BeachBody, the home specialist fitness company, responsible for high-intensity workout DVDs including Insanity and P90, as well as Piyo (a fusion of pilates and yoga) and Cize, are now available direct on laptops and phones with their BeachBody on Demand App. Busy Londoner and mum, Eliza Flynn tested it out.
One Christmas, a few years ago, my then fiancé at the time and I decided to treat ourselves and we bought the Insanity DVDs. He stuck it out for a month before he got injured. I made it through 6 weeks before I ran out of steam. Both of us loved it. We saw results, we felt fitter and the shop downstairs must have lived in fear that one day we’d bring the ceiling down with all the jumping about we were doing. Since then, I’ve been a fan of the BeachBody workouts – and enjoyed the real life Insanity classes, as well as trying out Piyo, another of the BeachBody family. Every now and again, when I’m feeling like I need something to get me going, I’ll dig out my Insanity DVDs and enjoy a sweaty 30 minutes with Shaun T and his gang.
Trying out Beachybody on Demand is like Christmas all over again! Yet, as well as having Shaun T just a couple of taps away on my phone, I’ve also got the likes of Tony Horton and Autumn Calabrese at my fingertips. Tony Horton is known for his P90X workouts and I also got to know him (and kind of hate him too) during my 22 Minute Hard Corps Session.
The app is really easy to use. After you’ve got your log-in details, you have access to the Member Library Programs and from here you can select your workout, or choose your preferred trainer and off you go!
As an Insanity fan, I immediately started with what I knew. Insanity on the app feels exactly the same as Insanity the DVDs, with a few exceptions – there seems to be some Insanity Deluxe workouts which include Insane Abs and Sanity Check. Similarly to the DVD set, there’s a nutrition guide and a calendar which you’re supposed to use to tick off your days, yet it isn’t interactive on the app which is a shame. I did enjoy the recommended Spotify playlist however!
When I work out at home, I choose programs which don’t require any more equipment than a mat and maybe a few weights. If you look over my ‘Recently Watched’ list on the app, up comes Insanity, T25, P90 and 22 Minute Hard Corps. I have a particular fondness for 22 Minute Hard Corps – the title ALWAYS makes me chuckle, although it’s classed as a Beginner / Intermediate workout, whereas Insanity is considered Advanced. Maybe my body is used to Insanity but I found Hard Corps HARD.
How does it work?
With BeachBody on Demand, there are 3 different payment schemes: you can either pay upfront for 6 months (£59.95) or 12 months (£99.95) for Premium Access which includes all workouts in their newest programmes (e.g. PiYO, Cize, Core de Force etc), or you can opt for their 30 Day free trial which then switches to quarterly payments of £38.87 and only includes access to the Members Library (limited but still vast selection of workouts).
My post-Insanity face.
Pros
With the weather becoming warmer (hello park workouts) and as I often travel, Beachbody on Demand has the functionality for you to save 7 days worth of workouts for offline use which then stays in your library for 14 days which is PERFECT for wifi-less occasions.
It’s also hard to get bored by the workouts as there are so many – even Country Dance workouts (!) and yoga.
There’s also the Challenge du Jour if you want to mix things up a little which is a featured workout from an existing programme. For example, on the day of writing this, it’s a 45 minute Total Body Plus workout from P90X. A previous challenge could be HIIT 30 from Turbo Fire, or Beast Up: Legs from Sagi’s Exclusives. There’s always something to keep you interested!
Cons
Personally for me, I don’t enjoy working out in the gym so unless I have a home gym, I’m somewhat restricted to those programmes which don’t require too much equipment. There are several programmes, such as Sagi’s BOD Exclusives which definitely require you to be in the gym for the workout, so that rules those out for me.
I was also a little disappointed that even though there are training calendars, they’re not much use as you need to print them off before you can use them. I’d love to see an interactive tracker in the future.
As with all home-style workouts and as a personal trainer, I worry that people can hurt themselves if they don’t have the right technique for the HIIT elements. My husband had to put our workouts on hold as he injured his foot from having shoddy landing technique during the plyo exercises in Insanity. But at the same time, I’ve seen group classes where people pay £25 a session and trainers don’t correct technique so you can argue that you’re just as much at risk of injuring yourself at a studio.
Final Thoughts
I really like the app. I think it’s reasonably priced (less than £2 a week if you go for a year’s subscription) and you can work out at your own convenience. I think you’ll get best results if you can train in front of a mirror to see technique and you also have good proprioception. It’s also best for beginners to build a solid foundation of fitness first with the yoga or dance programmes before jumping into the more intense workouts as I feel that’s where injuries can happen.
But if you want to get fitter and stronger, then there’s plenty to help you with that on the Beachbody on Demand App. It’s something which I personally would invest in.
More Information:
In a nutshell: An online library of varied and exciting workouts to help you reach your fitness goals, accessible from phones and tablets. It can also be synced to your TV.
Who for: Busy Londoners who prefer working out at their own convenience.
How much: Prices start from as little as under £2 a week
Where from: www.beachbody.co.uk
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