Before writing about my LIIFT4 experience, I want to make known that I am not a beachbody coach. What I am about to say about Beachbody's program is an unbiased opinion. I chose to do the program for specific reasons. I will explain why I chose LIIFT4, the specifics of LIIFT4, any results from completing one round of it, and most importantly what I've learned about myself. I've been a Beachbody member for a few years, but this was my first time doing LIIFT4 and I want to reflect on my experience!
What is LIIFT4:
LIIFT4 as I said before is a Beachbody program. It combines lifting, and HIIT (high intense interval training), and core. It ranges from 26-40 minutes. There are 4 workouts a week for 8 weeks. Joel Freeman is the Beachbody trainer. There is a modification with every workout. That was my go to. I modified A LOT. There is a recovery option about 10 minutes long, but I never did though. My recovery was a full day off a couple days in a row.
Why LIIFT4?:
I chose to do this program because I needed to make a change in my workout routine. I was trying to run and do workouts 7 days a week. It was too much. I did my research and found LIIFT4. It only required 4 days a week. The workouts are intense though, so 4 days was definitely enough. My goal was to do a workout every day, Monday-Thursday. The program has it set up that you would do it Monday and Tuesday, take Wednesday off, and then do a workout Thursday and Friday. I adjusted it to my schedule and what I thought would work best for me. I loved the flexibility in that. I've never done a Beachbody program that had that much flexibility. Once I was set on LIIFT4 and got pretty excited about it, I committed to it. I started at the end of May/beginning of June 2022.
My LIIFT4 experience:
I completed the program and am so proud of myself for doing so because it was not easy. There were nights I had to push a workout to the next day because either a kid got sick and I had to attend to them in the evening, or I was just too exhausted. I made up for it though. I did most my workouts in the evening, but if I knew the evening was not going to workout, I would do the workout during the day while my infant was asleep and my toddler was playing in the same room with me. Either way, I figured out a way to get it done and I 100% loved every second of it.
LIIFT4 is my new favorite program. It is fast paced. There's no music playing and at first I thought that was weird but quickly forgot about it. No music was needed. Joel is great too. He may be my new favorite trainer. He's very positive and even though he doesn't do the workout, he engages with the workout very well. There's also not a lot of break time. I don't like when trainers take too much time explaining what to do next. He quickly explains the next set and then we do it. I love that. I always felt like each workout was so hard but so satisfying at the end. I did not realize how strong I was. Or how many sets of lifting I could do. It's a lot but so worth it.
I started out with smaller weights because I wasn't sure what to expect in the beginning. I started with 4 pound weights. After the first week, I knew I needed to go heavier. I was not going to get as much out of the workout unless I increased the amount weight I was lifting. I ordered 10 pound weights, and I used 10 pound weights for the remaining 7 weeks. The program recommends using a light, medium, and heavy weight. I didn't do that for this round. I will when I do it again next week. I did just 10 pound weights but will challenge myself more in Round 2.
My Results:
Before starting the program, I took pictures of myself. I have yet to take pictures to see if there's any change since May. I will probably this weekend. I also weighed myself and measured myself and only followed up with this once a month.
Weight Loss: ~7 pounds
Total Inches Lost: 7.5 inches
Pants size: dropped 1 pant size
Weights: 10 pound weights have become easier. In Round 2, I will get heavier weights and 10 pound weights will be used as my "medium" weights.
I gained a lot of confidence in myself. I've never been a "lifting" girl but I am now a believer in it. I don't feel bulky, I feel leaner. I'm sure I would have lost more if I stayed away from carbs more, but I'm only human. I love my carbs and if I can eat, I'm going to. I tried to be very good Monday-Thursday. I will continue to have that goal in Round 2 as well. Overall, I see change in my body. I already have a large bottom, but it is definitely firmer and lifted. My core feels stronger, and I am doing better lifting heavy things with my legs instead of my back. My squats form has improved too, I'm also able to get much lower. The "leg" days were my favorite. That was usually day 4 in the first 6 weeks. So to have leg day after 3 days of intense lifting was a lot, but I DID IT!!
I honestly don't have anything bad to say about this program. It's mostly just the fact that to grow in this program you need to increase weights and that can get expensive. Other than that, it is amazing and I highly recommend it. Lifting will be my new focus. It's a different mindset for me, but I am up for the challenge. I am starting Round 2 next week, if you have Beachbody and are looking to start a new program, do LIIFT4 with me! We can motivate each other!!
Thank you so much for reading
Love Always,
Susana
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