Insanity Max :30 Overview and IM:30 vs. Insanity

I'm currently doing Focus T25, but I have finished the reviews of the first month, so I have decided to move on to Insanity Max :30.  In this post, I'll do an overview of the program and compare it to the "original" Insanity!

About the Program:
Insanity Max :30 is what I would call the "follow-up" to Insanity.  It is 30 minutes per day, plus a cool down, except for one 20 minute workout.  There is also an additional workout called Ab Attack 10, which, as the title implies, is 10 minutes of ab work.  Although there is no equipment required, there are a lot of body weight exercises and some of the workouts are more focused on muscle-building moves than others.  The entire program is 60 days with a set of workouts done in the first month and a set of more advanced workouts done in the second month.  The workouts are as follows:

Month 1:

• Cardio Challenge
• Tabata Power
• Sweat Intervals
• Tabata Strength
• Friday Fight:  Round 1
• Pulse

Month 2:

• Max Out Cardio
• Max Out Power
• Max Out Sweat
• Max Out Strength
• Friday Fight:  Round 2
• Pulse

In month 1, you complete the workouts in the same order through the entire month.  For example, Cardio Challenge is every Monday, Tabata Power is every Tuesday, etc. Month 2, however, has the first two weeks following the same schedule and then the last two weeks.  So, Max Power is done for the first two weeks on Tuesday and Thursday and Max Strength is Tuesday and Thursday in the last two weeks.

Although the workout has intense cardio intervals, there is a modifier, who keeps everything high intensity but low impact.  She does not jump at all!  The set up of the workout is simple:  there is a warm-up, then a break, then a circuit which consists of a set of exercises that you do 3 times each.  Then there is a break and then you do another circuit.  This continues until the workout is over or you drop dead, whichever comes first.  Some of the circuits even have a bonus move that you have get to do at the end of the third round through.  Now, the goal of this workout is to push yourself as hard as you can go and then MAX OUT!  Shaun T is inviting you to take breaks when you need to.  You go as long as you can keeping good form and then you take a break and then get right back into it.  As he might say, "it's not a coffee break, people;" it's just a quick opportunity to catch your breath, correct your form, and reset your focus.  You can keep track of when you max out in each workout and when you do it the next time, try to beat your last time!

The program comes with the DVDs, the calendar, the nutrition and fast track nutrition guide, and the Max Out guide.  In addition to the base program, there are three additional workouts that you can purchase.  One of them is Max 15, which is basically I:Max 30 chopped in half with no set breaks.  The other two are 15 minute ab workouts, which are awesome.  I love the variety in these workouts and Shaun does very different moves that you may not have seen before.  However, this bonus set is quite pricey and I don't think the bonus ab workouts are worth the hefty price tag.  You may be able to find them elsewhere (like, maybe some discount bidding website...hmmmmm?) for a relatively reasonable price.

I think there is great variety with this program and I amazing results from it.  It is intense, it is difficult, every day it takes extreme focus and commitment, but it is absolutely worth it!

About the Meal Plan:
There is no specific meal plan that comes with this workout.  There is a nutrition guide, which has a calculation for the amount of calories you should eat per day based on your goals and your activity level.  There is also a decent amount of recipes, but I have come to find that if you have several Beachbody programs, they do tend to repeat some recipes.  This nutrition guide does include some options for you to "Make Your Own" such as omelets, salads, and stir-fry, so that you just pick one thing from each list and make your meal.  Of course, as with any program, if you like and use a specific meal plan (like the containers or some other type of diet that you follow) you can do that in combination with this workout.

About the Trainer:
Shaun T is the instructor in this program.  If you don't know how I feel about Shaun T by now, I will tell you:  I LOVE HIM!  He is my favorite instructor by far.  I love everything about him:  he cues accurately and in enough time to figure out what he's going to do next, he always something new up his sleeve and comes up with unique and varied movements, he is motivating and encouraging and knows just what to say to keep you going.  He typically demonstrates the moves before you do them.  He goes around and motivates the cast.  He gets right down in the camera and talks right to YOU.  He MAXES OUT.  He has more of his "one-liners" in this program like he does in Insanity.  Now, you may have heard me say some not-so-wonderful things about him in the program Focus T25.  It's nothing personal, of course, but I feel like he's a little "off his game" in that program.  However, in I:M30, he is back to his old self (I am seriously blaming it on the hair!) and ready to kill you for a second time.  His favorite word is "boom."  Do this move, boom, there you go.  Okay, so you're going to do this, boom, you got it.  It's not like, "BOOM!" it's like he's saying, "Boom, you hit that move, boom, you punch this" more for effect than a smack down.  Honestly, try to count how many times he says it.  You cannot.  Take a shot every time he says it.  I dare you.  You will be passed TFO in 10 minutes.  Seriously, though, I feel like this adds to his charm and it doesn't bother me at all.

Clearly Shaun knows what he is doing because many people have gotten amazing results from his programs, not to mention he is in incredible shape.  In addition to Insanity and Max 30, he is also the instructor in Focus T25 and Cize, a dance based program (Shaun is also a dancer and choreographer).  He also has released Hip Hop Abs and Rockin' Abs, which are lower impact programs, and Insanity Asylum:  Vol. 1 and 2, which are sports-based training programs.

Insanity:  Max 30 vs. Insanity
Okay, now to the really good stuff.  Insanity, in case you didn't know, is my all time favorite program!  I love everything about it.  But, as partial as I am to that program, I can also (I think) give you my unbiased opinion and tell you the differences between the two to genuinely recommend one over the other depending on what you're looking for.

Let's start with the similarities:

• Both programs are 60 days in length
• Both programs have a variety of workouts
• Both programs do one set of workouts in the first month, then a second set in the second month
• Neither program requires equipment in the base program
• Both are instructed by Shaun T
• Both are intense cardio-based programs with body weight exercises 
• Both have circuits that are followed by short breaks

Okay, now to the differences:

• Max 30 is 30 minutes in length, whereas Insanity is about 40 minutes in Month 1 and an hour in Month 2 (if you add on the ab work, it's about an hour and 20 minutes, but of course that's optional)
• Both workouts have you working out 6 days a week but Max 30 has a rest and a stretch day, where Insanity has only a rest day, no built in stretch.
• Insanity has three bonus workouts that are actual workouts, Max 30 only has the additional ab workouts and the 15 minute cardio I mentioned previously
• Although both workouts are 60 days, Insanity has a "rest week" in which you do the same workout for a week in between months 1 and 2
• Max 30 has a modifier, Insanity does not (but you could still modify on your own)
• While both workouts have cardio circuits, the set-up is a little different:  in Insanity, you do a set of moves, take a break, do the set again, another break, do the set again, break, next set.  In Max 30, you do the moves, repeat, do the moves, repeat, do the moves, then break, then the next set.
• The nutrition guide from Insanity has amazing, quick recipes that I still use all the time even though I have many other books and got this program years ago; Max 30 has a few recipes like I mentioned above
• Insanity has the cool down built into the workout; in Max 30, it's an add-on (um, you still have to do it!)
• Insanity has a Fit Test in which you are asked to do certain moves for a minute and count how many reps you do.  You do the Fit Test several times throughout the program to see if you improved.  Max 30 does not have this but Shaun says that the first workout is always your "fit test" to see how far you can go before you Max Out!
• I would say Max 30 has specific days that are more focused towards body weight exercises (like Tuesday and Thursdays workouts each week), but I feel like Insanity combines these moves into the cardio circuits every day
• Insanity comes in a nice, hardback book-type disc holder and Max 30 comes in a flimsy paper one--not that important, but weirdos like me would want to know stuff like that

I'm sure there might be more, both those are the basic ones.  Now the real question:  which would I say is better, tougher, would I recommend?

• Insanity is my soul-mate workout and I would never turn my back on it.  I have done it 5 times and each time I do it, it's a new challenge and it's like starting for the first time.  However, time is one of the main excuses reasons people give for not working out.  With Max 30, that really isn't a problem because I know you have 30 minutes to give to yourself each day.  

• Max 30 also has a modifier, so if you aren't in to jumping or your body is not able to do some of those moves, you can always do low impact.  

• And, after doing Insanity Max 30 and then doing a few Insanity workouts "just for fun" here and there, I might actually say that Max 30 is harder than Insanity.  I think what makes Insanity more difficult is the length of the workouts, but based on how hard you are working and the pace of he workout, I say Max 30 is more of a challenge.  

Ugh, I feel like I'm doing something wrong even by saying this but here it goes:  for most people, I would recommend Insanity Max 30.  There, I said it!  However, if you have the time, and you are looking for a great workout (like, a lot of people can't even get through Insanity's warm up--I know I couldn't the first several times!  Hell, I couldn't even get through the damn Fit Test!), Insanity is the way to go.

Regardless of which program you choose, know that you are going to push your body to its limits and even farther than that!  Are you ready to take on the challenge and get insane?!