Intent of Fitness Program

The intent of the Insanity: The Asylum workout program is to get you into the best athletic shape of your life. Insanity: The Asylum is billed as the world's first at-home sports-specific physical training program. Shaun T and Beachbody have worked to create a program based on the drills used by professional athletes, and in this regard, they've certainly succeeded. The program includes a combinations of plyometrics, cardio, core workouts and strength, speed and agility training, all of which combine to prepare you for the next level regardless of the sport you play.

Insanity: The Asylum accomplishes its goals by offering the following six primary workouts:

• Speed and Agility - 45 minutes - A fast-paced cardio workout that includes both aerobic and floor workouts to help you increase your athletic quickness and overall speed.
• Vertical Plyo - 40 minutes - A plyometrics workout that incorporates vertical and horizontal leaps with jump rope routines designed to work your lower body.
• Relief - 25 minutes - An aggressive stretching workout intended to facilitate the development of long, lean muscles and increased flexibility.
• Strength - 50 minutes - A strength training routine using varying levels of resistance.
• Game Day - 60 minutes - A cross-training workout designed to test your sports skills as you acquire them throughout the fitness program.
• Back to Core - 45 minutes - A core workout designed to develop your abs, hamstrings and glutes, giving you the explosive strength you need to compete in any sport.

The Insanity: The Asylum workout program also includes two bonus workouts:

• Athletic Performance Assessment - 25 minutes - A performance measurement tool that will help to highlight the improvements you make during your time with Insanity: The Asylum.
• Overtime - 15 minutes - A short, advanced workout designed to help you maintain the fitness levels you achieve after completing the program.

Insanity: The Asylum includes several materials designed to facilitate your accomplishment of the program's requirements. These include:

• 8 workouts across 6 DVDs
• Agility Ladder (a portable, adjustable ladder that's used in many of the program's cardio routines)
• Speed Rope (a durable jump rope used to improve your endurance, agility and foot speed)
• Workout Calendar (which describes the workouts and routines that you should be performing each day in various combinations)
• Guide Playbook (a step-by-step guide covering everything you'll need to do over the course of the 30-day program)
• Nutrition Plan (with meals and recipes designed to fuel your body with a regimened caloric intake and an ideal mix of protein, carbohydrates and fat)

Primary Areas Worked

Insanity: The Asylum is a comprehensive total body workout program designed to increase your athletic performance by working your abs, back, shoulders, legs, arms and chest. Each day, you'll perform the workouts provided on the included DVDs in different combinations. The workouts themselves include a wide variety of exercises, such as the following:

• Agility Bear Crawl
• Agility Lateral Shuffle
• Moving Push-Ups
• X Jumps
• Agility Shoulder Taps
• Mountain Climber Switch Kicks
• Pull-Ups/Push-Ups
• In and Out Ab Progression
• Agility Heisman

Program Length/Frequency

The Insanity: The Asylum fitness program lasts for a total of 30 days. This may come as a surprise to those who completed the original version of Insanity, which had a duration of 60 days. However, Shaun T and Beachbody are confident that a single month of rigorous training will be sufficient to see results, so long as the program is followed exactly. This makes the program ideal for those who may have an athletic season quickly approaching, but who don't have the time for a 3-month or longer workout program to prepare.

The program itself is very intense, and requires you to work out six days out of each week, with a single day devoted to rest. You can expect to spend at least one hour each day on an aggressive exercise routine designed to achieve rapid results.

Effectiveness/Results of the Program

Overall, Insanity: The Asylum is very effective in accomplishing its goal of serving as an intensive sports-specific workout program. Most users see results within one or two weeks of starting the program, so long as they're following all of the workouts and suggestions provided by the Guide Playbook and Workout Calendar. Although many fitness program users only purchase packages such as Insanity: The Asylum for their workout DVDs, it's advisable to take advantage of the included Nutrition Plan. Professional athletes carefully monitor the food they eat even during the off-season, and this is something that you should strive to replicate as you work your way through Insanity: The Asylum.

Beachbody has received several positive testimonials from customers who have used the program, as well as some suggestions as to how the program could be improved. These user reviews highlight some important characteristics regarding Insanity: The Asylum:

• The workouts are very intense (even more intense than those in the original Insanity), and are best suited to individuals who already have a base level of physical fitness.
• Shaun T does an excellent job of keeping you motivated and explaining the moves, making it relatively easy to follow along.
• The program offers an ideal combination of cardio and strength training.
• The program is versatile enough to be used for general fitness and weight loss, even if you're not competing in a sport.
• The program's space and equipment requirements are more demanding than those imposed by other Beach Body programs, such as P90X, Turbo Jam and the original Insanity.
• Although Insanity: The Asylum includes a stretching routine, more emphasis could be placed on warming up and cooling down before and after each workout.

Equipment/Space Requirements

As some of Insanity: The Asylum's users have commented, this program has some rather imposing space and equipment requirements that may come as a surprise if you're accustomed to Beachbody's other products. Many of the workouts, especially the Vertical Plyo and Speed and Agility routines, require a significant amount of space due to the leaping and jump rope exercises that are included. You'll need to be very mobile throughout the entire program, necessitating a large amount of space in front of the TV and DVD player you plan to use when watching Insanity: The Asylum.

The program's equipment requirements are similarly challenging. Although the Insanity: The Asylum workout program does include a speed rope and an agility ladder, many of the exercises call for equipment that's only available in the Deluxe edition of the program. The Deluxe upgrade alone costs the same price as the program itself, and includes the following items:

• Chin-Up Bar (when mounted in a doorframe, this lets you perform chin-ups using 12 different grip positions, allowing you to work your abs, back, arms or shoulders depending on the grip you use)
• Chin-Up Max (a chin-up assistance tool with a foot stirrup, this allows you to complete more reps and improve your muscle balance as you alternate between your feet)
• Strength Bands (including red, yellow and green strength bands with varying levels of resistance)

If you already own items similar to these, you can easily complete all of the workouts suggested by Insanity: The Asylum. You can also choose to forgo the purchase of these items and start the program without them. You can buy the items later after deciding whether the additional $90 investment is worthwhile.

Aside from these considerations, Insanity: The Asylum requires a few basic pieces of exercise equipment that you may already own. These include loose-fitting exercise clothing, water bottles and a yoga or gym mat. A heart rate monitor can help you make the most out of the cardio routines, of which Insanity: The Asylum includes several.

Physical Requirements

The Insanity: The Asylum workout program is designed primarily for those who have already graduated from the original Asylum program, and those who are serious about improving their current level of physical fitness to match that of a professional athlete. The program is incredibly intense even when compared to advanced programs such as P90X and Turbo Fire. However, if you haven't already completed Insanity, you shouldn't feel like you're obligated to do so before trying Insanity: The Asylum. The program thoroughly explains all of the moves you'll need to perform, and it doesn't expect you to bring any of the knowledge you may have learned if you completed the original Insanity.

With all of that said, it's important to mention that the Insanity: The Asylum workout program still offers benefits to those who haven't yet achieved a basic level of fitness. Although it may take some time before you're able to keep up with the routines, the entire program can be completed inside of your own home. This saves you the potential embarrassment of trying out an advanced and strenuous workout program in a crowded gym.

Support

Beachbody is renowned for offering some of the best customer support in the health and fitness industry, and their backing of Insanity: The Asylum is no different. As a Beachbody customer, you'll have access to these direct service channels:

• 24/7 toll-free phone
• Email
• Live chat

Those who purchase or are considering the purchase of Insanity: The Asylum can also receive support by visiting the Beachbody message boards, in which users share their experiences with the program and ask questions, and the Beachbody FAQ section, which answers the most commonly posed questions regarding the company's workout programs.

If you're unsatisfied with Insanity: The Asylum for any reason, Beachbody will process a return request and refund the entirety of your purchase price, minus shipping and handling. You'll have 30 days to decide whether you wish to keep the program. Primum Esse Executive Search in Vilnius, Lithuania, Baltics

Cost

You can purchase the Insanity: The Asylum fitness program for three monthly installment payments of $29.95 each, plus $14.95 shipping and handling. If you'd prefer, you can purchase the program with a one-time payment of $89.95, plus the same shipping fee. You can upgrade to expedited shipping, which allows you to receive the fitness program in 2 to 4 business days, by paying an additional $9.95.

Beachbody also offers a Deluxe upgrade for Insanity: The Asylum. This upgrade package costs $89.95, and includes a chin-up bar, chin-up assist and strength bands. You can purchase the original Insanity: The Asylum with its Deluxe upgrade as a complete package for $179.70.