The Best Beachbody Programs for Beginners
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but with New Years approaching, the time felt right. Many people make New Years resolutions to exercise more and eat better. Whether you overindulged during the holidays, aren’t feeling great, want to take better care of yourself or want the healthy outlet of working out, it’s always a great decision to take better care of yourself.
But it can feel so overwhelming to know where to start. Maybe you get a gym membership, but you feel self-conscious or don’t know how to use all the machines. I’ve always preferred at home workouts. I can exercise without feeling like anyone is watching or criticizing me.
Even with online workouts, there are a plethora of options! Beachbody on Demand alone has over 40 different programs and are adding more all the time. How do you know which one to start with? I’ve compiled a list that is a great place to start for beginners. They are either lower intensity, have great modifier options or are very instructive on how to do the workouts if you’re a complete beginner.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts about Beachbody workouts, I’m not a Beachbody coach. If you decide to give any of these programs a try, I don’t earn a dime. I just love their programs! I’ve completed 10 of their programs and sampled many others. I’ve been using Beachbody workouts since 2014 and Beachbody on Demand since 2016! It can be helpful to know you’re getting an honest, unbiased opinion, rather than feeling like someone is trying to sell you something.
(If you are interested in finding a Beachbody coach, my girl Caren Fehr is amazing! She seamlessly combines fitness with faith, focusing on being good stewards of the bodies God has given us. If that sounds like something that might interest you, you can check out her instagram here.)
Clean Week
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, yoga mat (could also place a towel under your knees)
Length of Program: 7 days
Length of Workouts: 30 minutes
Trainer: Megan Davies
This is the ultimate beginner’s workout program, so I thought I would start here. Clean Week is intended to be one week that helps jumpstart your fitness and your nutrition. It can be daunting to look at long programs when you’re just beginning and not sure what kind of exercise you like, what works best for your body, etc. This is only a one week commitment, so it seems a lot less scary.
Megan has two cardio days, two weight lifting days, two core days and one stretching day. She alternates these days for one full week. She extensively reviews form and shows you many options if a move is too difficult (or too easy!), so you can do the move at your level. She also mentions when certain moves are from other Beachbody programs, which can help you to decide which program to try next.
Check out more information here.
21 Day Fix
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, resistance bands, yoga mat
Length of Program: 7 days a week for 3 weeks
Length of Workouts: 30 minutes
Trainer: Autumn Calabrese
This was the very first Beachbody workout I ever did! I still own the DVDs. Beachbody on Demand has the original workouts, but they also have something called 21 Day Fix Real Time. So rather than doing the same exact workout each Monday, there are 21 recorded workouts. It can definitely help break up the monotony.
Autumn combines cardio and strength training in this program (and throws in a pilates day and a yoga day for some active recovery/stretching). There is a modifier if you need to take things slower or need low impact moves. Doing 7 days a week sounds like a lot, but it’s only for 3 weeks. The intention behind no rest days is that it takes 21 days to form a habit. So after working out for 21 days straight, it will feel more natural to work out and it will feel strange NOT working out.
Check out more info and get a free workout sample here.
Morning Meltdown 100
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, yoga mat
Length of Program: 100 days, which ends up being about 14 weeks
Length of Workouts: 20-30 minutes
Trainer: Jericho McMatthews
Okay, I realize that 100 workouts sounds really intimidating when you’re just starting out, but this program is amazing for a beginner. Most Beachbody workouts have a modifier, but this program has a modifier to the modifier! There’s truly an option here for everyone.
Morning Meltdown 100 cycles through 10 different types of workouts ranging from weight lifting to yoga to martial arts inspired to cardio and more. There is so much variety here, which means you’ll never get bored during this program. There is a live DJ on the workout set, which is unique from other programs. That means you are always working out on beat, which is a lot of fun.
Get more information and a free sample workout here.
T25
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, yoga mat
Length of Program: 5 days a week for 10 weeks
Length of Workouts: 25 minutes
Trainer: Shaun T
Shaun T is famous for his Insanity workouts. T25 is certainly a kinder, gentler Shaun T. But it’s still very challenging! I wanted to include a Shaun T workout on this list, because he’s one of the more well-known trainer and he’s so motivational. This is an older program, so that means you play a certain workout on Monday, a certain workout on Tuesday, etc.
This program has an alpha stage (5 weeks) and a beta stage (5 weeks). The alpha stage sets up your base fitness and the beta stage progresses and adds weights. Each workout is only 25 minutes long, but there are no breaks, which is what makes it challenging. Of course you can (and should) take breaks if you need to. I know I took a ton of breaks, but then just jumped back in when I caught my breath a little. The program is very cardio based and a lot of fun. There is a modifier that takes the jumping out for a low impact version.
Get more information here.
LIIFT4
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, yoga mat
Length of Program: 4 days a week for 8 weeks
Length of Workouts: 20-40 minutes
Trainer: Joel Freeman
This is my all time favorite Beachbody program! I’m currently doing it for the 4th time (but not in a row, because I get too burned out repeating programs right in a row). This program focuses heavily on weight lifting, but also includes quite a bit of HIIT (high intensity interval training). It combines those two elements along with daily core moves to give you maximum results. You only work out 4 days a week, so you can rest the other 3 (perfect for a busier schedule) or you can check out other programs on the off days.
Joel extensively reviews form with lifting weights, so it’s perfect for beginners or those who have worked out, but don’t have much experience in weight lifting. It also has a chart, so you can track your lifting over the program to see how much stronger you’re getting.
Check out more information and try a free sample workout here.
3 Week Yoga Retreat
Equipment Needed: Yoga mat, you may also need yoga blocks and a towel if you are not as flexible
Length of Program: 7 days a week for 3 weeks
Length of Workouts: 10-30 minutes, depending on the day
Trainer: Various
I’ve never taken yoga classes and knew very little about yoga in general. As a complete beginner to yoga, this program is perfect! It assumes that you don’t know much about yoga, so it starts with the very basics and walks you through every pose, focusing on form and how your body should feel.
While this is 7 days a week, Sunday’s workout is only 10 minutes to help you stretch out and relax more. It’s a wonderful program for people who want to try yoga. I loved it when I needed to give my body a little bit more of a break in between intense programs.
Get more information here.
