Back in the good old days of 2011 I finished and wrote this review about my first and only round of Insanity: The Asylum. It’s 2018 and all of this is still relevant.
When I did my first round of Insanity Asylum I was 31 years old and in very good shape due to finishing a few rounds of P90X and Insanity prior to starting.
I have not done another round of the Asylum since 2011 and it’s mostly because The Asylum is really tough. I just haven’t had it in me to try it again.
By now you probably know that Insanity: The Asylum is a 30 day program developed by Shaun T to improve your speed, coordination, agility, and strength with sports specific moves pro athletes do. I was expecting Insanity: The Asylum Volume 1 to be a lot like the original Insanity workout but to my surprise it was not.
Let’s get into it. I prefer to post my before and after photos at the top with the details below.


This is easily the most ripped I have ever been in my entire life. None of this would have been possible without the numerous rounds of P90X and Insanity I did before The Asylum. Saying all that it’s still impressive how much my body changed in just 30 workouts.

I did do about 20 miles of mountain biking and played double-header softball games on consecutive nights weekly during my 30 days of Insanity Asylum. I work out of the house so my bike is my means of transportation.
I took a gander at the Insanity Asylum meal plan but kept up with my tradition of not following it.
I did like how it was much simpler than other Beachbody meal plans. I would give myself a B+ on the meal plans.
Usually have 1-3 cheat meals a week like Buffalo Wings, couple slices of pizza, or my weakness…french fries.
Yes, I do have a beer or two or more on the weekends. It probably would have made a subtle difference in my results if I completely cut alcohol but I’m not trying to make the cover of a magazine.
I took Shakeology daily and the P90X Recovery Drink after every workout. Would have a P90X Protein Bar every other day. Shakeology has made a big impact on my overall health and fitness since I started taking it daily.
When I went through my first round I only used the pull up bar for one move as the pull ups they were trying to do were ridiculous. I did the dumbbell move Shaun T said to do instead.
When I saw the agility ladder I kept thinking it was going to be like field day in elementary school. Speed has always been a weakness of mine so the jump rope and ladder are going to suck for the first couple of weeks but I know I’m going to get a lot out of it.
Started on April 19th and finished on June 24th taking me 67 days to complete. It took longer than 30 days because of double-header softball games twice a week and my stupid left knee. If I worked out on both days and played softball I would be gassed.
Would rather workout one day, rest the other, and have energy to play the games. My knee was the other issue. Occasionally I would skip a day or two of Asylum workouts and ride my bike to get a workout in. All of the lunges, jump roping, and running the bases put a toll on my knee in the beginning forcing me to rest.
What Did You Like Most?
All seven workouts were challenging and fun. Plus, most were only 45 minutes long.
Athletic Performance Assessment was one of the tougher Fit Tests. Speed & Agility reminded me of field day back in elementary school. Vertical Plyo was tough enough without the jump rope. Strength might be my favorite Beachbody workout of all time. Game Day & Overtime were equally brutal. Back To Core worked all of those small connector muscles. And Relief really didn’t give any relief at all.
What Did You Like The Least?
The Insanity Asylum workout is hard as hell. I guess that’s a good thing though. Kind of wish the Relief Workout would have been a little longer and involved more Yoga moves. Its hard to be critical in this review when I know The Asylum kicked my butt.
Who Should Or Should Not Do Insanity Asylum?
Athletes – (Should) – Probably had my best season of softball since starting Beachbody workouts four years prior. All of the sport specific moves carried over onto the field. Noticed a bigger burst of speed on the base paths and while fielding ground balls.
Footwork improved from the jump roping and arm strength from the Strength Workout. It made it easier to get to ground balls and throw people out from short stop. A perfect off season program.
Out Of Shape – (Should Not) – I could not imagine being overweight or very out of shape and doing Insanity Asylum. I was in decent shape prior to starting and it was hell. I’d go to Beachbody On Demand and select one of the beginner workouts instead.
Recommendation
If you want to torture yourself with a round of Insanity Asylum I recommend you get a Beachbody On Demand membership where you can view The Asylum and every other Beachbody workout online.
Much better than buying DVDs in 2018. I still have the Shaun T autographed DVD copy that I won in a Beachbody Coach contest in 2011 laying around. But who buys DVDs anymore.
Add the Insanity Asylum Deluxe Upgrade kit (pull up bar, chin-up assist, strength bands) and the agility ladder. A nice set of dumbbells is helpful.
Summary
When I first wrote this review in 2011 I thought the Insanity Asylum workout was the hardest workout Beachbody has ever made. And I still believe that to be true. It’s the only Beachbody workout where its required you do Insanity or P90X first.
You can’t modify your way through The Asylum. This is one of those workouts you could do 2 or 3 times in a row before you master all of the workouts without taking breaks. It’s that tough.
It’s also my favorite workout Beachbody has ever made. Everyday was so challenging but the results were worth it. And the moves were fun once you got the hang of them.
It did take me 67 days to finish a 30 day workout. This is true. I would have finished it sooner if it wasn’t for all the softball I was playing. You only get so many nice days here in Michigan.
Was so confident in my results that I even submitted them to Beachbody in the hope I might win a prize. This did not happen. It has to be my face that they just do not like. As a consolation they sent me an Insanity: The Asylum t-shirt which I guess will work.
I do not know if I’ll ever do another round of Insanity: The Asylum. I want to but I will have to commit to another cycle of Shaun T workouts to get my cardio up. Otherwise it will be miserable.