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Has anyone done both Les Mills Combat and Insanity? How do they compare in intensity? I just started Insanity and it's kicking my butt.

I havent done it, but I was told its pretty intense. Now I dont know if its as intense as Insanity but I sure hope its more fun. My coach has done the pre-workout. Ill ask him about it and come back to you.

Hi! It has not come out yet, but sampling of the workouts moves from Les Mills PUMP combat and it is going to be intense, but as I have done Insanity I feel it will be less intense. I think it will be pretty intense though- it is meant to be a kick butt program. I ordered it and got the gloves (which are not weighted). I think they are two totally different programs- what intrigues you?

Cheers,
Christina

Hi AZ. I've finished Insanity in the past and started Combat a couple days ago. As far as intensity, there aren't many programs that can match the cardio intensity or difficulty of Insanity. So if it's kicking your butt then that means you're actually doing it right, just be sure to use form over speed at ALL times because those jumping exercises come with a high risk of injury. Sadly, Shaun T shows very little, if any, modifications to the moves so modify however you need to. Better to be able to workout tomorrow than to have an injury that resulted from "digging too deep"! Anyway, IMO Insanity is king as far as cardio intensity.

But I think Combat gets the nod with the weight training intensity. I just did Power HIIT which uses weights for most of the workout. The amount of sweat and the temptation to beg for mercy (lol!) during Power HIIT was about the same as during any Insanity workout! So while Insanity's ability to improve your cardio may be second to none, Combat fills a void that Insanity seemed to leave out. The Insanity deluxe package has an upper body weight training dvd which is actually a great workout but rarely gets attention due to all the emphasis on cardio and improving your "lower half".

So that's how I think they compare in intensity. Even though I've only done 2 Combat workouts so far, I also watched the other videos. While Insanity might be more difficult overall for many reasons, Combat brings a "fun" element that differs from the usual aerobics or cardio kickboxing-type classes while including weight training. For that reason I think Combat is better as a total body workout. The fun aspect itself can encourage people to work harder and not dread working out the next day. I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to discourage you from continuing Insanity. I'm not. By all means do what you can with Insanity because it deserves all the praise it's gotten ever since it came out. Just remember that with any workout, the key thing is whether or not you want to do it. If you want to do it, then you'll make it intense enough.

I am LOVING Combat!