First, let me begin this article by clearly stating that Shaun T. is the anti-christ…ok, not really; but I did find myself cursing him under my breath every step of the way. Now for the rest of the story…
Not too long ago my wife decided that she wanted to find a workout program that would help her get back in shape, not that she is really out of shape but she wanted to tone her muscles up. She didn’t reach for a Denise Austin Pilates DVD, or a Jillian Michael’s workout or even Shaun T.’s other workout series the Beach Body Workout. No, she went right to the edge of reason and decided on the Insanity Workout (appropriately titled I would like to point out). My daughter was watching a late night as seen on TV exercise equipment show, saw this advertised and made the recommendation to her mother. Before I knew it, we were receiving the DVDs in the mail.
I have been a fitness professional for about 20 years so I have a fair degree of experience assessing the level of effort an individual should be exerting to exercise. I will tell you, my wife (and more specifically me) did not need to begin our journey towards better health using this plan. My first indication that this may be a bit intensive for us was the fact that the entire program (package labeling, pre-video screen shots, intro to workout, beginning of workout, and so on) is plastered with warnings stating that this is not a program for beginners and can be hazardous to your health. Did not give me the warm fuzzies, but we pressed on anyway.
The workout is incredible. Shaun T. is a great coach and provides excellent encouragement throughout the session. The warm-up is every bit as intense as most full-on workouts you would complete. Just when you think you can’t take any more, Shaun gets down to business and makes you SWEAT. Fortunately, because I was doing the workout from the DVDs (and not in a class somewhere) I was able to take breaks as necessary and not damage my pride, and I took many breaks. Did I mention that I took MANY breaks? The workout was crazy and it really did do a great job of working most of my muscle groups. The exercises used are low impact for the most part so you your joints are not being abused during the work out. By the end of the 45 minutes I felt like I had been hit by a train…it felt good.
The Insanity Workout DVD Set that my wife purchased had the thirteen (13) discs. For those of you that are not familiar with the program, there are two levels: intro (which is the one I am talking about) and the insane (I can’t even imagine how it could be any more insane than the intro workout). In addition to these to programs there were extra discs that were specifically designed for muscle isolation training and muscle mass development.
The DVDs have exercises that work all major muscle groups within the body. There is a cardio work out for the abs, for the legs, and for the back and chest. These workout sessions are great, but not for the faint of heart.
So while I was honestly compelled to silently curse Shaun T. every time we put one of the DVDs in, I have to give mad respect to this fitness professional that goes the distance in every one of the sessions and works hard to motivate the folks working out with him in both the DVD and at home.
I highly recommend the work out; just remember it is not really designed for beginners, but those folks that are already totally crazy about their workouts will really enjoy its intensity and reap incredible results.