My Asylum Review
As you know, the hype around Asylum has been intense … made even more INSANE by the Asylum Challenge featuring the best of the best, the cream of the crop … teamRIPPED … vs. team XcellentFitness, who are already working on their list of “X”cuses LOL!
Now that I’ve had a chance to go through all of the Asylum workouts a couple times, I want to give y’all the breakdown. And since these involve a lot of sports-specific drills, it takes a couple times (or more) to get the technique down and to get coordinated enough to execute the agility drills with speed! Once you get the hang of it though, you’ll feel like Adrian Peterson — a perfect blend of power, strength, speed, and agility! Look out!
Speed & Agility:
This workout is INTENSE (you’ll hear me say that a lot LOL!). It’s all about quick feet, control, and coordination. You have to execute moves using the rope ladder, so you don’t just get to move around. You have to move around FAST and UNDER CONTROL. It took me a time or two through the exercises before I could really up my speed. Getting the feel for moving quickly with precision takes practice — but it makes us more athletic. I can’t help but feel like Adrian Peterson when I’m slashing and dashing through the drills in this one!
Strength:
This workout has lots of lifting and resistance, but not like a P90X lift workout. The heart rate is still through the roof as you do this workout, but you are also burning the muscles with dumbells, pullups, and pushups. But the ultimate killer in this workout is the “rock climber switches”, which come late in the workout, when you are already dead tired! You are expected to hold yourself on the pullup bar, in the “up” position (like at the top of your pullup – as opposed to the hanging position). And from there you switch your grip between the hand positions. BRUTAL!! That one humbles me! But it also gives me a reason to come back and try it again, because that’s how I’ll get better!
Back to Core:
You will feel the burn on the backside of your body in every muscle group from your neck to your knees. The bands will toast your upper back / traps in a barrage of pulsing moves. You have to do every move with precision to maintain form, and the muscles will SCREAM for relief! This is a good one — not so intense as far as heart rate, but a great muscle burn in the areas that we often don’t hit very hard with our lift routines.
Vertical Plyo:
Wow! Heart rate and calorie burn will be off the charts when you do this one! It’s a total blast. Tons of variety. Tons of jumping. I loved this!
Relief:
There is an Asylum workout that doesn’t leave you in a puddle of your own DNA! It’s “Relief”! Designed as a recovery / stretch workout that you can do once a week as part of the schedule, or more often if you need to work out the soreness and improve your flexibility (like me!).
GameDay:
Imagine being in mid season of your favorite sport. You’ve been practicing hard all week, and now it’s time to compete! This workout is the longest (1 hour), burns the most calories (I burn about 1300 with it), and it will literally leave you in a pool of sweat on the floor! Just for example, there is a “swimming” sequence where you are in the superman position, working your arms in a breast stroke motion, and I was sweating so much that I literally felt like I was really in a pool! LOL! And then during the surfer sequence, I was doing the board jumps and the carpet was so wet that my shoes were slipping and squeaking … ON CARPET! This is the “mother” of all workouts in my opinion! But I don’t dread it or fear it. I relish it because it’s so FUN!
Overtime:
A quick (15 minute) extra session with some good plyo and strength moves to really wipe you out, just in case you had anything left at the end of your regular workout! I like adding this to the “Back to Core” routine to make a 1-hour workout, and since the “Back to Core” is the “easiest” cardio workout of the Asylum series, it’s a good place to put it.
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Mike, go slow if you are worried about losing mass. Even if it takes you more than 30 days to get to your goal, you'll be happier if you go slow. Start at 2500 and see what you lose in a week or two, then adjust.
Thanks coach do you recommend a fat shredder or a 40/40/20 diet?
Mike, Fat Shredder for maximum fat loss. With the Asylum, you can do 40/40/20 with a good deficit and still get ripped. I think Bobby B. from the Legends was on 1800 at 40/40/20 and he got SHREDDED!
Hey coach. I'm currently doing the asylum and I cannot describe how much I love the workouts! It's short and straight to the point. One problem I have is doing the mountain climber progression in the third box. I'm 5' only 153cm my legs cannot stretch so far.. I kept hitting the ladder and ended up doing it only 3-4 times in the third box. Any suggestion? :-)
Vee, I would stick to the second box. Just go as hard as you can with that progression and focus on speed.
Is it true that they are working on new Asylum workouts?
Yes, Dominic, they will be filming Volume 2 of the Asylum in April/May.
I am thinking of doing the Asylum but was just wondering do the circular resistance bands shown in the video for push ups and other moves included in the package when you buy the Asylum or do you have to buy those seperate?
The bands are included. See the full details in the link explaining the program here = http://teamripped.com/programs/asylum/asylum-base-kit
Thanks Coach, Im finishing up this round of P90X with great results so far. Ill post the pictures as soon as I get them in. I'm 6'2.3 and weighing 178lbs. So far I've lost 11lbs of fat. I don't have a caliper so I base my Body Fat measurements from the tape methods. According to those, I'm somewhere between 6.18% - 9.68%. Im on day 60 and running on a 1650-1750 cal diet. I was thinking on bumping up my calorie intake to 1900 - 2000 for the last 30 days but not sure if I should change it to the Phase 2. Also as soon as Im done with this round, Ill go straight to Asylum. Should I enter asylum with a 1900 cal diet or have it around 2400 Phase 2? Any thoughts?
Hey Alexander, sounds like you have done great! For this last month, since you are already at a low body fat %, you should definitely go to the phase 2 diet. 2000 cals would be okay but you'll need to step that # up soon (2400-2800) as you go to more of a maintenance level than a deficit mode. Keep it up!
Coach, do you have any opinions on the Asylum Nutrition Guide? Did you do the program with the standard P90X nutrition or followed the Asylum nutrition guide? Do you recommend doing Asylum with a Fat Shredder Phase, or change up to Phase 2 Nutrition?
Hey Alexander, I didn't like the Asylum nutrition guide. I didn't think it was as well thought out and planned as the P90X nutrition guide, and in fact I had all of our Asylum Legends do a P90X-type diet of either fat shredder or phase 2 maintenance. They got GREAT results!
hey coach next weak i am going to finish my first round of p90x. i didnt get as great results as all of u guys but im still proud of my results. i got some defenition in my arms and i dont want to loose that. my question is should i order the asylum and do one round or should i do another p90x and insanity round? my main concern is that i dont want to loose the little muscle defenition that i already have but i want to drop more body fat and i think asylum will help me do this what do u think i should do?
Hey Victor, to keep your muscle mass, you can't beat the P90X lift days. You can mix it with either Insanity cardio or Asylum cardio days though and either will help you burn more fat. Hope that helps!! Keep bringing it!
Coach W, Still looking to get signed up as a Coach, just need to get through this wedding first (30 days to the BIG DAY!). Q: Just got Asylum. I'm not going to start it until I get back from the H'moon, but thought I'd throw a workout or 2 in my current hybrid (P90X/Insanity/1 on 1's) on the cardio days. Which one would you suggest to sandwich btw 2 lift days? Was thinking Vert Plyo, but always looking for a good opinion.
Hey Tyler! Good luck with the wedding! Vert Plyo is a good choice. Go for it!
After doing asylum I just cant seem to go back to the older insanity workouts as I feel I get a better workout from asylum as I think they are more fun to do also. Do you still do the older insanity workouts in a hybrid or are you sticking with asylum coach?
Hey Kyle, look at my Round 5 hybrid in the "workout zone". I agree that Asylum is a ton of fun, but Insanity is still tough and a great workout. Look at how I'm using Asylum for a week each month.
Bet you would've followed your 1st round of P90X with Asylum instead of insanity if it were out at the time wouldn't you? Guess I'm the lucky one lol.
Hard to say Dustin. I like both Insanity and Asylum, and they are different. I'm glad I have both for variety.
Sounds like Asylum is the perfect compliment for some post P90X trimming. From what I read on the program, it sounds like the Asylum tries to focus on all phases of strength, core, cardio, and balance, much like P90X as opposed to Insanity. Thoughts?
Exactly Dustin! And if you've seen our Asylum Legends video, you can see that in 30 days our guys and gals (who had already made amazing progress with P90X) were able to get totally shredded with Asylum. It is amazing!
Coach wayne another question for you did you do Relief AND a P90x lift on "Relief" days on the schedule? I finished day 8 and relief day is coming up just wondering if I should do a lift routine that day or not. I did back and biceps on day 5 which was a "rest day". I noticed Game Day is the following day so not sure if it would be a good idea to do one right before Game Day which I haven't attempted yet. Thanks Coach
Yes Jordan, I did. Relief is a stretching workout, which is good to do to loosen up the leg muscles you've been blasting all week.
Coach Wayne, Forgive me if this was posted elsewhere and I missed it but I was curious about a couple things. During the Asylum workout which diet plan did you follow? I was also curious on the supplements you used during it as far as the pre-workout did you just stick with 1 MR and use Nano Vapor on your rest days that you subbed in a P90x day? Any days that you shouldn't use R/R formula after the workout on this program? Thanks Coach I think that covers it for now.
Hey Jordan, I followed my balanced (40/40/20) plan, but at about 2700 calories (a slight deficit). I didn't particularly care for the Asylum nutrition guide. I didn't use any pre-workout because it was my off cycle month (although a pre-workout would have been nice!!). And pretty much every one of those Asylum workouts is definitely R/R formula - worthy! I used it after all of them.
Coach Wayne, First things first: Thanks for now being my Coach!!! Glad I stumbled across this website after seeing your results on the P90X website. Now for my question: I've done P90X, Instanity but unfortunately have not completed an entire round, just only a month of the programs before I get off track. Blame it on not having the correct support system or blame it on not being able to stay consistant and/or focused. I was wondering if, since it's only a month program(obviously repeatable after completion), if it would be wise for me to try Insanity: Asylum without having completed a full program in the past? Thank you in advance.
Hey Angel, I'd wait until you finish a full round of P90X or Insanity before tackling Asylum.
hey TeamRIPPED! I am soo excited for the asylum. I really really enjoy reading these blogs. I was introduced to teamRIPPED this past weekend by my friend (thanks BeeJay). I'm in my third week of Insanity and once i complete day 63, i will begin the ASYLUM! i am soo excite. My boyfriend is a week behind me and he will also start the asylum. we are both so very stoked! can't wait. I'll post before and after pictures after i complete insanity and then again after asylum! keep up the good work teamRIPPED. thanks coach Wayne for all of your inspiration.
what was your diet like during this because it says to eat around 1800 calories for the asylum month. did you go low cals or did u stick with your main diet?
Hey Kbags, I've been using a modified version of my 3,000 calorie diet. Since I don't want to lose weight necessarily, I didn't want to stick with the Asylum diet.
Wayne - Asylum is now in WOWY. Not sure if they just added it or if I'd missed it. Regardless...it's all good.
I have insanity and have yet to do the program fully because I've been focusing on P90X, however I did find that after the Insanity workouts I get killer lower back pain for a few days. Suggestions? Am I just too "loose in the cage"? lol
Hey Kirstie, perhaps "loose in the cage" would describe it LOL! Insanity requires lots of core strength, so as you work on that (especially in workouts like Cardio abs), your core will get stronger and you should see improvement. This of course assumes you don't have a lower back injury of some sort causing your pain (disc problems, etc.)
Wayne - Somewhat off topic, but have you heard when/if BB plans on getting The Asylum workouts into WOWY SuperGym? Seems funny that they thought of everything else for this new routine except the thing they promote almost as much as Shakeology ;-)
Hey Britt! Good question. I have no idea on why the Asylum workouts aren't already in WOWY. Doesn't seem like it would be hard for them to add them. I'll ask!
Hey Coach Wayne, My son is an elite level ice hockey player and will be playing on his first junior level hockey team starting in late August. He is currently in phase 3 of his first round of P90X and will complete this round in mid June. Would you recommend Asylum for him after that? He is 17 years old.
Hey Marc, Asylum is a great program for anyone looking to build speed, agility, explosiveness, core strength, and body control. I highly recommend it for any athlete. I wish I'd had something like this for my off-season training when I played football back in the day!
Hey Coach! how feasible would it be to do Asylum without any equipment? Say you are on the road, and you don't have access to a jump rope, rope ladder, resistance bands, dumbbells, or a pull up bar. Could you do the Asylum workouts purely with bodyweight? Do the workouts present modified, bodyweight-only versions of the exercises? IOW, is Asylum a program that you could feasibly do while traveling or in a hotel room, with no access to any equipment? thanks.
Hey Straightedge, you really need a rope ladder and some resistance bands to do Asylum, both of which you can pack in your luggage without taking up hardly any room.
i am a new member of team ripped. starting week 6 of my p90x + insanity hybrid 2mrw. excited to be part of team ripped. GOAL: to try to look half as good as coach wayne by end of summer.
Hey Nilabjo! Welcome!!! By the end of the summer you should be ripped if you'll stay committed to the workouts, the nutrition, and stay plugged in here for advice and tips! Bring it!
Thanks Coach, it isn't called The Asylum for nothing! Gameday+Overtime will be the monster to beat.
Thanks for the review coach! I have ASYLUM but won't be starting it for another month or so. Like others, I am concerned not only about losing muscle, but not gaining additional muscle mass that I've had from my 98 day P90X/Insanity hybrid (today is day 84). My thought is to incorporate ASYLUM into a hybrid program using P90X/ASYLUM/Insanity. With that in mind, would you reccommend I start with a new hybrid with ASYLUM included OR give ASYLUM a straight 30 days first? Thanks Coach!
Hey Mike, the Asylum has a lot more resistance than Insanity, but I still prefer the idea of using it as part of a hybrid with some traditional P90X lift days for the muscle building. It's safe to say that you won't lose muscle mass with Asylum (unlike Insanity), but I doubt you can build much muscle either due to the high cardio level of even the strength days on Asylum.
thanks, Coach!
hey, thanks Coach! in terms of resistance training, would you say there is good balance between upper body and lower body resistance training? or, is the lower body training mainly carido and plyo moves? thanks.
There are weighted squats but for the most part, the legs are set on fire by deep Plyo moves and lunge-type moves. It will leave the legs super-sore the first few times you do it.
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Coach, Starting asylum 1 on jan.1st. Curenntly finishing round two of body beast and should be up a total of 14#. Currently 164.5# and roughly 9-10% body fat. I would like to keep the gains that I have had with BB since I have a hard time gaining weight. I lose weight super quick. I ran p90x2 at 2500 calories and lost 10# in 90 days. Do you think I should run the 1900 calorie fat shredder plan for the asylum or would you recommend upping the calories. I am hoping to start around 166# and do not want to drop below 160. Thanks!
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