P90X vs Insanity
Many people have been asking me which is better P90X or Insanity. Since I have completed both of them individually and a P90X / Insanity hybrid workout I decided to spend a couple minutes to give as best of a evaluation of both that I could. So here we go.
Build Muscle - P90X -You are using weights in 5 of the workouts including the pull up bar. There are no weights used with Insanity at all besides your body weight.
Intense Cardio - Insanity- Hands down winner here. All of the Insanity workouts involve cardio training while just half of the P90X workouts do.
Strength Training - P90X- This was a close one but I chose P90X because of the weight training along with the cardio. Workouts like P90X Legs & Back, P90X Chest & Back are similar to some of the Insanity workouts but the addition of weights help build more strength.
Flexibility - P90X - Yoga X, X Stretch, and the almost 10 minutes of stretching for each workout top the basic stretching with Insanity.
Abs - Insanity- It seems like almost 80% of each movement is geared toward the core area in the normal workouts not including the Cardio Ab workout. P90X has the killer Ab Ripper X workout but Insanity has more plank work and ab focused moves.
Weight Loss - Push - Both P90X and Insanity will help you lose weight if you really get at it.
Toning - Insanity - Very close here again as both workouts will tone you up but using your body weight for resistance will tone up any bulk that you have.
Cost - Insanity- If price is a issue then Insanity is the way to go as you only need the DVDs which are $119. For P90X you need dumbbells or resistance bands and a pull up bar. If you have those then you only need the P90X DVDs which are $119 also but you can get the P90X Deluxe set for $239 which includes bands, pull up bar, P90X, and the recovery drink. Of course you can get a 25% discount if you sign up to be a Beachbody Coach or a 10% discount with a Beachbody Club membership too.
Time - Insanity - Most of the workouts with Insanity are under 50 minutes long while P90X is about an hour plus Ab Ripper X three times a week. If time is an issue then go with Insanity.
Beginner - P90X - Tony Horton has three people in the background showing you how to modify each move from a beginner to advanced. The goal is to build up your strength to keep up with the person doing the advanced move.
Advanced - Insanity - Don't start Insanity unless you are already in some kind of shape. I think of Insanity as two a day football practices wrapped up into 45 minutes. You're basically trying to keep up with Shaun T, who is a college track star, doing power jumps, squats, and push ups at a ridiculous pace.
Variety - P90X- Yoga, Kenpo, and using a pull up bar are things not done in Insanity.
Value - P90X- Since it comes with 12 workouts to Insanity's 9, you can switch them up to your liking after the 90 days. This means you can make the investment of the DVDs go a lot farther then the 90 days. Heck, I did P90X 3 times straight before doing Insanity. Try to spend $119 for a 9 month gym membership.
Overall - P90X - The strength training, variety, and ability for people of any fitness level to be able to jump in and get great results over a 90 day period put it just a tad farther than Insanity
It was a close one: P90X 7 Insanity 6.
All of these are my opinions from doing P90X 3 times, Insanity 1 time, and a P90X / Insanity hybrid workout. I've had great results with both of them individually and together. If you are confused on what one to do right now I usually tell people to pick one based on cost and time. If you don't have the extra money to buy the dumbbells or pull up bar then go with Insanity and if you do have those then do P90X. If time is your issue then the 45 minute workouts with Insanity will be better for you instead of the 55 to 70 minute workouts with P90X. Either way you go each will help you reach your fitness goals because when your done with one just go and get the other one. If you are ready to start Insanity or P90X you can get them at the Beachbody Store. Check out the Beachbody Coach program to get discounts on them.
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