Workout Review: Lift 4

 

Lift 4 is one of the newer BODI (formerly Beachbody) workout programs. It was released in the summer of 2018 and now has a follow-up workout called Lift More. It was created by trainer Joel Freeman, who was also one of the trainers on the MMA-inspired workout, Core De Force. As is the case with all of the new programs the company releases, this one is only available on the BODI online platform (either the website or the app) and is not available on DVD like the early programs were. The best way I can describe this program (if you have done some of the other Beachbody programs) is that this is what you would get if you combined BodyBeast with Insanity and made both of them a bit shorter.

The program is 8 weeks long and has you working out 4 days a week. It also includes two optional recovery workouts, a foam rolling routine and a stretching routine that each lasts about 10 minutes that you can do on the off days. Each workout has you lifting and/or doing cardio. During the first six weeks of the program, you work out for two days (doing chest and triceps and then back and biceps), then you get a rest day, then you do shoulders, and finish out the week with legs. The lifting workouts generally fall into one of three categories, a 50/50 workout in which you do half lifting and half cardio, a circuit workout in which you just lift, but do four exercises in each block with no rest in between them, or a circuit workout in which you do two lifting exercies followed by a 30 second HIIT exercise.  Every other week, the leg workout is a leg-focused HIIT workout (so no lifting). Each workout ends with three sets of core in which you alternate between two or three core-focused exercises. 

The final two weeks are "shred weeks" in which you switch up the exercise combinations (Chest and Back, Legs, rest day, Shoulders and Arms, and Full Body HIIT). The Full Body HIIT workouts consist of three rounds, each with two exercises, then a bonus round in which you do all six exercises. In the first round, the duration of the exercise and the breaks are the longest and in the third round, they are the shortest. In the bonus round, you do each exercise for 30 seconds with no breaks in between them.

The idea behind the workouts is that you lift as heavy as you can, mostly doing just 10 reps of each exercise. You get very little rest between the exercises (about 15-20 seconds, max) and a little more rest between sets and blocks (30 seconds between sets and however long it takes Joel to explain what you are doing in the next block). Usually, the circuit workouts will include a burnout round in which you do two exercises back to back for 30 seconds. There are 10 cast members that appear throughout the workouts. Most of them are young (in their 20s or early 30s) and very fit. Some of them clearly have a fitness background. One of the female cast members is probably in her mid to late 30s and there is one older guy who is probably in his 50s who is fit but is the most "regular" looking of all the cast members. In each workout, only 4 cast members appear (until the last workout of the program) and one person is always a modifier for the HIIT and core moves. One plus is that the workouts are fairly short. The longest is 39 minutes and the shortest (not counting the two recovery routines) is about 28 minutes. So, it is an easy program to fit into most people's schedules. Even when you are modifying the workouts are tough. And, as you get in better shape the harder you can go so it is good regardless of your fitness level. You can tell that is the case because all of the cast members end up modifying at some point in the program, regardless of whether they are the designated modifier for that particular workout. 

The one drawback to the program is that you will need dumbbells to do it. There are no band modifications like you get in some programs. And, you need a decent selection of weight as you will use light, medium, and heavy weights, whatever that is for you. The lightest weight I used was 3 pounds (for the shoulder exercise he calls swimmers) and the heaviest was 45 pounds (for the calf raises). This is definitely a workout in which you need to check your ego because, since there is so little rest between exercises and sets, you will very likely end up having to use lighter weights than you would doing the same exercises in a program like P90x where you get a lot of breaks (comparatively). The benefit to the minimal rest, however, is that even on the days when you are not doing any HIIT moves, you are still getting a cardio workout. 

Overall, I would say it is a good program for a beginner who is in decent to good shape, but probably best for someone who is at an intermediate or advanced level. There are a handful of "before Lift 4" workouts that are shorter versions (each about 20 minutes long) of the regular workouts that you can do if you want to try pared-down versions of the workouts and see what it is like before committing to the full program.

Workout Program Review: 645

 

645 is one of the newer Beachbody/BODi workout programs, created by Amoila Cesar. It was filmed in 2021 and was one of the first workout programs to be filmed with a cast as the pandemic was easing. There are 8 cast members who rotate in and out of various workouts during the program. This is a 13-week program split into essentially 4 phases. Three of the phases last for four weeks, three "regular" weeks, and one "de-load" week in which you do fewer reps overall, but still use heavy weight. The final week is a performance week in which you do a lot of reps (20) of each move, and go as hard as you can with very little rest between moves. The workouts are a bit longer than what Beachbody has been releasing recently, with each workout lasting 45 minutes. You work out for six days a week (hence the name 645), with four days (M, T, Th, and F) being lifting/resistance days, one day (W) being a recovery workout in which you work on flexibility and mobility, and one day (Sat) doing cardio. Here are my pros and cons:

Pros:

1. The workouts are very structured. In each workout, you do seven exercises doing 2-4 sets of each exercise, depending on whether you are in a de-load week or not. The exercises are split up into blocks. Sometimes the exercises are split 3 in block 1, 1 in block 2, and 3 in block 3. Other times you get 1 in block 1, 2 in block 2, and 4 in block 3. A couple days a week you will have an EMOM block during the workout, which stands for every minute on the minute. In that block you do the same exercise for four sets, doing 10, 15, or 20 reps (depending on what phase and/or week you are in). When you finish the set, you get to rest until the next minute starts. So, if it took 10 seconds to get through the reps, you get a 50-second break. If it takes 45 seconds to do the reps you get a 15-second break. Otherwise, between each move in the regular blocks you get at least a 14-second transition (sometimes more if Amoila is talking a lot) and between each block, you get a longer break (usually 45 or 50 seconds).

2.    This is something that could be a pro or a con, depending on your preference. However, this workout program focuses on functional moves as opposed to "show" muscles. Amoila really hammers the concept of movement and how having strong and stable hips, shoulders, and back will help in all aspects of your life, especially as you age. So, most of the exercises are focused on those muscles. That is not to say that you do not work your biceps, triceps, and abs, because you do, but the focus of the workouts is not on those muscles.

3.    The cast includes people of varying fitness levels. Of the 8 person cast, there are two modifiers who look like normal people, and then there are also people who are clearly in the fitness industry and/or are models in great shape. The cast definitely seems to have fun with each other and there is a lot of banter (which some people may not like). Even people who are in great shape struggle with some of the moves at times, so it is a challenging workout no matter what your fitness level is. Fun fact, one of the cast members is an actress who was a supporting character in the movie Stick It, which starred Jeff Bridges and FBI's Missy Peregrym. 

4. Closely tied to point 3, it is good for people of all fitness levels and experience. You can do this workout as a beginner someone who is out of shape or someone who is in very good shape. It is a good program to use to work your way up to Amoila's harder programs like 4 weeks of the prep and 6 weeks of the work (in which all of the exercises are similar to the week 13 exercises in this program).

5. It is a real-time workout, meaning that every workout is at least a little bit different and you are doing a new workout each day, as opposed to doing the same workout multiple times. Of course, some of the workouts do use the same moves, (e.g. week 1 and week 3 have the same exercises in each workout as do weeks 2 and 4), but it is not like doing the same P90X legs and back each week for 9 weeks. 

CONS:

There are really no big cons or negatives to the program. But, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. You have to have a BODi streaming membership. Gone are the days of getting the workouts on DVDs so you have to pay the $120 a year membership. But, you also get access to all of the other Beachbody programs as well, so your money goes a long way. Much farther than paying $120 for a single program. It also makes real-time workouts possible.

2.    You do need a good selection of free weights. This is not a bodyweight-only program and you cannot really substitute the resistance moves for bands. It is also better if you have a workout area with tall ceilings because there are some clean and jerk moves that will have you explosively bringing weight over your head and if you have low ceilings you will hit it (unless you are very short).

3.    As I said above, the workouts are longer. As many Beachbody programs have transitioned to 30-minute or shorter programs, this one does require a larger time commitment. 

4.    It does not have as much traditional cardio as other programs. This just has the single cardio-focused workout each week, but there are definitely times in which you are still getting a cardio workout because the transitions are going fast (this is mostly in Phase 3 and the performance week).

Overall, it is a good program and can be done by nearly everyone. You do have to have a baseline fitness level (if you cannot do a push-up on your knees then you would have to go with a less intense program and work your way up to this), but you do not have to be in great shape to do this program. Amoila breaks down every move before you do it, and you can always see what the modifier is doing and follow along with that person if you need to.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 90

Day 90 was cardio in 645, which was the last day of the program. It was another emotional workout, starting off with Amoila bringing his dad on set, and it also got a bit silly at times. It was much harder than any of the other cardio workouts, with more intense (and faster) moves. Even though you got a 15-second transition between moves, it did not help all that much.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 89

Day 89 was lower body flexibility again in XB and was Total Body Tempo in 645. This was the last lifting/resistance workout of 645, and the last day for half of the cast members, so it got a bit emotional and silly on set. The workout was definitely hard and was again very fast-paced. I was definitely gassed toward the end of it, but I made it through.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 88

Day 88 was lower back in XB stretch and Upper Body Strength in 645.

The 645 workout again had a shorter warmup, which lasted about 9 minutes, and then the three blocks. The first block has three exercises that you do for four sets. The second block is an EMOM block, and the third block has there exercises that you do for three sets. Then, after you finish the third set, you do a set of all 7 exercises, back to back, without stopping. However, in the last set, you just do ten reps of each exercise instead of twenty. So, it is a very fast-paced and challenging workout. 

I decided for the next program I am going to go back to Lift 4 for the main workout, but I am going to do the 645 corrective and foam rolling routines for my morning flexibility workout. Those each run anywhere from 11 to 23 minutes, and are focused on correcting imbalances in various body parts like the shoulders, hips, and ankles. Then I will probably go back to 645 with the goal of working my way up to Six Weeks of The Work, which is Amoila's original program in which all of the workouts are like the performance week workouts in 645.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 87

Day 87 was lower body flexibility again in XB and mobility and stability in 645.

I was able to get a little bit deeper into the hamstring stretch on each leg in the XB routine. Although, I am still nowhere near being able to do a split (or even a half-split) at this point.

The 645 routine was very good. Almost every move in the routine was a different variation of something that we had done before, either in the regular workouts or in the other mobility and stability workouts. I actually found myself breaking a little bit of a sweat during the routine, so I know that I was working more than in the prior weeks. And, some of the moves that had been very challenging for me earlier in the program were a bit easier.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 86

Day 86 was the lower back routine in XB and the performance week version of total body power in 645. 

The total body power workout was very challenging. It had a couple of new moves, including some plyometric moves that we had not done in the program before. As was the case yesterday, the warmup was much shorter because we were doing 20 reps of each move. Again, some of the exercises were split into 10 reps on each side. There were no biceps or triceps-focused exercises in the workout, but because we are doing swings and snatches, you are using your biceps and triceps a lot throughout the workout.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 85

Day 85 was lower body flexibility in XB, and the start of week 13 in 645, which is the performance week version of lower body strength.

The structure of the workout is the same, with an EMOM block and then two blocks of three exercises you do for three sets. But, the warm-up is very short, under 10 minutes, and then you jump right into the workout without any idle chit-chat or much coaching. You move from exercise to exercise very quickly, but you do get 1 minute of rest between sets except before the last set in the last round (which drops down to 45 seconds because of time). Amoila does the entire workout with the group this time. All of the exercises are done for 20 reps (although some get split with 10 on one side and 10 on the other). My instinct was to go down in weight, but there were a couple of exercises for which I ended up increasing the weight after the first set because I was stronger than I thought I would be. And, I found that I needed to modify fewer moves than I had even last week. So, it was a hard workout, but very rewarding.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 84

Day 84 was the last rest day in 645 and in XB I did the Restore routine.

It had been a while since I did Restore, and I could definitely tell I did not have the same amount of mobility as the last time I did the routine. This is weird because I have been working on my lower back and hamstrings every other day (although just the short 6-minute routines).

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 83

Day 83 was cardio in 645, and it was HARD. It was the most intense version of the cardio workouts in the program so far. It used the bands a lot, it had some plyometrics and some core. And, it moved fast. There were very few transition breaks and idle chit-chat as there had been in the prior cardio workouts. You pretty much go from move to move immediately. You do three "regular" rounds where each move goes for a minute, and then a fourth round in which you do each move for 30 seconds. I am someone who does not sweat a lot during cardio workouts but I was sweating a lot more than usual.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 82

Day 82 was lower back in XB and Total Body Tempo in 645. 

In the 645 workout, every move was done for two reps, but each block had one very hard move. In the first block, it was split lunges with a 4 count down, two count hold, and one count up timing. In the second block, it was a lateral sumo squat, and in the third block, it was the "ape" sequence in which you are in a low squat and alternate between leaning forward with your arms in front of you and opening your arms wide and going up on your toes.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 81

For Day 81 I did lower body flexibility in XB and Upper Body Strength in 645.

The 645 workout was tough, even being a de-load week. And there were a couple of new variations on the moves that Amoila threw in there that made them a bit more challenging. Overall, however, it was a good workout even if it was a bit harder to get through.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 80

Day 80 was flexibility day again. I did the lower back routine in XB and mobility and stability in 645.

The 645 routine actually added a couple of new moves, one of which I was very surprised I could do as well as I did. One of them was a stretch I could do when I was a lot younger and in martial arts, but have not been able to do it for a long time. I am also getting a bit better at the kick-through variations.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 79

For Day 79 I got back on track, doing the lower body flexibility routine in XB and the de-load week version of total body power. Both of them went well, especially since I ended up getting a lot of sleep the night before. I definitely feel that I am getting stronger and I attribute that to the fact that during the 645 workouts, Amoila really focuses on working the stabilizer and non-show/glamour muscles. I really feel that my right shoulder, which bugged me all the way through Lift 4 and Job 1 is having far fewer issues during this program, which is very nice.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 78

Day 78 was a bit of a shit show. My mom had to go into the ER at about 3AM, and needless to say, I did not get much sleep at all. I did not do an XB routine at all, but I did manage to get the 645 workout in, which was the week 12 lower body strength workout. This is another de-load week, so other than during the EMOM blocks, we are doing just two sets of each exercise, but still lifting as heavy as we can. It was a tough workout, especially on very little sleep, but I did feel better by the time I was finished with it, which helped me rest a bit better in the evening.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 77

For Day 77 I did the Realign routine in XB. This one works all of my tight muscles and I do think that I have a little (very little) bit more mobility than I did the first couple of times I did the workout (because of the fact that all these muscles get worked a lot in 645).

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 76

Day 76 was Cardio in 645. It again ramped up the intensity of the workout a bit. This workout added bands into the last few moves of the circuit, not just in the warm-up.  We again just had time for three rounds of the circuit so there was no fourth round, but honestly, I think I would have been too gassed to do another round had they done a bonus round. It was tough, but good.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 75

 Day 75 was lower back in XB and Total Body Tempo in 645.

The 645 workout was a repeat of the week 9 exercises. Some of them were a bit easier, even with using heavier weights, and some were just as difficult as they were in week 9. I can definitely tell that my right shoulder is getting stronger and does not feel as impinged as it did when I was doing Lift-4 and Job-1. It does not have the full range of motion back yet, but it is getting there.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 74

For Day 74 I did the lower body flexibility workout in XB and Upper Body Strength workout.

In the XB routine, I got deeper into the stretches on each side. The 645 workout did the same exercises as in Week 9's version of the workout, but decreased the amount of reps and increased the weight (which I was able to do on most of the exercises). Overall, the workout was tough but doable.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 73

Day 73 was flexibility day again. I did lower back in XB and the Week 11 mobility and stability workout in 645.

The 645 routine actually had a lot of lower back work in it, so I actually got a very nice lower back "workout" today. All of the moves in the 645 routine are those we have done before or slight variations of what we have done before, so there are no surprises. There are a few pretty hilarious moments between the cast members in the workout that make holding the positions a bit difficult because of laughing.