Insanity/Asylum/Turbo fire

[Trixoo]

Has anybody done Shaun T's Insanity or Asylum workouts? Turbofire? How do they compare in intensity to Cathe's?

Some colleagues were discussing Insanity at lunch and I'm intrigued. If you can handle Cathe, can you handle these? I've also heard good things about Turbofire and have the same question.

Many thanks for any info you can share!

 

[JT]

Thanks for asking, I've seen many posts about these workouts here. Intrigued as well.

 

[aprilrain]

I have turbofire and enjoy it. If you can do Cathe's workouts you can do these. I think they are a bit easier but a lot of fun; the music is great. The strength workouts in turbo fire were too easy in my opinion. They used resistance bands so maybe I just wasn't using a tough enough band. The Hiit workouts are challenging and are shorter than Cathe's Hiit. They are great to add 15-25 minutes to another workout or before ab work. I usually do Cathe workouts but use Turbo Fire to switch it up. I was not able to stick to the Turbo Fire rotation since I felt the workouts were similar (same moves but different coreography and different music) and I wanted more variety.

 

[Beth-B-Fit]

I did a round of Insanity from Oct. 1 go Dec. 1 last year. I recommend doing all the stretches and to work out to YOUR own level of ability. I improved throughout the program and I focused on form over speed. I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't lose any strength either. There are a lot of total body weight work exercises and your core is constantly being worked. There is much plyo work for your legs. Shaun T. is very inspiring. I would say it's a good plateau buster. I came back to Cathe refreshed and have been doing/learning the LIC series and hitting the weights hard. This month I'm doing a take on the Sept. 09 rotation-two upper and two lower body weight work per week with cardio a few times a week. It's what I feel like doing and I have learned to listen to my body!

 

[Trixoo]

I have turbofire and enjoy it. If you can do Cathe's workouts you can do these. I think they are a bit easier but a lot of fun; the music is great. The strength workouts in turbo fire were too easy in my opinion. They used resistance bands so maybe I just wasn't using a tough enough band. The Hiit workouts are challenging and are shorter than Cathe's Hiit. They are great to add 15-25 minutes to another workout or before ab work. I usually do Cathe workouts but use Turbo Fire to switch it up. I was not able to stick to the Turbo Fire rotation since I felt the workouts were similar (same moves but different coreography and different music) and I wanted more variety.

Thanks so much...that was exactly what I was interested in knowing! Now hopefully another's Cathelete can tell us about insanity/asylum.

You know, there's a part of me that thinks "If I can do Cathe, I can do anything."

 

[JT]

Trixoo, you are correct that if you can do Cathe, you CAN do anything and survive to talk about it.

 

[Trixoo]

I did a round of Insanity from Oct. 1 go Dec. 1 last year. I recommend doing all the stretches and to work out to YOUR own level of ability. I improved throughout the program and I focused on form over speed. I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't lose any strength either. There are a lot of total body weight work exercises and your core is constantly being worked. There is much plyo work for your legs. Shaun T. is very inspiring. I would say it's a good plateau buster. I came back to Cathe refreshed and have been doing/learning the LIC series and hitting the weights hard. This month I'm doing a take on the Sept. 09 rotation-two upper and two lower body weight work per week with cardio a few times a week. It's what I feel like doing and I have learned to listen to my body!

Thanks BethBFit! In terms of intensity, how would you compare Insanity and Cathe's workouts?

Thanks for your help!

 

[nikkigiovanni]

I have Turbofire and the workouts are really fun and challenging. If you can do Cathe's workouts, you can definitely do these. The Turbofire workouts are intense and challenging, but not more intense than Cathe's. Even though the HIIT workouts in Turbofire are at a faster pace and challenging, Cathe's HIIT workouts are harder and more effective.

 

[Stebby]

Has anybody done Shaun T's Insanity or Asylum workouts? Turbofire? How do they compare in intensity to Cathe's?

Some colleagues were discussing Insanity at lunch and I'm intrigued. If you can handle Cathe, can you handle these? I've also heard good things about Turbofire and have the same question.

Many thanks for any info you can share!

Hi Trixoo,

I have done all these programs. Insanity is definitely comparable in intensity to Cathe (but as everyone says, do all the stretches and really listen to your body). I got killer abs and arms from Insanity and also lost 21 lbs (this was keeping my diet clean, but not paying much attention to amounts). I developed enough skill with the program that I could go right through and keep up with the class. My metabolism went through the roof, which was very cool for me.

TurboFire is a bit easier than Cathe; the cardio is very good. The resistance training is fun but nowhere near as challenging and I lost some strength while on this program (I did the 20 week version). It was harder to keep my weight where I wanted it with TurboFire, as compared to Insanity.

Asylum is just plain nuts! It was fun but way beyond my skill level. It concentrates on developing athletic skills (speed, agility, co-ordination). I improved enormously over the 30 days of the program, but I still never mastered it and never managed to get all the way through any of the workouts without extra breaks. It was very very tough for me as it didn't fit with my natural gifts ... I am strong and flexible, but speedy and agile I am not! I don't generally have this problem with Cathe workouts; although I may struggle with some moves the first couple of times I do a workout, I can usually do everything by the third time or so. It was very frustrating that I never did "get" some of the moves in Asylum.

Anyway - all three are different from each other and you develop different aspects of your fitness. I recommend all of them.

Stebby

 

[Trixoo]

I have Turbofire and the workouts are really fun and challenging. If you can do Cathe's workouts, you can definitely do these. The Turbofire workouts are intense and challenging, but not more intense than Cathe's. Even though the HIIT workouts in Turbofire are at a faster pace and challenging, Cathe's HIIT workouts are harder and more effective.

This is really good to know...thanks! I so appreciate this forum and you fellow Cathletes!

 

[Trixoo]

Hi Trixoo,

I have done all these programs. Insanity is definitely comparable in intensity to Cathe (but as everyone says, do all the stretches and really listen to your body). I got killer abs and arms from Insanity and also lost 21 lbs (this was keeping my diet clean, but not paying much attention to amounts). I developed enough skill with the program that I could go right through and keep up with the class. My metabolism went through the roof, which was very cool for me.

TurboFire is a bit easier than Cathe; the cardio is very good. The resistance training is fun but nowhere near as challenging and I lost some strength while on this program (I did the 20 week version). It was harder to keep my weight where I wanted it with TurboFire, as compared to Insanity.

Asylum is just plain nuts! It was fun but way beyond my skill level. It concentrates on developing athletic skills (speed, agility, co-ordination). I improved enormously over the 30 days of the program, but I still never mastered it and never managed to get all the way through any of the workouts without extra breaks. It was very very tough for me as it didn't fit with my natural gifts ... I am strong and flexible, but speedy and agile I am not! I don't generally have this problem with Cathe workouts; although I may struggle with some moves the first couple of times I do a workout, I can usually do everything by the third time or so. It was very frustrating that I never did "get" some of the moves in Asylum.

Anyway - all three are different from each other and you develop different aspects of your fitness. I recommend all of them.

Stebby

Thanks Stebby! I love the thought of my metabolism going through the roof, since it's usually in the basement. .

And good to know that the intensity of Insanity is comparable to Cathe. Often I hear people talk about how hard other workouts are only to find out that they don't compare in intensity to Cathe and I've wasted my money. An acquaintance who runs marathons (something I can't do) went on and on about how hard px90 was...I thought it must be the hardest thing on earth. Fortunately she lent me the plyo DVD before I bought it. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was easy for me (not dissing px90 ... I hear the weight workouts are better than the cardio, but after HiiT and CCC, px90 plyo was not challenging to me).

Anyway, to a certain extent all cardio is subjective and what's easy for one person wipes out another (tuck jumps slay me, for example), but when I hear how hard another workout is, the only way I have of assessing whether that would be true for me is to compare it to Cathe. She sets the bar by which others are judged (at least by me).

I appreciate your help!

 

[nkhansen1]

The previous ladies have explained Insanity well. I loved it, and I did two rounds last year. It's really tough, but no harder than the HIIT we do with Cathe. The intervals are much longer though, and recovery time is very short. I focused on form, not speed, as well. Although I did try to go as fast as I could without falling apart. You will see nice changes in your entire body. It was fun and the results were great (especially abs and legs). Shaun T is very motivating and pushes you hard.

 

[malibugirl]

I to have done all three of these workouts. Turbo fire was not my cup of tea, I barely broke a sweat.
Insanity is just that, Insane! If you follow the nutrition guide that is included you cannot help but lose weight.
Asylum is just how a previous poster said, doable, but difficult to master. Right now I am doing a rotation of Insanity and Asylum. I want to lose some weight before a trip in March. I cleaned up my diet a little, cut out the alcohol and in three days have already lost weight.
Like I tell people, don't plan on going anywhere in a hurry after you do these workouts, they are a sweatfest and a shower is always in order.
They are a nice addition to Cathe workouts and I highly recommend Insanity. Asylum not so much unless you are very athletic.

 

[Trixoo]

Nkhansen1 and Malibugirl -

Thanks so much for sharing. I'm now convinced that Insanity is for me, turbofire probably isn't. Asylum...well...we'll see. Won't be able to start until fall, though, since I'm building back my base cardio right now, spring/summer is STS then I'll throw in a little Insanity come September. Just because (thanks to all of your comments) I know I can.

 

[Fit_mommy]

Insanity is great but not for the faint of heart!

I did a rotation and lost 5# w/o even trying. I was very happy with the results but I must say that I added one full body weight work out per week to the rotation. I just couldn't NOT lift weights for 2 solid months! That's just me though!

Anyway, Insanity is tough stuff. Works ya super hard. No picnic! That's for sure. Shaun T. does NOT fool around in this program! Be prepared to have sweat flyin' every where!!! It's awesome!

 

[Trixoo]

Insanity is great but not for the faint of heart!

I did a rotation and lost 5# w/o even trying. I was very happy with the results but I must say that I added one full body weight work out per week to the rotation. I just couldn't NOT lift weights for 2 solid months! That's just me though!

Anyway, Insanity is tough stuff. Works ya super hard. No picnic! That's for sure. Shaun T. does NOT fool around in this program! Be prepared to have sweat flyin' every where!!! It's awesome!

Oh yea...sounds like my cup of tea! Hard to think of not lifting weights, though, so good to know somebody incorporated them and lived to tell he tale.

 

[nkhansen1]

I was tempted to add a full weight workout once a week with Insanity, but I found that all the body weight strength training was plenty for me. In fact, I didn't lose any strength, and I could lift heavier both upper and lower body when I was finished. The second time I did Insanity I created a rotation with STS, and it was great! I really want to do that again after the LIS/STS rotation.

 

[spyrosmom]

I've not done Turbo Fire, but I did Insanity and wrapped up Asylum at the end of Dec.

Insanity I liked, if you can do Cathe, you can do Insanity. Depending on your ability, flexibility, joints, etc, you may want to warm up before the warm up. It starts out right away with high intensity high impact in the warm up and goes on from there. It's tough, but doable, keep some water handy. I found the breaks came just at the right time. The only one I didn't like was Cardio Core and Balance, which, if I recall, you do all week in the recovery week. I re-named it Cardio Snore Bore and Balance. I didn't lose any weight doing Insanity, but I improved from one fit test to the next. I wasn't eating super clean, though. I thought I'd lose strength, but I didn't. I was sore the first few days, but it went away pretty quickly. I did miss my weights, and I recall sneaking in a day or two of them. I'd do it again.

Asylum I didn't like so much. It was boring. I liked Game Day and I liked the Strength workout the 1st couple times, then I got bored. I think those two have some replay value, the rest, not so much. I didn't lose any pounds, but it was Christmas time with the eats as well. There's a lot more breaksin Asylum and each DVD felt like the same stuff over and over again. Because there's less workouts, there's way more repeats as well. I made small gains from the 1st to the last fit test, but nothing like Insanity. Probably because by the 2nd week I was so bored and didn't care anymore that I really didn't give it my all the last 2 weeks. I was excited to get this one, but it fell flat for me. Game Day, is a keeper, though.

Nan