There are countless at home workout programs on the market that help shrink your body and lose weight fast. What the fitness market has not seen much of are fitness programs geared towards adding weight and building lean muscle. The majority of men are not looking to lose weight and get smaller, but instead to add weight and bulk up. The choices for workout programs that can help them meet their goals are slim, with few, if any, programs created to achieve these results. This was the case until Beachbody’s Body Beast program was created. It is one of a handful of at home workout programs that was created with men’s fitness goals in mind.
Introduction
Body Beast is an at home conditioning system that can help increase lean muscle mass and add bulk to your physique in as little as 90 days. The Body Beast workouts feature the Dynamic Set Training, which is a combination of bodybuilding practices from past and present. Dynamic Set Training is comprised of pre-determined sequences of sets and repetitions that help recruit more muscle fibers and build lean mass. You will be doing single sets, super sets, drop sets and everything in between to complete exhaust your muscles, raise your testosterone levels and build lean muscle mass throughout your body. In addition to the muscle building effects of Body Beast’s Dynamic Set Training, it can also improve the body’s ability to produce testosterone. Testosterone is the key to helping the body develop lean muscle and the Dynamic Set Training in the Body Beast workout can take its’ production to its’ peak.
The trainer behind Body Beast, Sagi Kalev, is a world class body builder and the brain child behind the Body Beast System. He clearly demonstrates the moves that will be performed in each of the 12 workouts that come with the series and, after looking at his physique, you will want to attain the same ripped, lean look that he and the other trainers in the workouts flaunt. Sagi promises that, by using the Body Beast system and following it religiously for 90 days, you have the capability to gain anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds of lean muscle mass in only three months. As with all fitness programs and products sold by Beach Body, if you are not happy with the results you achieve within 90 days of purchasing it, you can return the program for a full refund, less any shipping and handling costs.
What’s Included in the Body Beast Workout?
The Body Beast System is available in three packages. The basic Body Beast package includes 12 Body Beast workouts on seven DVDs, The Book of Body Beast and the Body Beast mobile application. The base package costs $89.95 plus shipping and handling. The next package up is the Body Beast Huge. It includes everything that comes with the base package, as well as a 30 day supply of Hardcore Base Shake, a 30 day supply of Fuel Shot and a bonus DVD containing two Tempo workouts. This package costs $200.70 plus shipping and handling. The highest and most comprehensive package is the Body Beast Beast. It includes everything that comes in the Huge package, as well as a 30 day supply of M.A.X. Creatine and a 30 day supply of Super Suma. This package retails for $254.70 plus shipping and handling.
Supplements
When it comes to at home workouts, Beachbody has the largest selection on the market. The Body Beast, however, is one of the few that is marketed towards men and highly suggests that you take supplements with it for improved results. The supplements can be purchased individually or as part of one of the packages described above.
The Hardcore Base Shake is a protein and weight gainer shake that helps increase muscle growth and reduces muscle breakdown. It is all natural and includes 18 grams of protein. Most that have tried protein shakes complain about excessive bloating and gas when consumed, but Beachbody promises that the formula used to create this shake will minimize this.
The Fuel Shot is another supplement suggested by the makers of Body Beast. It gives you an energy boost and is preferably consumed before your workout. The Fuel Shot nourishes your muscles to increase strength and replenish electrolytes after your workouts.
The M.A.X. Muscle Acceleration Xtreme Creatine provides added strength to help increase muscle growth during your workouts. It will help give you that extra push to muscle through the hour or so sessions with Body Beast. The blend features a high-grade Creatine Monohydrate, an ingredient that is commonly used by professional body builders and competitors worldwide.
The Super Suma is a ginseng supplement that improves the body’s testosterone levels.
Workout Equipment
In addition to the package you select to purchase above and the supplements you chose to take or not to take, you will also need to purchase some equipment in order to properly do the Body Beast Workouts. You will need a pull up or chin up bar, a workout bench or stability ball and a curl bar, dumbbells or a set of resistance bands. You will also need either a stability ball or a workout bench.
The preference in pull up or chin up bar is entirely up to you. Both serve the same purpose. The bench can be either flat or with an incline. The stability ball is a much cheaper option and also easier to move around if you plan on doing these workouts on the road or while traveling. Doing strength exercises on a stability ball as opposed to a bench will also help strengthen your core. Opting for the ball instead of the bench is not only a cheaper and more convenient choice, but also a better choice for your body.
When it comes to a curl bar, dumbbells or resistance bands, the choice is about convenience. If you opt for the curl bar, you will also need to purchase weights and pins for it. This will be difficult to move if you plan on taking the workout on the road with you. Dumbbells are easier to work with and do not take up as much room. Dumbbells can also be very heavy, though, and are not as easily packed in suitcases when traveling. The resistance bands are the most convenient choice and the cheapest as well. You can purchase resistance bands of various sizes and difficulty and, regardless of how many you have; they will not take up much room at all.
Body Beast Workouts
The Body Beast Workouts are separated into three blocks titled Build, Bulk and Beast. The first block, Build, helps build a foundation for the program. Before starting the program and the first phase, you will be expected to calculate your daily caloric intake needs. This is based on your height, weight and total body fat percentage. After you determine your caloric intake requirements, you will select an eating plan from the nutritional program that accompanies the series.
The eating plan you select should be one that provides you with more calories per day than what your body needs to maintain. By creating this excess in calories, you will be eating more food than your body requires and turning the extra calories into increased weight. Not all of the weight you gain will be muscle, so you have to be careful with what you take in. It is imperative that you strictly adhere to the eating plan and try to restrict yourself to clean, lean foods. If you eat the wrong foods with this program and cheat, you will end up bigger and fatter instead of bigger and leaner.
After determining your caloric intake and eating plan, you can begin the workouts with the first block. The Build block is three weeks long, with six days of working out per week. It also allows for one day a week for rest. In this phase, there are four workouts that are comparable to some of the workouts done in the P90X series. There are also cardio routines included in this phase but only for two days during the entire three week phase.
The second phase in the program is the Bulk phase. It is six weeks long and is comprised of five workouts. Before you begin, you will need to revisit the caloric intake matter. If you have gained weight in the first phase and increased your body fat percentage, you will need more calories to maintain your body weight. You may need to choose a different eating plan or simply add calories to the plan you selected when you began the Build phase.
Each routine in this phase centers around one specific body area instead of targeting the entire body, such as in the Build block. For the entire six weeks that you are in the Bulk phase, there are no cardio workouts. The workouts are aimed at building your chest, arms, shoulders, back and legs and will target each area individually. In the Bulk phase, you will be working out for five days, with one day off, and then you will begin the series all over again. During the last week on the Bulk phase, you will have two rest days.
The final phase of the program is the Beast phase. It is three weeks long and finally brings back the cardiovascular workouts. In the final phase, you will reduce the food and calories you consume and increase your protein intake. The last phase aims to get rid of the fat you have gained and lean you out to bring out the lean muscle you have built during your time on the 90 day program.
The individual workouts themselves are very self explanatory. They feature specific strength training exercises to target parts of your body and are titled accordingly. Each of the workouts includes a warm up and cool down, both approximately two minutes long. The workouts are titled as follows:
- Build: Chest & Tris (49 minutes)
- Build: Shoulders (39 minutes)
- Build: Legs (39 minutes)
- Build: Back & Bis (51 minutes)
- Bulk: Chest (31 minutes)
- Bulk: Legs (41 minutes)
- Bulk: Back (30 minutes)
- Bulk: Shoulders (36 minutes)
- Bulk: Arms (37 minutes)
- Beast: Cardio (31 minutes)
- Beast: Total Body (40 minutes)
- Beast: Abs (12 minutes)
The Book of Beast
The nutritional portion of Body of Beast features the diets that you need to follow while doing the Body Beast program. The diet changes, depending on the block you are in, and has you consuming a lot of calories throughout most of the 90 day cycle. You will be eating so much that you may have trouble consuming all that is expected of you. For the first two phases of the program, you should expect to consume most of your calories in the form of carbohydrates (50%) and the other half will be evenly split between protein and fats (25% each). In the last phase, you will reduce your carbohydrate intake and take in mostly protein (40%), with carbohydrates and fat evenly split for the remainder (30% each). The key to gaining weight and ensuring that most of that weight is lean muscle mass is eating the right foods. The diet suggests diet staples such as lean proteins, whole grain breads and plain, non fat Greek yogurt. These are the types of foods you will be consuming on a regular basis. In addition, you should also try to drink a protein shake each day, preferable the shake recommended by Body Beast. Eating ice cream, desserts and greasy meals will help you gain weight as well but it will consist mostly of added fat. Fat laden desserts and fried foods should be avoided while doing Body Beast, even if you have plenty of weight to gain.
Body Beast Training Schedule
The Body Beast training schedule is two sided and offers two options when beginning your journey with Body Beast. The “HUGE” schedule is for those looking to gain weight and increase size. The Huge schedule is designed for those that are already fairly lean and are looking to bulk up. If you choose this schedule, you should expect to gain muscle and a little bit of fat, since you cannot gain weight and gain only muscle. The “Lean” schedule is for those that want to increase slightly in size but want to focus on trimming fat and sculpting the size they are already carrying.
Body Beast Mobile App
The Body Beast Mobile app is a free tool you receive when you purchase any packaged of Body Beast. Information to access the application will be sent to you via email after you order your Body Beast system. The Body Beast app will help you take your workout program with you, anywhere you go. Instead of taking the workout calendar and nutrition program with you, you will have instant access to it anytime you wish directly from your mobile phone. The app features a workout and results tracker, a calorie calculator, Body Beast friendly recipes and much more.
What Can I Expect From the Body Beast Program?
One thing you can certainly expect from Body Beast is weight gain! Now, the type of weight you are going to gain is entirely up to you. If you follow the workout program AND the diet, you will gain anywhere between 10-20 pounds of lean muscle mass and increase your strength significantly. If you follow the program but not the diet, you will gain weight but will not see lean muscle and much tone. Both components of the program are equally important and need to be followed strictly.
For the entire 90 days, you should expect to train hard and consume large portions of food. You will work your muscles almost to the point of failure each day and feel significant soreness if it has been a while since you have implemented strength training into your daily routine.
You will also know what it is like to eat like a professional body builder. Although the food will not consist of hamburgers, donuts and pizza, it is still varied enough that you are not bored with repetitive food choices. The food is healthy and promotes lifelong healthy eating habits to help maintain the results you achieve.
BodyBeast Pros vs. Cons
As with many workout programs, there are those that love them and those that hate them. Not all programs are designed to fit everyone’s goals. Look over the pros and cons below to see if Insanity Asylum is a good fit to improving your fitness regime.
Pros
- Body Beast is the first program geared towards gaining weight instead of losing it.
- The program will give you a good foundation on weight training. After doing the program, you can carry what you learn into the gym and continue a regular weight training program.
Cons
- You will need to purchase several pieces of equipment before you can begin the program.
- The program requires a diet that is very high in calories. This can sometime result in excess weight gain that is not necessarily required when looking to increase lean muscle mass.
Conclusion: Should I Do the Body Beast Workout?
First and foremost, this program is geared towards men. Very few women want to gain weight and increase size. Taking that into consideration, you should not do this program if your fitness goals are to lose weight or maintain. This program WILL make you gain weight and WILL make you increase in size.
Body Beast is for those that want an aggressive strength training routine. If you have never lifted before, you will see dramatic results in muscle growth soon after beginning the program. You will feel sore but you will get an incredible strength training workout without the need to go to a gym or pay for a fitness trainer.
If you have lifted in the past, Body Beast can help improve your routine by mixing it up and adding variety to your workouts. You will be shocked at how exhausted your muscles feel after a workout that includes not much more than your own body weight.
Testimonials
I decided to try Body Beast because I am a small guy (5’7” and 140 pounds) and wanted to get bigger. After doing the program, I gained about 16 pounds in 90 days. I gained most of it during the first two months and actually lost a few in the last phase. When I do it again, I’ll probably just do the first two phases twice since I do not need to lose any more weight.
Robby Espinoza – Bullhead City, Arizona
In only 30-40 minutes, I was getting a better workout than when I would spend an hour or more at the gym. If you’re looking to add size and mass, you have to give Body Beast a shot.
Jason Barnes – Castaic, California
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