Chiseled abs. Glistening sweat on fit, hard bodies. Brutal workouts led by a barking—yet somehow affable—drill instructor. You may have seen all of these things in ads for the INSANITY workout program. Perhaps you’ve been intrigued enough to take Shawn T’s challenge yourself. If so, be prepared. The INSANITY workout is not for the faint of heart.

INSANITY leads you through six intense workouts full of jumps, hops, skips, push-ups and other bodyweight exercises that suck buckets of sweat out of your body and leave your heart pounding. The workout program will help you shed some pounds, but it’s insane level of intensity isn’t for everyone. If you’re not already pretty fit, you may spend more time doubled over holding your knees than exercising. Worse, if you’re not prepared for the intense movements, you could be putting yourself at risk for injury. (Learn why cardio isn’t the best fat burner.)

So before you get all crazy with INSANITY, try our pre-INSANITY workout first. It’s designed specifically to improve your strength, mobility and endurance to handle the demands of Shawn T’s program.

Try this for three or four weeks before pressing play on your first INSANITY DVD. You’ll be better conditioned to work at a higher intensity to accelerate weight loss and strength gains while staying injury-free.

Pre-INSANITY Workout Instructions

Perform a dynamic warm-up before starting the workout. (Try this warm-up.) Repeat each of the following four circuits two times, resting for 30 seconds between sets and one minute between circuits. The reps listed in the slideshow are general recommendations, which you should adjust to make the workout appropriate for your fitness level. Every exercise should be challenging—but not so hard you can’t do it.

Photo: beachbody.com