How to Decide if P90X or Insanity Is Better for You

Co-authored by Eric Martinez

Last Updated: April 1, 2024

Beachbody’s multi-level series P90X and Insanity are both considered to be “extreme” workouts, aimed at pushing your body to the next level. Although both workouts are designed for someone who is working out at an advanced level, beginners can modify either series to accommodate their current ability. Beachbody has also equipped each multi-DVD series with a comprehensive instruction manual and nutrition plan geared toward helping the consumer achieve the highest result. Although both programs are aimed at building stamina, muscle and endurance (along with shedding fat and weight), P90X differs significantly from Insanity. The best way to determine which workout will work best for you is to evaluate both programs as compared to your overall exercise aptitude and goals.

Steps

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1
Determine your ultimate fitness goal. Do you simply want to lose weight and inches or do you want to build lean muscle and strength (or both)? Both P90X and Insanity are geared toward redefining your body but their approach is a little different:^{[1]
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- You just want to shed weight. Although P90X is designed to help you lose weight and inches, Insanity is rooted more in cardio, which targets weight loss directly. P90X is primarily weight training with cardio days sprinkled into the routine, whereas Insanity is heavy cardio with resistance mixed into a variety of workouts.
- You want to build lean muscle and strength. Insanity does include resistance training, however P90X hones in on specific muscle building and definition. Certain days are dedicated to certain areas of the body such as arms, legs, back and shoulders.
- You want to lose weight and build muscle. If you are looking to gain muscle while shedding weight, you may want to consider both workouts. However, determine which goal is a priority––you may want to take off the pounds so that when you build muscle you can see them.
Neither workout requires that you have a significant amount of space––a medium-sized bedroom is sufficient. However, to perform P90X, you must have dumbbells in varying weights and a pull up bar. Purchasing both weights and a pull up bar is not that expensive and these can be found at many sporting goods or superstores like Walmart or Target. On the other hand, Insanity does not require you to use equipment––for resistance days, you use your own body weight.

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Decide what kind of traditional workout you like best. Both P90X and Insanity mimic traditional workouts and pull from numerous disciplines.
- Weightlifting, anaerobic exercise. If you prefer to perform numerous reps using weights, push ups or pull ups, then P90X may be the right workout for you. P90X includes cardio workouts, however the main thrust of the program is weight training.
- Running, cycling, aerobic training. Those who can endure miles of running, fast walking or cycling may be more inclined to enjoy Insanity. Insanity’s cardio base is aimed at boosting your heart rate level and keeping it there for the duration.
Not everyone wants to stay within the same workout type. For example, those who have been cardio-heavy for months or years may want to see more muscle definition and tone in certain areas. Because both workouts provide both strength and cardio, you can still stay somewhat within your typical discipline with both but get more of the other kind of workout.
For those who can devote two plus hours to working out, both workouts will fit into your time schedule. In fact, both programs have long and short workout days. However, because strength training may require more time to work up to a certain number of reps, P90X may be more of a time commitment than Insanity. Some Insanity workouts are only 30 to 40 minutes of hard core cardio, whereas the shortest workout in P90X is 40 to 45 minutes. Both also offer an ab option. On days you are supposed to do a regular workout with abs (20 minutes or less commitment), you can skip the ab workout or do it later if you have time constraints.^{[2]
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Consider what you would do if you couldn’t complete a workout because certain exercises were too difficult. Because both programs are intense, there may be portions you cannot perform immediately. Think about what you would do if you had to skip portions, modify the exercise. Would doing so derail your motivation?
- Watch short clips or read up on both workouts. Each day may present new challenges such as pull ups, one handed push ups or suicide jumps. Your goal may be to work up to achieve a pull up, for example, however determine how heavy the workout is in that area and whether you will feel more motivated to attempt the movement or if you will become exasperated and give up.
- Take the fitness test beforehand. Both programs offer a fitness test to benchmark where you have started, however you can easily glean information from the videos to create your own fitness test. For example, Insanity involves jump squats, suicides, push ups and Heisman’s. Time yourself to see how many of each exercise you can do in one or two minutes.
Consider how you feel after doing the fitness test––are you motivated to try to best your original benchmark or do you feel annoyed or irritated? Your goal is to purchase the program that makes you feel motivated and to beat your original benchmark.

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Tips

Investigate the return policy for both programs. You may start one program and find that it really isn’t for you and want to return it. Obtain and understand the return policy first, since these programs cost over $100.^{[3]
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Although the goal with each program is to complete it from start to finish, following the guidelines designed by the creator, consider mixing the programs together on days you want variety of if you feel as if you’ve peaked (both programs say that you shouldn’t peak if you’ve followed the plan specifically).

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Use and follow the nutrition guide that comes with the program. While exercise can help to shape your body, you will not see results if you consume too much food, especially junk food.

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Warnings

Because both programs are considered to be extreme and designed for trained athletes in superior condition, obtain clearance from your doctor before beginning either program.

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