BeachBody Reviews

I don't normally do a ton of at home DVD's. I simply prefer to be out on the road, or at the gym in a class. However, when I do I know where to turn for the most amazing workouts- BEACHBODY. I am NOT a BeachBody Coach, this is not a sponsored review, and I have nothing to gain- this is just my honest opinion. I've had several people ask me over the past few weeks about what DVD's I recommend so I really wanted to do this post.

Insanity = literally insane workout. They advertise they are the toughest workout ever put on DVD and they are not lying! Even the warm-up sequence gets your heart really pumping and the body super sweaty. It's tough. I can definitely see getting completely ripped after 60 days if you do these workouts and eat proper nutrition. Problem for me is that this KILLS your legs (in a good way). It's full of plyometrics, so I can't do these workouts back to back or within a few days of a long run or I'm dragging out there on my runs. After "marathon season" I really do want to try and do the full 60 days. There are 10 DVD's and no special equipment needed. You get completely shredded just using your body weight. Like I said, there are a ton of plyometric movements so if you have bad knees, I
wouldn't recommend this program because you'd have to constantly be modifying. I believe the Insanity calendar gives you 1 rest day a week and one day you do a "recovery" DVD but don't be fooled, it's still a hard workout and will leave your legs quivering. There is also a fit test that Shaun T tells you to do every 2 weeks. This isn't your typical fit test like in high school where you do crunches and see if you can touch your toes.There are 8 exercises and you do as many reps in 1 minute as you can. Sounds simple enough, an 8 minute workout, but if you really push

yourself it will feel like you just spent an hour at the gym.  I have done it a few times just because it's a fantastic workout in itself. Expect to do lots of squats, jumps, suicide drills, push-ups, high knees in dynamic sequences. The trainer, Shaun T, annoyed me when I watched the infomercials but honestly you don't even notice him while working out because you have to get in a zone in order to get through these DVD's. I find him kind of funny now and he backs up his cheesy attitude by delivering an amazing burn so can't hate the guy. If you really want to challenge yourself, try Insanity.



Turbofire. "Boom I got your boyfriend, Boom Boom I got your man." Sorry had to, Turbofire is a cardio kickboxing program with lots of old school tunes to get you shakin' it! I have tried zumba and sucked at it (no rhythm) so this is the closest I can get. Chalene Johnson is the instructor and she really makes the workout FUN. This program comes with 12 workouts, ranging from 10 minutes to 55 minutes. The focus is all on HITT training. You will do moderate intensity kickboxing and then a fire alarm goes off and you really kick up the intensity to super high gear for 1 minute of non-stop dynamic movements. I love the way these DVD's are set up like you are in the class watching an instructor on stage and Chalene is always thanking you for coming to class today and telling you "you're not tired, you just got your second wind." She may tell everyone the same thing but I believe her, and find my mood adjust and I re-focus on giving 100% effort. The series of movements can be hard to catch on to at first. The movements are set up in sequence and move pretty fast. There is an introduction CD and if you follow the program your first week I think you complete that 3 times if I remember correctly.

Each DVD also has an option to fire the music up or not depending on how much instruction you want to hear. Lots of kicks, various punches, and some plyometric work although they have a modifier on stage so it's easy to do these workouts if you don't have springs in your legs. I do highly recommend this program for those wanting an intense workout without feeling like they are in bootcamp. Oh I forgot to mention there are also a toning and sculpting DVDs that come with a resistance band so you can simulate strength training and really tone in addition to the cardio you get from the kickboxing.




P90X- the first BeachBody program I purchased. So unlike Insanity and Turbofire, the main focus of P90X IS weightlifting and it requires much more equipment; various dumbells or resistance bands, and a pullup bar. They offer suggestions on how to use resistance bands vs a pullup bar but it still requires some rigging, so I found myself often skipping through the pull up bar routine, ugh. The DVD's are broken down into Legs and Back, Shoulders and Arms etc. So you focus on a few muscle groups at a time and over the course of the week get a full body workout. I will say the Ab Ripper in Intense, you do 300+ reps in the 20 minute DVD and REALLY can feel it. Probably my favorite DVD from P90X. I am NOT a fan of the cardio DVD's in the P90X program, I was so bored I never did a single one in it's entirety. The energy level just isn't high enough to get me engaged and really pushing my limits. I know several people who have completed this program and gotten great results, for me this is just a supplemental DVD.

Hope this helps you get a little more insight into the BeachBody programs. I will definitely do an update when I choose to follow Insanity in its entirety. In the meantime I'm more than happy to answer any questions or hear your thoughts on these programs.