Insanity is one of the most intense cardio workout programs available today. Developed by fitness trainer Shaun T, Insanity lives up to its name by pushing participants to their max with high intensity interval training (HIIT). A typical Insanity workout involves maxing out during short bursts of intense exercise followed by short periods of rest or lighter activity.
This type of workout is designed to torch calories and accelerate fat loss. But just how many calories can you expect to burn during a 45 minute Insanity class? Let’s take a closer look.
What is Insanity?
Insanity is a 60-day total body conditioning program based on max interval training. It was created by celebrity fitness trainer Shaun T and inspired by his previous program P90X.
Insanity workouts involve no weights or equipment just your own bodyweight. Each workout pushes you to maximum intensity by alternating short bursts of high impact cardio and plyometric moves with intervals of strength, power, resistance, and core training.
The workouts average about 40-45 minutes each and there are 10 different workouts that are rotated throughout the program:
- Cardio Power & Resistance
- Plyometric Cardio Circuit
- Cardio Recovery
- Max Interval Circuit
- Max Interval Plyo
- Pure Cardio
- Cardio Abs
- Core Cardio & Balance
- Fit Test
- Max Cardio Conditioning & Max Out Power
Insanity also comes with a nutrition guide, workout calendar, quick start guide, and fitness test to track results.
Benefits of Insanity
Insanity offers many benefits including:
- Burns calories and fat – Up to 1,000 calories burned per workout
- Builds cardiovascular fitness
- Tones and defines muscles
- Increases strength, power, and agility
- Improves athletic performance
- Enhances metabolism
- Quickly improves fitness level
The high intensity intervals in Insanity flood the muscles with oxygen while improving cardiovascular conditioning. This allows your body to burn fat more efficiently and at a faster rate than lower intensity workouts.
Calories Burned During Insanity
So just how many calories can you expect to burn during a 45 minute Insanity workout?
There are a few factors that determine how many calories are burned:
- Your weight – Heavier people burn more calories per workout
- Intensity – Higher intensity burns more calories
- Which workout – Some workouts burn more than others
- Fitness level – Better fitness allows you to work harder and burn more
According to My Fitness Pal, here is the average amount of calories burned for a 45 minute Insanity workout:
| Weight | Calories Burned |
|---|---|
| 125 lbs | 418 calories |
| 150 lbs | 501 calories |
| 175 lbs | 583 calories |
| 200 lbs | 666 calories |
As you can see the more you weigh, the more calories you can expect to burn in a 45 minute Insanity workout.
The average person can expect to burn 500-600 calories in a 45 minute workout. But this can range from 400 – 800+ calories depending on the factors above.
Calories Burned in Specific Insanity Workouts
Certain Insanity workouts tend to burn more calories than others. According to Insanity reviews, here are some of the top calorie burners:
- Max Interval Plyo – Up to 800 calories burned
- Pure Cardio – Up to 700 calories burned
- Cardio Power & Resistance – Up to 600 calories burned
- Max Cardio Conditioning – Up to 550 calories burned
- Fit Test – Up to 500 calories burned
The plyometric and heavy cardio focused workouts tend to produce the highest calorie burn. While recovery workouts like Cardio Recovery burn closer to 400 calories.
How Many Calories You Should Burn
So how many calories should you aim to burn in an Insanity workout?
As a general rule, moderately active women should consume around 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, while active men should consume around 2,500 calories[1].
To lose 1 pound per week, you need an average daily calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds per week, you need a 1,000 calorie per day deficit.
Because Insanity can burn between 400-800 calories in 45 minutes, it puts you well on your way to hitting a 500-1,000 calorie deficit each day.
Aim to burn at least 400-600 calories in your Insanity workout and create the rest of your deficit through diet and other activity. This will set you up for maximum fat loss with this program.
Here are some calorie burn targets based on weight loss goals:
| Goal | Calorie Deficit | Insanity Target |
|---|---|---|
| Lose 1 lb per week | 500 calories/day | 400-600 calories |
| Lose 2 lbs per week | 1,000 calories/day | 600-800 calories |
Shoot for the higher end of these targets to maximize fat burning with Insanity.
Tips to Burn More Calories with Insanity
Looking to torch even more calories in your Insanity workouts? Here are some helpful tips:
- Go all out on intensity – don’t take breaks or pause, keep moving!
- Up your fitness – improve your cardiovascular fitness to work harder and longer
- Use extra weight – hold dumbbells or wear a weight vest
- Follow the nutrition plan – fuel your workouts and recover properly
- Keep good form – improper form wastes energy and limits calorie burn
- Stay hydrated – dehydration saps energy and intensity
- Work out fasted – working out before eating can burn up to 20% more fat[2]
Even small tweaks like these can mean the difference between burning 600 calories and 800 calories in your workout.
Heart Rate While Doing Insanity
To get the most out of Insanity, many users wear heart rate monitors like Fitbits during workouts. This allows you to accurately gauge intensity and calories burned.
According to Livestrong, here are the average heart rate zones during an Insanity workout[3]:
- Warm up: 100-125 bpm
- Moderate interval: 125-150 bpm
- Intense interval: 150-175 bpm
- All out: 175-190+ bpm
You want your heart rate up in the 150-190+ range during the high intensity intervals to maximize calorie burn.
Tracking your heart rate also helps you give maximum effort and not slack off. By monitoring your heart, you can push yourself to hit the higher zones during intervals then let your heart rate recover during rest periods.
Does Insanity Build Muscle?
Insanity is focused on cardio and calorie burn more than building muscle mass. However, the workouts do incorporate strength training moves like pushups, squats, and lunges.
These resistance moves can help tone, define, and add some muscle when combined with proper nutrition. Don’t expect to build large amounts of muscle like you would lifting heavy weights. But you will likely see some increased definition.
Building lean muscle is also beneficial because it helps boost your metabolism, allowing you to burn even more calories per day.
If you want to maximize muscle growth with Insanity, be sure to eat enough protein – around 0.5-1 gram per pound of body weight daily. Also incorporate strength training days 1-2 times per week in addition to Insanity.
Nutrition for Insanity
To get the most out of Insanity, you need to fuel your workouts and feed your body properly. Here are some key dietary tips:
- Eat carbs – They provide energy for intense exercise
- Eat protein – To build and repair muscle tissue
- Increase calories – More food provides energy for tough workouts
- Pre-workout fuel – Eat carbs and protein before exercise
- Hydrate – Drink plenty of water and electrolytes
- Post-workout recovery – Consume carbs and protein after to rebuild muscle
The Insanity Nutrition Guide provides more details on developing a customized nutrition plan to match your goals.
Some examples of great Insanity workout foods include:
- Oatmeal
- Bananas
- Peanut butter
- Eggs
- Chicken breast
- Sweet potatoes
- Brown rice
- Salmon
- Broccoli
- Blueberries
Insanity Results: Weight Loss and Fitness Gains
If you give it your all, what kind of results can you expect from Insanity? Here’s what most users report:
- Average fat loss of 15-25 lbs in 60 days
- 5-10% decrease in body fat
- Average fitness boost of 25-30%
- Vastly improved cardiovascular endurance
- Increased strength and lean muscle
- Faster sprints and athletic performance
- Huge boost in energy levels
Just be sure to push yourself, follow the meal plan, and track your results. Expect some extreme sweating along the way!
Additional Exercise and Weight Loss Tips
Here are some other tips to maximize your weight loss and fitness results with Insanity:
- Do extra cardio – Go for a jog or bike ride on off days
- Watch your diet – Track calories and macros for a daily deficit
- Lift weights – 2-3x a week for metabolism and strength
- Interval train – Use HIIT sprints or workouts for added calorie burn
- Try supplements – Such as whey protein, creatine, BCAAs, and pre-workout
- Get enough sleep – Rest and recovery helps fuel workouts
- Manage stress – High cortisol can cause overeating and fat storage
Combining Insanity with proper diet, aerobic training, weight lifting, and recovery will give you the best total body transformation.
Conclusion
Insanity delivers one of the most intense calorie burning workouts available. In just 45 minutes, you can expect to burn upwards of 600 calories by going all out. Some of the top workouts like Max Interval Plyo can burn over 800 calories per session.
To get maximum benefit, push yourself to the highest heart rates and intensity levels possible during intervals. Follow the Insanity Nutrition Plan to properly fuel your body. And incorporate additional aerobic and strength training activities on off days.
By combining an extreme workout like Insanity with proper nutrition and other exercise, you can drop significant fat while getting into incredible shape in just 60 days. Just be prepared to sweat and feel the burn if you want the best Insanity results!
References
[1] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day
[2] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasted-cardio#section5
[3] https://www.livestrong.com/article/491275-insanity-workout-heart-rate-zones/
