INSANITY Results and Review [+ Calendar and Workout Tips]

Time to get some intense total-body conditioning with Shaun T! Here you will find INSANITY results and a full review, plus the entire INSANITY calendar and some workout tips for doing the program.

Over the years, I’ve tried almost all of Shaun T’s workouts. I can confidently say that the INSANITY series (including INSANITY:Max 30 and The Asylum) has to be his most challenging for me. We’re talking 60 days of intense work with only one rest day a week.

Time to rise up to the challenge. Are you ready? LET’S GOOOOO!!

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INSANITY – The Details

INSANITY is a 60 day cardio-based total-body conditioning program, and it’s probably the hardest workout you’ll ever do. Fitness trainer Shaun T will have you pushing your limits with 10 workouts — packed with plyometric drills and relentless intervals of strength, power, and resistance moves.

INSANITY also incorporates intense ab and core exercises to help you sculpt and define your body for the ultimate physique. You can get a years worth of results in just 60 days with Max Interval Training that can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour!

Who is INSANITY for?

Let me get something out there before we really get started: INSANITY is not a program I would recommend for beginners. It’s hard, it’s intense, it’s going to run you down to your bones.

INSANITY is intended for anyone with a good fitness base who is looking for an extreme fitness challenge. It’s incredibly challenging.

If you are unsure about your ability to do this program, I recommend checking out my FOCUS T25 review instead.

With that said, there are plenty of people who fall into the “beginner” category who have completed multiple rounds of INSANITY with success. My husband used the INSANITY DVDs to get in shape while working in Afghanistan, and facilitated an INSANITY workout group while working in Antarctica. (This was all before we even met. Pretty sure we were made for each other.)

Anywho — INSANITY is great for people who wants to lose weight, tone up, or get in the best shape of their lives in only 60 days. If that’s you, then you can make it happen!

Equipment needed for INSANITY

INSANITY is a bodyweight only program, which makes sense since it has a LOT of cardio. You’re sure to work your heart as well as your muscles.

However, I WOULD recommend that you have a yoga mat. When you do floor work, it could be nice to have some support.

Bring your best supportive tennis shoes. And a towel. You’re gonna need them.

Also recommended:

Shakeology
(and my personal recommendation) a foam roller to help with self-myofascial release

What’s included with the program

You get 6 workouts in a week, Sunday being your off day. I prefer to view them as REST and RECOVERY days rather than OFF days since these are days you should still be stretching and foam rolling your muscles, not just ignoring your recovery entirely.

Check out a sneak peek of the workouts here in this INSANITY video:

You also get a complete nutrition plan, one that is highly recommended you follow or emulate when you fuel up.

The INSANITY Calendar

The INSANITY Calendar is split into two months with a recovery week in between. Month 1 has its own list of workouts that you alternate between each week, while Month 2 has similar yet more difficult versions of those same workouts. They vary in length, but are mostly between 30-40 minutes long.

You start out every two weeks with a fit test – it may sound optional, but it’s not. Definitely do this even if you don’t think you have to. The fit test is a workout all of its own.

After the first month, you’re given a reprieve in the Recovery Week. DO NOT SKIP THIS! I highly recommend you go by his schedule and allow yourself and your body some time to get used to itself and give your muscles a brief rest.

Month 2 is just as intense but adds some difficulty. Stick with it and stick to the results you want!

INSANITY Calendar: Month One

Week 1:

Monday: Fitness Test
Tuesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Wednesday: Cardio Power & Resistance
Thursday: Cardio Recovery
Friday: Pure Cardio
Saturday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Sunday: Rest

Week 2:

Monday: Cardio Power & Resistance
Tuesday: Pure Cardio
Wednesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Thursday: Cardio Recovery
Friday: Cardio Power & Resistance
Saturday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Sunday: Rest

Week 3:

Monday: Fitness Test
Tuesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Wednesday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Thursday: Cardio Recovery
Friday: Cardio Power & Resistance
Saturday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Sunday: Rest

Week 4:

Monday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Tuesday: Cardio Power & Resistance
Wednesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Thursday: Cardio Recovery
Friday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Saturday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Sunday: Rest

Recovery Week:

Monday: Core Cardio & Balance
Tuesday: Core Cardio & Balance
Wednesday: Core Cardio & Balance
Thursday: Core Cardio & Balance
Friday: Core Cardio & Balance
Saturday: Core Cardio & Balance
Sunday: Rest

INSANITY Calendar: Month 2

Week 5:

Monday: Fitness Test & MAX Interval Circuit
Tuesday: MAX Interval Plyo
Wednesday: MAX Cardio Conditioning
Thursday: MAX Recovery
Friday: MAX Interval Circuit
Saturday: Max Interval Plyo
Sunday: Rest

Week 6:

Monday: MAX Cardio Conditioning
Tuesday: MAX Interval Circuit
Wednesday: MAX Interval Plyo
Thursday: MAX Recovery
Friday: MAX Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
Saturday: Core Cardio & Balance
Sunday: Rest

Week 7:

Monday: Fitness Test & MAX Interval Circuit
Tuesday: MAX Interval Plyo
Wednesday: MAX Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
Thursday: MAX Recovery
Friday: MAX Interval Circuit
Saturday: Core Cardio & Balance
Sunday: Rest

Week 8:

Monday: MAX Interval Plyo
Tuesday: MAX Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
Wednesday: MAX Interval Circuit
Thursday: Core Cardio & Balance
Friday: MAX Interval Plyo
Saturday: Max Cardio & Cardio Abs
Sunday: Rest

My INSANITY Review

First of all, full disclosure: I have never been able to stick with the full INSANITY program from start to finish.

There, I said it.

But I have tried the program (a few times) and I do have a pretty good opinion on it. The first time I tried it (in 2011 I think), I was so out of shape. Like… so bad. I couldn’t finish the fit test. I think I tried day 2 the next day and turned off the DVD before I was 5 minutes in.

I didn’t realize it was ok to suck at first. I didn’t realize it was ok to modify if I needed to. I just felt dumb and weak and embarrassed, so I quit. Completely.

After I completed my first Beachbody program in 2013 (ChaLEAN Extreme) and then completed Focus T25 and P90X3, I thought I’d give INSANITY a try again in 2013. I had a different mindset and was a little more fit.

Only once again, I didn’t finish the program. This time, I became a certified INSANITY Live Instructor instead, and went on to teach group fitness classes for the next few years. Ahh those classes were incredibly challenging, but absolutely amazing!

What I liked about INSANITY

I loved that you can really feel the intensity. There’s no going through INSANITY and saying that it’s not difficult enough. You could be in sports training or some extreme sport and you’d still feel it – at least, I’d hope so.

Insanity Cardio Abs was my favorite.

I liked that I could modify and still feel like I was getting a very difficult workout. I still did a lot of the moves, but if I needed to take a step back then I could pause and jump right back in when I was ready.

The INSANITY Calendar including a recovery week is something I liked, as it allows you to see where you are and if you want to commit to another month or pause where you are. Personally, I think everyone should continue, but maybe by then you’ve decided it’s no longer for you. Not everyone can commit to two months, and that’s okay.

Plus, Shaun T is an excellent motivator. Like, I’ve heard him speak in person after leading an intense INSANITY workout and he brings me to tears. He just has this energy that pushes me a little more and gets me emotional.

What I didn’t like about INSANITY

INSANITY can be a very frustrating workout.

If you don’t have your head in the game, the game will beat you and you’ll want to quit. Even with Energize I was feeling the fatigue. You have to have a strong internal motivator to really keep going and not give up, since they don’t really give you any breaks.

I won’t lie, I’m not a big fan of SO MANY jumping moves (as I mentioned in my 21 Day Fix Extreme Review). I can modify a lot as needed, but since it’s a HIIT-based program, there’s a LOT of jumping. And jumping just isn’t my favorite.

Also? Tonya. Good grief that woman is infuriating at times. As a friend told me when I started INSANITY the second time: “You’ll see when you’re lying there going into respiratory arrest and that b**** is doing 47 power jumps while painting her nails. Not human.”

There’s a reason they call Tonya “The Machine.” Because her fitness level is unreal.

INSANITY Meal Planning

They have an included meal plan with INSANITY, but… I didn’t really go by it. I just watched what I ate and ate clean.

If you go through with the entire program, you have to make sure you’re fueling your body for the workouts; in other words, now is NOT the time to try an extreme diet. If you don’t properly fuel your body, you’re not going to make it through the program.

Let me say this again: Now is NOT the time to restrict your calories. You need to properly fuel your body for the intense workouts you’ll be doing. Eat several meals several times a day as Shaun T outlines in his plan, even if you don’t follow the exact meals he lays out for you.

If you don’t fuel your body, you will not have the energy and strength to get the best results from this program.

That being said, I did like some of the meals he had laid out for you, I just didn’t really want to follow the plan 100% of the time. Instead, I practiced clean eating and used the portion control containers from 21 Day Fix.

How INSANITY compares to other Beachbody programs

Since the INSANITY Calendar has two month’s worth of workouts, it’s about average in terms of length; there are some that are longer, and some that are shorter. The workouts are long – close to an hour – and I do think some of Beachbody’s 30 minute workouts are enough of a good workout for me.

INSANITY is definitely one of the more difficult programs, so I’d recommend trying it after getting started with a different program. That’s not to say beginners can’t do it, because they definitely CAN. You just have to really really push yourself.

INSANITY Max:30 uses a lot of the same moves from INSANITY, but with only 30 minutes instead of an hour. I definitely enjoyed Max 30 more.

INSANITY The Asylum is definitely worth trying out after you’ve finished INSANITY. It is still high intensity and high impact exercises, but with speed and agility training as well.

My tips and advice on completing INSANITY

Meal plan in advance – make one plan and eat the same thing each week for all 3 weeks to keep it simple if you have to
Meal prep in advance – don’t let yourself run out of food and get hungry
DO NOT USE WEIGHTS. It’s tempting, I know. Don’t do it.
Stretch stretch stretch. Stretch and foam roll to make sure you recover as much as possible to prevent injury.
Modify the moves if they are too advanced. Keep moving, even if you have to lower the intensity.

INSANITY Workout Results – Before & After Photos

I’ve said it before, but I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. You WILL get results.

Complete beginners can do it and get incredible results, athletes can do it and get incredible results. As long as you push through and dedicate yourself to the program, you’ll get there.

Even just doing month one will get you somewhere. Just do the work!