Thursday, April 14, 2011

Asylum Prep Course

So you got all excited and ordered Asylum and now you’re nervous that you’ve bitten off a little more than you can chew. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many of our success stories had no business ordering the program that ended up changing their lives. But they sailed into the storm regardless, got tossed around a lot and maybe ever capsized a few times but, eventually, they emerged from the tempest with flags still flying. If you’re one of those who are not afraid to stare down a hurricane I’ve put together a plan to keep you from being cast adrift.

In the interest of responsibility I’ll start with a disclaimer. There are easier programs that might give you better results. The hardest program isn’t always the best. Asylum is a graduate program, which means that you’re supposed to have a good fitness base before you begin. If you haven’t exercised in a while something like Slim in 6 or Hip Hop Abs is probably a better idea. Then again, the key component of success is motivation. Get psyched enough and you will find your own answers. If Asylum laid the hook, but you’re not quite physically ready, here’s a month long schedule that will help. And don’t worry, it won’t disappoint you by being too easy.

Program note: for best results do Relief after every workout (might be the best 20 minutes of your day)

Week 1
Day 1 – Speed & Agility
Day 2 – rest or Relief
Day 3 – Back to Core
Day 4 – rest or Relief
Day 5 – Speed & Agility
Day 6 – rest or Relief
Day 7 – Strength

Week 2
Day 1 – Speed & Agility
Day 2 – rest or Relief
Day 3 – Back to Core
Day 4 – rest or Relief
Day 5 – Speed & Agility/Over time
Day 6 – rest or Relief
Day 7 – Strength

Week 3
Day 1 – Speed & Agility
Day 2 – rest or Relief
Day 3 – Back to Core
Day 4 – rest or Relief
Day 5 – Game Day
Day 6 – rest or Relief
Day 7 – Strength

Week 4
Day 1 – Vertical Plyo
Day 2 – Speed & Agility
Day 3 – rest or Relief
Day 4 – Strength
Day 5 – rest or Relief
Day 6 – rest or Relief
Day 7 – Athletic Performance Assessment

Week 5
Start day one of original schedule.

29 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for this post. I just ordered my Asylum today! I am very excited about it but still a little concerned if I am ready for this. I have completed 1 round of P90X, 1 round of Insanity and I am currently working on a hybrid version of the two. Thanks for the encouragement, as usual!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Steve, I have already completed a couple of rounds of Insanity and one round of P90x but this program is still a bit intimidating. If it turns out to be too much I may have to give this a try.

TheThinker said...

Tried a disc today, I think Plyo one. Too freaking hard, finally you guys made something that I can't do. Part of the reason is probably me not doing cardio at all for the past year. Just some swimming or running. Either way I'll try to fit one workout a week, go at my own pace. It's harsh on the joints to jump at this weight.

Steve Edwards said...

Completing a round of X and Insanity means your ready. It's not THAT hard. Not even necessarily harder than those two. Just different hard. Ok, maybe harder to it's hard to catagorize hard. You're ready.

Unknown said...

I have completed P90X a couple of time and was thinking about starting Insanity. I don't want to loose much muscle, would Asylum be better or just do Insanity then Asylum then the X again??

The Dude said...

Steve - What's the deal with "Volume 1"? Is it safe to assume this is not the last in the line of Asylum?

Steve Edwards said...

I would say if not losing bulk is a high priority Asylum would be better, yes.

Volume 1. Ah, you noticed that. Nothing official is happening but there is a plan...

Unknown said...

Thanks. I'm ready

Unknown said...

Steve, thanks for putting up a plan for tackling this program. Would yoga (namely Fountain of Youth) also work on the rest/relief day?

Steve Edwards said...

I think one day per week of yoga would be an excellent addition to this program.

texasturbofit said...

I did the fit test last night after teaching my Turbo Kick class and did better than I thought! I really loved the drills, I'm very excited to get started! I'm down 35 pounds with my Beachbody programs and LOVING the changes I'm making in this body and my life. I know this will be the hardest one yet but I am SO ready for the challenge! I can't wait to see my results in 30 days :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post. I am 2 days away from finishing my first round of Insanity. It made me love, love working out at that level of intensity. I hike and swim, but was not able to lose weight or gain the strength that I had when I was younger (I'm 46). I am intimidated by Asylum and I think I'm planning to do month 2 of Insanity again (after another core cardio & balance week), really work on pushing number of reps in good form. I still want to lose another 20-25 lbs, so maybe Asylum is goal for ultimate toning when I get a bit smaller. I don't want to talk myself out of it and your program above looks like a good way for me to jump in.

Trainer T.s Fitness said...

Thanks for the info, and the PUMP up.

Im on the fence on this one....but I want to jump in really!

Amy said...

I just told my husband last night I don't think I am ready for Asylum yet. I am in month four of Insanity. I followed it for two months and the last two months I have created my own schedule. I love it and have great results. Ready for some new workouts, but defiantly intimidated by what I have seen so far.

Disco said...

In a previous post you mentioned how P90X2 will be like training while Insanity is the game, and both will make you a whole lot more athletic.

So with that said, do you think a 4 month block of P90X2 followed by Insanity would be good training for the Tough Mudder, the world's hardest mud run? Obviously I would need to run also (9-10 mile obstacle course) but you need to be crazy athletic as well.


http://toughmudder.com/events/tri-state-2011/tri-state-2011-course-map/

That's an example course, for background info.

Anonymous said...

Yes something to look foreword to when I get fit almost done with round 1 week one of insanity and love it already

Anonymous said...

I use a cigarette and blindfold approach. I buy the program and do not look at it in advance. I just push play do my best and forget the rest. Three rounds of p90x, and one round of insanity. Dropped FOUR pants sizes and now look completely shredded. BRING IT!

Unknown said...

Hey Steve I just purchased this program and did the fit test yesterday; very exciting. I can definitely see how this is going to improve my overall athletisism a ton. I'm looking forward to finish this, and moving on to other programs such as P90X MC2, and The Beast (can you give us any details?). You guys over there at Beachbody keep up the good work. On a totally unrelated topic, would there be any benefit to walking around doing every day tasks with weight on (ex: wearing a weighted vest and or ankle weights while you empty the dishwasher, or sweep the floor). My buds have been saying it works wonders, but I couldn't tell if the benefits outweighed the negative here.

Unknown said...

Hey Steve - I purchased Asylum and did the fit test last night and I'm very excited to do the program and incorperate it into my hybrid programs. It may not necessarily be harder than p90x or INSANITY, but I can definitely tell it's going to improve my athletisism a ton. You guys at Beachbody keep up the good work! I'm very excited to try p90x MC2(I'm up to 50 impossible push ups!!), and The Beast (can you give us any spoilers?). On a totally unrelated subject - would there be any benefits to doing every day activities with weight? Example being: emptying the dish washer with a weighted vest, or sweeping the floor with ankle weights. My friends rave about the benefits but I'm not sure they outweigh the cons (or exist at all). Please Steve, shed some light on this mysterious - would it benefit me if I walked around school all day with a weighted vest on? (haha)

Thanks
Ryan~

Unknown said...

SO READY FOR THIS! Finished Insanity Mar 5th and I've already carved out the month of September for ASYLUM! That is when the wife and kids will be back to school and there is a sligt gap in "life's busy schedule".
I AM AMP!!!

Unknown said...

SO READY FOR THIS! Life is busy, so I've carved out the month of September for this. I completed Insanity Mar 5th..and was indeed INSANE, but I was instantly addicted to the challenge.
ASYLUM...Im coming for you...not the other way around!

Unknown said...

Thanks steve for this post-i have completed p90x twice, insanity 4 times, and turbofire. So i knew i was "ready" ...BUT it is still kicking my butt, and I'm only on day 3! I'm doing a daily review of it if you ever want to check it out. www.beanbabes.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy the variety of workouts offered through BeachBody. Personally, I own P90X, TurboFire, HipHop Abs, Brazilian Butt Lift and Chalean Extreme.

The key that I have learned is to find the workout or hybrid that works for you.

I can share that I started with P90X and found myself getting discouraged and unwilling to stick to the schedule, mainly due to the pain that was beyond workout pain, but rather a mild injury pain from the first week's Plyo workout.

This is what got me to order the other workouts as I believed in the results. Again, frustrations as I am rather Choreographically challenged so the cardio/dance type DVD's are a real frustration...but then I found Chalean Extreme.

This was perfect for me...this makes me think of the ole "Goldilocks and the Three Bears Story" Chalean Extreme was just right for me!!!

I have been able to complete 1 round of Chalean Extreme...now, I have switched to P90X for my 2nd attempt at this program and I am doing much much better than my first try.

The results are there and continue to improve. I am even starting to be able to do some Cardio routines...but I must admit, I am your typical guy...as again, those moves through me off. Physically I can keep up...but skill and form on cardio...I look like a dork who can't dance. That's because I can't dance :-)

But I insist on having fun and simply enjoying the process.

My point, is that if any consumer is intimidated by P90X, Insanity or any of the more intense BeachBody workouts, then shop around and find one that could be at your fitness level.

From my side, what I enjoyed about Chalean Extreme is that it works for anyone regardless of fitness level. Because she uses weights, you can start light and build up...as you get stronger, you can add more resistance. Then her burn it off days (Cardio) are actually fairly simple to follow, even for us dorks who can't dance ;-)

Best of success to all of you out there, enjoy the process and keep pushing play!!!

Glenn Green said...

Ok fellow Beachbody lovers.....Dig Deeper than ever, know your limits and push the play button....see you in 30 days ripped!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Steve for the great information. I have completed P90X as well as Insanity. I just tried the first workout of Asylum, Strength and Agility, and although my stamina was challenged for the last part of the 20 minutes, it wasn't as impossible as I thought it would be, nor was it as hard, in terms of cardiovascular, as I thought the first round of Insanity was. However, I will say my shoulders are a bit sore from those "bear crawls" and "shoulder slap" push ups. That being said, I will definitely comment more as I work my way through the rest of the Asylum DVD's.

Natascha said...

Thanks so much for this Steve :)

While I did graduate both P90X and Insanity after I had a few month off and am back with P90X now. I did order Asylum and I think starting with your schedule is probably a good idea.

Anonymous said...

I have only ever done TurboJam and some of the p90x workouts but not followed the program. I want to do this because it is 1 month, but I am not sure if I would even be able to or eligible. Do you not recommend me trying this?

By Jade R. Fogg said...

Thanks for the info on The Asylum, Steve. Your review on the Beachbody site had me super hooked straight away. I'm pretty fit now, and strength-train and run 3-8 miles 5 or 6 days a week. The beginning of this year I started adding plyos to my workouts, and am LOVING them and the results. Super excited to try The Asylum. Literally, I was watching the videos getting crazy excited - it looks so fun! And intense. MAD intense, and I live for workouts like that. Ordered it tonight, can't wait 'til it arrives. I'm sure I'll be back in a month to let you know how it went ;)

Tony L. said...

I picked up Asylum last April (2011) after using Insanity (started Feb 2010). It is all that...Vertical Plyo is a killer. Don't let anyone fool you. This program is serious fun workout and you will be challenged - that is why we are beachbody folks, we look for challenges. Your instincts will kick in. Your drive to be the best will always be a factor in your workouts and the results are absolute. Now that I see a volume 2 - I am getting it. Have Fun, Push Play, Sweat, Sweat, Sweat, Watch your results