INSANITY MAX:30 Workout – My Month 1 Review

This review is a little overdue, but I figured it’s always better to be late than never.

After having officially completed the first four weeks of the INSANITY MAX:30 workout program, I thought it would be time to provide an update.

I know you all want to see the results, but first, I want to share two surprises:

1. I gained weight. One pound is just one pound, but my body weight did go up. HOWEVER, my inches are down, which means I have added  lean muscle while also decreasing my body fat level. I think you will clearly see this in my result photos below.
2. I love this program. I went into this workout thinking I would hate it, but love it. Who knew competing against your previous time would make it that much more fun and motivating? Have a workout buddy?…even more incentive to kick their butt, lol.

What to Expect from the Month 1 Workouts

Here’s the basic INSANITY: MAX 30 Max Out Workout Calendar for Month 1, which includes five workouts and the optional Pulse workout you can do on one of your off days:

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

Because the workouts are the core of the program (no pun intended!), I figured I would go into a little bit about each without just stating the obvious fact they’re tough and will burn any unwanted fat.

Cardio Challenge: This is a hardcore cardio session, but rest assured, there can always be a modifier on screen if you choose the modifier option from the load screen. I always chose the modifier option, because it’s great for when you can’t keep up or choose to do a lower impact version.

The breakdown: This workout is the way to measure your progress throughout the course of the program. In other words, it’s your fit test. I maxed out during the warm-up the first time I did this workout, so you can’t get much worse than that. But I did double my time the second week, so progress comes quickly.

The timing: During the workout, you will do a series of moves for five minutes with each individual move lasting 30 seconds. Every five minutes, you will get a 30-second water break. Woo-hoo…you’ll need it :)

The moves: Prepare yourself for a full body cardio workout that includes such moves as squat kicks, plyo power knees, plank jacks, suicide burpees, and plank speed taps. As you can see, this workout alone is very corecentric, which you will have a very strong one after you’re through.

Tabata Power:  I really liked this Tabata-style workout, but this is coming from the girl who likes to lift weights. This is the ultimate full-body workout where you’ll be getting on the floor and back up again to tighten and tone your body.

The breakdown: This is a strength-based workout where Shaun T works a different part of your body for a hefty portion of the 30 minutes. It will definitely blast fat and give you the toned, but not too big, look of a fitness model.

The timing: True to Tabata, this workout has you doing each move for 20 seconds, and then jogging it out for 10 seconds. Every 4-5 minutes, you will get a 30-second water break. Sound easy? Think again.

The moves: Since you will be working lower, upper and core (and don’t forget about some fat-burning cardio!), prepare yourself for a wide range of moves like down dog spider, power jumps, split lunge punches, burpee lunges, scissor abs, push-up rows, and tricep dips.

Sweat Intervals: Get yourself ready to sweat! This is another cardio-based workout that has you doing some plyo and strength-based moves to burn fat and sculpt your body from head to toe. People in the video were actually screaming in this one, which I admit was a little frightening at first.

The breakdown: This is a cardio-based workout, but don’t let that make you think you’re not sculpting your body. And it really is harder than Cardio Challenge, but you will get better with each passing week.

The timing: It’s the same as Cardio Challenge – you perform a series of 30-second moves for five minutes each with a 30-second water break in between until you’re finished.

The moves: My goodness, there are a lot of heart-pounding moves going on with this one. There is a lot of jumping, but you can definitely follow the modifier if you have bad knees. Prepare yourself for a kind of cross-training type feel with moves such as high jump crosses, power jump squat punches, switch kick punches, and push-up punches. And two of my favorite moves: hurdle drills and hip hop runners…because they’re so much fun!

Tabata Strength: This is the second round of Tabata-style training you’ll do in weeks 3 and 4, and it is definitely a step up from Tabata Power.  My chest muscles were sore in spots I never knew existed after doing an endless amount of push-up variations (even when doing them on my knees!) This workout does make you feel powerful though.

The breakdown: This is definitely a power and strength-based workout where you will work your entire body through classic moves and those beloved jumping ones.

The timing: It’s very similar to Tabata Power where you’re doing the workouts for 20 seconds with 10 seconds jogging it out, except this time, you get no water breaks. Each series of moves runs 4-5 minutes long.

The moves: Get ready for some tough moves, like the diamond jump burpee sequence. If you make it through the first nine minutes without maxing out, you will probably make it through the rest of the workout, which will feel like a breeze, lol…or maybe closer to a gust of wind. Get ready for every kind of push-up variation you can think of, up and downs, mummy kicks, jack abs, split plyo lunges, and so many more.

Friday Fight: Round 1: This was the most difficult workout for me during Month 1, but you will definitely notice substantial improvement from week to week. The good news is that even though this workout tough, it is also definitely fun to do – I felt like Rocky Balboa gearing up for the showdown with Apollo Creed. Wanted to play the song, lol.

The breakdown: Who knew 30 seconds longer could make such a huge difference?! You won’t know until you do this workout. You see, this workout is preparing you for Month 2 when the intervals get longer and water breaks come less frequently.

The timing: You don’t get a water break until 15 minutes into the workout, so drink up prior. The warm-up just flows into the workout, but now, each move is one minute long. All I can say is, wow!

The moves: As with all MAX:30 moves, these all work your core in one way or another. Get ready to do some medicine ball twists, hit the floors, X jump X planks, burpee lunges, ab attacks, speed in and outs, tricep dip reaches, and a whole lot of other heart-pumping, body shaping moves.

Pulse: The first time I did this workout, I thought to myself, “How is this considered a recovery workout, it is a muscle burner?!” However, after week two, I could feel how this workout really did help with recovery as it gently stretches while working your body.

My INSANITY: MAX30 Month 1 Results

Now that I’ve given you an idea of what to expect during your first month, I figured I would show and tell you what kind of results you can expect.  Below are my Month 1 results.

I know the differences aren’t huge, since I was thin before and didn’t need to lose any weight, but here’s what has changed:

Measurements: -1.75″

Weight: +1 lb (don’t be alarmed! with the loss in inches and obvious definition, this is all muscle.)

While I may have gained a pound during month one of INSANITY MAX:30,  my boyfriend is shedding body fat and body weight and is showing more ab definition than I have ever seen in the many years I’ve known him. He is down over 15lbs (but is unfortunately a little camera shy!), however, I hope to post his before and afters when we finish the program.

Thinner, more defined thighs, a defined mid-section, and sexier arms are what I’m noticing after just 30 days. MAX:30 even got rid of all my pesky inner thigh fat, which many will know how difficult that can be.

Max Out Times from Month 1

Improving my Max Out times is what I am honestly most excited about. My main goal when starting Max:30 was to increase my cardiovascular endurance and every workout, seeing and feeling the improvement is a huge motivation to keep going. I think my goal of running a 5k this spring is going to have to be changed to a 10k at this rate.

I went in thinking I would loathe this program and ended up loving it. It’s easy to stick with and great if you’re looking to improve your strength, get rid of some fat, build some lean sexy muscle and just feel better than ever with a super simple diet plan.

Ready to MAX OUT With Me?

Insanity MAX:30 is now available for streaming with Beachbody On Demand online in the US, Canada, and UK. The best part is now you can try out the program for 14-day with a trial to the service. Just be sure to record your workout times, this way you can see the improvements that you’ll make very quickly.

When I ordered my package, I chose to get the base DVD kit that did not come with the Ab Maximizer workouts. I ended up ordering these later on, love them, and will be reviewing them next.

If you decide MAX:30 is right for you, I do suggest the deluxe kit as you will get everything that this program has to offer. The links below also will get you the free bonus workout, Sweat Fest!

Here’s the link to Order the INSANITY MAX:30 Deluxe Package

Here’s the link to Order the INSANITY MAX:30 Base Package

Doing INSANITY MAX:30? What kind of results are you seeing? Please comment below and let us all know!

UPDATE: We Finished

Dan And I finished the MAX:30 workout program and have shared our 60-day INSANITY MAX:30 results in a fresh blog post.