The Insanity schedule certainly lives up to its name. This intense workout program is one that people push themselves to complete over nine weeks. If they succeed, they get the knowledge they completed the program. They also receive a free t-shirt that says, “I Earned It” on the front.
A day by day calendar for Insanity is included below. But let’s take a moment to explore some of the different workout routines you’ll encounter as part of this program – we love it here at Defend Your Health.
The Fit Test
This is as simple as it sounds. This is a test that allows you to determine what your physical fitness level is at this point. It begins with a warm up that gets the blood pumping. You’ll jog in place for 15 seconds and then progress through Butt Kicks, High Knees and Mummy Kicks. It’s quick, simple and will give you some insight into where you stand in terms of fitness for the program.
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
This is the next set of exercises in the program. This is designed to up the stakes and work your body harder. As you go through this list of items, you’ll find it works your body hard. After you’re done during the first week, you should be out of breath, covered in sweat and realizing that the program lives up to its name.
Exercises in this group include Jogging, Jumping Jacks, Heismans, 1, 2, 3s, Butt Kicks, High Knees, Mummy Kicks, Suicide Drills, Football Drills and Attacks. Each of these exercises is broken down into unique sets that continue to progress in intensity as the program continues.
Cardio Power and Resistance
Your third exercise routine isn’t going to be any easier on you. You’ll begin to notice a trend with these workout routines that they do get harder and harder as you progress through the program. In this case, you have a warm up program that feels like a normal workout. This then moves on to a main workout that will show no mercy. You’ll find there are a number of sets of exercises included in this routine. They include Butt Kicks, High Knees, Vertical Jumps, Power Jumps, Heismans, Power Kicks, Hit The Floor, V Push Ups and more.
Fortunately, this is followed by a cardio recovery day that doesn’t give you quite the break you’re looking for.
Cardio Recovery
Just because the word recovery is in the name, don’t expect this to actually give you down time. While there is no cardio, there is still 33 minutes of exercises. This time, you’ll do arm extensions, lunges, and other core exercises. Shaun will then have you do some stretches and low impact options like In & Outs, downward dog and similar exercises. The goal is to stretch out the muscles and improve flexibility.
Pure Cardio
While your off day was nice, Pure Cardio will force you to push yourself to the limits. You begin with a warm up that features jogging, jumping jacks, Heismans, 1, 2, 3s, Butt Kicks, High Knees, Mummy Kicks and leaves you breathless.
You then move to the actual exercises. In this case, there are 15 exercises that fill 15 minutes. You do each for a minute, take a quick break and then dive into the next one. The exercises include Pedal, Stance Jacks, Power Jacks, Drills, Suicide Drills, Switch Kicks, Wide Football Springs, Hooks and Jump Ropes.
These exercises are designed to leave you winded and to push you harder than you have ever been pushed before.
Cardio Abs
By the time you have reached the end of the second week, you’ll find a new group of exercises is tossed in. These exercises are designed to chisel your core and help you to get that lean ripped look.
The exercises in this routine are to the point and the entire routine only lasts about 17 minutes. They include Jogging, High Knees, Jump Rope, Tuck Jumps, Twists, A Frame Ab Twists, Hold Centers, Single Leg Raises and more.
Cardio Core & Balance
When this exercise routine is introduced, you’ve made it to recovery week. You have charged your way through some of the toughest workouts of the program and made real progress. You should congratulate yourself for a job well done. At just 37 minutes this is one of the shorter exercise routines in the program.
The exercises in this section include Switch Heel Kicks, Mummy Kicks, Football Shuffle, Moving Ski Hops, Heismans, High Jumps, Moving Plank Walk, Jabs, Hit the Floor and more.
Max Interval Circuit
At this point, you’ve blown through the first month of the Insanity Workout. Now, the stakes are higher and with those increased stakes are workouts twice as intense as before. While many of the exercises do carry over, you do them longer and at a faster pace.
The exercises in this set include the following: Jogging, Jumping Jacks, High Knees, Side to Side Floor Hops, Pedal Power Lunges, Ski Abs, Jacks, In & Outs, Power Strikes and Frog Jumps. All exercises are pushing you harder than you’ve ever been driven before.
Max Interval Plyo
The second month continues with this 55 minute workout set. You begin with a simple warm up that contain things like Switch Kicks, High Knees, Side to Side Floor Hops and Side to Side Jump Rope. You then move to an intense group of workouts that are broken down into three sets.
The first set includes Switch Jumps, Wide In & Out Abs, Squat Push Ups, and Power Jumps. Set two then works you harder with things like Pogo Right, Power Push Ups, Globe and Twists. The final set has you do 4 Diamond Jumps, Kickstand Touch the Floor, Balance Push Ups, and more.
Max Cardio Conditioning
This is the last of the new sets of exercises you’ll be introduced to in the program. At 48 minutes it isn’t bad, but will still push you harder than the routines before it. For this section, you’ll begin with exercises like Jogging, Jumping Jacks, Knee Highs and Switch Kicks. Once you’ve warmed the body up, you’ll do a full on cardio assault on the body. This includes a lengthy list of exercises you quickly rotate through that include High Low Job with Squat, Basket Ball Shots with Squat, Football Runs, Diamond Jumps, Suicide Jumps, Ski Abs, Squat Twists, Attacks, Power Knees, Belt Kicks, Squat Speed Bags, Ski Down Hooks, Right and Left Kicks and many more.
This intense section of the program will work you the hardest. But the first time you manage to make it through and successfully complete it, you’ll realize that you are considerably tougher than you imagined.
The Schedule
All these breakdowns lead us to the most important part, the schedule that you’ll follow. As part of the program, you’ll be introduced to a precise breakdown of events that the program recommends. Once you’ve completed the nine weeks, you can repeat this schedule and focus on the series of exercises that you enjoyed the most. The goal is to maintain your body and the condition it is in, which means you’ll have to continue a high octane exercise program.
The following is the list as compiled by the program itself. When you purchase it, you’ll receive a breakdown that includes this same list.
Struggling to choose between this program and MaxWorkouts.com? We published a guide called Max Workouts vs The Insanity Workout just for you!
Insanity Workout Schedule
Week 1
- Day 1: Fit Test
- Day 2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 3: Cardio Power & Resistance
- Day 4: Cardio Recovery
- Day 5: Pure Cardio
- Day 6: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 7: Rest Day
Week 2
- Day 1: Cardio Power & Resistance
- Day 2: Pure Cardio
- Day 3: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 4: Cardio Recovery
- Day 5: Cardio Power Resistance
- Day 6: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
- Day 7: Rest Day
Week 3
- Day 1: Fit Test
- Day 2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 3: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
- Day 4: Cardio Recovery
- Day 5: Cardio Power & Resistance
- Day 6: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 7: Rest Day
Week 4
- Day 1: Fit Test
- Day 2: Cardio Power & Resistance
- Day 3: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 4: Cardio Recovery
- Day 5: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
- Day 6: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Day 7: Rest Day
Recovery Week: Week 5
- Day 1: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
- Day 2: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 3: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 4: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 5: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 6: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 7: Fit Test
Week 6
- Day 1: Max Interval Circuit
- Day 2: Max Interval Plyo
- Day 3: Max Cardio Conditioning
- Day 4: Max Recovery
- Day 5: Max Interval Circuit
- Day 6: Max Interval Plyo
- Day 7: Rest Day
Week 7
- Day 1: Max Cardio Conditioning
- Day 2: Max Interval Circuit
- Day 3: Max Interval Plyo
- Day 4: Max Recovery
- Day 5: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
- Day 6: Core Cardio and Balance
- Day 7: Fit Test
Week 8
- Day 1: Max Interval Circuit
- Day 2: Max Interval Plyo
- Day 3: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
- Day 4: Max Recovery
- Day 5: Max Interval Circuit
- Day 6: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 7: Rest Day
Week 9
- Day 1: Max Interval Plyo
- Day 2: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
- Day 3: Max Interval Circuit
- Day 4: Core Cardio & Balance
- Day 5: Max Interval Plyo
- Day 6: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
- Day 7: Fit Test
