lovebeingmom
Cathlete
If you have tried both, which do you like better and why?
Thanks
jaime
Thanks
jaime
STS Shock Cardio vs. Shaun T's Insanity
- Thread starter lovebeingmom
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Powder Puff
Banned
You really can't compare the two. One is a complete program and one is a set of non-related workouts. One is super-intense and one is intermediate.
If you are trying to decide on which one you should buy, then you have to look at your wants and needs. Are you a strict rotations person? Then choose Insanity. Do you like to do you own thing picking a video here and thereor depending on your mood that day? Then choose Shock Cardio. Are you wanting a challenge every day? Then choose Insanity.
If you are trying to decide on which one you should buy, then you have to look at your wants and needs. Are you a strict rotations person? Then choose Insanity. Do you like to do you own thing picking a video here and thereor depending on your mood that day? Then choose Shock Cardio. Are you wanting a challenge every day? Then choose Insanity.
Worknprogress
Cathlete
Powder Puff is right. They are totally different. I think Cathe's Shock Cardio is designed to have different types of cardio and different intensities so that you are always changing it - hence the reason it is called Shock Cardio. They say if you continue to do the same thing over and over your body gets accustomed to it and it no longer challenges you to the same degree.
Insanity - well - it is insane. It is extreme cardio with a bit of circuit.
It is very intense. Shaun is extremely likeable.
It would depend on what your goal is. Or you could get them both
!
Insanity - well - it is insane. It is extreme cardio with a bit of circuit.
It is very intense. Shaun is extremely likeable.
It would depend on what your goal is. Or you could get them both
!
jbonnell
Cathlete
Great info guys - my husband and I just got Insanity to do, just because we've been doing Cathe's HIIT and some hyperbolic resistance training (using bodyweight), and love those workouts. I don't think I'll neccessarily do the full Insanity 'program', as we're working with an online trainer and have some specific goals that we're working towards, but we're going to test out the DVDs this weekend and see where they fit in our fitness arsenal
SandraGau
Active Member
I was under the impression that Shock Cardio was created to be used with STS Strength. That is the way I am using them at the moment doing Cathe's 3 1/2 months rotation and I feel they complement each other perfectly due to the various styles and intensities combined with quite intense strength workouts...
Shadowpup
Cathlete
I'm truly enjoying both - so much variety! Is it okay to answer this question in the Shock Cardio forum or should we move it to Open?
My personal take is that the Cathe Friedrich Shock system is the combination of both "Shocks": Shock Cardio, intensities from intermediate to advanced plus Shock Training System, strength training to achieve goals from endurance through maximum strength).
STS+SC is a wonderful system with considerable flexibility and it can be used to support a vast array goals - you can tweak to achieve a vast range of fitness goals, and it can be used by people at essentially any fitness level; and it's not that hard to change the level of impact, either. You can buy individual elements of this system, and easily mix/match them. You can increase/decrease the intensity and style of the cardio to complement your strength training and/or rest week needs. I could see a person using only STS+SC for a year for their cardio/strength goals; I like variety to much too do that myself ... but I bet I'd stay fit and wouldn't become overtrained. The 1RM approach in STS is a great motivator, giving us a vision of what we can accomplish here and now if we try very hard.
Insanity is a wonderful system too, and offers results in a focused way, with fewer styles or options. I'd guess that only a very creative person could use Insanity alone through a twelve month period and get a truly balanced fitness result. Insanity seems best for supporting cardio goals, yet I'd guess it's great at increasing muscle endurance based on how mine feel afterward! And I think it also ought to support fat loss without losing muscle. You can't buy individual disks new but you can buy either the basic or deluxe packages, or both together. It's somewhat tailorable, though not in the STS+SC sense. Insanity's high powered spirit drives me to push my own cardiovascular limits every time I use it. I can't seem to hold back, so I can't use it except when it's an all-out cardio day.
And both systems give fitness rewards commensurate with what we put in
My personal take is that the Cathe Friedrich Shock system is the combination of both "Shocks": Shock Cardio, intensities from intermediate to advanced plus Shock Training System, strength training to achieve goals from endurance through maximum strength).
STS+SC is a wonderful system with considerable flexibility and it can be used to support a vast array goals - you can tweak to achieve a vast range of fitness goals, and it can be used by people at essentially any fitness level; and it's not that hard to change the level of impact, either. You can buy individual elements of this system, and easily mix/match them. You can increase/decrease the intensity and style of the cardio to complement your strength training and/or rest week needs. I could see a person using only STS+SC for a year for their cardio/strength goals; I like variety to much too do that myself ... but I bet I'd stay fit and wouldn't become overtrained. The 1RM approach in STS is a great motivator, giving us a vision of what we can accomplish here and now if we try very hard.
Insanity is a wonderful system too, and offers results in a focused way, with fewer styles or options. I'd guess that only a very creative person could use Insanity alone through a twelve month period and get a truly balanced fitness result. Insanity seems best for supporting cardio goals, yet I'd guess it's great at increasing muscle endurance based on how mine feel afterward! And I think it also ought to support fat loss without losing muscle. You can't buy individual disks new but you can buy either the basic or deluxe packages, or both together. It's somewhat tailorable, though not in the STS+SC sense. Insanity's high powered spirit drives me to push my own cardiovascular limits every time I use it. I can't seem to hold back, so I can't use it except when it's an all-out cardio day.
And both systems give fitness rewards commensurate with what we put in
Amy Steppe
Cathlete
I am doing the same thing - following the rotations and using the Shock Cardio for extra work or on non STS days.
I have done the entire STS one time, but this time I am having way better gains. My glutes almost never feel worked out, but this time in Meso Two I have glute doms like crazy!
cheznaz
Active Member
I have graduated from Insanity and only own Shock Cardio HIIT. Insanity APPEARS to be more intense but my Polar HRMW tells me that I burn just as many calories doing Shock Cardio HIIT as I do Insanity and then multiply by length. On average, I burn 10 calories per minute.
Insanity also puts the fear of God into me so I don't look forward to working out with it and feels like work. Plus, I am so bored with its 10 minute high intensity workout that Shaun calls "warm up". But once past the warm up, I love it because I realize there was nothing to be scared for, and that I love Insanity workouts.
Basically, if you ask me to do Insanity workout in the morning at 5 am I will talk myself out of a workout. But if you ask me to workout with Shock Cardio HIIT at 5 am then I will do it and have a lot of fun doing it.
Insanity also puts the fear of God into me so I don't look forward to working out with it and feels like work. Plus, I am so bored with its 10 minute high intensity workout that Shaun calls "warm up". But once past the warm up, I love it because I realize there was nothing to be scared for, and that I love Insanity workouts.
Basically, if you ask me to do Insanity workout in the morning at 5 am I will talk myself out of a workout. But if you ask me to workout with Shock Cardio HIIT at 5 am then I will do it and have a lot of fun doing it.
jthornton202264
Cathlete
I use both Cathe and Insanity for cardio (I also rotate a lot of Cathe's previous cardio workouts, i.e. Rhythmic Step, Step Blast, Kick Punch & Crunch, etc., into my routines). When I'm doing a strength training rotation (whether it be STS or just a combination of strength workouts), I'm very specific and have a definite rotation. When it comes to the cardio portion of my rotation, I just do whatever I think is right for that day (I vary it up of course). So I love both Cathe and Shaun T because I can definitely "mix" up the variety even more than just going with one or the other. This probably didn't answer your question, but thought I would post it. Good luck!! Julie
morningstar
Cathlete
Ummm, I don't think we're supposed to talk about other instructors here...
Powder Puff
Banned
The thread hadn't had any replies for over a month until you bumped it. I think if there was an issue with it, the moderators would have squelched it back in February when it was started or again in April when it was added to.
The subject of the thread is a legitimate STS Shock Cardio concern or question.
To bump it just to call it out seems a tad mean spirited.
Insanity is fire; STS is hot
I hope it's OK to add to this discussion here. I'm a long-time lurker on Cathe forums. I have been doing her tapes/videos for at least 7 years now. I am currently 3 months pregnant, so I have been cutting back on her more intense workouts.
Let me say this about Insanity (which I did right up to my first week of pregnancy!): it is hard, fun and intense. I was literally shocked by how simple, yet effective it was. I wish I could still do the series now (miss it) but it's way too high impact.
I noticed when I received my STS Shock Cardio, that Cathe has incorporated a lot of the Insanity-type moves in her workouts. Especially in Cardio Core Circuit (?) and Circuit Blast - some of the similarities are glaring. This may just be the trend in new exercise videos period. A lot of burpies, suicides, mountain climbers, etc.
The STS CArdio series is nowhere near as hard as the Insanity series, BUT, I still love Cathe's new series! When I get back to more intense workouts, I will alternate the two (incorporating lifting as well) to vary my routine. You can't go wrong with both. Insanity will make you feel like you're dying though --- keep that in mind!! lOL!
I hope it's OK to add to this discussion here. I'm a long-time lurker on Cathe forums. I have been doing her tapes/videos for at least 7 years now. I am currently 3 months pregnant, so I have been cutting back on her more intense workouts.
Let me say this about Insanity (which I did right up to my first week of pregnancy!): it is hard, fun and intense. I was literally shocked by how simple, yet effective it was. I wish I could still do the series now (miss it) but it's way too high impact.
I noticed when I received my STS Shock Cardio, that Cathe has incorporated a lot of the Insanity-type moves in her workouts. Especially in Cardio Core Circuit (?) and Circuit Blast - some of the similarities are glaring. This may just be the trend in new exercise videos period. A lot of burpies, suicides, mountain climbers, etc.
The STS CArdio series is nowhere near as hard as the Insanity series, BUT, I still love Cathe's new series! When I get back to more intense workouts, I will alternate the two (incorporating lifting as well) to vary my routine. You can't go wrong with both. Insanity will make you feel like you're dying though --- keep that in mind!! lOL!
Shantabulous
Cathlete
If all of Cathe's Shock Cardio dvd's were Hiit training, then it would be comparable, otherwise it's a totally diffenent concept. I'm doing Insanity now and will often do Athletic Step or Step Moves after my Insanity workout. I for sure couldn't do one of the 3 HiiT workouts afterwards because they are just as tough as Insanity. Just not as long. Insanity is a complete program. Shock cardio is to use in combination with STS, I think???
Fit_mommy
Cathlete
I started a modified Insanity rotation this morning! PCC kicked my butt and I feel AWESOME for it! Can't wait to do Cardio Power & Resistance tmrw!
Anyway, I did a full Insanity rotation last year at this time. I leaned out like crazy and my cardio endurance sky rocketted! I added in one weight work out a week to help maintain my muscle and it worked very well.
HiiT's are comparable to Insanity but the rest of the Shock Cardios are not. They are ALL great work outs but you really can't compare Insanity as it is a STAND ALONE PROGRAM where the SC's are not. Not really fair to compare them for that reason. It depends on what you want.
HTH!
Anyway, I did a full Insanity rotation last year at this time. I leaned out like crazy and my cardio endurance sky rocketted! I added in one weight work out a week to help maintain my muscle and it worked very well.
HiiT's are comparable to Insanity but the rest of the Shock Cardios are not. They are ALL great work outs but you really can't compare Insanity as it is a STAND ALONE PROGRAM where the SC's are not. Not really fair to compare them for that reason. It depends on what you want.
HTH!
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Amy Steppe
Cathlete
Cathe's workouts are intermediate? I don't think so.
Personally, I went to the Insanity website and watched the preview.
This program is an injury just waiting to happen. Yes, I know you can get injured with any fitness program, but it looks very high impact and hard on the knees and joints.
And I can't stand Shaun T. He is annoying with all his yelling and screaming. The music did not appeal to me.
And all that money for 12 or so DVDs?
I thought Billy Blanks and Tony Horton were annoying, but Shaun T takes the cake!
I much prefer Cathe's style, music and cuing.
Sorry if I offend you Insanity Lovers, but this is just my honest opinion.
I can't stand products by Beach Body end of story.
And no, I don't work for Cathe.
Amy
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Amy Steppe
Cathlete
This is turning into an Insanity gloat and personally I am offended.
This thread is about Cathe's workouts and NOT about freaking Shaun T! It seems some want to permeate anything Cathe does with products by Beach Body. First it was P90X and now Insanity!
I have not said anything until now, but please stick to Cathe's workouts here. How can we say things about Cathe's new videos if we have not even viewed them yet?
Open discussion is for discussing other programs.
Flame away!
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Powder Puff
Banned
If this thread has turned into an Insanity gloat it is because so many people love it. Just because you happen to not like a workout that you are judging based on previewing clips of a couple minutes does not mean there is anything offensive about the thread. Insanity is a very popular program.
As far as sticking to Cathe workouts in this thread, did you even read the title? The thread title is Shock Cardio VS Shaun T's Insanity. How on earth can anyone give an honest opinion about one versus the other if, as you suggest, they don't even mention Inanity? Cathe's Shock Cardio workouts have been out for eight months now. I think that's plenty of time for people to have viewed and done them and to allow them to make a comparison between the two systems. Even at the time this thread was originally posted Shock Cardio had been out for a couple of months. Again, pleny of time for the target audience (people who have and have done BOTH workouts) to have viewed and done both workouts. At the time this thread was posted, it was still the Shock Cardio Forum. Thus, it was very appropriate for a Shock Cardio thread to be in here. As for trying to permeate Shock Cardio with Insanity. Again I say: Did you read the title of the thread? All the people posting in here have only been answering what the original poster asked. People have Insanity. People have Shock Cardio. People have preordered the new DVDs. No doubt people will ask for a comparison of the new DVDs to other workouts so that they can get an idea if they want to buy them or not. If you are offended, perhaps you should just avoid the offending threads. As you can see by several replies, this has been a helpful thread for several people.
I don't recall reading any threads where people have gotten injured doing Insanity. As for the level of the Shock Cardio workouts. That is decided by the person doing the workouts. If you are afraid to try Insanity I can see where you would think that Shock Cardio workouts are more than Intermediate. You are obviously not at a level in your fitness to handle it. That's OK, though because I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that aren't ready for the the intensity of Insanity.l Ifyou read other Shock Cardio review threads, you will see that a lot of people have made the same comments and concerns that Shock Cardio is most definitely not Advanced. Intermediate, yes. Advanced, no. When 90% of the forum members do all three of the HIIT workouts as one workout (when each are meant to be a standalone workout), that is telling of the intensity level of the workouts.
And to coin your phrase: No I don't work for Beachbody. I'm just at an advanced fitness level and do both Insanity and Cathe workouts, and specifically Shock Cardio. So I was one of the target audience to answer the original posters question.
As far as sticking to Cathe workouts in this thread, did you even read the title? The thread title is Shock Cardio VS Shaun T's Insanity. How on earth can anyone give an honest opinion about one versus the other if, as you suggest, they don't even mention Inanity? Cathe's Shock Cardio workouts have been out for eight months now. I think that's plenty of time for people to have viewed and done them and to allow them to make a comparison between the two systems. Even at the time this thread was originally posted Shock Cardio had been out for a couple of months. Again, pleny of time for the target audience (people who have and have done BOTH workouts) to have viewed and done both workouts. At the time this thread was posted, it was still the Shock Cardio Forum. Thus, it was very appropriate for a Shock Cardio thread to be in here. As for trying to permeate Shock Cardio with Insanity. Again I say: Did you read the title of the thread? All the people posting in here have only been answering what the original poster asked. People have Insanity. People have Shock Cardio. People have preordered the new DVDs. No doubt people will ask for a comparison of the new DVDs to other workouts so that they can get an idea if they want to buy them or not. If you are offended, perhaps you should just avoid the offending threads. As you can see by several replies, this has been a helpful thread for several people.
I don't recall reading any threads where people have gotten injured doing Insanity. As for the level of the Shock Cardio workouts. That is decided by the person doing the workouts. If you are afraid to try Insanity I can see where you would think that Shock Cardio workouts are more than Intermediate. You are obviously not at a level in your fitness to handle it. That's OK, though because I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that aren't ready for the the intensity of Insanity.l Ifyou read other Shock Cardio review threads, you will see that a lot of people have made the same comments and concerns that Shock Cardio is most definitely not Advanced. Intermediate, yes. Advanced, no. When 90% of the forum members do all three of the HIIT workouts as one workout (when each are meant to be a standalone workout), that is telling of the intensity level of the workouts.
And to coin your phrase: No I don't work for Beachbody. I'm just at an advanced fitness level and do both Insanity and Cathe workouts, and specifically Shock Cardio. So I was one of the target audience to answer the original posters question.
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SNM Videos
Administrator
About Shock Ccardio
Though we don't mind open debate let's do try to keep things civil. This is the Cathe forum and as company we don't respond to comments about other instructors or videos. It just would not be proper for us to do so, but I do want to make a few corrections about some of the comments about our products as I feel they will provide consumers with the wrong information. It is simply not true that 90% of the people on this forum do all three HiiT workouts as one workout. I'm not sure where this stat came from? HiiT is a very advanced workout and is based on using all-out short duration high intensity intervals that use full range movements. The key words are "full range movements" as this is one of the key elements of a Cathe workout that is different from many other interval workouts. When it comes to intensity, full range of movement is nearly always more important than speed of the movement. Obviously, if you don't use full range the intensity of the workout will suffer. In our rehearsals and test groups even people who I would classify as having an elite aerobic capacity were sucking wind after just one HiiT workout.
Yes, Shock Cardio does have workouts that vary in intensity levels as we feel this the best philosophy. MMA's are more on the intermediate level while Cardio Core Circuit and HiiT are way into the advanced level, so to classify the entire Shock Cardio series as "Intermediate" is not accurate in my opinion.
Advanced aerobics is a category that Cathe is often credited with creating, but she also realizes the importance of a balanced fitness program and the dangers of too much High Intensity Training. Even Olympic athletes and coaches understand the importance periodization training and varying intensity levels throughout an exercise program.
Cathe is a cardio junkie and few people can match her aerobic capacity. Cathe's new "Intensity" workout will be one of the most advanced workouts on the market, but it will also contain premixes the will allow you vary the intensity level - up and down. But just because a workout is "advanced" does not mean that it is better or will produce superior results than an exercise routine of lesser intensity.
Though we don't mind open debate let's do try to keep things civil. This is the Cathe forum and as company we don't respond to comments about other instructors or videos. It just would not be proper for us to do so, but I do want to make a few corrections about some of the comments about our products as I feel they will provide consumers with the wrong information. It is simply not true that 90% of the people on this forum do all three HiiT workouts as one workout. I'm not sure where this stat came from? HiiT is a very advanced workout and is based on using all-out short duration high intensity intervals that use full range movements. The key words are "full range movements" as this is one of the key elements of a Cathe workout that is different from many other interval workouts. When it comes to intensity, full range of movement is nearly always more important than speed of the movement. Obviously, if you don't use full range the intensity of the workout will suffer. In our rehearsals and test groups even people who I would classify as having an elite aerobic capacity were sucking wind after just one HiiT workout.
Yes, Shock Cardio does have workouts that vary in intensity levels as we feel this the best philosophy. MMA's are more on the intermediate level while Cardio Core Circuit and HiiT are way into the advanced level, so to classify the entire Shock Cardio series as "Intermediate" is not accurate in my opinion.
Advanced aerobics is a category that Cathe is often credited with creating, but she also realizes the importance of a balanced fitness program and the dangers of too much High Intensity Training. Even Olympic athletes and coaches understand the importance periodization training and varying intensity levels throughout an exercise program.
Cathe is a cardio junkie and few people can match her aerobic capacity. Cathe's new "Intensity" workout will be one of the most advanced workouts on the market, but it will also contain premixes the will allow you vary the intensity level - up and down. But just because a workout is "advanced" does not mean that it is better or will produce superior results than an exercise routine of lesser intensity.
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