America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Rating:

From the time you open the package you can tell that they put a lot of effort into making this a serious workout program. The packaging and accompanying literature alone give you an indication that this isn’t going to be cheap crap.

Once I started with the first DVD I was hooked. The production quality is very good. The music (which you can choose to turn off) adds to the overall effect of the intensity. I soon decided to stop every other workout I was doing and give this program the two months to see if it works as well as advertised. As of day 36, I’m pretty sure it does.

As everyone has clearly explained – THIS IS NOT EASY!! Keeping up with the pace of the workout is difficult although there really aren’t that many hard exercises. You just do the exercises with enough intensity and for long enough to get results. Staying motivated to continue hasn’t been nearly as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, I’ve been super-motivated to make time every day in order to not miss any days. So far I’m on track. The motivation comes from the fact that you can see and feel results. After only the first few days I felt like my core had been coated in steel. On days when you can’t see your progress, you can usually feel progress. I feel stronger everywhere.

Another thing that keeps you motivated is the variation. There are various exercises on each workout DVD and variations of workouts throughout the program. You may repeat the same workout a few times in one month, but the order of the workouts is mixed up so it is never monotonous.

Somebody with a lot of experience and knowledge of physical fitness – presumably Shaun T – put a lot of thought into this program. I’m usually sweating by the end of the warm-ups at the beginning of each workout. After the warm-ups comes the stretching. Then you get to the exercises and finally more stretching at the end. There is a lot of intensity in the workouts but I haven’t had any injuries yet. The program pushes you to your limits but the rest days and recovery workouts seem to be inserted at just the right time to make it possible for your body to continue.

I also like the format – a group of about 12-15 people, led by Shaun T, inside a gymnasium. Everyone looks very athletic but that doesn’t mean they can keep up. It’s inspiring to see so many apparently fit people suffering and sweating as much as you are. I like that they didn’t try to hide that.

Oh yeah – I like that running clock at the bottom of the screen which tells you how long you have left in each exercise set and how long you have in the entire workout.

FYI I’m a guy. I turn 40 this year and am in pretty good shape. I’m a casual runner but ran my first marathon a few months ago. The Insanity workout is difficult regardless of what physical condition you are in or what sports you currently participate in. There are so many exercises targeting so many parts of the body – with overall emphasis on the core – that you are literally transforming your body into an overall stronger, faster, more finely tuned machine. I think I’ll be a better runner after I finish this program.

Don’t get frustrated if you can’t keep up. This workout program wouldn’t be as effective if it were easily mastered. You’ll see improvements as long as you keep trying.

I’d recommend this for ANYONE who doesn’t have physical impediments or injuries keeping them from completing the moves.

The Insanity workout is a roadmap to transforming your entire body into a higher performing machine.

DAY 57 UPDATE

I did the first workout of week 8 today and am still alive. Entering the home stretch. I still haven’t missed a workout. I know from running that if you take too much time off from an intense workout, little de-motivating aches and pains start to show up that try to convince you to take another day off and another. I don’t want to go down that road. I also still haven’t had any injuries although my hands are the latest part of my body to be sore. I think its from all of the push-ups and push-up-like moves. As advertised, they really step it up for month 2. The workouts are all longer and more intense. The longest one is 59 minutes. During month 1 I would get up early and work out before work. I can’t do that for month 2 – partly because the workouts are too long and partly because I’d be worn out for the rest of the day. I’ve switched to working out in the afternoon. It’s a great way to work off stress. It also gets you worn out just in time for bed.

One thing I wish I had figured out earlier was to have some kind of recovery formula for rebuilding your muscles more quickly. Mr. T (my name for him) says to drink your ‘Results and Recovery’ formula, but I’m still paranoid about getting ripped off so I didn’t buy their formula. Instead, I went to Sam’s Club and bought a case of Myoplex Lite. At 170 calories with 20 grams of protein this is working well for me. It helps me recover faster.

Still absolutely no regrets about doing this. I can see my ab muscles but still have some fat that probably won’t be gone by the end of the program. That’s ok because I plan to keep going with the month 2 workouts beyond the end of the program while incorporating other activities.

I can see using these DVDs for a very long time – hopefully til I’m 92.

Rating:

This is a really tough workout. It’ the first time I’ve ever seen the actual participants take breaks during the routine. Unless your ready to workout out to exhaustion, don’t buy this yet. Try P90X and P90X+ workouts. If you can finish those without any breaks or exhaustion then this might work for you!

Rating:

Enter Insanity. I cut out white[flour]bakery products, sweets, sweetened drinks, all sodas, and desserts except for once a week. Then I started the craziness. There’s no need to tell what’s in the package, others have done that. Let me say I lost 12 pounds and an inch and a half off my waistline in 60 days. This on a frame my family and friends said had nothing to lose.

This program works if you follow it. Don’t worry about keeping up with the folks on the video because NONE of them do all of the routines to completion on any of the DVDs. You do your best at YOUR pace but it has to be your BEST. It never gets easier because as you get more conditioned, you do more repetitions. You must do the Fit Test because you WILL see improvements and the test won’t lie and it will keep you motivated.

It’s not easy but it works. Nothing worthwhile is easy so why should this be different? You have to be in decent, not great, shape, and follow the warnings about injuries and other potential health problems because it is a serious workout. But if you get the green light and you stick with it, you won’t regret it. There’s nothing to it but to do it.

PROGRAM UPDATE: I have completed another four cycles since this first review. I have added some variations such as some running and weight workouts. STILL, I cannot do ANY Insanity routine all the way through without taking a break a couple of times. It’s not the agony of when I first started but it’s still hard and remains a challenge to keep doing. However, I feel better than I ever have in terms of conditioning and stamina and so does my wife who has started and continued this program after I finished my first cycle.

Give it YOUR best!

You can believe whatever you like buddy. What has me being Dutch or not got to do with anything. Trust me, my pinky toe alone got more heritage than your weak ass, you simpleton. How about refuting the points in my previous reply, eh?

Rating:

So I was pumped when I saw this one coming down the pike. Got it for my birthday last year. However, this is not P90X. That is not a criticism at all, just don’t expect more of the same.

This is all floor exercises using your body weight with lots of plyometric and isometic exercises, cardio and core exercise that will work you – hard. And then it will work your core even more. Its primary focus is the core.

And it will get you into the best shape of your life. I say that with a few caveats.

It’s broken into two four week segments with a “recovery” week in between. I completed the first four weeks, the “recovery” week and the first week of the second half of the program. Had to slow down the intensity because my job went to 12 hour shifts.

I now do it several times a week, when time permits. I can tell you this, though: I do the Plyometric workout from P90X when I need an easy day. My leg strength, especially the explosive kind, has increased tenfold. And my cardio is through the roof.

But this will kick your a** no matter what kind of shape you are in. Even the participants in the DVD have to quit and take breaks. It’s that intense.

It is tough on the body, though, so be prepared. If you aren’t in some semblance of shape, you may want to rethink this one. I pulled a neck muscle during the first week because I didn’t breathe properly. It will tax your joints, your knees, your feet, your back. It requires serious focus. Breathing is key. Drink lots of water. And move at your own pace.

The caveat is really only this: you may lose quite a bit of muscle mass. This doesn’t mean you will get less strong but with no exercises for the biceps or the lats (no pull-ups here), those “glamour muscles” will lose size.

People commented on my weight loss, even though I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I just couldn’t eat enough food. Your food intake will determine your results. So I shrank but, in many ways, I was stronger than ever. Size doesn’t always equal strength.

You will notice your body change, your core will be the strongest it’s ever been and you will be in incredible shape, even if you only do the program at half the intensity.

I give it a thumbs up but know what you want to get out of the program and understand what it is about before investing your time and money in it.

Despite extraordinary measures to protect the labour market during the downturn, 4m have lost jobs across the 16 countries that use the euro, according to the European Commissions statistical arm.

As of November, there were 15.7m jobless in the bloc.

The rise brings eurozone unemployment in line with that in the US, also at 10 per cent.