A Review on Insanity

in·san·i·ty

inˈsanədē/

noun

1.      the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.

"he suffered from bouts of insanity"

synonyms:

mental illness, madness, dementia;

I found it fitting to have the definition of the word out in the open before I started sharing what I thought about this program with such an intimidating name.

What is Insanity?

Shaun T. in all his glory! 

Insanity is a 60 day High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program designed by Shaun T. and developed by Beachbody.

The basis of the program is inspired by what is called “max interval training” with 30 second rest periods in-between each set. You are using your own body weight so no hand weights are required. I got through each workout with my pre-workout formula, water, towel, a yoga mat and a little prayer.

Now, this program is a little older and not like many of the 30 minute workout programs out there today. So going into this program, I knew it would require more of my time. Each workout is about 45 minutes to 90 minutes long.

The back story on my decision to try Insanity…

I went into this program KNOWING it was going to be tough. I had just finished another program called Insanity Max 30 (another Shaun T. program), so I thought I was in shape enough to go for the “old school” program.

I also decided to go at it from a “hybrid” approach by adding Chaleane Johnson’s Piyo program to the mix too! My original plan was to incorporate Piyo workouts with Insanity so my muscles didn’t completely burn out.

For the first month, I did it just that way and it was fine. I enjoyed the strength and stretch of the Piyo workouts and the cardio workouts with Insanity. Then after completing the first month of Insanity and the first month of Piyo, I decided to go ahead and push through the last month of Insanity without Piyo. I wanted to get Insanity DONE!

Me in May or early June trying to find me life after one of my first Insanity workouts!

Month 2 of Insanity was very different than Month 1.

Oh my goodness y'all….

I am going to sit here and say that I now KNOW why so many MILLIONS of people across the world have had such amazing transformations due to this program. Growing up as an athlete, I’ve had countless pre-season basketball practices (both high school and the collegiate level) that don't even compare to one of these workouts. In fact one of the cool things about these workouts in that the entire program is filmed inside a basketball gym. During some of the workouts, you actually do these jump shots in the air! It’s kinda cool and got me thinking that this program would be GREAT for conditioning athletes! Just sayin’!

What to expect in the workouts:

The workouts are longer and average about 50 minutes - sometimes longer. There is a GOOD amount of stretching at the beginning and the end of each workout which was really nice! In the beginning, I would have to stop my workout and come back to it when I had other things going on. Some days I just needed to stop because it was just getting to be too much (one of the many great things about having Beachbody on Demand…you can press pause). I was just not used to working out for that long. Little by little, my endurance got better.

The moves are more intense in Month 2. Sometimes you have a 50 minute workout plus a 20 minute Ab workout or a Fit Test on top of that! WHAT THA ****?!  The Fit Test is what you do every two weeks throughout the program to check your progress. When you have a Fit Test, it is timed to see how many reps you can do of a certain move in one minute. You have to go all out for this test and it can be SO hard to do a freaking workout on top of that! Not kidding!

Warm up under the deck!

Who should do the program?

I believe that Insanity is for someone who loves to SWEAT and for someone who LOVES a cardio workout! Your heart will be beating like it never has before in your life! If you are looking to lose some pounds and to get lean, this is a great program to consider.

Keep in mind that you will need some space and time to recover after each workout. Be prepared to feel completely exhausted. I would normally workout out on my deck or driveway, but the basement or a hotel room is ok too!

In my opinion I believe that this program is not for beginners, and I would personally not recommend it to someone who is looking to hit a reset button. There are many other programs that are better for beginners. However, I have heard many stories of people who have done this program at different levels of fitness.

What did I gain from doing this program?

That is a great question! I think I have made it very clear that it has been the hardest program I have ever done. It very much lives up to its name because the workouts are freaking INSANE!

On some days it was downright brutal. I complained, I acted like a brat, and I felt like I would NEVER FINISH the program! Most days during my workouts I would cuss and my neighbors probably thought I was a CRAZY person! “Why the hell is she in her driveway doing those weird moves with her husband....is that girl ill?” You can imagine.

We do like to workout together! 

But there were also awesome moments when I felt like a complete bad ass when I finally was able to finish an hour long workout without pressing pause.

Then I later would finish an hour long workout WITH good form.

Then I finally mastered a move like switch kicks or not having to take a break when I normally would have to.

Y’all, those feelings were SO AMAZING! Along with my support group, my husband and community, I know that is what kept me going each day. I was never alone and I always had my tribe cheering me on!

My results?

Most of you know that I do not personally own a scale. I cannot tell you how many pounds I lost because it is not something I worry about. However, I will say that I noticed the biggest differences in my side oblique area since that is a place that is highly focused on throughout the program. I am still working on my tummy after having a baby over a year ago so I need all the help I can get here! The other part of my body that I’ve noticed a difference is my legs and booty. We do all the squats and jumps the entire time! My lower body is so much stronger and jeans just fit differently! I can work out or do tasks for a long time without feeling tired or winded. 

I’ve now picked Piyo back up and starting with Month 2, and I can already tell how much stronger I am from the work from Insanity! It’s just really an awesome feeling!

  

All in all I am SO glad that I did this program, and I am SO glad that I am finished! To be one of the other millions of people who have benefited from this program, I am just so humbled!

To learn more about these programs shoot me an email at saralyn.hamilton@gmail.com and I'd be happy to share more!

xoxo, 

Saralyn