Shaun T’s Insane Training vs. Tony Horton’s P90x Training

First of all I would like to say that I did 1 full round of P90x and Insanity and had great results with both programs. Insanity and P90x are from the Beachbody company. Beachbody programs always come with excellent customer support (30-day money-back policy) and fast, reliable shipping. Both come in nice boxes containing fitness guides, nutrition guides, workout DVDs, and calendars to mark your daily completion. But Insanity’s guide to fitness is a little booklet that goes straight to the basics (they say in the infomercial that they want us to exercise, not read). The P90x fitness guide has many pages.

P90x is a 90-day in-house boot camp system that promises great results in 90 days. It has 12 training routines and is based on Muscle Confusion. Basically, he says to do 6-7 (Day 7 is X-Stretch or Rest) different workouts during the week. so you don’t stagnate and stop seeing results. MUST HAVE A PULL UP BAR OR SOME WAY OF DOING LIFTS OR CHIN UP. Take the p90x fit test to see if P90x is right for you. The P90x fit test is 8 routines measured by repetitions in a specific time (use modifications at will). 90x is broken down into 3 phases or months. The first 3 weeks of these phases you will complete the same 6-7 exercises throughout the week, but the last week of the month is called the recovery phase where you are introduced to a whole new week of exercises that allow your body to rest. from resistance training and have cardio and abdominal workouts throughout this week. This week is no joke!! Here are the workouts for P90X:

# Chest and back (weight/resistance training)

# Plyometrics (Cardio)

# Shoulders and arms (weight/resistance training)

# Yoga X (Flexibility and Stability)

# Legs and back (weight/resistance training)

# Kenpo X (Cardio) All works range from (45-60 minutes)

# Chest, Shoulders and Triceps (Weight/Resistance Training) Except Yoga X (96 minutes)

# Back and biceps (weight/resistance training except Ab Ripper X (16 minutes)

# Core Synergistics (Cardio and Core)

# X Stretch (Flexibility)

# Cardio X (Cardio and Core and Flexibility)

# Ab Ripper X (Ab Routine)

In the second phase of P90x, they introduce 2 new workouts at workouts 6-7 and remove 2 so you can still do 6-7 workouts per week. This allows for more muscle confusion on resistance training days due to the 2 new resistance workouts. They are great too. New and tougher moves than phase one! 3 weeks of this again and then the same recovery week.

The last phase is the best, this is when the real muscle confusion begins! Each week they are swapped back and forth to continually trick your body through different exercises. For example: What you did in week 1 you will do in (Month 1) weeks 1 and week 3 and what you did in (Month 2) week 1 happens in the second week and then it goes back to week 1 of the first month and son and so on. (week 1, week 5, week 1, week 5, and then the big recovery week).

Shaun T’s Insanity is a home-based cardio workout that promises a total body transformation in 63 days. The Insanity Deluxe system also has 12 DVDs (the basic kit has 9). high for long periods of time and with minimal rest periods (about 30-60 seconds). This is the toughest workout ever recorded on DVD! I can honestly say that the infomercial was right! You also perform fit tests throughout Insanity (5 times) to track your progress. It’s really amazing to see where you are after 63 days! Madness is divided into 3 segments.

The first segment or month you will rotate 5 workouts (training 6 days a week, no 7 day workout! You’ll be praying for the rest day lol. About 35 minutes a day for 1 month workouts.

2nd segment you have your recovery week basically they want you to use Core Cardio and Balance for 6 days. I just switched between Core Cardio and Balance and Max Interval Sports Training to prepare for my 2 month Maxed out workouts.

3rd segment month 2 Things really get tough in the last month at this point, workouts are about 25 (45-60 min for month 2 workouts) minutes longer so eat more healthy foods! New workouts and new moves you’ll love!

1: Go Deeper and Fit Test: To start, Shaun T 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 plyometrics and sweat-inducing cardio.

3: Cardio Power and Endurance: Build lean muscle and upper body definition with strength training and insane workout power moves.

4: Cardio Recovery – Shaun T helps you once a week to get you ready for the next round of the Insanity Workout.

5: Pure Cardio: Skip the intervals, this non-stop cardio workout is extreme.

6: Cardio Crunches: Do explosive intervals of cardio and abdominal exercises for rock hard abs.

7: Core Cardio & Balance: Take a break after month 1 of the Insanity workout and prepare for month 2 with this workout.

8: Max Interval Circuit: The interval circuit that is more intense than anything you’ve done before.

9: Max Interval Plyo – Push your legs until they beg for mercy with power and plyo, all to your MAX.

10: Max Cardio Conditioning Abs – Push yourself to the limit with this extreme cardio workout.

11: Insane Abs – These are nothing but crazy ab chopping moves that will really define your core!

12: Max Interval Sports Training: It’s a fun workout that performs various sports exercises like boxing, basketball, soccer, and gymnastics.

Upper Body Weight Training – Not your usual weight lifting. This is a bonus DVD that says Shaun T likes to lift weights from time to time.

With all that being said, P90x will get you in the best shape of your life with several cardio and flexibility training workouts in 90 days (I lost 47 pounds with p90x). Tony Horton will keep you laughing and motivated throughout the entire 90 days.

Shaun T’s Insanity will put you in the best condition of your life with your own body weight and the will to survive. You’ll be doing a lot of different pull-ups and jumping moves that will really tighten and strengthen your entire body. Insanity also has stretches that really work deep into the muscles. If you have any weak lower body such as legs, knees, lower back, Insanity might not be a good fit for you because of all the jumping.

Also, you shouldn’t jump right into trying Shaun T’s Insanity to build a solid fitness foundation before trying Insanity. Wear very good Insanity running shoes to protect your joints and joint support.

I lost 13 pounds with Insanity and 4 inches off my waist!! I started my fitness journey at 284 and today I weigh 224 thanks to these two great and intense workouts!

Lastly, P90x and Insanity are totally different and extreme, but both offer excellent results. Just remember that nutrition is 75% of the battle! Enjoy my friends!