Beachbody Series Thread (Insanity Max 30 Released)

[ColePens]

There are no decent gyms that are convenient to get to within a convenient driving distance from my house and open at convenient hours. My choices are either belong to an awesome gym that is only open for an hour and a half after I get out of work (and it takes a half hour to get to) or go to a gym that's ten minutes from my house but is basically treadmills and has some light machines, all of which I can do about 50 reps each set on the highest weight settings. So basically it's a girls' gym, although I see plenty of weak men there as well.

So I started doing T25 because my girlfriend got it for free from one of her beachbody coach friends. And I really enjoyed most of it, my only complaint is sometimes I feel like certain body parts got way more attention than others (upper gets very little in alpha, and your back is basically ignored entirely). Insanity is way more intense than T25, but is also time consuming, and it's damn near impossible to not take breaks. P90x is a good workout but you need way more equipment and way more space, and that to me kinda defeats the purpose. If I had a home gym, I wouldn't need these videos. 21 Day Fix is an interesting one. I feel like Autumn does a better job of designing the workouts than Shaun T, though it's not as intense of a cardio workout.

They all have their pluses and minuses, but I love that I've learned tons of new workout moves that I never would have thought of had I not done any of these videos, and I'm in a much different kind of shape than I ever have been in my life. Better cardio shape than ever before, I have more burst, flexibility, and I can train on more days and have fewer rest days. It's best just to try all of the videos and see what works for you.

I've actually designed some of my own workouts since I feel like I've moved beyond what's in some of these videos. I have a list with times and use a stop watch. So now I know what all the workouts are about, so I've kinda figured out what's best for me and what areas I need most improvement in.

I think hybrid workouts taking the best from all the DVDs is an awesome thing.

After this Insanity Max 30 run, i'll incorporate ana wesome T25/Insanity/Gym hybrid. Killer workouts.


And I agree with you about T25 Alpha. Not a lot of upper body even though the total body made my shoulders the most defined they've ever been. My traps became intense after all the push up/plank holds.

 

[DaRange]

Definitely not as much as Insanity, that's for sure. I have done several cycles of Insanity and I would say that FocusT25 is a good combo of cardio, core, plyo, and strength. The program is easier on the joints, I find, but still packs a huge punch. Extremely well thought out program.

I'm 53 and I've been doing T-25 for 10 months. Do it 5X a week. Great workout and I also like that it's only 25 minutes. Best shape of my life!

 

[ColePens]

53 and rocking T25. Props to you. That's a crap load of impact so you gotta be in solid shape to pull it off. Good job

 

[RustyCat]

53 and rocking T25. Props to you. That's a crap load of impact so you gotta be in solid shape to pull it off. Good job

+1

 

[DCDM]

I think hybrid workouts taking the best from all the DVDs is an awesome thing.

After this Insanity Max 30 run, i'll incorporate ana wesome T25/Insanity/Gym hybrid. Killer workouts.


And I agree with you about T25 Alpha. Not a lot of upper body even though the total body made my shoulders the most defined they've ever been. My traps became intense after all the push up/plank holds.

I started Max:30 last week, and as someone who is further ahead than I am, I wanted to ask you your opinion on "maxing out".

I've been tracking my max outs as the point where I have to just stop because I'm totally gassed, while I've seen other people on the internet say that they count their max out as the point where they have to drop from the main workout to the modifier. I always though the modifier was there so that you could push through and push your max out even further. Wondered what your thoughts were on that?

 

[ColePens]

I started Max:30 last week, and as someone who is further ahead than I am, I wanted to ask you your opinion on "maxing out".

I've been tracking my max outs as the point where I have to just stop because I'm totally gassed, while I've seen other people on the internet say that they count their max out as the point where they have to drop from the main workout to the modifier. I always though the modifier was there so that you could push through and push your max out even further. Wondered what your thoughts were on that?

I've seen a lot of people on the internet focused on the number as opposed to focusing on the workout. That's definitely something Shaun T does not want. That's why Shaun T is posting videos of himself maxing out and dying through these workouts. It's meant to be your mental battle. Go as hard as you can go and your max out period is when you need to stop what you are doing or breaking form. Breaking form would mean modifying, too.

So if you are going hard and at 7 minutes need to switch to the modifier, then 7 minutes is your max out. I don't know many people doing it that way, because the idea here is to completely max out to the point where you HAVE to stop. But at the same time - it's still bad ass that you are dropping to the modifier to collect your breath. That will be very good in the long run in terms of calories burned.

My start times of maxing out were like 7 minutes in each workout. No shame in that. I went hard. Now it's like 16:40 for Cardio, 11:20 for Friday Fight, 11:00 for Sweat Intervals, and Tabata is ROUGH to get through w/ the pushups so i'm usually maxed out at the time we do the push up pop.

The major take away.. I see a lot of people obsessed with the number. It's not about the number. Even the most in shape person in the world SHOULD max out due to the fact they are pushing themselves harder than I would push myself. We all have different intensity levels.


As an aside - how are you liking the workouts so far? They are ****ing rough! I love putting my body through this pain, but man they are rough.

 

[DCDM]

I've seen a lot of people on the internet focused on the number as opposed to focusing on the workout. That's definitely something Shaun T does not want. That's why Shaun T is posting videos of himself maxing out and dying through these workouts. It's meant to be your mental battle. Go as hard as you can go and your max out period is when you need to stop what you are doing or breaking form. Breaking form would mean modifying, too.

So if you are going hard and at 7 minutes need to switch to the modifier, then 7 minutes is your max out. I don't know many people doing it that way, because the idea here is to completely max out to the point where you HAVE to stop. But at the same time - it's still bad ass that you are dropping to the modifier to collect your breath. That will be very good in the long run in terms of calories burned.

My start times of maxing out were like 7 minutes in each workout. No shame in that. I went hard. Now it's like 16:40 for Cardio, 11:20 for Friday Fight, 11:00 for Sweat Intervals, and Tabata is ROUGH to get through w/ the pushups so i'm usually maxed out at the time we do the push up pop.

The major take away.. I see a lot of people obsessed with the number. It's not about the number. Even the most in shape person in the world SHOULD max out due to the fact they are pushing themselves harder than I would push myself. We all have different intensity levels.


As an aside - how are you liking the workouts so far? They are ****ing rough! I love putting my body through this pain, but man they are rough.

Yeah I think that's something I need to remind myself of - focus on the workout, not the time at which I max out. Obviously it's a great way to see my progression but like if I'm giving 'er hard and then drop down to the modifier and never have to stop and catch my breath then I can see where that's sort of a false interpretation (that's a hypothetical, that has obv never happened hahaha)

My start times last week were hovering in between 4 and 7 minutes depending on the workout. Today I was able to get to 11 on Sweat Intervals, so I'm definitely starting to see the progression. And yeah, pushup pops are murder. I was able to do the first set yesterday, then took the 10 second rest, then I tried to go right back into the second set and my arms just couldn't do it.

I agree with what you're saying though. I mean I don't go into the workout thinking I have to beat my number from yesterday or from the last time I did that particular video (in fact I make a point not to look at my calendar so it's not in my head), I just go and give 'er and do the best I can. I'm starting to see how it's a mental battle though, especially when I know that a 10 second breather is coming up and if I can just push through an exercise and get to the breather then I can keep going. It's a good motivator.


I LOVE the workouts. I did a cycle of Insanity just over a year ago and loved it too. It feels like such an accomplishment when I finish one of these videos because I know I gave it everything I had. I've also seen more results through Insanity then through any other form of working out (aside from when I was much bigger and had a lot of weight to lose) so I think I'm always going to love putting my body through this.

Unfortunately for my gf, she tweaked her back doing something in the workouts last week so she had to skip today. She's going to a chiropractor today so I hope the diagnosis isn't too bad but we were doing it together and now it looks like she may have to take a few days to get fixed up.

 

[ColePens]

Sorry to hear about your gf. Unfortunately only 1 other friend of mine loves this style of working out. People who come from Insanity and T25 seem to bond together because we are just different animals. We are sick and like testing our bodies. I came from doing T25 and working with an athletic trainer when I was playing hockey. We lived on workouts that tested your mind and body. So I love maintaining that cardio and at age 29, i love feeling better than i felt at 21. That's my drive.

But yeah.. my rule of thumb is this: If you make it through this workout without maxing out, all you are doing is cheating yourself. Because that means you could have gone harder at any given point in the workout. Whether it's slap back jacks, which seem easy, but you can go harder... or it's simple switch kick punches. That's the beauty of it. I bet Shaun T himself could do 3 burpees for every 2 I can do at max pace, but that's what im here to do. Get better, stronger, faster. I'll be a better athlete and in better shape if i stick to going as hard as I can as opposed to focusing on minutes.

I'd rather max out every time at 7-8 minutes then cheat myself just to hit 13. Especially on Friday Fight. I know the room typically sticks together on pace, but just go as hard as you can go. Sometimes stare away from the tv and focus solely on you. My guess is you will be in the best shape of your life.

 

[finnbalor*]

P90x is basically over training and under eating for 3 months....of course it get "results" but they don't last.

 

[StronGeer]

P90x is basically over training and under eating for 3 months....

Overtraining? If people are finding the workouts easier as they do them more, they are not overtraining.

Undereating? You mean maintaining a caloric deficit? So like every weight loss program then. Gotcha.

of course it get "results" but they don't last.

That depends entirely on what the person does after the program, not the program itself.

 

[What the Faulk]

Personally, I started with p90x and "graduated" to a real gym. I'm biased, but I think that's the best way to go about doing things if you don't want to hire a trainer and everything else is too intimidating. It's so very structured, but there's definitely an upper limit to what you can achieve.

 

[ColePens]

People over-think stuff. StronGeer is the voice of reason around here. He pretty much nailed everyone's over-thought argument in 2 statements.

You can get good results anywhere. Crossfit, the gym, beachbody series, etc. Hell you can get good just walking and doing pushups if you are dieting healthy, too.

To me, I love switching between the gym and stuff like Insanity/T25 because of time. I work an office job. During the winter, it sucks to drive in the snow, walk out in gym shoes in the snow/freezing cold. I do insanity and my body gets shredded for summer. Then in the summer I go to the gym. My body LOVES training differently like that.

However it's not for everyone. That's the beauty of working out.

 

[Whiplash27]

I did P90X for a month a few years ago. I did see some good results. Once I got to the 2nd stage, I got annoyed because the new exercises were too much. He starts throwing out one arm pull ups, one arm push ups and all this other stuff. I also got tired of destroying myself for an hour almost every day. I did like the Plyo workout though.

I like going to the gym, lifting for 45 minutes and/or doing cardio for a half hour or so. I've seen good results doing that and I don't feel like crap after. I'm also more of an explosive type person rather than the endurance type. It's why I prefer to power lift rather than doing a thousand push ups.

 

[ColePens]

Yeah stuff like 1 arm pullups/push ups are um... interesting. Kudos to anyone that can do them. That's great core and general strength. I just wouldn't want to train that way.

To me.. hard does not equal good. Simple moves can be extremely hard based on either choosing the right weight or going as hard as you can. Difficult workouts are just silly unless you just want the personal challenge.

That's why Shaun T is my favorite. There are some challenging moves, but the big stuff is all very easy to understand but hard to endure. That is training to me.

 

[finnbalor*]

People over-think stuff. StronGeer is the voice of reason around here. He pretty much nailed everyone's over-thought argument in 2 statements.

You can get good results anywhere. Crossfit, the gym, beachbody series, etc. Hell you can get good just walking and doing pushups if you are dieting healthy, too.

To me, I love switching between the gym and stuff like Insanity/T25 because of time. I work an office job. During the winter, it sucks to drive in the snow, walk out in gym shoes in the snow/freezing cold. I do insanity and my body gets shredded for summer. Then in the summer I go to the gym. My body LOVES training differently like that.

However it's not for everyone. That's the beauty of working out.

Yep, noob gains work for anyone with just about anything, why not instead spend those 3-6 months making strength/muscle gains that will set you up after those noob gains plateau? P90x for instance isn't geared to over progressive overload.

Starting strength >>>>>>>>>>>>> infomercial programs

 

[ColePens]

Your views on working out are quite parochial it seems. Most people benefit from these type of workouts because it provides structure, keeps them out of a gym, and keeps them connected to the workout. How do you not see that? Other people, such as myself, use them to offset workouts. I go 10 week program (T25/Insanity) and then 10 weeks in the gym. It's nice to change pace and my body sees huge results. My deadlift, bench, and squat all got stronger and I wasn't even in a gym. But let's face reality... today's world business is a 24/7 market. Work and family life does not allow a lot of time to hit the gym and so many people quit because they don't have the time. Respect what these videos offer. The reason most of them work is because they come w/ DIET helpers, too.

And then there is the other side of the argument. Some people don't want show muscle. They want functional muscle. A lot of weight-lifters don't have functional muscle. Athletes wouldn't want to work out that way. Athletes would actually get more from Insanity or something along that method, since there are not a lot of gyms set up w/ boxes/hurdles/agility ladders/etc. I've seen guys hit the bench and put up 250+ and look like complete fools when it comes to using that strength/power. I've also seen guys explode 185 off their chest and dominate sports AND push around those who can throw up huge weight. It's not about a number. Although I completely respect it if that motivates you each week.

Simply saying infomercial programs don't work is just not even worth an argument. That's just a lame bogus statement. It's all about whatever motivates you. The next workout. The next number. A group of people. Whatever keeps you going.

Ultimately there seems to be some negative feedback from gym-goers. They seem to hate crossfit, at-home workouts, or anything that isn't the traditional gym. There are a TON of ways to get strong, be healthy, and stay fit. I respect (as long as its safe) whatever method keeps an individual connected. Whether it's personal training, crossfit (once again.. safe crossfit), military training, traditional gym, or hell just walking. Whatever keeps someone fit is great.

 

[finnbalor*]

Pretty disingenuous, let's pretend 'muscle confusion' is a real thing while we're at it. I'm being critical praising these programs to beginners when they can set themselves up for better long term results.

I never said simply weight training, throw in your cardio if you're looking to lose weight. Hit myfitnesspal.com set whatever diet/bulk goals you wish.

People want results, wasting money on p90x ect.... isn't the nearly the best way to get there.

I did Shaun T, p90x multiple times, ran marathons and made mistakes when I was younger. Hitting weights 3 times a week for less than an hour in a gym gives better results, to pretend that people aren't looking to transform themselves is really just a lie. Everyone wants muscle, look better, burn more calories at rest throughout the day, it suits every goal.

Just trying to save people time and money to help them hit their goals brah.

 

[ColePens]

Yep and people have noooo problems getting to a gym each day. I empathize with people who say the gym sucks. I agree at times. The gym can suck for sure. You keep forgetting that part.

What if someone will fail because they cannot commit to the gym (whether it's time, money, or just hating gyms in general)? So what.. you keep forcing it down their throat because you can't see there are other ways? Man open your mind. Whatever gets someone involved is the best thing. How can you not see that. Why even debate it? All you can say is "Nah bro. Best gainz = in gym." Lol yes.. because that's the only thing holding people back.

But judging by that last comment, you see things one way. Which is weird how anyone refuses to open their mind with all this knowledge right at our fingertips.

 

[StronGeer]

Bottom line is that 90% of the population is doing sweet **** all for physical activity, and some is better than none. Whether that be Aquafit, olympic weightlifting, climbing, distance running, crossfit, yoga, spin class, pilates, aerobics, strongman, your favourite sport, bodybuilding, P90X, I don't care, as long as it gets you off your ass.

Now if someone wants to ask me what is the "optimal" (if there is such a thing) training they should be doing, it depends entirely on their goals, current state of health, commitment (time/money) and a myriad of other things.

For most people IF they have the time/money/drive, and IF they want to improve the ratio of lean mass to fatty mass in their body (probably the most common fitness goal), and IF they are in the physical state to do so, yeah, I'd tell them that resistance training is going to give you the most bang for your buck. Higher EPOC, increase lean muscle mass which raises metabolism, yadda yadda. But guys who wanna run a marathon shouldn't be focusing on resistance training, nor should women who are 8 months pregnant, nor should guys with no cartilage in their joints.

You can't make blanket statements about fitness when every case is unique. Nothing is a "waste of time".

I did Shaun T, p90x multiple times, ran marathons and made mistakes when I was younger. Hitting weights 3 times a week for less than an hour in a gym gives better results, to pretend that people aren't looking to transform themselves is really just a lie. Everyone wants muscle, look better, burn more calories at rest throughout the day, it suits every goal.

I'll be sure to tell this guy that he could've beat the world marathon record EVEN MORE if he had weight lifted instead of ran.

 

[finnbalor*]

Yep and people have noooo problems getting to a gym each day. I empathize with people who say the gym sucks. I agree at times. The gym can suck for sure. You keep forgetting that part.

What if someone will fail because they cannot commit to the gym (whether it's time, money, or just hating gyms in general)? So what.. you keep forcing it down their throat because you can't see there are other ways? Man open your mind. Whatever gets someone involved is the best thing. How can you not see that. Why even debate it? All you can say is "Nah bro. Best gainz = in gym." Lol yes.. because that's the only thing holding people back.

But judging by that last comment, you see things one way. Which is weird how anyone refuses to open their mind with all this knowledge right at our fingertips.

Going from a marathon runner at 145lbs frame to a 210lbs through strength trainer but I'm narrow minded? I done a few things in my day and speaking from experience.

Gyms are a friendly place, 95% of people there are helpful, yes I'm narrow minded in offering solid advice. If someone has time to ask for advice on a message board they have time for the gym, more importantly they will to succeed at it.

Ask anyone would you rather 14 or 16 inch biceps. You're telling me 10 out of 10 guys aren't choosing 16s? Because p90x isn't going to give them that.

 

[finnbalor*]

Bottom line is that 90% of the population is doing sweet **** all for physical activity, and some is better than none. Whether that be Aquafit, olympic weightlifting, climbing, distance running, crossfit, yoga, spin class, pilates, aerobics, strongman, your favourite sport, bodybuilding, P90X, I don't care, as long as it gets you off your ass.

Now if someone wants to ask me what is the "optimal" (if there is such a thing) training they should be doing, it depends entirely on their goals, current state of health, commitment (time/money) and a myriad of other things.

For most people IF they have the time/money/drive, and IF they want to improve the ratio of lean mass to fatty mass in their body (probably the most common fitness goal), and IF they are in the physical state to do so, yeah, I'd tell them that resistance training is going to give you the most bang for your buck. Higher EPOC, increase lean muscle mass which raises metabolism, yadda yadda. But guys who wanna run a marathon shouldn't be focusing on resistance training, nor should women who are 8 months pregnant, nor should guys with no cartilage in their joints.

You can't make blanket statements about fitness when every case is unique. Nothing is a "waste of time".



I'll be sure to tell this guy that he could've beat the world marathon record EVEN MORE if he had weight lifted instead of ran.

Let's ignore context, if you're training for a specific sport I doubt you're in a 'beachbody' section on a fitness message board.

'Beachbody', that translate to 'how do I get a better body' I know it's not PC to say it and you can play that card but the truth we all know is that a huge drive.

Easy and cheapest way to accomplish it

1. Join a YMCA, if you're broke they offer assistance/geared to income plans so you get 6 months for like 120 bucks (what's p90x like 90 bucks?)

2. My fitnesspal.com (free) get your diet/bulk goals and literally eat anything that fits your macro nutrients

3. Concentrate on progressive linear gains to no matter your training (muscle confusion doesn't do this). For a beginner doing compound lifts one a weak for each major lift you'll get amazeball results. Hit the gym for 45 mins 3 times a week.

Other people want to talk about girls that are preggers and marathon runners (no hate I've done the running thing) but if you want to look your best and be stronger I'm just suggesting something cheap, not time consuming that will give better results and set up for long term success.

You don't just feel accomplished at the end, you'll look it.

 

[Whiplash27]

IMO, there's a few things:
1. It's better for someone to do P90x or any other beach body program than nothing at all.
2. For some people doing P90x is a good way to get into the habit of exercising. Many of these people proceed to work out more regularly after that.
3. One technically doesn't need a gym to gain muscle. Gyms never existed for a large part of humanity's existence.
4. Most people waste too much time at the gym doing isolation exercises. Most beginners don't even really need to do them.
5. If you can bench 250 and you're weak when it comes to real life, it's because you neglect your lower body. Power comes from the lower body and core. A guy who dead lifts and squats 500 pounds would wreck anyone who just does beach body programs when it comes to pure power. There's a reason why professional athletes (especially hockey players) focus on those lifts most.
6. Someone who does programs like beach body would probably be more agile than someone who only focuses on weight training. That's completely dependent on how much flexibility and cardio work that person integrates into their routine.

 

[finnbalor*]

IMO, there's a few things:
1. It's better for someone to do P90x or any other beach body program than nothing at all.
2. For some people doing P90x is a good way to get into the habit of exercising. Many of these people proceed to work out more regularly after that.
3. One technically doesn't need a gym to gain muscle. Gyms never existed for a large part of humanity's existence.
4. Most people waste too much time at the gym doing isolation exercises. Most beginners don't even really need to do them.
5. If you can bench 250 and you're weak when it comes to real life, it's because you neglect your lower body. Power comes from the lower body and core. A guy who dead lifts and squats 500 pounds would wreck anyone who just does beach body programs when it comes to pure power. There's a reason why professional athletes (especially hockey players) focus on those lifts most.
6. Someone who does programs like beach body would probably be more agile than someone who only focuses on weight training. That's completely dependent on how much flexibility and cardio work that person integrates into their routine.

Number 4

If you're new you can literally hit compound movements (i.e. three works a week) be in and out in a half hour each workout and get significant results. Doesn't get easier than that.

So long as the load is progressing you're winning.

 

[UnrealMachine]

Number 4

If you're new you can literally hit compound movements (i.e. three works a week) be in and out in a half hour each workout and get significant results. Doesn't get easier than that.

So long as the load is progressing you're winning.

Perhaps you could clarify some things behind this workout:

1. What is the total amount of time you spend exercising? This includes travel time to the gym. What is the time it takes you to leave your house, exercise, arrive back home?
2. What all are you doing at the gym? Lifts? Abs & lower back? Cardio?
3. Any other time spent during the week outside of the gym exercising?
4. You mentioned your weight (210 lbs). What is your measured (emphasis added) body fat percentage? Measured waist line? Height?
5. Any recent strength of fitness tests? Powerlifting meet results? Wingate test? Etc.

I'm just trying to get an accurate picture of your total strength/fitness level.

 

[RayP]

What in the hell did this thread just turn into? For ****s sake...