While in Seattle last month, I checked out the Insanity Exercise program, thanks to a couple friends I was staying with.
It seems similar to the P90X program I’ve seen so many people doing over the last couple years—very intense workout sessions, lots of different kinds of exercises, and dramatic results. (huh—I had no idea they were created by the same company—makes sense.)
While my goals right now aren’t to build muscle or lose weight, I thought I’d give the Fitness Test a shot.
The Fit Test is the first thing you do when starting Insanity, and will come back to over the course of the program, to track your results, and see how you’ve improved.
So, let’s find out: can I handle INSANITY??
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Ok, jokes aside (I did look pretty ridiculous), this was TOUGH!
Here are my numbers for the Fit Test:
- Switch Kicks: 124
- Power Jacks: 46
- Power Knees: 85
- Power Jumps: 40
- Globe Jumps: 7
- Suicide Jacks: 14
- Push-Up Jacks: 26
- Low Plank Obliques: 42
I think I did pretty well. I did have to take a number of breaks (maybe 4-5 total) just to get through this.
And I wasn’t kidding about wanting to throw up. After I finished recording, I think I laid down on the floor for another 10 minutes, just to let my body relax.
My Opinion:
INSANITY may produce amazing results, but I have no idea why someone would want to do this in an ongoing way. This seems unnecessarily brutal and exhausting.
I can understand the philosophy behind this, p90X, or Crossfit (tested that, too)—you’re testing the body for endurance and changing up the routine to kep the body guessing—but I just think these all take it too far.
Plus, I have a feeling that at a certain level, you might hit the point of diminishing returns.
Quite simply: I think that getting in shape can be much easier than this, and that we don’t need to punish ourselves along the way.
While at points in my life, I may need to be pushed to my physical limits (perhaps life-and-death situations), I’m not looking for that in an ongoing way from my exercise routine.
Yoga, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, walking—combined with a healthy diet—these all seem to be nicer ways to get fit, that don’t leave you on the floor for 10 minutes. :)
I’m just sayin‘…
But hey: if you’re just LOVING this exercise, you feel great afterward, and you’re getting the kind of results you want, keep going!
I may use some of the exercises as I go (I liked the Low-Plank Obliques), and incorporate them into my regular routine, but I don’t see me coming back to the full Insanity program anytime soon.
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If you’re seriously considering this as a workout, I’d highly recommend you google reviews and read more about this, to see if the program is right for you.
Insanity is not for the person just getting into exercise; you need to have a pretty good level of fitness to even begin.
You can even read a WikiHow article on Insanity vs. P90x.
What do you think about the healthiness of programs like Insanity? If you’re doing it, do you keep this up while traveling?
I’d love to hear your response + any other thoughts you have below.
Looking forward to learning more!
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