How To Do Body Beast Workout + Sheets

Dumbbells on a gym rack

Photo by KeepActive Australia from Melbourne, VIC, Australia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Body Beast Workout + Sheets

Body Beast is a 90-day video workout program created by bodybuilder and trainer Sagi Kalev for Beachbody (now BODi). It is a weight training program aimed at building muscle, with a "lean" option for people who mainly want to lose fat.

The program uses dumbbells and an adjustable bench, and it moves through three phases: Build, Bulk and Beast. Each workout focuses on one or two muscle groups and uses techniques such as drop sets and supersets.

Body Beast is often confused with P90X, an earlier 90-day Beachbody program created by Tony Horton. They are separate programs. Much of the rest of this article covers P90X, including its workout sheets, so you can compare the two.

Both programs were sold on DVD and are now available through Beachbody's streaming service. Results depend on following the workouts and the nutrition plan consistently.

How is P90X System acquired?

P90X was originally sold as a DVD set, often for three payments of $39.95. The package included P90X workout sheets, a 90-day calendar to track your progress, a fitness guide and a nutrition plan.

Today it is available mainly through Beachbody's streaming membership. Prices and return terms change, so check the current offer before you buy. No program can guarantee results.

How P90X System Works.

Many workouts move from exercise to exercise with little rest in between, which keeps your heart rate up. Each day targets different body parts.

For instance, the first phase starts with chest and back, then shoulders and arms, then legs and back. Other DVDs focus on plyometrics, cardio fitness, stretching, yoga, kickboxing, and abs.

The Chest & Back workout, for instance, takes just under an hour. It works the chest with push-up variations such as standard, wide and military push-ups.

For the back, it alternates with pull-up variations (wide, close and reverse grip), using a pull-up bar or resistance bands. It also includes rows with bands or dumbbells.

The roughly hour-long plyometrics workout is one of the most demanding in P90X. After a long warm-up, it takes you through a sequence of jumping moves for the lower body.

You need supportive, shock-absorbing shoes in good condition and a forgiving surface to land on. People with lower back, ankle, hip or knee problems should skip or modify it because it is high impact.

The P90X yoga workout runs about 90 minutes and is also demanding, though less punishing than plyometrics. P90X is built on what it calls "muscle confusion": changing workouts and body beast schedules as well as adding new moves so the body keeps adapting.

This is similar to periodization, the planned variation athletes use in training. Varying your training can help you keep progressing, although steadily increasing the load matters more than novelty.

P90X changes its weekly schedule every 3 to 4 weeks. It also offers versions of the schedule that put more focus on cardio or on strength, depending on your goal.

The classic P90X program runs 13 weeks and rotates these weekly routines:

Weeks 1, 2, 3, 9 and 11.

Day	one	two	three	four	five	six	seven
Activity	Chest and back, plus the 16-minute Ab Ripper workout	Plyometrics	Shoulders and arms, plus Ab Ripper	Yoga	Legs and back, plus Ab Ripper	Kenpo	Rest/Stretching

Weeks 5, 6, 7, 10 and 12.

Day	one	Two	three	four	five	six	seven
Activity	Chest, shoulders, then triceps; Ab Ripper	plyometrics	Back and biceps; Ab Ripper	yoga	Legs and back; Ab Ripper	Kenpo	Rest/stretching workout

Weeks 4,8 and 13.

Day	one	two	three	four	five	six	seven
Activity	yoga	Core Synergistics	Kenpo	stretch	Core Synergistics	yoga	Rest/stretching exercise

To help you decide whether you are ready for this regimen, BeachBody has a fitness test with minimum targets for exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups.

If you can't meet those targets yet, start with a less intense program, such as Power 90, and talk to your doctor first if you have health conditions.

The P90X Nutrition Plan.

The P90X nutrition plan comes in three phases, with calorie levels set by your body weight and activity level.

Phase one (Fat Shredder). This diet is rich in protein and minimal carbohydrates.

Phase two (Energy Booster). This phase balances carbohydrates and protein, with moderate fat.

Phase three (Endurance Maximiser). This diet contains high levels of complex carbohydrates. It also has a moderate amount of proteins and little fat.

P90X suits people who are already fairly fit and want to lose body fat or build muscle. The workouts can be done at home with modest equipment. Take a break whenever you need one rather than pushing through pain.

Having a variety of DVDs is important as you can alter your workout from time to time. The nutrition, as well as exercise regimens, can be easily followed. This is possible because workout programs, as well as day-to-day eating plans, are well outlined in a booklet.

If you can handle intense workouts, each DVD will give you plenty of work. Finishing the full 90 days is a real challenge, and a satisfying one.

The Shortcoming of the P90X System.

The P90X program is made for healthy people. People with chronic conditions and those with physical limitations are discouraged from joining. The CDC physical activity guidelines offer a gentler starting point: 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus 2 days of strength training.
It costs money. Apart from the program, you will need some resistance training equipment, such as dumbbells or bands and a pull-up bar.
The nutrition plan's first phase is high in protein and low in carbohydrates, which some nutrition experts consider unnecessarily restrictive.
The program targets one part of the body before moving to another, and its high-rep bodyweight and band work builds muscular endurance more than maximal strength.

The Bottom Line.

Body Beast and P90X can both deliver results if you follow them consistently for the full 90 days. Choose Body Beast if your main goal is building muscle with weights, and P90X if you want a mix of strength, cardio and flexibility. The most important thing with either program is dedication.