Body Beast – Beachbody’s At Home Muscle Building Workout

Before diving into my review of Body Beast, let me give you a little background about me because you’re probably thinking, “why the hell should I listen to what this guy has to say?”

I’ve been seriously training and doing various bodybuilding, strength, and powerlifting style weight lifting programs for over 10 years by the time I started Body Beast. I’ve done body-part splits, full body routines, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s workouts (super high volume), 5×5, Wendler’s 3/2/1, HSS, many routines from t-nation.com, Ben Pakulski’s MI40, gymnastic bodyweight training, and more.

If there’s one thing a learned from doing all of this, it’s that many things can work. There are also different programs for different goals (duh). So be skeptical of anyone claiming “this is the best routine for everyone!” because there’s a good chance they’re just trying to sell you something or they’re incredibly ignorant of how different people respond to various styles of training.

With that out of the way, you may have heard about Beachbody’s Body Beast developed by Sagi Kalev and are wondering, “is this one of the best workout programs for building muscle, shedding some fat, and just plain looking freakin awesome?”

Read on to find out if this is a good fit for you and your goals or if something else may be better.

Who Is This For? Hint… It’s NOT Just For Men..

Body Beast was originally marketed as Beachbody’s bodybuilding program that you can do at home. That means it’s mostly aimed at the average guy that wanted to get jacked, ripped, swole or whatever other “bro” term you want to use for dude’s wanting to add more muscle and shed enough fat to get a six pack.

What ended up happening though is that thousands of women fell in love with the routine. Finally they were seeing the benefits of intense weight lifting, being able to eat more without gaining fat, and looking seriously sexy in a way that traditional workout routines weren’t delivering. If you’re a woman interested in Body Beast, I can tell you there’s a HUGE community on Facebook dedicated entirely to women doing this program where they cheer each other on, offer tips, and form virtual friendships.

It also provides a way for women (and men) who may have been intimidated by going to the gym to learn how to lift properly in the comfort of their own home. That being said, this is one of the only routines offered by Beachbody that easily lends itself to doing it in the gym. That’s how I did it. I watched the DVDs to learn the workouts, then printed out the worksheets they provide to bring to the gym.

The workouts are done six days a week, and typically last around 45 minutes. If you’re working out at home, then you save the drive to and from the gym which makes this reasonable for many people.

Finally, if you’ve NEVER done any type of weight lifting, that’s OK. The workouts are designed to ease you into the routine. Don’t rush and take your time. Both absolute beginners and seasoned pros can do this routine and get great results.

Is This Only For Building Muscle?

Body Beast includes two plans – Lean Beast and Huge Beast. If it’s not obvious, lean beast is for those who are looking to shed fat while maintaining or perhaps adding a bit of muscle. It incorporates the very intense “Beast Cardio.” To be straight up, the cardio is not fun. It’s so brutally intense you will hate your life while doing it, but the results make it worthwhile.

What Equipment Do You Need?

You’ll ideally want some adjustable dumbbells as well as an adjustable bench OR stability ball. I’d recommend a bench if you’re looking to lift heavier. A pull-up bar isn’t required, but I would recommend it. Finally, an EZ barbell can be used for some exercises in place of dumbbells.

Alternatively, you can print out worksheets and do the workouts at a gym which is what I do.

What Kind Of Results Did You Get?

Some of the results I got on Body Beast were:

• Adding 5 pounds, 1/4 inch to my arms, and 1 inch to my chest in the first 30 days
• Adding a few more pounds in the second month (don’t have my measurement info)
• Placing top 10 (out of 50 or so competitors) in a physique competition at the end of the three month cycle

Putting on almost 10 pounds through the 90 day program would be great results for anyone, but I was most impressed because I started out with a decent amount of muscle to begin with. A newbie can easily add size when starting something new, but I was coming from a place of regular lifting and training already.

Who WON’T Get Results With This?

While Body Beast is a proven system for delivering incredible results for transforming both men’s and women’s bodies, it’s not going to work if you don’t work it.

The first type of people who won’t get results are those who take it easy the whole time and don’t progress by continually challenging themselves.

The second situation in which people won’t see results is they don’t stay committed to the program. This typically happens because they lack accountability in the form of a coach or group support. This is why I offer FREE coaching for anyone that purchases a Body Beast challenge pack through me. Simply contact me at info@excuseproof.com for more details about making me your free Beachbody/Body Beast coach.

Final Thoughts

Body Beast is a great routine for:

• Men and women wanting to look good great
• Those who can carve out 30-45 minutes six days a week to exercise
• Those who want a plan that is versatile for both fat loss and muscle gain
• Those who like challenges and are tired of wimpy workouts that don’t deliver noticeable changes very quickly
• Beginners who are looking to get into weight lifting as well as experienced lifters who want a new stimulus

One final note, this is a routine aimed at building muscle more than strength. However, despite not doing barbell bench pressing at all for over 3 months, by adding in some bodyweight strength training to my Body Beast routine, I ended up barbell bench pressing an easy 315 after finishing Body Beast.

If you’d like some of my best tips for maintaining or gaining strength in addition to size on Body Beast, shoot me a message.

How Do I Get Started Now On Body Beast?

Get the Body Beast challenge pack, which includes Shakeology to replace one meal a day, the DVDs, and FREE fitness coaching from me here: http://excuseproof.com/bodybeastchallenge

If you just want the DVDs by themselves, you can get them here: http://excuseproof.com/bodybeast

Questions?

Hit me up with your questions about Body Beast or this Body Beast review in the comments below, shoot me an email at info@excuseproof.com, or hit me up on Facebook here and I’ll be happy to help.