P90X vs Insanity: Revisited

P90X vs Insanity The Showdown of the Big Guns: Revisited

I originally asked the question: P90X vs Insanity — Which program is “better” a while ago.  I’ve done them both, now with many other Beachbody programs, and I am here to declare the winner of the TOP DOG award!  Which program, if I were to have only 1 between the classics P90X and Insanity, would I choose?

…… drumroll please ……..

The P90X vs Insanity Winner is ….

P90X!! We have a winner!  In the P90X vs Insanity showdown, I must conclude that P90X is definitely the best all-around fitness program available, anywhere!  Hands down.  However, that does not mean that I love everything about it or that Insanity doesn’t whoop it in certain areas!  And since I’m not locked into having only 1 program for the rest of my life, let’s look at how the P90X vs Insanity showdown scores (in my opinion) in the following categories:

On a scale from 1 – 10 (10 being best)

P90X vs Insanity – Muscle Building = P90X – 10.  Insanity – 4.  This is where P90X blows Insanity away.  The Insanity deluxe came out with an Upper body weight training, which is the only reason I gave Insanity ANY points on muscle building.  But Insanity doesn’t claim to be a muscle building routine, so this isn’t so much a knock on Insanity as it is for my particular fitness goals.

P90X vs Insanity – Fat Burning = P90X – 7.  Insanity – 10.  This is where Insanity is at its best.  It is all-out, super-intense, sweat till you drop … and it makes P90X cardio look like a joke!  P90X gives a good calorie burn as well, but the cardio portion of P90X is definitely inferior to Insanity.

P90X vs Insanity – Variety = P90X – 9.  Insanity – 6.  P90X gives a big variety of workouts between lifting, yoga, cardio, and plyometrics.  Insanity workouts start to seem very similar after a while.  Although the Insanity Deluxe kit adds a good bit of variety with the Max Sports Interval, and the Insanity Ab routines are crazy intense and add big variety!

P90X vs Insanity – Nutrition = P90X – 8.  Insanity – 5.  The P90X nutrition plan is very complete, highly adaptable, and able to continue as a complete lifestyle change.  My only knock is that the guide keeps the calories too high for fat loss in my opinion.  Their calorie numbers are better for maintaining, but not for shredding fat.  Insanity nutrition is really focused on maximizing the workout program, so it’s not as sustainable as a total lifestyle change.  For this reason, I still recommend people going through Insanity to follow the P90X nutrition because I feel like it’s more complete.

P90X vs Insanity Conclusions… wait the P90X vs Insanity Battle doesn’t end there!

Now we have some other awesome options from both Tony Horton and Shaun T. Those new programs are P90X2, Insanity: The Asylum Volume 1, and Insanity: The Asylum Volume 2. If you thought it couldn’t get better, it did! Let’s take a look at all of them and do a few comparisons.

P90X2

P90X2 is structured in a similar way as P90X. The program is broken into 3 phases: Foundation, Strength, and Performance. Many of the Strength workouts will sound very familiar to those of your that have done in P90X. Chest, Back, & Balance, X2 Shoulders & Arms, Base and Back (sorta like Legs and Back… but with Plyo!), V-Scuplt (a Back/Bicep workout), and X2 Chest + Shoulders + Triceps. The Strength phase is essentially all of P90X condensed down into one long phase. Then there is even X2 Yoga and Plyocide to make it feel like old times. What gives P90X2 it’s strength is not only it’s weight training again, it is that everything has been taken up about 50 notches!  No moves are easy.  None of the moves are stable and balanced.  Everything requires core strength, stability, and synergy of muscle groups working together.  It’s frustrating … and so rewarding … at the same time.

I would definitely recommend this as a graduate program for those that have done P90X. I am not as confident that it would be a good fit after a single round of Insanity. You will really need the strength gained from P90X to benefit from X2. By already having a great base of strength for push ups, pull ups, and weights you can really maximize all the core-centric moves of P90X2. On top of that, you will take your athletic performance to all new levels with the Performance Phase.  These workouts are a total test of strength, form, endurance, and conditioning.  There are no breaks.  You do big compound strength moves to tax your system, and then go right into explosive moves and isometric moves.

The P90X2 Nutrition Guide is right inline with what you got with P90X. It is even “cleaner” in its food options and continues to be the best. Again, like for P90X vs Insanity, the P90X2 Nutrition plan wins.

 P90X2, Insanity: The Asylum Volume 1, and Volume 2

It seems like Shaun T got the memo. Where Insanity may have lacked, The Asylum (both Vol 1 and 2) have picked it up! Both programs have real weight training now! The Asylum was designed again to be a graduate program for Insanity. A grad of P90X could step into Volume 1 without much worry. Cardio endurance is much easier to gain in a short amount of time than strength. You may be huffing and puffing from the upped intensity of Shaun T but you will progress. Volume 1 is intended to completed before Volume 2. Both programs are 30 days long and will whip you into shape. There is no holding back with Shaun T. They will greatly improve your athletic performance and endurance. I would expect you to be able to maintain much of your strength, but not necessarily build tons of muscle. The moves are always done with higher reps and at a much higher heart rate. The end goal is performance and speed, not size. Think of it as a month long, all out race to get ripped. The Asylum will cause you to incinerate your body fat. Just look at the Asylum Legends!

P90X vs Insanity: The Sequels

So does one win out, that’s hard to say. P90X2 is a much more complete program than just The Asylum Volume 1 or Volume 2 (after all, X2 is a full 90 day program). It comes down to goals. If your goal is to get big and ripped, I still have never had greater results than after X2. The nutrition guide from P90X2 is fantastic again and both plans from The Asylum leave a lot to be desired. Both programs, X2 and The Asylum, require a little more gear (balance balls, med balls, speed ladders, jump ropes, etc). I have loved using all of these programs and if one thing is clear, Beachbody knows how to create world class at-home fitness solutions. I still workout once a day for about an hour, in the comfort of my own home. Nothing could have been simpler or more effective.

Click here for the complete, original, P90X vs Insanity article!

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