A lot of my fellow fitness professionals have been raving about a program called Insanity. Its 3 payments of 39.99 aka $119.97 but Andrew happened to have it on his laptop given to him from another friend. I decided to try it out. They have some really great ideas, and i do believe you can get some good results from it but I have a few doubts about the program along with other programs like P90X.
#1 I'm a fairly fit gall. I exercise 3-5 times a week and have done vigorous training programs. I can't keep up with them. This is fine, you're not expected to go into a group fitness class and be able to keep up with them BUT they always give you an alternative (or at least should). Insanity does not give you alternate exercise options and I know for a fact that unless you have specifically trained with these high intensity exercises before you will be doing it wrong!
So my advice- make sure you know alternative exercises and review the proper form of these exercises before starting the program. Also don't be afraid to go at a slower pace, take more rests,take longer rests, and make sure you heart rate is recovered before starting the next exercise. He does mention things like take a break if you need it, and check your heart rate but I dislike that he doesn't really emphasize that you need to listen to your body.
#2 In many of the exercises he has you go from a high intensity jump, for example, and then drop down into a pike push up where your head is lower than your heart. This can cause you the throw up, pass out, etc because you're heart rate is so high. For things like this I use a bench or counter top to alter the move to keep my head above my heart. Once you are trained enough you should be able to go into the normal positions.
#3 It does give a warning at the beginning that there have been reports of knee and back injuries. I can see why. There are A LOT of jump squats and things that with out proper form you can injure yourself very seriously.
#4 Not for beginners. This type of exercise is what NASM calls phase 5. The last phase of a training program where you are trying to focus on power and speed. This means that you should have done phases 1-4 before trying to do these exercises. (core & balance, Strength endurance, strength hypertrophy)
Although I'm not saying you couldn't just jump into this program I'm just saying you might enjoy it more if you have more training prior to it.
Over all I like the program but you need to make sure your form is perfect and to not compromise your form for more reps. It is an awesome work out and keeps my heart rate in it's high zone for a good 30 minutes. I also love how it is very core oriented. By the end of it i feel like i just had a freaking awesome core workout. Just remember when doing a workout like this to adapt it to your personal training level, check your form, and listen to your body.
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