Sounds like your friend is overreacting to bro-science. All stimulants (including caffeine) are heart attacks waiting to happen IF you take too high of a dose, your body will freak out and yeah… get a heart attack. Everybody reacts differently to certain stim. If he’s sensitive to a particular stim, take less of it (more bang for your $$ anyway) or don’t take any, but don’t tell others to not take the stims.

I’m personally am not a big fan of long term use of DMAA (main active ingredient in Jack3d and many other pre-workout supplements), mainly because you build up tolerance quick and there hasn’t been enough scientific studies on long term use. But for short term use where you implement a cycle ON and a cycle OFF, I see little harm. The way I cycle stims are: 2 weeks on non-DMAA (Choline based), 1 week on DMAA, 3 weeks no stims.

And also, pre-workout supplements are designed to get into your system, help you lift some heavy stuff, and leave your system fast. It shouldn’t linger. If you want endurance during your lifts, supplement with some BCAAs at 30-60 minute intervals peri-workout (depending on your work load). And you can look into beta-alanine too (even though beta-alanine only helps a little at the high rep range).

I apologize for my forthcoming lengthy input, but I hope that people will find various parts helpful.

I’m 48, 5’3″, and was 162 when I started Insanity. Hopefully my weight will have gone down a pound or two or I will have lost a few inches at my next fit test. I don’t appear as big as people would imagine because how I’m proportioned/my overall frame. I’ve been a size 6 for many years. My goal is to lose weight and be as fit as I can be.

Quite a few years ago (prior to doing P90X), I lost 30 pounds in three months by eating clean: I reduced portions of starch, replaced soda with diet soda, ate whole grains, etc., and walked on a treadmill. It was an accomplishment; however, I still need to get to the appropriate weight for my height.

Nutrition is very important, about 80%. You need to eat clean (especially if you want a six pack). I know better but didn’t watch portions, etc. half the time when I did P90X, so I remained in decent shape and not as fit as I should have been by the end.

I have issues with certain jump moves in Insanity. Fortunately I learned from P90X the importance to modify, modify, modify. So I step through those exercises and when I need to rest. I try to keep moving, then I’m able to do the next exercise.

I loaned P90X to a friend who ate clean, followed the program except for yoga (and possibly stretch), used a super heavy resistance band instead of a pullup bar, and stopped drinking alcohol for 90 days. He lost 20 pounds, lost most of his belly fat, and looked great. However, on the 91st day, he started drinking a lot again, not exercising, and went back to his old eating habits. His belly became large again. He decided he wanted a six pack, so he started eating clean in December and recently started a hybrid of P90X2 and Insanity.

Also, he did well when he did P90X but probaby would have done better if he ate the amount of calories that he was supposed to. For his new round, he’s making an effort to do this.

I have diabetes type 2 and take meds. I always check my blood sugar levels before and after a workout, and during if it’s a new exercise or if I don’t feel well (shaky). On rare occasions, my BSL was in the 200s pre-exercise then it dropped 100 when I finished an intense workout.

It’s important to “know your limits”, which is one of the messages that Shaun T has on the screen. He encourages resting, especially if your form is jeopardized: Good form is more important than speed.

I love Tony Horton’s training style. Also, he encourages quality over quantity, and to do the best that you can and forget the rest. This helped me with Yoga X: Eventually, the first half hour went by quickly. Also I enjoyed Kenpo X. It was fun for me as I used to do a kickboxing workout.

My X2/Insanity hybrid friend worked so hard on his second day with Shaun T that he thought he was going to pass out, then he was sore so he wasn’t able to do any workout the following day. I reminded him that it doesn’t make sense to not take breaks just to keep up (or risk injury) while trying to get fit, especially if it’s avoidable.

Yes, Shaun T yells a lot, but not at the beginning of the exercises. It’s when he’s working really hard which is the majority of the time.

Whatever workout you decide to do, please do it safely. I wish you all the best on your journey to being healthy and fit! Remember to keep pushing play.