Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Seriously, I am not an infomercial girl, but here I am, reviewing an infomercial product. And this isn't my first go-round. I've done P90X. It was awful. Okay, not awful, it just became apparent that it isn't really a workout designed with both genders in mind. Very dude-centric. I had about 15 lbs. (5'7", 140 lbs.) to lose overall when I started, and ended up 5 lbs. heavier when the program ended. Yes, I know I was building muscle, blah, blah, but I was just building muscle under layers of fat that the workout wasn't doing jack to eliminate. I'm also REALLY uninterested in bulking up my "glamor muscles." I don't spend my free time flexing in front of the mirror. So then there was Insanity. Sure, it's difficult; I expected that (thus, the name). The results I'm experiencing are beyond what I expected, however. That stubborn blubber that P90X left behind is dropping off nicely, thank you. Some pointers for those of us who are fitness dummies: -Joint problems? No? You'll have them after this crap. Invest in push-up bars if you have small wrists or are prone to wrist problems. I cannot emphasize this enough. It is awkward at first, but you'll get the hang of using them. Please don't spend 4 months as I did in a full thumb spica recovering from de Quervain's tenosynovitis (basically "I can't move my thumb without searing, gut-wrenching pain"-itis). Invest in knee/ankle/elbow/wrist braces the minute you start feeling a twinge in any joint. No reasonable, mortal human can do this workout without the assistance of a brace or two. The people in the video are robots (I'm convinced), so just because they aren't in a full neoprene jacket doesn't mean you shouldn't be. -Don't be afraid to modify the workout. I just can't do the high-low planks in the Max Interval Circuit video. There's too much risk of re-injuring my wrist. So, instead, I do low plank punches as a substitute. Same muscle targets, just much less impact on my pansy-ass, fragile wrists. There are always lower impact alternatives to some of the more intense moves. Sometimes they provide those alternatives in the video, but other times you just have to figure it out for yourself. -Have free time? Forget it. Your kids will have to do their own homework, the dog will have to walk himself. The first month was fine. Especially after the P90X time commitment, I was all, "This is great! I have free time!". Then I started the second half. Kiss your post-work gin and tonics goodbye, dummies. I'm on the eighth week, and still need at least two hours to fully recover from an hour-long workout. Plan your schedule accordingly. This is not a workout to be done on one's lunch break. -Eating? Do more of it. I cannot eat enough. The caloric intake formula they use is actually scientifically valid (really), and said I should be eating 1,900 calories/day for weight loss. I cannot feasibly keep up with that number. I am hungry every 2 hours. If you are on a strict food budget...good luck. I probably stick to the healthiest diet on earth (vegetables! lean protein! absolutely no fun!), and it cannot compete with this damn workout. I'm hungry. A lot. Despite all of the above bellyaching, I'm very satisfied with this program. I'm a horrific, sweaty, beet-red monstrosity after each workout, but I really feel as if I've accomplished something as a result.