I have been using the BodyBoss Guide at home for the last 6 weeks and wanted to share my thoughts for those of you who have heard of the program and might be interested. First of all, I want to say that I really do like this guide and the workouts. As a mom of 2 small children I don’t have a lot of time to go to the gym or go take classes – so this guide is perfect for me. So, I highly recommend it for anyone (not just moms) who don’t have a lot of time and want to workouts at home. It’s also great if you travel because the workouts can be done pretty much anywhere – even towards the end when it requires a step/box you can find things outside like benches and stairs to use. It might take a little creativity but you can still get it done.
The guide is beginner friendly because it includes a pre-workout for 4 weeks that gets you ready to start the main 12-week program. But, overall I feel that the program is right in the middle…not too hard but not too easy. See my tips below for how to make it harder or easier. I have read a few reviews online who say this guide is too easy or just for beginners and I disagree. I think these people never did week 6 of the program. haha.
Unlike a lot of other popular fitness guides (BBG with Kayla Itsines, FBB with Anna Victoria, TIU, etc) I actually like that it doesn’t have a spokesperson or fitness model as the face of the product. Sometimes it helps for women to not compare themselves to the perfect fitness models that produce these “guides” and instead just trust the team of experts that create the workouts. I know that many women get discouraged and feel bad about themselves if they feel they have to look perfect or lose a ton of weight so they can look like their fitness role model…if she can look like that, then why can’t I? BodyBoss definitely features fit models in their guide pages and there is a ton of inspiration on social media (#bodybossmethod) but no one person is in your face saying that you can (or that you should) look and be just like them if you buy their program.
Pros
- I like having an actual book (the guide) to take with me. I can take it when I travel and it’s right there with me so if I see it I’m more likely to do the workout and check it off in the book.
- I LOVE that the workouts are broken up into sections. It makes it seem like you only have to do 7 minutes at a time and that’s totally doable. Most of the main workouts are only 21-24 minutes long and are broken up into 3x7min intervals. It makes it seem less intimating than having to go take an hour class.
- I like that you can do it anywhere. I save time by not driving to the gym and can just do this at home.
- It doesn’t take much equipment at all. Only towards the end do you need a box for jumps but you can use stairs or something outside like a curb or part of a playground or park.
- I like that it has a warmup and cool-down for each workout. I always warmup but sometimes don’t save time to cool down. It includes a lot of stretching which at first I kind of rolled my eyes at. But, I really like this part now and feel it has helped my flexibility!
- You work your entire body. I feel that it’s a good mix of upper body, core and lower body and includes exercises that are targeted for women. They use a lot of the same exercises that I do at my Bombshell Bootcamp – and I know they work and get great results.
Cons
- I feel that some of the workouts require a little too much balancing on your arms and wrists. So, if you are overweight or have a wrist injury – you may not want to do down dog v-presses, followed by point planks, followed by mountain climbers. So, I would recommend doing some planks on your forearms or just mixing up the order of the exercises to give your wrists a break (see tips below).
- I feel like some of the exercises should have less reps. Performing 40 plank rotations is a little monotonous but then again doing 40 criss cross squat jumps was just the right amount for me to fee like it was killer.
- I think overall, they should recommend slightly heavier weights/dumbbell for the upper body. I’m only at week 6 and the most they recommend is 2lbs (but I do see they increase it slightly in the next few weeks). This is probably the right weight to use for 30 reps, but I think women would get better results if they lowered the reps slightly and increased the weight slightly. For instance – instead of doing 30 lateral shoulder raises with 1-2lb weights I used 8-10lb and only do 25 reps.
FAQ
Is it beginner friendly? Yes! They even have a pre-guide that starts before the 12 weeks that you can do to ease into it. I skipped this but recommend it for beginners or new moms.
What if I’m already in shape, will I see results? Yes! I’m already seeing more muscle definition and can tell my strength and endurance has improved by following the guide.
Is it easy to stick with? Yes! Because there is a book you can take with you it’s hard to have excuses to find workouts to do.
How many days do I workout? It’s only 5 days – which I like. I feel like it’s doable to get it in M-F. But, if I have to skip a weekday workout (which has only happened once) I just do it on the weekend so that I get it done. The actual program workouts are on Monday, Wednesday Friday and then they have some cardio and stretching recommendations for you on Tues/Thurs.
Do I need a lot of equipment? No. Most of the workouts are body weight only and you can even do the bench hops and tricep dips (and other things with a bench) on your mat.
Modification Tips:
You can make it easer by modifying exercises. You can search online for modifications if you aren’t sure or try this: use less weight (for the dumbbells), omit jumps or make them less steep (ie with box jumps), do pushups and planks with knees on ground.
You can make it harder by doing these: Use heavier weight, do the exercises faster (but still keep good form), Jump higher, add on an extra couple of reps if you think you can handle it. If you feel it’s still too easy for you – do a separate short strength training or cardio workout before as part of your warmup.
Trust the guide and be sure to warmup first. Even if you are short on time – you still need to warmup at least 5 minutes.
This post was sponsored by BodyBoss but all opinions are my own.
