I must be crazy to enjoy this…

I thought I had you figured out Shaun T.

But you got me.

After completing Insanity and Insanity Max: 30, I was pretty confident going into Insanity: The Asylum. I expected it to be challenging, because it wouldn’t be a Shaun T program if it wasn’t. But I did not expect it to absolutely and totally kick my overconfident butt.

The end of my first Speed & Agility found me lying in a pool of sweat (and maybe a few tears) on my living room floor huffing air like an asthmatic. It didn’t help that trying to follow the jump rope moves made me feel like a newborn giraffe (Side note: if you’re like me and haven’t used a jump rope since elementary school, give it a whirl a few times before attempting to do split squats and high knees with it…)

And yet, I’m completely loving this program.

For starters, it’s the first Shaun T program I’ve done that doesn’t depend completely on bodyweight movements (but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of burpees and rotational jump squats). Instead, Insanity: The Asylum uses dumbbells, chin up bars, resistance bands, an agility ladder and the aforementioned evil jump rope to kick things up a notch (or twelve). And even if you don’t have all that fancy equipment, Shaun T does a really nice job of showing you how to modify the moves for what you do have on hand.

And it isn’t all cardio intensive workouts either (not to worry though, you’ll still be breathing heavily and cursing Shaun’s name). Some of the workouts focus on building strength and muscle tone as well as improving balance and body control. For me, it feels like a more well-rounded exercise program than the previous two.

So far, the Back to Core workout has been my favorite. I knew less than halfway through the video the first time that I would be feeling it the next day (Hello Swimmer Band Exchange!). This particular workout focuses on working the back of the body as well as the abs. And man does it burn (in a good way).

The way Shaun T setup the program is also different from what you’ll be used to if you’ve previously done Insanity or Insanity Max: 30. Instead of cycling through a five- or six-day regimen followed by rest or stretching days, Shaun T only gives you two true rest days with this one. That’s right, in this 30-day program you will be doing up to 16 days of workouts before Shaun gives you a break. But don’t let that intimidate you. A few of the workouts are Relief, a deep stretching routine that increases your flexibility and works out some of the tightness you’ll develop throughout the other days.

At this point, I’m a little more than halfway through the program and already feeling good about the changes I’m seeing and knowing what my body is capable of accomplishing.

12 more days to go…if I survive Gameday AND Overtime tomorrow.

I’m a little nervous about that one.