Which Beachbody Programs Are The Best

I did my first Beachbody workout in July of 2019. I was four months and 35 pounds into my 80 pound weight loss goal. I had been doing some at home walking workouts but that’s about it. I was in better shape than I was four months before but was I “fit”? Not yet. I still had quite a ways to go before I would qualify myself as anywhere near physically fit. Gotta say, that in those first days of trying workouts that involved more than just marching in place and lifting my knees, I was a bit intimidated. A lot intimidated even. But with that intimidation came determination. So I set my mindset in a good, positive , happy place and I pretended I had been a stud exercise warrior all my life!! Nothing could’ve been further from the truth. Mindset is key,though. I was able to successfully “fake it till I made it”. Here I am around the time I started my first full Beachbody program…..

It didn’t take much time of just pretending I enjoyed my workouts. Something clicked inside me quickly. I started seeing results that I liked. My weight loss continued but most importantly, I noticed how much stronger I was feeling, physically and emotionally. I enjoyed these gym-like workouts in the comfort of my own home. I didn’t have to give one thought to what everyone was thinking of me while I exercised because I was alone in my living room. I could give it MY all without trying to complete with some random stranger’s all! I actually started to have FUN working out…two words I never thought I’d put together in the same sentence. In January of 2021, I decided I loved Beachbody so much, I’d try my hand as a coach. I love encouraging and motivating others to be the best version of themselves. To watch the lightbulbs go off as someone realizes they’re capable of far more than they imagined. It’s a delight for me to walk side by side with others as we share workout successes and challenges, nutrition advice, and tips on how to get in all the ding dang water!! Oh the water!! Why is it so hard to drink all the water?!?

As a Beachbody coach, there are two questions I get asked the most when someone is just starting out. One...which program is your favorite? And two...where should I start? These are such loaded questions for me because, well, choosing the one I’ve liked the most is similar to having to choose which of my kids is my favorite!! They’re all my favorite!! Each of the Beachbody workout programs I’ve done has had something I loved.

And as to where to start? Just jump in!!! I’ll often suggest doing the sample workout for a few different programs and go with the one that jives with you the most. I started with one I felt would meet me at my fitness level at the time . I knew of Kathy Smith from workouts of hers I had done many years earlier. I found her in a section of classic workouts on Beachbody on Demand and may have squealed. But it took me about 60 seconds to realize I had outgrown good old Kathy and needed something newer. So I moved on. Since all I’d been doing was walking, I figured a workout that was just dancing would work for me. Especially one that was dancing to country music…brought me right back to my Texas roots and the early 80’s when I spent hours two stepping and line dancing on dark dance floors in college town bars! Country Heat was fun; however, it reminded me of how terribly uncoordinated I am and the term “two left feet” kept jumping to mind! I basically nailed the first workout over the course of a week before I threw in the towel and needed something different. (I’ve since revisited Country Heat and have managed a few other dances. They really are fun once you get the hang of it!) My daughter suggested 21 Day Fix. It looked scary. It used dumb bells…I had a set of 2 lb weights. It had cardio and pilates and yoga. I just wasn’t sure about it to be honest. But I put on my big girl pants and just did it. And you know what? I LIKED IT!! This was the very first program I completed and by the end of the 21 days, I was hooked. I had bumped my weights up and purchased a set of 5’s and 8’s. 10’s and 12’s weren’t far behind. I learned that I LOVED strength training. I learned that I could do cardio exercises and not actually die. I learned that I love the way I feel after I’ve accomplished a workout that I once thought was too hard.

So I kept on. 80 Day Obsession…Morning Meltdown 100…Liift 4… 10 Rounds…Transform 20…#MBF and #MBFA…Let’s Get Up…3 Week Yoga Retreat…9 Week Control Freak. These have all been soooo good but there are three programs that I’ve repeated multiple times. My faves. Here they are in no particular order…

1. Morning Meltdown 100 introduced me to a fiery red haired trainer who made me believe for the first time how WILDLY CAPABLE I was. She made me see that modifying exercises was OK. With two different modifiers in this program, I learned many different ways to take a hard move and make it easier without taking away it’s effectiveness. You DON’T have to take a burpee all the way to the floor!!!Who knew? That may have been life changing for me! One hundred days of cardio meltdown, upbeat strength, core inferno, total body badass, downbeat strength, freestyle flow, LIT cardio, FIGHT CLUB (I can’t talk about that one!), re-vibe. When that hundredth workout was complete, I stood in front of my TV in my living room turned gym and just let the tears flow. I truly felt accomplished in a way I never had before. I would never have imagined that I could get my 50-something year old self to do a move like this lightening bolt thing….yet there I was doing it.

2. #MBF and #MBFA were the second two programs I completely fell in love with. They are both three weeks long. #MBFA is a smidge more advanced than its predecessor. “Megan Minutes” are added, making #MBFA longer and a little more challenging. But you’ll be ready for the challenge! Each workout is set to music, which I learned in MM100 I LOVE! I am just a music loving gal for sure! Working out to a beat just always feels easier and more fun to me than simply listening to a trainer talk. This was the first workout program that included a cast doing the workout alongside the trainer, Megan, from the comforts of their own homes. Thank you 2020. I actually sorta loved this. The cast members were likeable and varied in age from 20’s to 60’s. Exercising alongside a couple in their 60’s was inspiring to me! The program includes seven different workouts a week, all including weight lifting and cardio, with the exception of the dynamic recovery day. I was introduced to a few new terms….AMRAP(as many rounds as possible) and EMOM (every minute on the minute)…and learned what it truly means to be your own best competition as you try to beat your own record from the last AMRAP workout. It was during these two “sister” programs, that I started seeing a bit of definition in my shoulders and arms! I never knew how much I’d appreciate a toned upper body. As I stood in my living room turned gym at the end of #MBFA, the tears flowed. Again. The celebrations by the cast and trainer at the end of a program will never get old or fail to move me.

3. 9 Week Control Freak may be my actual numero uno, top favorite of all time. And it’s one I avoided like the plague when it first came out. It had strange equipment I knew nothing about and didn’t have. I needed a door in my workout space to attach this necessary door track. A track that seemed like a pain to install. I work out in my living room . No door. But then I saw what my daughter was using instead of the track. It didn’t attach to a door . It just hung on the door and moved easily up and down the door frame with an open and close of the door. I rethought all the things and felt I could use the door in my front foyer for this band system. I could buy the resistance band door thingie (not it’s technical name!), a step and a core ball for a small investment. So with a different outlook on 9WCF, I bought all the things and dove in. Holy Cow!!! All that equipment that had scared me and made me not even consider this program became what I ADORE about it . SO! MUCH! FUN! Seriously! The resistance band door thingie is a game changer. With bands that have me pushing and pulling up to 100 lbs., I am seeing results I’m sure I wouldn’t see otherwise. The core ball has been a game changer for all the ab work. And the step? Well, I’m still trying to make friends with the step. While the rest of the equipment makes the exercises feel easier, the step seems to make everything a bit harder! Not that I’m afraid of hard things but I cannot for the life of me jump onto this six inch high mountain and land on two feet to save my life!! And there’s my coordination issue that is challenging for some step moves. So I modify many of the exercises that use the step. And that’s OK. Because the important thing is to have fun and fun it is!! Nine weeks of work. Five workouts per week. No two workouts are identical so the variety in this program is unmatched. Each workout begins with a twelve minute density round. A shorter round of a complex move. And then tabata cardio. Out of all the cardio exercises I’ve done through the years, tabata rules. The hardest tabata is 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for four minutes. Not too bad. But the reverse tabata is my fave…10 seconds on , 20 seconds off. Of course it’s not too bad…10 seconds of work is easy!! No wonder it’s my fave! This workout is a bit more advanced but I encourage people of any fitness level to not be afraid of it because the modifications make the harder moves very doable. And the modifier is my favorite. Autumn is a great encourager through every workout but there are many days when I tune my ears to Kat , the modifier. You just can’t go wrong with this one.

So there you go! I know my faves may be completely different than yours. That’s cool! I’d love to know what your faves are if you are a Beachbody person. And results. My results are mine alone and will likely look different than yours. But if you show up for yourself on a consistent basis without giving up, you’ll soon see your own set of results to brag about! If this all sounds fun to you and you’d like to show yourself how wildly capable you are and you need someone to guide your way and encourage your journey, I can help. Just comment and let me know .

Until then, keep joyfully clamoring!