Insanity FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

1. Unable to do the fit test, now what?

Define unable. If you feel pain in the chest, or have shortness of breath, or some hearth issues, then consult a doctor immediately. If you feel pain in the joints and ankles then also try and find another solution.

But if unable means doing one push-up instead of 20, and three minutes of rest instead of one, then I guess a talk about will power and determination is more appropriate here. Over time the workout doesn’t get easier – you get stronger.

2. What is the best way to prepare for the Insanity workout?

The good thing about Insanity is that it can be done by both people who are in shape and ones who are not that much. It is designed for you to push yourself to YOUR limits.

However, being hard on the joints and back, as well as all muscle groups, if you are far from being in shape I will recommend giving yourself one week (maybe even two) where you will do compound exercises using your own body weight (pushups, sit-ups, squads, leg rises, and some jumping exercises), and running couple of miles per week as to get your cardio endurance up.

3. How much time out of your day does Insanity take?

The first month, given the fact that every workout lasts somewhere between 35-45 minutes, and considering a minute or two as to prepare for it (get a towel, water, cover the floor, maybe hook you laptop to a TV), not that much.

The videos for the second month though usually last for around 55 minutes to an hour. So even with adding the time for shower, you are done in less than one hour and a half.

4. When is the best time to do Insanity?

Depends. If you ask for the perfect scenario, then I guess it is you getting out of bed, having some breakfast, sitting on the porch, then taking a nap, and then after you wake up go and do Insanity.

But there isn’t a single person that I know of who can do that. Kidding aside, Insanity is very intense, so doing it in the mornings might get tough over time.

Remember, intense as it is, the body needs about an hour to adjust and recuperate. So I guess doing Insanity in the afternoons is a better decision after all.

I never did it in the mornings. Besides, doing Insanity in the afternoons will help you sleep even better.

5. Do you need a lot of room to do Insanity?

I did it in 4 square meters. And you can do it in even less than that. It does involve a lot of jumping though, so if someone lives right under you, then there is a chance that it will bother them a little bit.

6. Does Insanity really work?

Now let’s be real here. Taking in mind the nature of the exercises, and adding a healthy diet into the picture, what do you think? This is not a joke, this is hard work. If you train like an athlete you will look like an athlete. And Insanity is even more in intensity than what some athletes are doing.

7. Where to buy the Insanity workout program from?

*Update – All Beachbody workouts, as of recently, are sold through their subscription model titled Beachbody on Demand. Therefore, I’d recommend the official Beachbody On Demand website.

The cost is $99 for a yearly subscription, but get this – you will also have access to All of their latest programs, All of the popular programs (such as Insanity and P90X), and as if this wasn’t enough – All of Beachbody Future releases!

The subscription to Beachbody on Demand comes with a 30 day money back guarantee as well.

8. How hard is insanity workout?

There is a chapter in the insanity workout review dedicated for this question – Who can do this?

9. Does Insanity get easier?

As a matter of fact it doesn’t. It gets harder- the videos from the second month are both longer and containing more complex movements. But you get stronger, a lot stronger, so it seems like it gets easier.

10. Will Insanity make me bulky?

I have heard this question like a dozens of times. The answer is not that much, but it all depends. Guys, having more testosterone, are likely to build more muscle.

Also, it depends on how much protein you consume during the program. But with Insanity being more cardio centered than anything else, I will have to say no.

It will give you that ripped look, that athletic look, rather than make you look like you’ve been weight lifting. It’s muscle definition and fat burning more than anything else.

11. How many different Insanity workouts are there?

One workout. The Asylum series are something entirely different. The Insanity: Asylum and Insanity: Asylum 2 are created by the same company and the same coach, but are designed to last 30 days and the nature of the exercises is slightly different.

They are a LOT harder than Insanity too. A LOT.

12. How long does it take to see results from insanity?

There is a chapter in the insanity workout review dedicated for this question – How quickly will the results come?

13. How many people finish Insanity?

Not that much actually when you consider percentage wise, though the number on the other hand is huge. But it has nothing to do with it being freakishly hard or anything. It is a matter of motivation, will power and discipline. This is a whole new ball game here guys. It is hard, but remember- when you go the last mile it’s never crowded.

14. What to do after finishing the Insanity workout?

The Insanity workout is super hard in terms of intensity. If you are the athletic type and want more fun after it you can go with the Insanity: Asylum, since it is logical if you want to up the ante.

You can also try some routine where you make a hybrid of the Insanity workout by adding some resistance exercises, or maybe even some weight lifting. If in shape, you can also combine it with some sport, or perhaps running.

I haven’t tried P90X, but from what I learned doing the research and talking to people, it is more muscle building oriented, and somewhat easier than Insanity; a lot easier when it comes to cardio. So if you want to keep yourself in great shape, or even see some muscle growth, then go with it.

15. What should the amount of sleep be during the Insanity workout?

Depends on you really, and a lot of other factors like what do you work, how stressed are you, how much physical activity do you do other than Insanity, are you treating yourself with a massage from time to time…

But on average I would say 7.5-8 hours of sleep. Maybe some 20 minute nap in the afternoon too.

16. Is Insanity good for track runners?

It was created by a track and field athlete, so you do the math. First of all, you cardio capacity will be way up. It’s max interval training, meaning a lot of cardio work.

Secondly, the exercises target the core quite a lot, from every possible angle, so you get a lot of explosiveness.

Both from the core exercises as well from the lot of leg work. High knee sprints, jumping jacks, heel rises, squads in all possible forms and variations, a lot of yoga moves for increasing range of motion…

All of this makes for the perfect workout. I’m into recreational 5K’s, and after completing Insanity I measured 21 minutes even without running a mile during the two months.

17. Can I do the Insanity workout in the evenings and run in the mornings?

I highly advice against running and doing Insanity at the same time. The thing is, you see, Insanity involves a lot of jumping thus putting a lot of stress on the ankles and joints.

Running at the very beginning, alongside doing Insanity can be very tricky. Translated in vernacular- you can badly injure your joints.

My advice is to wait for a while, get in decent shape, and if you really want to run that much maybe go for 3-4 miles per week. But remember, if you aim after results in looks then Insanity is enough. You see, if the body is rest deprived, or overworked, then the results are not that great.

18. What are the effects of insanity workout?

There is a chapter in the ultimate insanity workout review dedicated for this question – The nature of the exercises, and the effects they have on your body.

19. Will I get a six pack from Insanity?

Most definitely. The thing is, you see, with all that cardio done on daily basis your abdominal fat tissue will almost disappear, hence revealing your six pack. Size depends on protein intake as well as some genetic predispositions, but a lean defined abdominal area is a given.

This is also due to the fact that almost all of the workouts target your core in one way or another, and of course one of the workouts is designed specifically to give you the hardest abs workout there is.

20. How to increase my workout results with Insanity?

Now when it comes to this question there are different schools of thought.

On one hand, some might assume that doing more of the workouts, or adding some additional activity while doing the program will help them see results even faster.

But on the other, there are people who know better and make a different approach.

You see, adding additional exercises or fitness routines while doing the Insanity program will only wear you down even more, breaking muscle tissue way more than it should, making you more prone to injury, causing you to feel fatigue, increasing your cortisol levels (this makes muscle repair way slower).

But, if you add half to one hour of sleep more, or eat more protein either by increasing your meat intake or by adding some whey protein powder, or even break things down to basics such is doing less repetitions but doing them with the correct form, then you will see results way faster.

Food also helps. In fact it is more up to what you eat than anything else, so watch over your diet.

21. I feel like I will throw up during the Insanity workouts – what to do?

Couple of times I had the exact same feeling and it’s not pleasant at all.
So avoid eating like two hours before you hit the play button. Drink small sips of water instead of mouthfuls while working out, and start learning your body’s limits.

22. I feel my pulse being off the roof, what should I do?

Start learning your body and see to it that it never gets to that. If it does though, immediately stop, don’t panic and try to calm yourself down. I brought myself to the point of being short of breath couple of times, and it isn’t pretty.

23. What to do if I cannot sleep during the Insanity workout program?

Usually most of the people I’ve talked with sleep like lambs. However, there are some (I had a similar problem couple of days) who albeit being super tired are unable to fall asleep quickly.

First of all, have in mind that this workout is probably the hardest thing you will do physically in your life; Having said that, the logic dictates that your body will have a hard time adapting to the change happening inside.

Among the probable causes for having a hard time falling asleep are usually doing the workout too late in the evenings, muscle soreness and lack of hydration.

Doing the exercises in the evening or hour or two before you go to bed may be a problem since it will elevate your pulse, blood pressure, start a chain of chemical processes inside of your body. Lack of hydration on the other hand is also a big problem mostly because you will never see it coming.

How come? Well, you see, drinking a gallon of water after doing the workout will not help you here. Your body will already be slightly dehydrated, and it will be a while before all the water is processed and delivered where it should.

The answer here is to drink water throughout the day, and take small sips while doing the workout. You can start with the sips even before you push the play button. What drinking small amount of water on very frequent intervals does is efficiently hydrating your body.

24. I cannot follow the Insanity diet plan – what should I do?

The diet plan is great if you want to see the results you are after. But have in mind that it is not the ONLY option when it comes to nutrition. Try to see it as some sort of blueprint for healthy way of eating rather than the secret formula. You see, I never followed the exact diet plan, and still got the results I was after.

Try to follow the cornerstones of diet mentioned there. Eat 5-6 times per day, eat healthy food in the proportion of 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% healthy fats (monounsaturated and omega 3,6,9). Find the food sources which contain this nutritional value (lean meat, fish, fruits and vegetables) and make your own diet plan. Take my word for it- you will see the same results as if you were on the Insanity diet plan.

25. What can I look like after the Insanity program?

Depends on your current physique. But all in all expect nicely defined arms and shoulders, flat and sculpted chest if you are a guy, incredibly tightened abdominal area, tight but very well defined calves, and of course very tight thighs and butt (mostly due to the fact that half of the exercises involve jumping and positioning yourself in squad position, doing all varieties of squads).

Definitely lowered body fat percentage too. You will see muscles you never knew existed.

26. Will I get any muscle with the Insanity workout?

Again there are couple of answers to this questions. Girls don’t usually get that much of a muscle growth like guys since they have lower testosterone levels among other things. Anyway, even for guys, since all of the exercises are mostly cardio centered there isn’t that much of a muscle growth per se.

However, if you do the correct form of every exercise (go with the pushup all the way down, instead of counting speed reps while doing half the form right) and take the advised amount of protein, you will see some serious muscle growth. Remember, you will not get bulky, but instead have that ripped, athletic look.

27. Should I get anything in addition to Insanity?

No, the set is enough. Every exercise is done using your own body weight as to supply the resistance. You will only need sneakers (for better joint stability), something to cover the floor with (there will be a LOT of sweat), bottle of water and a towel.

28. Tips and tricks for insanity?

There is a chapter in the complete insanity workout review dedicated for this question – Tips for going through this exercise more easily (if that is possible at all).