I recently posted a note on the site’s Facebook page about me starting the Insanity/Insanity: Asylum Hybrid workout program again. In short, I took six weeks off of working out because of an injury and vacation back to back (amongst other things). During these six weeks I didn’t do much exercise at all and ate pretty much whatever I wanted. Naturally, I gained a lot of weight and it wasn’t in muscle J. Anyways, in order to jump right back into fitness and shed this excess fat that I have accumulated, I am doing a 30-day Insanity Hybrid cycle. During these 30 days I wanted to document my further experiences with this program and give advice or insights into how to make Insanity work to its most effective level.
Day 4 Thoughts
I have just completed my fourth day of the Insanity/Asylum hybrid and while I am following the calendar for this hybrid that I got from Beach Body, I started on the 3rd day of the schedule for some reason. Today’s workout was Vertical Plyo from The Asylum DVD set which I have reviewed before here. I really like this workout, though it is difficult, because it forces you to elevate your game and push through barriers. Doing X-Jumps for one minute right after you’ve just done a series of exercises will leave you panting and wanting to scream “No Mas!”
Vertical Plyo may be the hardest workout out of both programs but I think the Max Interval Circuit from the original Insanity takes the crown. Sometimes it’s a tossup but my feelings are that Max Interval Circuit will leave you more out of breath while Vertical Plyo will leave your legs more fatigued and ultimately sore at first. It’s really a pick your poison situation and that’s what makes Insanity such a killer workout.
Previous Days Thoughts
I’ve done the Max Interval Circuit on day 1 and on day 2 I did a back to back of Speed & Agility followed by Cardio Abs. Friday was day 3 and was really feeling it at that point. All I wanted to do was sleep while I was at work and my quads and hamstrings were moderately sore. Vertical Plyo was scheduled for yesterday but because of the fatigue I felt that it was best to flip flop days and take the rest day on Friday. That way I could give my all on Vertical Plyo today and follow it up on Sunday with the next workout scheduled in the series. It is important to listen to your body because it won’t always conform to the schedule that is printed, you cannot always account for soreness and fatigue but you can incorporate proper rest and nutrition in order to stick with the program.
What Kind of Results Do I Expect from the Insanity Asylum Hybrid?
Fat loss. If you go to Google images and type in Insanity results, most of the pictures you will see are people who started the program and experienced some very nice fat loss. Most, however, are not ripped. The ones who are seem to have generally started off with some previously acquired muscle mass and Insanity helped them to shed and tone what was covering their bodies. The original Insanity is pretty much a cardio conditioning program, so don’t expect very much muscle gain. Insanity: The Asylum is a sports training and performance workout, some muscle gain but nothing extreme. What these programs will do is get you into fantastic cardiovascular shape, increase endurance, and again burn lots of calories.
Results are also dependent on diet and the quality of work you are actually putting into Insanity. Don’t eat burgers and pizza and then get mad because the program isn’t ‘working’ like it’s supposed to, that mistake is on you, not Shaun T’s workouts.
Where Should Someone Start?
I would set up a chained progression:
One Cardio Program to Lose Fat (If I had significant fat to lose):
- If I were working out at home: Insanity
- If I had access to a gym: Visual Impact Cardio (3 Cycle Program to Shed Fat)
Next, I would progress toward a muscle building program to get the ripped look, complete with six pack abs:
Visual Impact Muscle Building (Reviewed here)
A cardio program that transitioned into a muscle building program like Visual Impact would be a 6-12 month journey that would yield a pretty amazing transformation (remember it takes time!). The cardio program would knock off a lot of the fat (assuming a clean diet) and then the remaining fat could be chiseled away and replaced by muscle, not sheer bulk, but the tight ‘cut’ look that many people are after.
I’ll keep you all up to date on the progress and my further experiences regarding this Insanity/Asylum hybrid and try to write a new post about it each day or at least a recap every few days.