Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

14 Responses to “Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results”

1. scott leaver says:

   November 12, 2009 at 2:18 pm

   I coming off some broken ribs and I’m going to start Insanity November 30th. I’ve had the program for about a month. But, I am truly interested in any pointers you have to make it even more effective for myself.

   Thanks for all the reviews, very informative.

   Scott
2. Aaron Potts says:

   November 12, 2009 at 4:19 pm

   Scott,

   My pleasure! Insanity is an awesome program, and I’m glad I could help people to see it in more detail. Now that we are done, my wife and I are doing P90X starting Nov 16th.

   As to the tips, here is a copy and paste that I put in an email to someone else who asked me the same question. It’s a little lengthy, but good info. Use it to get the most out of the 60 days, and take it easy on those ribs!

   1. If possible, do your workout AFTER your largest meal of the day. Insanity is primarily a cardiovascular workout, which means that once the workout stops, the calorie burning stops. We had to workout mid-day, so we still had a snack or two and the dinner meal AFTER our workout every day, which wasn’t ideal. We have moved our workout time to 8:30pm each day for P90X.
   2. Go with a very controlled intake of carbohydrates. Again, since Insanity is very much about the cardio, you don’t need the kind of carbohydrate energy that you need during P90X to power all of those “X-like” muscular movements. When doing cardio, your body can get a very large percentage of the calories that it needs by burning through body fat. If you eat too many carbs, your body will chew through those first, leaving your body fat right where it is.
   3. Eat GOOD carbs. Yes, you do still need to take in enough carbohydrates to power your life, and to make up the difference that your body can’t keep up with during the Insanity workouts. However, simple sugars and processed foods are NOT good carbs. Eat small portions of wheat pastas, whole grain breads, etc., in order to keep your body fueled with quality energy. Do your best to give up the simple sugars completely, or at least cut out as many as you can.
   4. Don’t be fooled by the intensity of the Insanity workouts. During month 1, even though I have a background in personal training, I was initially shocked at how hard the workouts were, and I felt like I could eat more total calories each day as a result. Weight loss comes from creating a caloric deficit each and every day, so even though the Insanity workouts are some of the hardest workouts ever created, that doesn’t give you permission to skip the nutritional guidelines.
   5. Eat lots of protein. During a program like P90X, it is obviously important to eat a lot of protein, but even during a cardio-based program like Insanity, protein is still very important. Your body still needs quality protein to recover from those daily Insanity beatings, and it also cranks up your metabolism when your body has to break down protein for muscle repair. As an added bonus, if you eat straight protein (egg whites, chicken breasts, etc.) in place of some of your daily carb intake, you’ll get double the weight loss effect results from your daily caloric intake.
   6. If possible, throw in some morning cardio. As intense as Insanity is, that doesn’t mean that you can’t crank up the calorie burning outside of the workouts. During Month 2 of the program, I ran outside twice a week in the morning before ingesting any carbohydrates, and that forced my body to burn off extra body fat. Even if you can only pull off an early-morning cardio session once or twice a week, it is still well worth the effort.
3. Darla says:

   November 12, 2009 at 7:18 pm

   Thank you for posting your info. I have ordered insanity and am feeling almost afraid after reading the things I’ve been reading. Obviously you feel better because your clothes fit different. Was Shanna doing something else with this program? and how do you both “feel” different from before and now after completing the 60 days?
   Way to go to both of you!!
   Darla
4. Aaron Potts says:

   November 13, 2009 at 10:07 am

   Thanks, Darla! It was an awesome journey, and yes, we do both feel AWESOME! Insanity is such a great weight loss program that people don’t think about what a great FITNESS program it is as well.

   Both Shanna and myself drastically increased our cardiovascular and muscular endurance, not to mention our core stability, flexibility, and even agility. It truly is a great overall fitness program.

   We both did P90X quite awhile ago, but then had a break for almost a year because I was away at a military tech school. Now that we have the many physical benefits of having done Insanity, we are going to tackle P90X again starting Nov. 16th.

   P90X is a seriously awesome program, but the first time we did it we did not have nearly the level of physical fitness that we have now. With our present level of cardiovascular and muscular endurance – thanks to Insanity – we are going to blow the lid off of our P90X results this time around.

   Our goal is to be in “swimsuit model” shape by the end of P90X, which will be Valentine’s Day, 2010. We live in central Florida, so that is also pretty close to swim suit season as well!
5. Aaron says:

   November 23, 2009 at 4:39 pm

   I’ve been doing P90X for about 130 days and I absolutely love it. I’m not getting incredible results, cause like you said about not being as fit before as you are this time around, I’m not lean to begin with. The awesome results really are from people that were already lean and in good/decent shape to begin with. I’ve also not been eating right. And your tips for what/how to eat are very helpful. When I finish my second go of the “Lean” routine, I’m going to look into this Insanity then go back to P90X. I like what I’m reading about your results. Good job guys. And everyone else that’s done this or is doing it or P90X: BRING IT! And for anyone that is thinking about trying it; just do it. I tell you right now, I was in no shape to even start P90X, and it was hard. Especially the Plyo. My asthma killed me with the Plyo. But I’ve stuck with it and I tell you what…if I can do it, you can do it. Just get outta your head about “Oh I can’t…”, because you can.
6. Aaron Potts says:

   November 25, 2009 at 4:04 pm

   Aaron,

   Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with P90X!

   As you indicated, sticking with the program and eating right are critical parts of the process. The Beachbody products (P90X, Insanity, etc.) DO get the job done, but they get the job done by people BRINGING IT during the workouts, and also sticking to the nutrition plans.

   The best workout program in the world won’t bring results if you don’t follow the directions, and keep your head on straight.

   Thanks, Aaron!
7. Rhonda says:

   November 27, 2009 at 3:07 am

   Aaron,

   Thank you for keeping this blog. I bought the Insanity workout about a month ago and it has been great. I have only been able to get the workout in a few times a week and I am lacking on eating well. But just by doing this I have already seen results. I have gotten back to pre-baby weight, although not as toned. I appreciate you and Shanna posting your photos. It really motivates me to keep going. I used to run track and this it he hardest thing I have done in 8 years. Again thank you for the motivation. Best of luck with P90, I tried that too, but I am going to follow your advice. It makes sound sense! I wish you fun in the sun during swimsuit season in Florida.
8. Aaron Potts says:

   November 29, 2009 at 10:06 pm

   Rhonda,

   Congratulations on taking the Insanity challenge! As you’ve already seen, it is quite the challenge indeed, but the results are well worth it.

   Don’t beat yourself up too much if you don’t stick to 100% of the schedule or if you don’t eat 100% correctly. Just DIG DEEPER during every single workout that you do, and eat properly as often as possible.

   Being in shape is not about being perfect, but rather about making better choices MOST of the time.

   I’ll be sure to share with Shanna that you appreciated us posting the photos. As a woman, she wasn’t too sure about doing that at first, but now she sends the URL of this blog post to just about everyone she talks to!

   Keep up the great work, Rhonda, and please let me know if you have any questions along the way. I’d be glad to help you out!
9. Tina says:

   December 7, 2009 at 12:58 am

   Our (me and my boyfriend are doing this together) Insanity workout is in the mail and on its way!! We’re pretty excited yet nervous about the program. My question is this…I have read several reviews on the program yet no one has stated that they would be doing it again. Is the program one that should be a one time good deal or can we go right back into it and start again? Or should we take a break (maybe a week of no Insanity what so ever) after the first time then get back into it? Like I said I haven’t read of anyone doing it upon finishing the first time and I would hate to think I have a great workout yet will only use it once.
10. Aaron Potts says:

    December 7, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Hey, Tina – congrats on making the decision to take on the Insanity challenge! It is exactly that, and you will LOVE the results that you get!

    Yes, can absolutely do Insanity again! I would definitely recommend a break in between, however, just to give your body a chance to fully recover over the course of a week or so.

    Also, you don’t necessarily have to go the “all or nothing” route, either. Insanity is a primarily (although not completely) cardiovascular program, as compared to a program like P90X that works a lot more on muscular development in addition to cardio.

    My wife and I are doing P90X right now after having graduated from Insanity, and we are doing a hybrid workout. P90X has 2 cardiovascular workouts (Kenpo X and Plyo X), but after finishing Insanity, we are in such great cardiovascular shape that Kenpo and Plyo are not as challenging for us as the Insanity workouts, so we sometimes do an Insanity video instead of a P90X cardio workout.

    There is no 1 program that anyone should do over and over and over again, but yes, Insanity can be repeated, as can P90X, or you can do some sort of hybrid workout like we are doing.

    Have fun with Insanity when you get it, Tina, and don’t forget to log all of your workouts into WOWY!
11. matt says:

    January 23, 2010 at 10:54 am

    hello, i just started insanity and love it. What happends when i finish my 60days? Do i start again or is there a recommended maintenacce workout?
12. Aaron Potts says:

    January 23, 2010 at 7:44 pm

    Matt,

    Insanity is awesome – and intense – as you have already seen! It gets more intense as you go forward, so I would not recommend doing the program over and over again without doing other workouts in between.

    My wife and I did P90X, then Insanity, and now we are doing P90X again, with Insanity workouts thrown in 2 or 3 times per week, rather than every day.

    In the future, we are moving on to RevABS, but will probably stick with Insanity on at least a part-time basis because it is hands-down the most effective cardiovascular training program that we’ve ever seen!
13. Sarah says:

    February 3, 2010 at 8:27 pm

    I am amazed by your results! I am currently doing P90X (Lean) because I don’t really want to lose any weight. I am actually just looking to gain stamina and build muscle. But read about the Insanity program and decided to try it next. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your pictures. So many people use generic poses in their before photos then pose for their after poses. Its so frustrating! So thank you for using the same background and poses!
14. Aaron Potts says:

    February 4, 2010 at 10:51 am

    Sarah,

    You are absolutely very welcome! We thought the same thing seeing other people’s before and after pictures, so we try to use the same location, the same clothes, and the same poses. That way you can see side by side results, not just Hollywood poses!

    I’m glad we have inspired you to get Insanity, Sarah! It is a an AWESOME program. Even though we are going through our 2nd round of P90X right now, we still throw in the Insanity cardio workouts 2 or 3 times a week, and it really gets the job done.

    Keep up the great work, Sarah!

    p.s. – If you’re on Facebook, feel free to send a friend request! I am at http://www.facebook.com/aaronpotts1

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