Response to Airynn

(I was originally going to just respond to Airynn in the comments, but I this is probably one of the most common questions I get about exercise.  So here's a post instead)

Hey, Airynn (cool name!),

P90X or Insanity?  Depends on a few factors:

1.  What is your current fitness level?  Couch potato?  3 times a week on the ellipse machine?  Calisthenics 5 times a week an hour each time?  Triathlete?  If you aren't already in a fairly strenuous exercise program (30 minutes of treadmill or ellipse doesn't count) I would start with P90, not P90X or Insanity.  Like I have said before, I lost almost all the weight with 2 months of dieting and 3 months of regular P90 - about 45 pounds.  P90 will help you lose the weight AND will most definitely tone you up. 

2.  If all you want to do is tone up, then I wouldn't bother beating myself up with P90X or Insanity.  Again, do P90.  After that, reassess what kind of physique you want and what level of conditioning you are interested in and go from there (trust me, at the end of P90, you will be in pretty good shape.  And if you are like me, you will probably want to bring it to the next level.)

3.  If you are actually interested in getting ripped, in SUPER shape, and have at least an hour and 20 minutes to dedicate to your workout (not including shower, etc) 6 days a week, and you are in good physical shape already, I would do P90X.

4.  If you just want to get shredded and don't have as much time and don't want to do any free-weight stuff (or don't have the equipment), do Insanity.  Don't misunderstand, even without weights, Insanity is a killer workout - there are still pushups and burpees and squats and more plyo than you can shake a 30" vertical jump at.  So this program is also for an already fit person.  Those workouts rocked my world.

Since I sense that you don't already have a moderate to heavy workout program you are doing, my recommendation to you, Airynn, is to get P90 and follow that program to the letter, including the diet.  You can kill two birds with one stone with P90.  Here's how:

A.  It utilizes a calorie-deficit diet which will help you shed that 50 pounds.

B.  You will not only get toned, you will gain strength and flexibility.  Believe me, you will need that strength and flexibility when you move on to P90X or Insanity.

If you just diet now and then try to tone afterwards, it's going to take you forever.  Why not do both at the same time?  Besides, exercise will give you a tremendous high that stays with you all day and brightens your mood and makes you feel like anything is possible.

Truth be told, that's really the main reason I work out.  Bad diet and no exercise makes me feel like crap.

All that being said, you can still try to do P90X or Insanity without working up to them.  But the unfortunate reality is that if you are completely out of shape, you won't have developed the physical conditioning required to start those programs.  And that will make your chances of successfully finishing either program very small.  After the very first workout, an unconditioned person will wake up the next day feeling like they were beaten with a baseball bat.  I'm not kidding.  Not only that, but your risk for injury greatly increases, which will effectively sideline you for days, most likely weeks.  And that prevents you from reaching your goals.  I pulled my Achilles tendon about halfway through P90X and it made downward dogs and plyo most unpleasant.  It took months for that to heal, especially since I made myself finish P90X despite the injury.  Not smart.

Ease into those programs, but do your best in P90.  Be patient.  Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

Comments

[Alan]

Dude, "bad diet and no exercise make me feel like crap". I realized that a few months ago, and then discovered a few weeks later that (obviously) the converse is true: A good diet and exercise makes me feel great!"