Insanity Max 30

What is Insanity Max 30? 

The whole premise of Max 30 is to really and truly give it all you've got for the entire workout. The idea of "maxing out" means work at your full intensive for as long as possible, and only when you literally can't get in another rep, you write your "max out" time on your 60 day calendar.
I bought this program when I was feeling frustrated with my current fitness regimen, doing a few Jillian Michaels' DVD's combined with 10 Minute Solution, PiYo, and some randomly designed routine with weights.

 See that gut! Work in progress!

I needed structure, and I needed something that was going to get my lazy rear back in shape after a lazy winter and lack of motivation. Now I realize that I didn't have a lot of weight to lose, but I new that my endurance and general well-being had gone way downhill! 

The Workouts

Although the program as a whole was more cardio-heavy than what I generally enjoy, I saw results quickly enough that there was no way I would let myself quit! I bought the workout and signed up as a coach with Beachbody, which was something I'd been considering for close to a year at this point. I got the Challenge Pack, so I got a month of Shakeology too, which I'd tried the previous year and loved. I really did feel better drinking by shakes, but couldn't afford to continue as a grad student on my husband's income, but I really wanted the chance to try it again and make the whole coaching thing work. By this point, I knew that Beachbody's programs work, but I also knew that I needed to give it 100% and not give up or allow myself to get bored when I completed the program.

The program includes 2 month-long rotations of workouts, which you repeat teach week. You have a full 30-minute workout each weekday, and a recovery workout called Pulse to complete on the weekends (my favorite). There's also a great bonus 10-minute ab routine you can add for additional ab results!

The workouts are a form of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), which allows you to get maximum results in the minimum amount of time possible. There is a modifier that you can follow in a split-screen, which is amazing if you're recovering from an injury or don't have a high level of fitness to start. It's also possible to follow the modifier any time that you're having trouble with a particular movement.

Cardio challenge

The first workout is the "Cardio Challenge" and let me tell you, it was absolutely challenging the first time! I didn't even make it 3 minutes before I couldn't catch my breath and had to give up, yay me!
What was amazing though, was doing the Cardio Challenge again at the end of my 60 days and making it through the entire thing without a single break. It was super motivating! 

Sweat intervals

High intensity interval training at its best, I could feel the calories melting off every time I did this one, but I didn't look forward to this one.  The sequences were well-designed and do a great job of training the whole body in 30 minutes.

Tabata power

Tabata is a form of resistance training invented by a Japanese trainer that uses body weight for resistance. These Tabata style intervals 20 seconds on for each move and 10 seconds of off time, but believe me, it doesn't feel like a break!

Tabata strength

The moves in this workout are even more demanding than those in Tabata power, and definite had my muscles at the failure point quite a few times! It is one of my favorites though, and I have returned to it frequently since completing the program.

Friday Fight: Round 1

This one was truly a cardio workout on steroids. I know that it helped my endurance immensely, but if I was being honest, I would have to say that I dreaded this workout every Friday for the first month-no joke! I liked the Round 2, month 2 version much better because it felt much less cardio-intensive. 

Month 2: 

The workouts in Month 2 are supposed to be harder, but for some reason they didn't feel that way, maybe I was just that much more fit. If you have an idea why, let me know! Anyway, I liked the workouts here much better, there was less plyometrics, and more resistance based work overall. 

Max out cardio

This may be the craziest cardio workout you’ve ever tried, Just wait till you get to the first power move, in the words of Shaun T. Yeah, but I still liked it better than the first one!

Max out sweat

The more minutes you make it through, the more you sweat and the more calories you burn.

Max out power

The intervals are longer in this “45 seconds on, 15 seconds off” Tabata style plyometric power madness.
(From what I see, your legs are going to cry for mercy).

Max out strength

This workout gave  hard hit to the shoulders and core alike. My favorite were the pike pushups, love those! Anyway, I come back to this one frequently too. The intervals are 45 seconds on, just like Max Out Power. Its amazing how far you can come after a month of intense training every day!

Friday Fight: Round 2

Shaun T dubbed this one the “hardest workout ever.” It was definitely hard, but I'm not sure that it lived up to that level of hype. If I was making a comparison to Round 1, I would say that Round 2 is easier, but only if you've built up the requisite strength to handle it. It is less pure cardio and plyometrics than its first month sibling. 

Results:  

Pros:
-Gained muscle definition
-Gained strength
-Lost flab
-Much shorter workouts than original Insanity series
-Doesn't require as much coordination as T-25 or Hip Hop Abs (let's be real here!)

Cons:
-Short warmup/cooldown
-Lots of Cardio
-Can't say I looked forward to each workout

Wanting More? 
 If you're interested in the workout, I would definitely order the Challenge Pack with Shakeology. That way you are getting the benefit of some intense nutrition to match your intense workout along with a personal coach's support. 
What are you waiting for?