Asylum Sports Performance First Look
Beachbody workouts are developed for all fitness levels. The Asylum is an advanced home fitness program centered on sports performance and competitive spirit. And, today is the day I like to call the “first look” at a new program. I am taking my first look at Insanity The Asylum, a sports performance Beachbody workout that I classify as an extreme fitness program.
This is the day I review the whole program before starting it. I like to read all the guides from front cover to back, take a look at equipment and accessories, and understand the basics of the program. I like to review all the workout videos to get a feel for what’s ahead. And, I like to take a good look at my nutrition plan since that is half the battle for most people.
The basics of the Asylum program include sports conditioning and drills, agility, core, strength, and speed improvement. It looks like a competitive training environment where you push yourself to get better each time. You are competing against your personal best. In fact, the whole program begins and ends with a fit test to measure your own sports performance improvement over a 30 day period. I am already in the mindset that I only have 30 days to make noticeable improvements. Now, that’s a great motivator for any sports minded person.
The program comes with an agility ladder, speed jump rope, and two toning bands. The jump rope makes me smile because I know I will have to work on form to get a good swing going. I may even have to modify without the use of a rope in the beginning.
The agility ladder looks like it will add an element of fun as well as challenging both strength and agility. I have already seen someone taping an outline of a ladder on the floor rather than using the actual agility ladder. I think that takes a bit of the challenge away. The whole point is to use the ladder without touching or moving it.
This program does not come with equipment for strength training workouts other than two toning bands. You will need resistence bands or dumbbells and a chin up bar. If you do not have a chin up bar, you can do back exercises with a band. I have resistence bands, selectec dumbbells, and a chin up bar. I will probably do a mix of all three.
The Asylum has nine workouts, including the fit test. The fit test is just under 25 minutes. I think it should be included as a workout! Anyway, this is the lineup:
1. Athletic Performance Assessment/Fit Test (about 25 minutes)
2. Speek & Agility (about 45 minutes)
3. Veritcal Plyo (about 40 minutes)
4. Relief (about 25 minutes)
5. Strength (about 50 minutes)
6. Strength (about 50 minutes)
7. Game Day (about 60 minutes)
8. Overtive (about 15 minutes)
9. Back to Core (about 45 minutes)
In addition to these workouts, Shaun T (also the trainer of Insanity) has training video clips on using the agility ladder, speed rope and chin up bar. I have to warn you though, Shaun T makes chin ups look easy. I sure would like to see Shaun T and Tony Horton go against each other in a chin up contest. These guys are tough!
Asylum comes with a 30 day calendar. It also has an Asylum Insanity Hybrid schedule and an Asylum P90X Hybrid schedule. I plan on going through the first 30 days of pure Asylum and then, possibly jumping over to the P90X Asylum hybrid.
The nutrition program is simple to follow. It is a 14 day plan that can be repeated or changed up as you learn the basics of how to eat like an athlete….eat frequently, go light at night, portion control, eat lean, carbs early in the day, avoid dairy, hydrate, limit alcohol, eat healthy fats, and supplement. Beachbody’s Results and Recovery Formula is recommended for Insanity The Asylum customers due to the intense nature of the workouts. After reviewing some of the workouts, I think I will definitely be using the recovery drink.
Well, I have some more reviewing to do before tomorrow. I want to have a game plan ready for my nutrition. By the way, the whole title of this program is Insanity The Asylum Volume 1: Sports Performance. It makes you wonder if Shaun T and Beachbody have more to come. I’m just sayin’!
More Beachbody workouts.
Hip Hop Abs at the Hampton Roads Fit Club
Tuesday night was another exciting night at the Hampton Roads Fit Club where we sample beachbody workouts and nutrition shake Shakeology for anyone who wants to experience Beachbody in our local area. We try to do a different workout from the large selection of Beachbody fitness programs. The first week, we started with Kenpo X from P90X and then, move on to Fire 30 from Turbo Fire. Shaun T was in the house this week.
I joked with my friends on my facebook because when it comes to dance moves, I feel like my body doesn’t feel the music. I would be one of those people that the judges in Dancing with the Stars sympathizes with in the beginning and then, gets harsh with over the course of a few weeks when little improvement is demonstrated. So the thought of Hip Hop had me a little concerned, but that is what our group wanted to do.
I dusted off my copy of Hip Hop Abs and pressed play on a thirty minute cardio workout. We all had a fabulous time trying to follow Shaun T’s instruction. I laughed at myself because I knew I would never do something like this at a gym. I was always too self conscious to join a class of any type at the gym. I was intimidated by other people and felt like I would stick out like a sore thumb. In our club, it is like working out at home with family or friends. We all do our best and don’t worry about anyone else. No glass walls here for people to pass by and stare in at us.
I took a digital video camera and was excited to get some footage to upload to facebook and my website. I ended up having some technical difficulties getting the recording from my camcorder to a computer, however, so that project is on hold. I do want to give you a glimpse of real people doing Beachbody workouts. As soon as I get my technical problems resolved, I will start posting short videos from our fit club.
Shaun T is coming to Virginia this Saturday. It would be nice to workout with him and meet him in person. I am not able to make a roadtrip this weekend though. Oh by the way, if you haven’t seen Shaun T’s abs lately….they are really awesome. I think Insanity took it up a notch for Shaun T, too. There is a noticeable difference between his abs in Hip Hop Abs and Insanity. Even trainers compete against their personal best and set goals to achieve even better fitness.
Insanity The Asylum: Shaun T’s New Program
If you are an extreme fitness fan, you might have already embarked on the 60 day Insanity workout that Beachbody and Shaun T released this last year. Insanity uses maximum interval training with very short rest periods. Shaun T created this program to use only your body weight. No equipment required except maybe a towl and mop to clean up all that sweat!
Although Insanity might be new to you, it’s been on the Beachbody work at home fitness dvd menu for quite some time now. It was released before Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Fire. Here’s a quick look at what Insanity is all about:
That makes me tired just watching that short clip! If you haven’t tried Insanity or if this is the first time you have heard of it, you can read more about this intense Beachbody workout on my Insanity page.
If you are an Insanity veteran, here’s the latest news. Beachbody and Shaun T are releasing the sequela to Insanity this winter. We’re not sure exactly when it willl be released but if you contact me and indicate your interest, I’ll be sure to let you know the day I get the release date.
The name of the new program is Insanity The Asylum, Volume I: Sports Performance. Here’s a clip from youtube of Shaun T announcing the new program.
Me and a few other coaches in our area are starting a Fit Club to workout together once per week. One of the cool things about the Fit Club is you’ll be able to try out workouts before you commit to a program. Although my coach has done Insanity and loves it, I haven’t tried Shaun T’s workouts, yet. I look forward to doing this in one of our Fit Club sessions.
Beachbody has some cool stuff lined up with the sequel to Insanity and the new P90X coming out next year, too. It’s going to be an amazing year! Are you a member of Beachbody, yet?
Modifying Beachbody Workouts
In every Beachbody workout program, you will hear the trainers tell you to modify your workouts to fit your current fitness level. You may be able to carry out perfect form and keep up with the trainer for one exercise, but have to work slower or do less reps with another exercise. You might have to use bands if you do no have weights or even do the exercise without weights to compensate for your fitness level or to accommodate an injury.
Fitness is about listening to your body. It is about properly fueling your body and getting the most out of your strength, endurance, aerobic capacity, and flexibility. Improvements in these areas are proven to improve your health and quality of life as well as help prevent future injuries and illness.
You will always hear me say that you need to find an activity you like and will do consistently. Consistency was my mountain. You can read about my story to learn more about my personal struggle with consistency.
I am writing today to tell you about another type of modification. You have probably noticed that some Beachbody coaches do “hybrid” workouts. All this means is they are mixing up different workouts. I do this as well to keep things interesting. Variety helps keep muscle confusion working on your behalf.
If you are new to Beachbody workouts, I highly recommend going through the entire program as written in your guide. Follow the eating plan as well as the fitness calendar. It may be hard, but you will learn how to eat like an athlete to fuel your body for a fit and healthy lifestlye. You will also gain consistent habits and learn how to incorporate all aspects of fitness into your life, including cardio, strength training, core, and flexibility.
Once you have finished a program like Tony Horton’s P90X or Power 90, Chalene Johnson’s ChaLean Extreme or Turbo Jam, Debbie Sieber’s Slim in 6 or Shaun T’s Insanity…you may be ready to mix up your own hybrid. I highly recommend subscribing to Tony Horton’s One on One workouts if you are a P90X fanatic. Many people like to combine P90X for strength training and Insanity for the cardio challenge.
I like mixing up ChaLean Extreme with One on One or Brazil Butt Lift workouts. I still like throwing in one of the P90X dvds and getting a little crazy with the crazy man himself. What am I doing right now?
I am generally following the ChaLean program but I am working it around my work schedule. Not everyone has a 9-5 Monday – Friday job, so the standard schedule is harder for me. I thought I would start including a weekly snapshot of what workouts I did for the week, since I generally do not write a new review of a workout I have already written about.
This will give you a good idea of what I am doing to stay fit. As always, it will help me stay accountable and consistent. This is what I did this past week:
Sunday – Rest day. Spent the day riding motorcyles with friends.
Monday – Yard work. This is not my favorite form of exercise. I would have to put it at the top of the list for my mother though. She stopped gardening after six hours in the yard only because she ran out of daylight. Arrrrgggh!
Tuesday – ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 2
Wednesday – ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 3
Thursday – Rest day. Chicken pizza.
Friday – ChaLean Extreme Burn It Off! and Burn Circuit 1
Saturday – Today’s plan is ChaLean Extreme Recharge and I’ve Got Abs in the morning. In the evening, I plan on pressing play with ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 2.
Sunday – Sunday’s plan is ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 3 in the morning and ChaLean Extreme Burn Intervals in the evening.
Stay fit. Fuel your body. Keep pressing play. Ask questions. Share your experiences.
Raising the Intensity of Slim in 6 & Other Beachbody Workouts
After doing 90 days of Tony Horton’s P90X Extreme Home Training System, you’d think that I’d be ready to take a break. The fact of the matter is that once you start seeing your own results, you get hooked on Beachbody workouts. I’m in the middle of Debbie Sieber’s Slim in 6 slim training workout program for weight loss at the time of this writing.
Each new workout in the Slim in 6 program challenged me in the beginning, but I knew that if I wanted to continue seeing the results I wanted that I had to raise my intensity level. It’s important to keep your heart rate in a working zone throughout your workout. That’s where you burn fat and calories. So what did I do? I put on some kickboxing type of hand weights. You can get a pair right from the Beachbody store. Chalene Johnsons’s Turbo Jam workout comes with a pair of these weighted gloves. You’ve probably seen her use them in the Turbo Jam infomercial. The gloves help increase the intensity and increase the burn.
Other things you can do to increase the intensity of a workout if you have extra energy on a particular day or if you don’t feel like you’re working hard enough to get the results you want include adding movements that raise your legs or knees higher, going deeper into lunges and squats, and/or raising your arms above your head. You can also do more reps than they are doing on the video. For example, I can do far more push ups from my P90X experience than the number Debbie’s team does in Slim in 6.
What’s my point? Every workout program has to be personalized. And, you’re the only one who can do that. If you’ve read any of my articles on P90X, you’ll notice that I often had to modify the other way. Heck, I still can’t do even on pull up, but I’m still working on it. I did what I could with each P90X workout and kept it as intense as I could. I often had to modify until I got stronger or had more endurance. As I look back, it must’ve been a pitiful sight to watch me do my first couple of rounds with P90X Yoga X!
I like the intensity of the P90X training program and the personality of Mr. Tony Horton who is the fitness expert, trainer, and author of the program. To stay in touch with that energy, I subscribed to Tony Horton’s One on One program which allows me to get a new P90X level training program every month. Each workout focuses on one area such as cardio or abs or delts. The workouts are shorter (20-40 minutes on average) than they were in P90X. The P90X workouts were about an hour long….unless you did the Yoga X…a grueling 92 minutes!
If you’re a graduate of P90X, here are a few options for keeping your workouts new and challenging. Try the One on One automatic shipment or try P90X+ which was developed for P90X grads who just couldn’t get enough of the X. You can also try Tony’s 10 Minute Trainers which are intense short workouts that you can fit into those tight schedules. But, if you want to try an intense workout, and you’re up for a 60 day cardio challenge, you might be ready for Shaun T’s Insanity.
I’m not ready for a cardio program that intense, yet. My personal coach is doing this program and loving it though. I’m ok with not being right there at the starting line as Insanity takes its hold on the world. It was just released this month, so extreme fitness fanatics everywhere are ordering this program. Shaun T’s program has a unique offer with the program if you’re one of the few, the proud…oh, wait a minute – that’s the Marines…if you’re one of the insane, crazy people who think they can do this heart pumping, sweat pouring 60 day program. If you graduate the program, you’ll get a cool Insanity T-shirt if you send in your before and after pictures. How cool is that?
You know what’s really cool about Beachbody workouts? You’ve heard me say this before. There is a Beachbody workout that is right for everyone, every body, every fitness level. Beachbody’s philosophy is to get you moving and help you live a healthy and fit life. So, what are you waiting for? “Change your body. Change your life.”
taking advantage of every opportunity to reach your fitness goals.
