Say you wanted to lose a ton of weight, just torch a bunch of calories, and you wanted to do so while exercising to one of the most intense and exhilarating workouts available. So you call up your local Beachbody coach, and you ask them: what should I do? Should I do the Insanity Workout DVD, billed as the most extreme workout of the lot, or should I do Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Fire, Chalene Johnson’s new HIIT workout frenzy? The answer is, as it invariably is: it all depends. Today we’re going to take a quick look at their similarities and differences, and figure out what works best for you.
Which torches the most calories?
Man, this is a rough question, and I think right out the door we’re going to have to give it a tie. Turbo Fire is all high, almost manic energy, you need to be ready to burn those calories like nothing else, especially when the HIIT starts, but the Insanity Workout is non-stop calisthenics, plyometrics, sports drills and more. If anything, I’d say Insanity is the more intense calorie burner here because it requires a lot of muscle power as well as cardio, while Turbo Fire is almost exclusively cardio kickboxing.
Which is the most fun?
It depends on what you enjoy. If you love a true challenge, if you love going as hard as you can and digging right into the pain levels, than you’ll love Insanity. If however you really enjoy a high energy, upbeat cardio class like the kind you find in mega-gyms, then Turbo Fire is the class for you.
Which will help me gain more muscle?
While neither of the classes focus on gaining muscle mass per se, Insanity definitely is more physically challenging solely due to the sheer number of push-up variations and burpies you’ll be doing. As a result, while Turbo Fire will make you whip cord lean, Insanity will leave you ripped as well as shredded.
So what’s the real difference?
In the end, it’s a question of style. Do you love brutal workouts that will leave you broken in a puddle of sweat on the floor, like the worst army nightmare you could have. Or do you love being front and center of a frentic cardio class, with tons of people dancing and bouncing around you, a cardio instructor calling out the moves from the front? If so, then the class oriented feel of Turbo Fire will be for you.
