If you are ready to take the step up to joining a fitness video, as long as you do not look back, you will be successful in whatever you chose.  I know these are not the latest fitness fads out there, but I know many people who have used Tony Horton’s P90X and Sean’s Insanity.  The Insanity workouts are intense, but nothing compares to Horton’s Ab Ripper X DVD.  He adds this to the end of a DVD three days a week.  I am always sore after completing Ab Ripper X.  After Insanity, I do not feel I am challenged as much as I am by one of Horton’s DVD’s.

 Sean’s workouts do not use weights.  There are a ton of exercises you can with your body, and Sean does a great job of using the body to improve strength, endurance and overall fitness.  If you don’t have access to weights, or resistance bands, using Insanity is probably better for you.  A friend of mine completed the Insanity DVD program, and said that although Insanity did not give her a six-pack, she saw an improvement when she went on runs after completing the program.

I enjoy working with weights, and many of Horton’s workouts require them.  Horton is able to incorporate cardio into his workouts, just as Insanity does, because he uses different types of resistant training, including circuit training.  This is when there are short rests in between each exercise.  Horton also uses split-routine training, which is when you work different body parts on different days, allowing adequate rest.  One DVD is chest and back, and the next day the DVD might be shoulders, biceps, and triceps.  Sean allows adequate rest between workouts as well, stressing different body parts on different DVD’s, although when using just your body it is harder to isolate certain body parts. 

I recently moved to an apartment in New York City.  When I come home, one, or several, doormen greet me.  Sometimes people want to just get home and into their apartment, so they look down and pretend they don’t see the doormen.  I have fallen victim to this at times.  But there are times when I talk to the doormen because it is nice to have someone greet you upon arriving home.  My best doorman-friend and I have an ongoing discussion about Insanity and P90X. 

At first, we discussed who we like better – Tony Horton, or Sean T.  My doorman liked Horton’s personality because he thought he was more motivating.  Horton lets you know that what you are doing hurts, but encourages you to push through it.  Horton also interacts with the P90X graduates following the workout with you at.  Horton seemed to be a victim to the limelight, or intimated by all the cameras, and put on an encouraging act, more than genuine one.  Sean interacts and encourages his fitness group, too.  His seems more genuine, and as he pushes his background athletes, it gave me more motivation to push myself.  I would strive to keep up with them, or surpass them. 

Another argument my doorman friend and I have is which program works better.  Although I like Sean’s personality better, I do think Horton’s workouts are better.  And, my doorman likes Horton, but is a fan of Sean’s workouts.  Horton uses muscle confusion as his basis of scientific exercise.  There are 12 DVD’s, each with different workouts.  You use the same DVD’s for about two or three weeks, than switch before your muscles can adapt.  When muscles adapt to a workout, they are no longer challenged and plateau, meaning that any further strength gaining will not happen.  When muscles are about to adapt, changing the workout confuses your muscles, so they begin to recruit other muscles you have not worked in the first few weeks, or use the same ones in different ways, resulting in more muscle challenges.  For example, a well-known muscle in the arms is the bicep.  There are many exercises that strengthen the bicep.  After doing the same exercises on this muscle over a period of time, it will becomes used to that exercise and adapt.  By changing the weight, reps, exercises, sets, and a variety of other things, your bicep will be faced with a new challenge and continue to grow. 

One thing my doorman friend does is mix Insanity and P90X, which I think is a great idea, as it will really increase his endurance.  Also, it will boost his strength by introducing several different exercises and workouts, causing even more muscle confusion.  Though, doing this would require knowledge of which DVD’s to do in sequence to avoid over exercises certain muscles.

Insanity is coming out with another DVD set, Asylum (get it?  Insanity Asylum).  By having a sequel workout, it answers some questions I have:  What happens when people end the program?  Do they start over?  Stop and lose their results?  Do they find other areas of fitness?