Insanity Vs. P90X

People out there nowadays are striving to stick with and complete exercise programs. Tony Horton and Shaun T. offer 2 different types of workout programs, both of which i've tried and finished. In this hub I will compare and contrast the 2 programs, stating who would benefit more from each one.

Insanity

Insanity's workouts begin with a fit test to help you track, every 2 weeks, your progress. Shaun T. pushes you each and every workout to your max with interval cardio workouts. All you need is a small space and your body, because you do each workout with only your body weight; no weights or bands needed. For the first month, you work up your endurance with 35-45 minute workouts, plus the cardio ab workout which is 16 minutes long. For those with less time, insanity provides you with a solid workout in less than 45 minutes. This is ideal for the working mom, or overworked person, with little time left to exercise. In the second month, Shaun T. tests your endurance by upping the intervals and the exercise intensity. These workouts are still under an hour each, and totally do-able by the working individual. When you buy insanity, you also get the Elite nutrition guide, the workout calendar, and the fitness guide. The Elite nutrition guide helps you to make better food choices to help you stick with your weight loss goal. The calendar helps you keep track of your workouts day by day. The last thing that I like about the insanity workout is that it's only 60 days long. When you think 2 months compared to 3, you have a better frame of mind towards it. As for the workouts, they are targeted towards the person who likes cardio. There's no weights to lift, and no pull ups to do.

P90X

P90X is an equal mix of cardio and weight lifting together. Tony Horton designed the DVD's to target specific muscle groups as well as give you days of cardio inbetween. For P90X you need resistance bands, weights, or both, and a small space. You could also purchase a pull up bar if you want to do pull ups instead of using the bands. That's all an extra cost to you. Along with the DVD's you'll get tracking worksheets to keep trak of your daily progress with each workout. You'll be able to visually see yourself getting better, not to mention watch yourself physically better when you look in the mirror each day. Each of the workouts is about an hour long, with the yoga being the longest at almost an hour and a half. If you have the time to do these workouts that's great, but it doesn't exactly fit into the overworked or working mom's schedule that nicely. Tony Horton mixes up lifting techniques with cadio routines to give your body days off from the use of certain muscles. With P90X you get the DVD's plus a 3-phase nutrition plan to get you through the workouts and a calendar with tracking worksheets. P90X is a 90-day program compared to 60-day, which is definitely do-able. As far as the workouts go, they are more targeted towards the person who likes lifting, just because there are more lifting workouts than cardio in the program.

Insanity Pro's & Con's

Pro's

• Workouts are done in 35-60 minutes, depending on the month and day
• Workout program is only 60 days long
• Workouts are pure cardio
• There's no need to buy weights or bands
• You get an Elite nutrition plan to help you prepare healthier meals
• You do interval training, which gets you into great shape and quick
• Ab workout requires no crunches
• No down time, you only get 30 second breaks to catch your breath

Cons

• No weight lifting to make you gain mass
• Basic physical fitness level encouraged before starting

P90X Pro's & Con's

Pro's

• Gain muscle mass while getting into shape
• Track daily fitness improvements with tracking sheets
• Different exercises each day, and you work many muscle groups
• Ab workout is very intense
• The Kenpo routine mixes things up and is fun
• Semi-active fitness level encouraged before starting

Con's

• Workouts are relatively long
• Program is 90 days long
• Ab Workout requires doing crunches, which could be bad for bad backs
• Extra weights are required
• There's a lot of down time in the workouts
• Yoga is a very long workout at almost an hour and a half

Want more ideas for getting into shape and exercising? Check out my other hubs:

The Insane Insanity Workout
The P90X Fitness Review
Tips On Exercising & Maintaining A Healthy Weight
The Benefits Of Playing Sports At Any Age
Exercise Routines Done In 20 Minutes or Less!