Shaun T's Insanity by Beachbody - Is It as Really Insane As They Say?

When my wife called me on the phone to tell me Shaun T had a new workout program coming out late in the summer 2009, my interest wasn't peaked very much. Mostly because all I knew of Shaun T at the time was that he was that lead dancing guy that my wife worked out to all the time in a program called "Hip Hop Abs". He was built, spoke somewhat feminine, and worked out by dancing to hip hop beats in the background. My wife loves it, and after a couple plees to do it with her I gave in.. and... then gave up! I am not a dancer, and trying to follow those routines just didn't cut it for me. She told me it was called Insanity, it used no weights and was 60 days long. "Does he dance?" I asked, expecting to hear "of course!" come right back at me. "No" she said, laughing at the tone of my question, knowing my dislike of "dance routine workouts".
I returned home and quickly watched the promo Insanity workout video from my wife's PC. "Warning, we believe this is the hardest workout ever put on DVD" the narrator continued... "if you can get through it, it will get you into the best shape of your life.." It was seeing the footage from that promo that I realized very quickly...there is nothing feminine about Shaun T! This looked like a monster workout! Just coming off P90x's 90 day challenge, I was ready and willing for another. And how bad could it be, being only sixty days? I just got done doing 90 with Tony Horton.
Insanity comes with 10 workout discs, a welcome slick from Shaun T, an overview of exactly what the program is and what you are getting yourself into, and the Elite Nutrition Guide which lays out everything you need to eat to make sure you are ready for the workouts! All this, packaged in a very impressive case shaped like a book with pages. I love being impressed right out of the box. I mean, c'mon, if Beachbody put this much effort into the packaging, what kind of quality could I expect from the workouts?
Upon completing the 63 day challenge, I can tell you that these workouts are nothing short of, well..Insanity! The warms-ups on each day consist of three sets of a three minute exercise routine that involves jogging, jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees and others. The first round is enough to take your breath away, by the time you are in your second round, you literally start to wonder why your putting yourself through this! If you have made it to the third round, you'll hear Shaun T encouraging you to "..Move faster now, Come on, let's goooo..", and if the sweat isn't pouring off you by this point, you must have been standing their watching everybody on the screen doing so! I will tell you, the people working out with Shaun T on these workouts, while in great shape, are taking a serious beating. These individuals are really working hard, their taking breaks and drinking water. There are no put-ons with Insanity! After the third round of the warm up, you get a thirty second break you go into the stretch. It's crazy how you can just be starting a workout and you are already completely exhausted from the warm-up!

Insanity is a cardio-based total body conditioning program that is broken down into two parts, Month one and Month two. Both months contain interval training, a concept that Shaun T turns upside down!
It's basically greater workout times with short bursts of rest, usually thirty seconds. You will workout six days a week during both parts, but only do about thirty to forty minutes a day during the first month. Going into the second half, being more conditioned for the workouts, Shaun T increases the workout time to about forty-five to fifty minutes a day doing MAX Intervals! Very intense workouts like Plyometrics, Pure Cardio and Max intervals will have you begging Shaun T to let up!

So I answer the question to "just how insane is Shaun T's Insanity?" I would say it is about as Insane a workout as anyone could have come up with. I no longer think of Shaun T as feminine, (don't hurt me Shaun T) but a beast, a freakin' machine! Working out with Shaun T is like have a personal trainer right there in your living room. He seems to know when your struggling and motivates you to get back up and "Dig Deeper"! They say conquering Insanity is like conquering your own Mount Everest, well. I am glad I dug deep and I did conquer my own Mount Everest, because it has totally changed the way I look at fitness, and the way I take care of myself. If you dig deep down inside of yourself and see what your made of, you just might be able to reach that level of fitness you never thought possible with Shaun T's Insanity!

Shane Miles is a Territory Manager with U.S. Foodservice and Active Team Beachbody Coach! Also a two time graduate of the P90X 90 day workout challenge and a graduate of Insanity's 60 day cardio - conditioning program. And As a Team Beachbody Coach, he helps others participate in a fit and healthy lifestlye, and to achieve their fitness goals! You can watch Shane's journey through Insanity by visiting his youtube channel.

If you are interested in contacting shane, you may do so through his website at http://shanemiles.com