INSANITY: THE ASYLUM is the first in-home sports-specific training program based on drills used by pro athletes. During this intense 30-day program, you’ll practice moving like a football running back, serve aces like a tennis pro, score points like an all-star guard, and more. Your instructor, Shaun T, creator of successful programs like INSANITY® and Hip Hop Abs®, will help you spike your speed, coordination, agility, strength, and power to an elite athlete level.

Why is it effective?

Shaun T built INSANITY: THE ASYLUM on three cross-training cycles. During Cycle 1, he’ll push you to master a series of core sports exercises. Once you’ve gotten those under control, the real fun begins. As you step up to Cycle 2 and Cycle 3, Shaun T challenges you to dig even deeper with more complicated sports moves and progressively tougher drills. This combination pushes you to use more muscles and develop skills that give you a measurable competitive edge.

What makes INSANITY: THE ASYLUM unique?

Elite athletes use proven sports training drills to sharpen their game-day skills and get into astonishing shape. Now with INSANITY: THE ASYLUM, you can too.
With its included Agility Ladder and Speed Rope, you’ll train with more focus, concentration, and skill—just like an elite pro athlete. After 30 days, you’ll get faster, stronger, and more agile than you ever imagined—enabling you to perform any sport or activity with eye-popping speed and skill.

How does it work?

INSANITY: THE ASYLUM combines MAX Interval Training with progressive sports drills to push you to Dig Deeper® than ever. Shaun T will lead you through sports-based exercises that get progressively harder. So you’ll burn calories, build muscle, and unleash your inner world-class athlete. In just 30 days, you’ll be ready to compete, with dramatic, measurable improvements in your athletic ability.

Shaun T is your fitness expert.

Former collegiate track-and-field star Shaun T collaborated with Beachbody® to create INSANITY®, one of the most intense workouts ever put on DVD. Now he’s helped create INSANITY: THE ASYLUM, the first in-home sports-specific training program based on drills used by pro athletes. Commit to working out with Shaun T and you’ll be working to achieve elite athlete status just like him—in just 30 days.

Who is Insanity: The Asylum for?

Insanity: The Asylum is meant for people in top physical shape who want to take their results to the next level, graduates of INSANITY, P90X®, and other advanced fitness programs, athletes and former athletes who want to improve or recapture their performance, no matter their sport or game, people who are tired of traditional cardio and aren’t seeing results anymore, cardio lovers like runners, spinners, or cyclists,  and people who want to achieve rapid, dramatic improvement in their fitness.

Who is Insanity: The Asylum NOT for?

Beginners; pregnant women; children; people who aren’t willing to work hard; people with back, neck, joint, or other injuries; or people who don’t consistently do  high-impact exercise.  I had mentioned in a previous post that Insanity might not be the best program for obese people to start with and that hold true for Insanity: The Asylum as well.  If you are obese and looking to start a fitness program you might want to read my previous post here. Some people have commented that they started with Insanity and modified the routines.  Just be sure to explore all of your options with Beachbody programs before making your decision and as always feel free to contact me with any questions and I’ll do my best to help.

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Insanity: The Asylum

She also mentions that the program takes a certain amount of commitment.  That is right in line with the Beachbody motto, “Decide, Commit, Succeed”.  Once you Decide you want to live a healthier lifestyle and get in the best shape of your life you Commit to a workout program and a healthier diet you can’t help but Succeed with the support of others doing the same.   The support comes in the form of your Coach (like me) and the other members of the Beachbody community through the user forums and workout buddies in the online supergym.  The support system is an often overlooked but vital part of the success equation.  There are usually lots of people around you telling you how hard it looks, how your getting too thin, not eating well, all because they can’t commit to changing their lifestyle and don’t want to get left behind.  It helps to have people to talk to who have gone through the same transformation you are undertaking and understands what it takes to help you along.

Sorry to get a little sidetracked, the video segment and write up can be found at the ABC News website.

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Good Morning America Reviews P90X

Well, I am happy to say I met my 20lb goal well before summer is over, even with a few weeks with skipped and/or half hearted workouts.  I evaluated where I wanted to go with my future fitness goals and decided to do a round of Power 90 Master Series with a goal of losing another 10lbs or so before doing P90X where I would be working on changing my body composition by dropping my body fat percentage and building more muscle.  I ran this by my Team Beachbody coach and he agreed this was a good plan.  Your coach is a great resource, contact them and put their experience with Beachbody programs to good use.

Power 90 Master Series was developed after both Power 90 and P90X and is meant to make for a smooth transition between the 2 programs.   It uses the ‘Muscle Confusion’ technique from P90X along with the 3 weeks of  intense workouts followed by one recovery week schedule.

There are 2 suggested Master Series schedules, Standard and Lean much like P90X has 3 workout schedules you can follow, depending on your desired results.  This week starts my Power 90 Master Series Lean program.  With the lean program you actually use the disks from Power 90 (during the recovery weeks) along with the 6 new Master Series disks.  There is more variety of workouts than you had with Power 90.

Monday’s workout was Core Cardio.  Just like the title suggests it mixes cardio with core (abs) exercises and incorporates some of the P90X moves or a modified version of them.  The workout starts with a warm up routine to follow along with in contrast to the Power 90 workouts that just had a text message before the workout that you should perform a warm up before exercising.

You start out with Prison Cell Push-ups, as many as you can do in 1 minute, then go on to Side Kicks, alternating 5 on each side.  The next move, the Abranome, is the fist time since starting Power 90 that I could have used more room to work out in as, while on your back, you swing your legs from straight up in the air to all the way to the left side then the right side.  I could not go all the way to the floor due to space limitations.  You end the set with Crescent Quick Switch reverse lunges.

After a short water break you move right into Cockeyed Sphinx Push-ups (ouch, need to work on these).  Run Jacks are up next, think of mixing running in place while your arms do jumping jacks then switching with your legs doing the jacks and your arms running.  It’s the cardio version of rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time.  Then it time for more ab work with Kayak Bike (double ouch), ’cause the normal bicycle wasn’t hard enough for me…..  We end out this set with 30 reps of Lateral Lunge Touch, a side lunge where you reach overhead and touch your hand to the floor on the opposite side.  I fell short of the 30 reps on this one too.   Since these are so much fun you get to repeat them again!

The last set has you starting out with the Dreya Roll Push-up.  You roll backwards on the floor and extend your legs straight up, then roll forward move into plank and do a push-up, stand up and do it again.  Ok,  I’m having a really hard time with the roll thing.  I need to work on coordination and flexibility I guess to be able to do this smoothly and not land hard on my butt when I start the roll.  At least the next move is easy, the Defensive Back Scoot, sort of a side shuffle moving forward and backward.  After that is on your back again for Feet to Fingers Crouch and it’s just like it sounds, bring your legs and arms straight up  and touch your toes.  Time to get your heart rate back up with the Boxer Switch, quickly switching from a right to left to right fighting stance for 30 reps.  But wait, there’s more!  You get to repeat this set again as well.

After a nice cool down you go into a stretching session that adds different stretches than you were using in Power 90.  I still need to work on my hamstrings the most, very tight…

The day after doing this workout my inner thighs are very sore.  I guess the lateral moves are hitting muscles that weren’t getting a lot of work in the Power 90 series.  It’s a good feeling, at least I know I’m moving forward and working more of my body and adapting the new workout.  The muscle confusion at work!

If your looking for more information on this or any other Beachbody program you can sign up for a free Team Beachbody account here and check out the forums for other peoples experiences and success stories.

Core Cardio can be purchased as a single workout DVD here for $19.95

Power 90 Master Series - Core Cardio DVD

or as part of the complete Power 90 Master Series program here for $59.85

Power 90 Master Series

As always if you sign up for the Team Beachbody Club you would save 10% of the cost of any Beachbody products.

For the best deal you could sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach and save 25% on all Beachbody purchases and 50% on all shipping, all while potentially earning money just for getting fit!

If you have any questions I can answer about any Beachbody programs like Power 90 Master Series, Tony Horton One on One, Ten Minute Trainer, Slim in 6, Hip Hop Abs, Rockin’ Body,  any of the supplements or their Club or Coaching programs please email me with the form on the ‘Contact‘ page on the top menu bar.

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Power 90 Master Series Core Cardio Revew

Insanity uses interval training to beat the “stress adaptation response” which normally causes your body to get used to exercise and stop improving.  Interval workouts use sets where you perform at maximum effort then one of lower intensity, then repeat the cycle to achieve a cumulative effect.  Adding high intensity exercise with your heart rate at 80% of maximum forces your body to use fast-twich muscle fibers that are not normaly used in cardio workouts.  These muscle fibers will continue burning fuel even during lower intensity exercise.  With Insanity you will likely be working out at 85% of maximum and as a result you could be burning as much as 1,000 calories per hour!

While Shaun T’s earlier DVD programs Hip Hop Abs and Rockin’ Body were dance based, Insanity uses sports science and high level conditioning techniques to create its body composition changes.

While programs such as P90X and ChaLEAN Extreme focus on weight training to build muscle and burn fat, Insanity uses only the resistance of your own body to crank up your cardio, lower you body fat percentage and sculpt your muscles.  The only gear you need are water, a towel, and you own commitment.

Insanity is geared towards people in top physical shape, extreme athletes, graduates of other Beachbody programs, cardio workout lovers and former scholastic athletes.  It is not recomended for beginners, pregnant woman, obese people, people who aren’t willing to work hard or people who don’t consistently do high-impact exercise.  There are other Beachbody programs that can help to get us ready for Insanity.

Insanity by Shaun T, Beachbody's newest, most extreme DVD workout!

Insanity includes:

10 Insane workouts!

1: Dig Deeper
& Fit Test

To start, Shaun will put your body to the test and see what you’re made of.

2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Burn fat with intervals of intense lower-body plyo and sweat-inducing cardio.

3: Cardio Power & Resistance

Build lean muscle and upper-body definition with strength-training and power moves.

4: Cardio Recovery

Shaun goes easier on you once a week so you’re ready for the next round.

5: Pure Cardio
& Abs

Skip the intervals—this nonstop cardio workout is all extreme.

6: Cardio Abs

Do explosive intervals of cardio and core moves for rock-hard abs.

7: Core Cardio
& Balance

Take a break after month 1 and gear up for month 2 with this workout.

8: Max Interval Circuit

The interval circuit that’s more intense than anything you’ve ever done before.

9: Max Interval Plyo

Push your legs ’til they beg for mercy with power and plyo, all at your MAX.

10: Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs

Get pushed to your limit with this extreme cardio workout.

Insanity can be purchased here for $119.85 the Deluxe package can be purchased here for $164.70 and the Deluxe Results and Recovery package can be purchased here for $239.70

If you join the Team Beachbody Club you can save 10% on all Beachbody products.

Or sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach and save 25% on Insanity as well as all Beaqchbody purchases and 50% on all shipping, all while potentially earning money just for getting fit!

You can see a longer video with behind the scenes filming action on my Videos page.

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Beachbody releases Insanity!

The program is broken down into two alternating routines, the ‘Sculpt’ which is a resistance based circuit training workout and the ‘Sweat’, which is a cardio/aerobic/abs workout.  All the exercises are designed to be done at home with a minimum of equipment such as the included resistance bands.  Through the entire program you are reminded to go at your own pace and hit pause when necessary.  You will be better off going slow and completing each workout than pushing yourself too hard and burning out half way through and not finishing all the exercises.

Level 1-2 Sculpt is about 29 minutes.  You start with a stretch based warm up followed by three sets of various resistance based exercises.  These range from several different types of push-ups, upper body resistance band sets of overhead presses, curls, triceps extensions, etc. and lower body workouts such as lunges and squats.

Level 1-2 Sweat lasts around 36 minutes.  After your warm up stretching it’s right into power yoga moves such as upward and downward dog, plank, warrior, etc.  Then you start with 2 rounds of low impact aerobics followed by 2 rounds of higher intensity aerobics then some lateral X, boxing type foot work..  Now that your really starting to sweat its into a few rounds of Kenpo style kicking then a few rounds of punches.  After a few minutes to cool down get comfortable on your back for 10 sets of 10 different crunches.

Halfway through the program or when your comfortable with the workouts you switch to the level 3-4 which ramps things up.  Even though your still told to go at your own pace your subtly reminded that it’s level 3-4 and you should try to “Bring It”. The workouts are a little longer and you are either adding sets, doing harder variations of the exercises or just adding new exercises to target different muscle groups.

Also included are:

• Program Guide
• 90-day calendar
• New Fat Burning Express DVD
• Fat Burner Meal Plan
• 6-Day Fat Burning Express Plan
• Success measurement card and tape measure
• And a Power Sculpting Band FREE!

The program does not use any sort of fad diet or magic pill, just tried and true methods that work such as calorie deficit and resistance training.  If you read the Beachbody web site you will notice it says “Fat Burning” and not “Weight loss”.  There is an important difference, while you want to lose fat you don’t want to lose lean muscle along with it.  That is just what will happen if you only diet without resistance training at least 3 times a week.  It’s not just a DVD exercise program, it’s a way to start a new, healthier lifestyle.

If you have any questions about this or any other Beachbody workout PLEASE use the contact page on the top menu bar to email me, I really do want to help you on your journey.  Beachbody has other DVD workout programs that might be a better fit for you depending on your goals, the style of workout you enjoy  and how fit you are now.  As a Beachbody coach I’m here to help you get the most out of your workout time.  You can pay it forward when its time, there is nothing quite like the feeling you will get when you help someone reach their fitness goals.

You can read more on the Beachbody forums where people post their stories and before & after photos.  Sign up for a free account here.

The cost is $59.85 and it can be purchased here.

If you want to save %10 you can join the Beachbody Club.

If you would rather buy Beachbody products such as Power 90 for 25% off, help others get fit, and even possibly make money while getting fit you can sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach like I did.

Post from: Build a New You

Review of Power 90 In-Home Boot Camp DVD Workout Program

Monday morning I got up at 4:30am and did a full workout of the sculpt 3 – 4 DVD.  It was decent, I pushed most things up a notch. 58 total push-ups, a new personal record, 6 of those being triceps push-ups which I have a hard time with. 118 squats, another personal best.  Monday night was a late night out being the final classroom night and written test of the MSF rider class my wife and I were taking that I talked about in my last workout review.

Tuesday morning it was not easy to get out of bed after 5 hours sleep. The Sweat 3 – 4 workout was slower than usual with more pauses…  It was an even later night being the final riding range and evaluation for the MSF class.

Wednesday I over slept.I was only able to complete a little over half the workout before running out of steam and figured I’d get the rest of the workout in after work.  Wrong.  We had company coming over to join us for an outdoor concert as part of our towns 4th of July celebration.  Another late night…

I was beat Tursday and give it a pass, felt like I had let myself down on this one.

Friday was the same, we left for a weekend of sailing so that was the end of the week as far as Power 90 went.

This weekend I’m on vacation so I will be getting back on track!

A full review of the Beachbody Power 90 In Home Bootcamp DVD workout set can be found Here.

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Power 90 Workout Review for 6-29-09 To 7-5-09

What made me think of this conversation was a recent article on over training over at T-Nation. I’m not going to repeat everyting in the article but they talk about seeing muscle gain by doing a set to failure (while keeping good form), possiblly two or three sets max, then moving on.

It’s always nice to have another source back up the theory of what your doing.

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You do HOW many sets?

Anthony (Tony) Horton, the certified fitness instructor and developer of the Power 90, Power 90 Master Series, 10 Minute Trainer, P90X, P90X Plus and One on One with Tony Horton workout system was born 1958 in Westley, Rhode Island. After graduation from the University of Rhode Island he moved to LA where he started his own personal transformation working out at the famous Golds Gym. He pursued the lean, toned muscular look instead of going for the bulky body builder shape and came up with routines to further that goal. His training style, personality and results made him a highly sought after personal trainer in the LA area. You can see some of his work on the cast of “The 13th Warrior” (no, the actors didn’t look that cut before working out with Tony for the film). The next big break (for us using his videos) came when he teamed up with Beachbody to develop DVD video workouts that can be done in a home setting with a minimum of equipment, much of which, such as resistance bands, are included with the workout programs. His videos run the gamut from just starting out down the road to fitness by getting active and loosing weight (like I need) to extreme “getting ripped” workouts for people who are already in great physical condition (which I will work up to).
Tony currently resides in Santa Monica, California and will, hopefully, continue to come out with great, fun, DVD workout programs for us mere mortals to use.

Now that I have that out of the way I can gather my thought on the Power 90.

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Tony Who?

I got in a full 8 hours of sleep last night but was still a little behind I guess, since I got up a half hour late today.  I made it through Sweat 4 – 5 without any problems but was running really late so skipped the Ab Ripper 200 routine and will have to do that one after work.  I also left for work without bringing in any healthy snacks so it’s looking like cafateria food today.

A full review of the Beachbody Power 90 In Home Bootcamp DVD workout set can be found Here.

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Power 90 Workout Review (update) 6-25-09

This week has been slightly different as my wife and I are a taking motorcycle safety class which is required to get our licenses in the state of RI. These are Monday and Tuesday after work and get out at 10:00pm followed by a 1 hour drive home then winding down before bed.

Now for this mornings workout… Wednesday is sculpt 3 – 4 which I usually like more than the sweat 3 – 4 even though its a harder more tiring workout for me. I’ve been logging my reps and weight and early on noticed I wasn’t doing so well. 2 fewer decline pushups, only 7 bicep curls instead of Mondays 8 with the same weight, etc.

After the end of the second set with the lunge / squats I was done… I was definitely disappointed in myself but will finish the workout tonight after work.

The only thing I can think of that has changed and might be responsible for this laps in my ability to “bring it” is the lack of a decent rest the past 2 nights. Part of the program, along with the workouts and diet, is getting 7-8 hours sleep to recover and rebuild. OK, this point has been driven home, lesson learned!

There is one more week of these night classes then its back to my normal routine, lots of rest and pushing myself to do one more rep, a little more weight, one fewer pause each workout.

A full review of the Beachbody Power 90 In Home Bootcamp DVD workout set can be found Here.

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Power 90 Workout Review 6-24-09