I am half way through the Body Beast workout program and here’s my Body Beast review so far.
First of all, I am not sure what my exact goals were when I started Body Beast. I knew that growing muscle would be the ideal goal and that the workouts would be intense lifting. I am really enjoying the weight training each day focusing on different muscle groups each day (chest, back, legs, arms shoulders).
I had 2 big worries before I started Beast though. One, was that the weights would be too heavy for the degenerative disc in my back. And two, I would gain inches in my waistline due to all of the food and calories I would be increasing.
So how has it gone in regards to both of those concerns?
Well, when it comes to lifting heavy weights, I have tried to be smart, yet still push and challenge myself. I diligently record my numbers on my workout sheets. Each workout I try to match or go a little heavier with the weights. I know my limits when I comes to the total load and my back, so if a weight is lighter than what I could realistically lift, I will just slow down the movement with lighter weight to provide more time under tension.
When it comes to gaining weight and waistline. This one gets in my head. Now, I have done many Beachbody home workouts in the past and always believe in trusting the processes when it comes to following the fitness and nutrition guides. So, I did the same for Body Beast. After about 4 weeks I realized I needed to make some adjustments for me.
You need to feed muscle and eat a lot. My plan required 3200 calories a day and I was used to about 2000. So, at week 4 I went to put on some jeans I had just bought a month prior. They wouldn’t fit. I was not happy. As a matter of fact, I needed to bring out the “fat jeans.” as nothing else would fit. So, I did some soul searching and made a decision. I decided to continue with the Body Beast workouts, but I backed off the eating to about 2500 calories (50% carbs, 25% protein and 25% fats). I know that it’s not “officially” trusting in the process, but I wanted to also do what felt right for me.
I still feel good with the workouts and fueled up to push through the exercises. My numbers are consistent or are increasing each week. And the scale is reading 12 pounds higher than when I started Body Beast. And 22 pounds higher since I completed Ultimate Reset back in May. I was 153 post Reset and today weighed in at 176. I like to think that it’s all “muscle!” 🙂
I’m only half way through and still in a bulking phase. In a few weeks I will enter a phase to get shredded. The calories decrease and the macronutrient ratios change to 50% protein, 25% carbs and 25% fats.
I also made one minor tweak to my workout schedule and that is that I wanted to add in one cardio day. So , I just doubled up my workouts (like chest and back) and that freed up one day for me to get in a cardio day like pure cardio from Insanity.
It’s day 45 and I’m happy with the strength and power.
This is a fun program to do. The workout are short, fun and intense. You feel powerful!
I am also happy with my decision to adjust my calorie intake. I am back to fitting into some of my jeans and am pleased with the muscle growth so far!
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