Insanity: The Ultimate Cardio Workout and Fitness DVD Program

I'm only on the 3rd week, but this work out is incredible and extemely intense. I do a lot of cathe workouts and I'm in good shape, but this takes you to the limit. I'm almost in tears by the end of some of the workouts, and I'm gasping for breath! Definitely not for the new exerciser, but it's a great challenge for people that are in great shape!

I actually purchased Insanity about 3 months ago but I am just now getting to leaving a review. A little about me. 36 years old, 6'2" 215lbs. Lifetime athlete and I remained very fit until I had knee surgery in 2003. Followed with getting married and following that up with kids. Needless to say I began to put on weight after knee surgery in '03 because I was no longer playing ball and not being as active. In January of 2009 I topped out at 240lbs and just became totally sick of myself. I started eating better and started back running and lifting weights and got myself back into shape (down to 210lbs). By January of 2010 I became bored with the lifting and running routine and needed something new. I had eased back up to 222lbs but was still pretty fit. I saw the Insanity infomercials and was very intrigued. It reminded me of the hardcore plyometric exercises from high school athletics that made me want to vomit but also got me into shape real quick. I brought Insanity and here is what I think:

1) You have to be in shape to start this program! Period. A couch potato could not properly complete this program. It is very physically demanding and will push you to the limit. After the first two days I could not even bend over to tie my shoes. My legs felt as if Eddie and Charlie Murphy had beat them up because I ground my muddy shoes into Eddie's couch. You will be completely sore! The month one interval workout literally made my heart hurt the first time I did it. My heart was sore after that workout like a muscle would be. I dont have a monitor but it must have been near max on the BPM for most of the workout. I was totally wiped out early on by the workouts and I came in in pretty good shape. Your body does eventually adjust to the intensity but the workouts NEVER get easy. You suck wind and fall over on day one and you suck wind and fall over on day 60.

2) You have to know your body! One of my knees has been cut and the other probably could use some cleanup. Years of basketball have taken a toll on them. But guess what? I finished the program and have begun round two of Insanity. During the Recovery week I injured my lower back doing a supplemental weight lifting workout. It hindered my Insanity workouts for about 3 weeks. In fact I had to finally take a week off to heal up. But once I came back, it was all good! If you know your body, and I guess have no MAJOR impediments, you CAN do this workout. I know to start out kind of slow after the warm up is over and let my body have about 3 minutes to get acclimated to the intense movements. I know that if my knees are having a bad day dont dip all the way down on the squats or try for maximum air on the jumps. Its that easy. Work around any limitations your body may have.

3) You will get addicted if you take it seriously. Results come so fast with Insanity that you get addicted to it. By "results" I dont necessarily mean that dramatic weight loss is guaranteed. I really only "lost" 7lbs during the program. I mean your body changes QUICK!!!! Your stamina and strength gains are very noticeable just 2 weeks in. By a month in I felt 10 years younger and indestructable. And although I only lost 7lbs I look very different. People constantly tell me how much younger and skinnier I look. The weight you lose in Insanity is that "good" weight. Pure fat. My body has gotten so much more tapered because I know fat has been lost and muscle has been gained. So even though the workouts can be miserable, and often leave me balled over on the floor with sweat pouring off me and snot hanging off my nose, I cant get enough of them. Each time I do one I feel a little better. A little stronger.

And let me say I am not even very strict with my diet. I pretty much eat reasonably but I in no way follow the diet plan. The fact that I can be so pleased with the results of a workout plan but have not really changed my lifestyle is phenomenal. I eat how I ate before. I actually spend less time working out than I did before. A trip to the gym use to be about 2hours and occured 4-5 days a week for me. Insanity is an hour and is 5-6 days a week for me. The Insanity workout is so efficient that you dont need to be in the gym two hours. In fact, the 59 minute Interval and 55 minute Plyo workouts in month two are pretty much the limit of "normal" non-Olympic athlete capabilities for a human in my opinion. Anything longer and a heart attack would be almost certain.

Some people have complained about the length of the warm-up and stretching sessions in the workouts but I think they are totally necessary. For me, there is no way my knees and back could take that pounding without proper priming. I think Insanity is a lifetime type fitness program and not something faddish. If you are or were an athlete you have to appreciate the purity and simplicity of the movements in this program. You can tailor the workout routine to fit around weight lifting, running or athletic events. I have incorporated upper body weight lifting a couple of days a week recently because I will admit the program mostly focuses on legs, chest and shoulders. Pull ups, curls, dips and other upper body weight workouts are good supplements. One other note: The Cardio Abs routine is great! However, a friend let me borrow the Ab Ripper X DVD from P90X and I find that ab routine a little more challenging. There is a greater diversity of movements in the Ab Ripper routine and no down time. You get about 3 breaks in the Insanity ab routine. Both the Insanity and P90X ab DVD's are a little over 16 minutes and very effective. I would give the Insanity version 4.5 stars to P90X's 5 stars. But I absolutely LOVE this Insanity program and will continue it in some form or fashion as long as my body allows!

i think the insanity workout is amazing. i have not been able to work out w/ this intensity since varsity sports in high school. it is an amazing workout that i can do and do again over the years to come. the best features about this workout are that it takes less than an hour and that you only need your body and a small space to do it.

My fiance and I are 3 weeks in and have already seen substantial gains in our fit test scores. I have lost about an inch off of my waist, but my fiance's progress has been a bit slower as of this review after doing the same workout each night and eating essentially the same diet. I think that she will catch up by the end of the program though.

The workouts themselves are intense and will challenge you to your breaking point and then some...but you get strong-and I mean crazy strong, really quickly...especially your core. That being said, I find elements of the workouts to be just a bit repetitive at times, especially the stretching and warmup routines that are VERY similar on each dvd for the first 4 weeks of the program. I would have enjoyed some variety in these from workout to workout to stretch my muscles in some different ways.

The other thing that bugs me a little bit is that while Shaun T is challenging me to "dig deeper" and "push" during the DVDs, he often stops performing the exercises when things get particularly intense to go "critique" one of the other performer's form. I realize that speaking while doing a workout is intense, but when I am struggling and feel my thighs on fire, it irritates me when he stops working out and starts walking around the room...It typically results in my yelling some unfriendly words to my onscreen fitness trainer during my workout. This could just be me though :)

Overall, this program has been great for us and I look forward to moving to P90x when we're done with this to build on the base we're making here.

Recieved product in a timely manner, but some of the videos are messed up. some skip around like they were burned and some are scratchy. very disappointed!!!! Trying to save money didn't payoff for me....