Anyone tried the Insanity (created by the same folks as the P90x) DVD set/program for getting back into shape after a prolonged period of non-activity (i.e. injury, pregnancy/post-partum, or whatever)? I love intense cardio and in addition to running/biking/swimming, this seems like a good thing to do as part of the cross-training (maybe not every day though) to get back into a decent shape sooner rather than later, no?
Insanity is pretty intense, especially if you push it. When I do it, there is no energy or motivation left for swim/bike/run.
To get back into shape, I would swim/bike/run at a moderate pace/time.
I quit doing insanity during tri season as it slowed me down rather than made me faster. During off season it is great for cross training.
I lost about 25 lbs pretty quickly with Insanity. Was a great way to get back in shape.
I have not used it in conjunction with Tri at all. I started doing duathlons after I finished Insanity (my run pace came way down) and then ventured into tri this year as my sole focus.
Its a good workout but be careful if you have knee problems. There is a lot of jumping, no standing still like in p90x.
In true ST fashion I have 0 experience with Insanity but I’ll offer a reply nonetheless :D. My wife bought T25 or whatever it’s called after we had our first baby 6 months ago. It’s the same guy/same company (Beachbody?). She only managed about a week of it before she gave up. She loved how high intensity it was but decided that this wasn’t the time to do 5 workouts / week (and she didn’t want to compromise and skip days). Interestingly enough, apparently just by breastfeeding (you mentioned post-partum), she dropped to her pre-pregnancy weight/size by 5 months and by 6 she was actually down a few pounds even from that.
So the cardio fitness gained from all the plyo has no benefit on running/cycling (I.e. increased lung capacity or lactic thresholds)?
Anyone tried the Insanity (created by the same folks as the P90x) DVD set/program for getting back into shape after a prolonged period of non-activity (i.e. injury, pregnancy/post-partum, or whatever)? I love intense cardio and in addition to running/biking/swimming, this seems like a good thing to do as part of the cross-training (maybe not every day though) to get back into a decent shape sooner rather than later, no?
Depends on what you mean by “get back in shape.” Insanity has very little to do with triathlon. If by “get back in shape” you mean losing weight, then your focus should be on nutrition. Being lean is 95% nutrition, 5% exercise. If by “get back in shape” you mean general, non specific fitness and improving health, then it is probably as good as anything else.
However, the best program is always the one that you will do. If Insanity motivates you, do it.
So the cardio fitness gained from all the plyo has no benefit on running/cycling (I.e. increased lung capacity or lactic thresholds)?
Plyometrics are beneficial to runners but not in that context. Google Dr. Skiba and read some his work as it pertains to plyo and endurance athletes. Benefits are there but more along the lines of building the “elastic rebound”.
I’ve owned the CD set for 3 years and done multiple stints. It’s very high intensity and as noted earlier, lots of jumping, bouncing, running in place so knees can take a pounding.
I bought it originally for winter work and did 2 months worth in 2011. It was certainly good to help a “cyclist only” use some other muscles and core strength. That said, I can’t ride and do it as well.
I’ve restarted it a 3 times since and lasted 2-3 weeks. The last time, I intentionally took it easier because if you go full monty on it, it’s very difficult (for me).
I loved insanity. I would do my run or bike beforehand and then hit it. My core strength went through the roof and my run got substantially better. It was hard on my Achilles/calf but I got a mat and it was better. Believe or not the shakeology that they sell is actually pretty damn good.
I say use it off season and beginning of of season.
You’ll be hindering any high intensity S,B,R workouts that you do if you’re doing Insanity the same day. That being said, Insanity won’t benefit you on any of the 3 legs as much as a good S,B,R would have.
But, It’s an awesome training tool to 1: stay in shape during the offseason, 2: work on functional mobility/strength and core strength, 3: do on your days when you want to work out but cardio doesn’t sound necessarily all that great.
I used to do Insanity, but I only performed 3-4 of the video tapes, depending on what I wanted to work out to supplement my tri training. I noticed that during the winter it helped me from adding on fat when my training volume plummeted, and I felt stronger. When I attempted to supplement my training in season, my tri training would suffer if I did an Insanity workout. Not terribly, but I would see no gains in my swim, bike, run times.
I did the 1st month of insanity during the offseason. Like others said, if you do the workouts right you won’t have energy for SBR. It does give you a more athletic/beach body look, but did not help improve my SBR. It did help with functional strength because you move in all different planes. It is more suited for someone that needs to work on their agility, which is not really needed for SBR.
So it sounds like if someone wanted to build up a base for triathlon racing in the off-season (October - April) after 9 months of inactivity (pregnancy) the best bet would be to just stick with SBR instead of insanity. On the other hand, insansity may help with overall muscle tone and appearanc of the body, especially if one will need to lose about 25lbs of “baby fat” and if one needs to work on getting the basic core strength back…Maybe I will try it for a couple of days a week as a supplement, on the days when I don’t do SBR.
…Maybe I will try it for a couple of days a week as a supplement, on the days when I don’t do SBR.
That’s the attitude. Let us know how it works.
I really like the program, but could never figure out how to fit it into triathlon training without hurting my SBR. It would be great if someone could develop a schedule for both!
If I was 40 years younger, I would do it everyday as a cooldown after the SBR. Those were the days!
I do the Insanity warmups/stretching as a race warmup. But that is only 5-8 minutes… not a full 45 minutes, and it works well for that purpose.
BTW the first time I did Insantiy, I almost died just during the warmups, don’t expect them to be easy, as There is nothing sane about Insanity!!!
At the end of one of the workouts, Shawn collapses on the floor and states between heavy breaths “that shit is BANANAS yo!” Funny when your the instructor/creator and have a 3rd person comment about how tough it was.
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I’m partial to Tony Horton as I believe his jokes are in point, however, I’ve never done p90. I did insanity though, and like most people here it doesn’t really help with sbr, but is still an effective exercise regimen.