How does insanity workout program work

For instance, a traditional interval training workout might have you soft-pedaling on a bike for one minute followed by sprinting as hard as possible for 20 seconds. This is the way we get the closest results to the lab experiments that show us how effective HIIT can be. But at what cost? To be fair, there is some solid logic behind this. Let's say that you simply go out running a few days per week at a moderate intensity or what I call "comfortably uncomfortable" without changing your intensity along the way.

As your body gets used to the intensity, you will quickly hit a plateau. Sure, you will get more efficient at running at that particular pace, but not much else will happen. Although working out in the "red zone" can have some advantages, it is really quite unnecessary for overall good health.

Research has shown that exercising at a moderate intensity most days of the week results in benefits like lower blood pressure and cholesterol along with improved fitness. So unless you really enjoy that high level of intensity, this intensity of exercise is not a good bang for your buck.

Workouts range from 20 to 80 minutes. Many of the workouts follow the same basic template: including some type of high-intensity exercise for three minutes followed by 30 seconds of rest. I have to wonder if this is more of a mental workout than a physical one. The extremely limited recovery time after such high-intensity exercise makes for ridiculously hard workouts. And with workouts this challenging, I worry that the whole program will leave users unwilling or unable to live an active lifestyle outside of their dedicated insane exercise time.

Personally, I place a lot more importance on what you can accomplish during the other 23 hours of the day when you're not sweating in front of your TV. Beachbody meal plan The program also includes a basic meal plan, which will undoubtedly help participants reach their weight loss goals. Based on the marketing for the program, INSANITY seems to focus disproportionately on weight loss as a goal as opposed to other benefits of the workouts like added strength, mobility, and improved health.

Now, losing weight due to diet changes isn't uncommon for a program that incorporates both nutrition and exercise advice. Most weight loss especially the type that lasts comes from dietary changes and not from exercise alone.

This is why I spend so much of my time trying to separate the joy of movement from the number of calories you burn, and why I encourage my listeners to focus on the truly wonderful benefits of getting more movement into your day. The meal plan includes all the usual meal components: carbohydrates, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and fats. But it also includes their very own branded Shakeology meal replacement shakes. And while I am guilty of keeping a canister of whey protein powder in my pantry, I do not consume it daily or even weekly.

Insanity is geared more towards people who are in relatively good shape i. Even if you think you are pretty fit you will probably be gasping for breath and drowning in sweat by the end of your first video.

If you are thinking about starting Insanity be prepared to make a commitment to doing it regularly. Insanity is very intense. You will do a lot of jumping, squatting, and your heart rate will get very high. If large weight loss is your goal it is recommended that you start with a lower intensity workout routine and build your way up to Insanity. Due to the amount of squats, lunges, jumps, etc. If you have any sort of heart condition you should be very cautious not just with Insanity but any exercise!

The short answer is yes. Follow the program for the 60 days and I promise you will absolutely see changes in your body, strength, and endurance. However, a major debate point on high intensity workouts like Insanity is if they are sustainable in the long run. I saw nice results after my first round of Insanity see the pictures below , but I felt burnt out and had no desire to go back to the workouts for a few weeks at least.

Since then I have begun doing a hybrid of Insanity and weightlifting where I do the dvds three days a week and lift three days a week. Personally I felt that going through the whole two months of Insanity was a good jumping off point and switching to the split has allowed me to continue without hurting my body. I feel that most people would not be able to do Insanity over and over, month after month.

It is just too intense and you run a high risk of hurting yourself. Before I knew it, I was jumping and kicking and shuffling side to side throughout my apartment.

I was sweating within five minutes and could barely catch my breath. I really focused on big exhales to maintain my breathing. The rest of the workout alternated between cardio and strength training. But the people working out behind Shaun T motivated me to keep going. Of course, Shaun T is ripped and his energy is out of this world, even while working out. Like most challenging workouts, I felt really accomplished afterward.

I was also thirsty! We took water breaks during the workout, but I had sweat so much that I still felt a bit dehydrated by the end. Like a glutton for punishment, the next day I did another cardio class, but I wanted to see how it was different from the first class since it added in more resistance.

We did a lot of lunges , jumping, running in place, high knees , and more cardio bursts in place. Thankfully, we had a brief rest period to stretch about halfway through.

He had us do a pushup in downward dog , which I had never done before. This basically ruined down dog for me, a pose I usually look forward to as a resting position in yoga.

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How to prepare. What it works.