of the sand works the muscles a bit differently.
Now I just gotta work on my tan!
On Tuesday I finally got up to go out for a run. The weather has been beautiful and I am looking forward to doing more exercises outside. Before Insanity I would run 2-3 times a week. That was the extent of my exercise. During Insanity though, I never had the time, nor the energy, to do anything other than the workouts. So this was my first run in about 2 1/2 months.
The results were great! I ran my same regular route at about the same pace, but the noticeable difference was where my heart rate was. For the entire run it was a good 5-10 bpm lower than it used to be. My neighborhood is quite hilly and even hitting the big hills didn’t elevate my heart rate nearly as much as it used to. So this tells me my cardiovascular system is in much better shape than before Insanity! I could definitely have run much longer or faster if I desired.
The only bad part is that my legs are killing me! I could feel a bit in the knees when I started (but that is gone thankfully). The real pain in is just in my muscles. My quads and my shin muscles are very sore. I am not sure why this is, I can only think it is because I have not worked those muscles in that way for so long. But it’s just muscle soreness and that will subside.
I am super happy with the results Insanity has had on my overall fitness level and I plan to keep exercising to maintain it 🙂
So I finally got around to checking out the final workout of the Insanity series – Upper Body Weight Training. In this DVD, Shaun T takes you through some upper body exercises using handheld dumbbell weights.
I have always wanted to try this one since I am focused on adding muscle to the upper body. The one thing though I never knew was what was required for this workout. So, I will tell you should you ever want to try this:
I personally did not have all of these things. I only have 2 sets of dumbbells – 10’s and 25’s so I had to improvise on some exercises.
The workout starts out with a familiar warm up of about 6 minutes. This is what makes this unique is that he blends in his cardio moves with the weight lifting. You also stay on the standard 3 circuits of 3 exercises each. But at the end of each repetition you are doing an Insanity exercise like high knees with a twist, or (gulp) power jumps!
I really did like this workout. I don’t have a weight bench so I did those exercises on the floor. I know it is not as effective, but it still worked. I am going to purchase some 15’s and some 20’s so I can do these more effectively next time. And judging by the pain in my arms and chest today I would say it worked!
After taking a few days off, I am starting to venture back into Insanity. Yesterday I did Pure Cardio to see how I would feel, and in lieu of taking a run (it was kind of crappy out at the time). Besides doing Insane Abs on Thursday, this was the first Insanity workout since finishing the program.
Overall, it felt pretty hard. I don’t think I have lost too much in my week of rest, but this is proof positive that these workouts pretty much can kick your ass no matter how great of shape you are in. The warm up seemed harder than I remember and my heart rate got pretty high for me.
I think part of the reason this felt difficult is that my eating habits have been slipping a bit. They are not that bad, just not as regular and disciplined as before.
It was good to get back into doing some cardio as I actually miss these workouts! I burned 438 calories, so now I can polish off that cheesecake in the fridge 😉
The one workout that I failed to do during my 63 day adventure was Insane Abs. So today, after taking 3 days off from working out, I decided to give Insane Abs a try. I was very excited to try this out, not only because it was a new workout, but because I sort of miss Insanity and Shaun T already!
Insane Abs is about 33 minutes in length which is not bad at all on it’s own. It always amazes me at how many different exercises Shaun T comes up with to exercise the same body parts. Insane Abs is a direct reflection of that. First you start with the warm up which begins with simple jogging. I was scared to realize that as soon as I started jogging my knees hurt 🙁 I was hoping they were getting better but I assume they need more rest. So I had to go gingerly in the beginning. They did however subside as the body got warm which was good.
Anyway, the warmup consists of jogging, high knees, high knees with a twist, tuck jumps, power jumps, and T-kicks. T-kicks are kind of like switch kicks except that you keep your legs straight. Of course you go through this a couple of times to get the body warm. After this section, you are on the ground the rest of the workout.
Next you go into the C-sit position and begin some of the Insanity! You start with the ab exercises that he includes in Max Recovery (6 inches, flutter kicks, scissor kicks). This gets the abs burning for sure. Then you get into some new ab exercises like power abs. Picture yourself giving birth and lifting your legs to your chest! Then there are variations of these.
There is also a set of exercises you perform in the plank position. You work by hopping in low plank side to side and doing some oblique crunches, etc. So overall you work every angle of the core until it burns!
It was fun to get back into the workouts and just get the blood flowing again.
Looking back on all of the workouts scheduled over the 63 days of Insanity, I decided to review what I did and did not do and produce my own report card of sorts for you.
Besides those minor modifications I followed the program. I also adjusted my eating habits to reflect those of the Nutrition Guide. My scenario was a bit different because i was not really trying to lose weight. I ate more calories than normal, but they were all low fat, high protein type of calories.
I think I can grade myself with an ‘A’ 😉
