Insanity Asylum

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.

Beachbody On Demand is now a thing. You can view Insanity Asylum and every other Beachbody workout online whenever you want for $99 a year ($8.33 a month). This is what you want.

Beachbody does make you pay for it up front. If you are not happy with it within 30 days they will refund your money. They also offer a 6 month option for $60 or a free 30 day trial.

With your Beachbody On Demand account you can download Insanity Asylum to your computer.

From there you will be given an encryption key to access the files to use as long as you keep your Beachbody On Demand account active.

If you cancel or let your account lapse your account goes inactive. And therefore you will not be able to access Insanity Asylum.

I’m sure you want a way to download Insanity Asylum or its torrent for free. And I’m sure if you spend a couple of minutes you’d be able to find it.

If that’s what you’re looking for then let me share this one piece of advice.

The sites where you can download Asylum from do not include the calendar or meal plan. The good news is that there is a way to get those items for free. This is what you need to do.

• Create a free Beachbody account. When you’re done you need to click on the Get Fit and Eat Smart tabs at the top. You’ll be able to download the Insanity Asylum calendar from there.

The free account gives you the ability to use other free tools like the progress tracker and meal planner. Probably the best thing about the free account is that you get me as your Beachbody Coach.

I had great results with the Insanity Asylum workout so I know what you’re about to go through. Feel free to reach out to me to ask questions and for support. I’m not an employee of Beachbody so don’t think I’m going to tell on you if you choose to download the Insanity Asylum workout after leaving. I won’t know and I’m not going to ask.

This is a trick question. All of the Insanity Asylum workouts are hard. If you haven’t started Asylum yet and are looking toward an off day then this isn’t the workout for you. Anyways, the list below is from my experience of doing Insanity Asylum.

1. Gameday – At 60 minutes it’s the longest Asylum workout. You only do it 3 times in the program as it’s designed to incorporate a lot of the moves from the other workouts. Its miserable.
2. Speed & Agility – I feel this workout is the basis of the entire program. Every move you do is meant to be fast. Pushups, rope jumping, squats while jump roping, and shoulder taps going through the agility ladder.
3. Strength – My Bowflex Dumbbells were getting a workout of their own during the first ten minutes. Shaun T does so many combo moves with them that you’re hurting everywhere. If you’re in good enough shape you’ll be able to use the pull up bar for some of the moves. I was dead tired by then and could barely do 1 so I stuck with the weights.
4. Vertical Plyo – Jump rope, jump, push ups in the agility ladder, more jump roping, more moving push ups, and more jumping.
5. Fit Test – While its designed to asses where you’re at physically, the fit test is no joke. The 9 moves are tough with very little time in between to catch your breath.
6. Back To Core – The warmup gets the heart pumping which leads into a tough lunge with pulse sequence. This workout is more about using your core to maintain stability in the moves.
7. Overtime – Its probably not fair to put this 15 minute workout so low as you only do it twice in Asylum and its after the grueling Game Day workout. On its own this would be an ideal total body workout to be done when you’re short on time.
8. Relief – Here comes your easy day. This workout is only 25 minutes long and you stretch for the majority of it. Pretty much what the title says.

My list might be a little different than yours and that’s cool. In order, these were the Asylum workouts that were hardest for me. It was a toss up for Strength and Vertical Plyo as I have a knee injury which limited me in how hard I could push myself with all the jumping. In the end all of the Insanity Asylum workouts are hard and there really are no off days.

The Insanity Asylum workout keeps up with the trend from Beachbody where you don’t need a lot of space to workout in. I had a little bit of a problem in my small family room with the agility ladder so I went outside. It was summer so it was not a big deal.

My issue inside was I didn’t have enough space to jump the length of the agility ladder which limited me in how much speed I could get going. I also had an issue jumping rope inside as my ceilings are low.

If you have a room in your house that’s 3 feet wider and longer than mine and tall ceilings then you’ll be ok. Otherwise you’ll only be able to do the Back to Core and Strength workout inside.

To do the Insanity Asylum workout you’re gonna need a couple pieces of equipment. If you’ve done a couple other Beachbody workouts then you probably have some of the items.

The good news is there are options for the people who do or do not want to get all of the equipment. Shaun T will show you how to do those once you’re in the workout. In no particular order:

• Insanity Asylum DVDs or Beachbody On Demand
• Dumbbells or Resistance Bands
• Pull Up Bar
• Jump Rope
• Agility Ladder
• Strength Band

Beachbody includes the agility ladder and jump rope when you buy the Insanity Asylum workout. With the Asylum workout being extremely challenging you’ll find yourself probably struggling with some of the moves.

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.

Anything Else?

While not necessary I would recommend using some of the items below. They might help.

• Chin-Up Max – If you can’t do pull ups all that well then get the Chin-Up Max to help you build up the strength needed to do them without.
• Shakeology – I’ve been using Shakeology daily for seven years and I believe its had a positive effect in my long term health.
• Beachbody Recover – Replaced the popular P90X Recovery Drink. Designed to help repair muscles and reduce soreness.

You probably have a few of these items if you’ve done Beachbody programs before. If not, you can check them out at the Beachbody Store. I have all of these items and continued to use them after finishing Insanity Asylum.

There is only one way where you can buy the Insanity Asylum workout for cheaper than the retail price.

First thing you need to know are the breakdowns in prices.

**The Insanity Asylum DVD’s have been discontinued. The only way to view The Asylum now is with a Beachbody On Demand account.**

Asylum = $89.85 at Beachbody Store

Asylum = $67.39 as a Beachbody Coach

Coaches get a 25% discount on all Beachbody products and have the ability to earn money by referring people to buy Beachbody products. There is a $40 sign up fee and $16 a month after that to stay in the program.

Many people go this route when buying the Asylum workout because they get the challenge pack which comes with Shakeology. You’ll save $30 on all the items and your sign up fee is waived.

I recommend signing up as a coach right from the get go and getting the Insanity Asylum Challenge Pack for $160. You’ll soon find out how important nutrition is with this workout and Shakeology will help.

If you already have everything you need to do the Insanity Asylum workout then may I suggest you get a Beachbody On Demand membership.

Plus they give you free shipping on the pack and your monthly Shakeology order. I hope this helps you in making your decision on how to save money when buying the Insanity Asylum workout.