Which should I do FIRST--T25 or Insanity?

So I've been getting a LOT of questions lately about good ole T25! It's our NEWEST program via Beachbody and honestly, besides BBL and CLX, my FAVORITE and prob soul mate workout as well.


T25:



However,  a lot of people already OWN Insanity and want to try it (maybe again for the 3rd time)... however not everyones fitness levels are the same.

Here's the thing, Insanity is freakin hard. Not what you are going to expect or what you may have expected. I remember my FIRST Insanity workout... I did the warm up and thought that was it, while wiping sweat off my face and dripping down my abs. Hallelujah praise Shaun T it was over... but it wasn't. I looked at the timer and I still had 30 minutes left of the madness!

A few suggestions if you are trying to decide WHICH to do... 

- DO NOT just pick Insanity because you have it.... esp if you haven't done cardio or worked out for a good solid 45 minutes in a while. Why? Because Insanity will kick your ass so hard (and so good) that a lot of people get frustrated that they feel incapable of finishing. I've had a ton of customers say, "Abby--Insanity is so hard, I can barely get through it and Im really struggling"  A LOT of the time, Insanity is at a level that may be too high for you at the moment. It doesn't mean give up, it means either modify, take it slower and learn the moves or build the momentum... do as much of the DVDs as you can and don't beat yourself up if you don't finish every workout. I had to build up as I did P90X!

-KNOW your fitness level... 1-10
1 being you haven't worked out, you're totally clueless as what to do
5 being you've worked out here and there, never been totally committed, but looking to learn more--can do most moves, but you're slower and building stamina
8 being you're a workout freak, you do pretty well, theres room for improvement and you're dedicated to your journey and hour long workouts don't completely kill you. You can handle cardio, weight lifting, etc.
10 being you barely need a break, you're looking for a new challenge, working out is a lifestyle habit, and you're a an eat clean machine.

If you're at 1 you can do T25- sure it will VERY hard but you have Tania to modify with (she's the hottie Asian in the DVDs) and if you're at a 10 you CAN STILL DO T25 and get an ass kicking workout.

Basically T25 is GREAT for any level. You can either modify or you can make it harder! Add more reps, higher weights, better form, faster high knees, you name it.

-Try the Insanity fit test. Do each move for one minute and count how many you did... if you're absolutely dying, try T25 FIRST. Here's an example:

-When in doubt, pick a workout that you may feel more comfortable with... I know they success is out of your comfort zone, but better to try a workout, see how it goes and if you need more of a challenge, pick a more intense workout. Trying to GO HARD and CRAZY right off the bat (esp if you are at fitness level between 1-6) could leave you with an injury (and back injuries are hard to heal!) BUT STILL PUSH! YOU WILL NOT SEE RESULTS IF IT'S TOO EASY OR YOU ARE HALF ASSING IT.

-Realize that Insanity is much more plyometric--meaning a lot more jumps, a lot higher jumps, burpees and up/down movements. Insanity also has a 9-10 min warm up, 5 min stretch and about 20-30 min cardio/weight resistance HIIT workouts. T25 has very few water breaks or pauses, it's GO GO GO, but it's only 25 minutes, so every SECOND literally counts.

-Which do you have time for? If 45 mins-1 hour is too much for you at that level of intensity, Insanity may be a better choice once you have built stamina. If you're a runner, or use to working out for an hour and you want a challenge, this is a  GREAT program for you. If you're looking to only have a about 30 min cardio sessions because you are also weight lifting or doing other workouts, T25 is your best bet! You get just as worked in less time.

-What's your history?! If you have a history of injuries and can't jump as much (bad knees, hips, back, etc) T25 is a great way to start back into cardio with out all the heavy impact of jumping around. Insanity is KNOWN for high tuck jumps, diamond jumps, switch kicks, etc and all that can be very tiring on a body thats been through injury. Be smart, don't let EGO get in the way! I believe you can start small, build the muscles around the injured area for support and then start increasing intensity.

T25: 10 weeks

• -25 mins a day/5x a week
• -HIIT workouts, burn outs, resistance bands included for Beta phase
• -2 phases: Alpha and Beta. Alpha is the first introductory phase focused on form, speed and agility. Beta increases the level of difficult. Add on GAMMA phase (like me) for an extra 4 weeks of T25!
• -Alpha Phase 5 weeks
• -Beta Phase 5 weeks
• -little to no breaks
• no recovery weeks

Insanity: 60 days

• 35min-45 min- 1st month
• 55 mins - 2nd month
• 1 recovery week in between
• no equipment needed
• high jumps, HIIT workouts, lots of lateral and horizontal drills
• has water breaks--HIIT drills: 3 mins on,30 min break, repeat

In my HONEST opinion, I love Insanity. It will get you ripped, in 60 days if you follow it and eat clean, you're going to come out a lean mean machine... but now that I've tried T25 Im not sure how I can go back to Insanity! I'm sure I'll do it here and there, but I love how intense T25 is without the major time commitment. I also LOVE that it's less high jumps (bad knees here)! Oh and that it incorporates weights into the beta phase and gamma.

If I were you, I would start with T25 FIRST, and learn correct form, pace, and moves so that if you do decide to give Insanity a shot (or another shot), you won't be so SHOCKED. Then you can take your crazy self to AsylumI and AsylymII (for those of you who are die hard fans--maybe that will be my next?!)

If you need help deciding what works for you, please don't hesitate to contact me or email me at abbyfix@me.com! This is what I do for a living, for passion, for fun. And I LOVE seeing people succeed, reach their goals, and have their dream bodies! PRESS PLAY and join me!

P.S. When you get T25 and Shakeology together, you get Shakeology 50% off... not a bad deal until August 31st! Click here for more info!