I did it! After completing The Bikini Body Guide Pre-Training and The Bikini Body Guide Round 1, I am officially finished with The Bikini Body Guide Round 2! I decided to continue the momentum and write The Bikini Body Guide Round 2 review!
What’s Sweat With Kayla?
The OG version of The Bikini Body Guide was a PDF of exercises that didn’t include The Bikini Body Guide Pre-Training. You had to time yourself to make sure you were following the circuits. Sweat With Kayla is an app that walks you through the circuits and cool down. You can also view the nutrition plan, save progress photos, see your schedule and progress for the week, and more. I like the app because it makes it simple so I only have to focus on the workout itself. (Which is tough enough!) Kayla recommends you take photos each week so that you can track your progress.
What Is It?
The Bikini Body Guide is a workout program designed by Kayla Itsines and her fiance, Tobias Pierce. For The Bikini Body Guide Pre-Training you workout six days a week and alternate between 28-minute resistance exercises (Monday – Legs, Wednesday – Arms, Friday – Abs) and LISS which stands for Low-Intensity Sustained State.
What are the resistance exercises?
The resistance exercises include two series of four exercises that you complete in seven-minute circuits, twice. According to Kayla, it totals 28 minutes of “high intensity, plyometric, resistance jump training.” For each circuit, you do each of the four exercises as many times as you can in the 7 minutes. I usually end up doing each exercise (so for example 15 squats, 15 burpees, 15 sumo squats, 30 weighted step ups) twice per circuit. It also includes 30-second breaks between circuits and a much-needed cool down which includes guided stretches.
What is LISS?
LISS is low-intensity cardio that’s done for half an hour to an hour. Some options are walking quickly on an incline, going for a walk, or bike riding. I did a lot of googling and learned that Vinyasa yoga can also count as LISS (Kayla wrote it in a comment on one of her blog posts). I alternate between walking on the treadmill, bike riding, yoga, walking outside, hiking, and studio cycling classes. I don’t think studio cycling classes really count because it isn’t low-intensity and your heart rate skyrockets above the recommended heart rate for LISS (50-70%).
Do you need equipment? Can I do it from home or do I need a gym membership?
You need some equipment like weights, a mat, a medicine ball, a bench, a jump rope, and a foam roller. I go to the gym and use the equipment there but technically if you have all of the equipment and don’t live in a small apartment where you’d be bumping into the coffee table…you could do it at home!
I find that going to the gym makes me more accountable. I take fewer breaks and get energy from the people around me. When I see people working with their personal trainers (and chatting with their personal trainers while standing next to weights…without actually working out) I get a tiny bit of satisfaction out of knowing I’m “working out with a personal trainer” on my phone. I’ve even had people come up to me to ask what app I use.
Do you do the diet?
Kayla’s site includes nutrition PDF’s and Sweat With Kayla has healthy recipes and grocery lists for the week. I like that you can set your diet restrictions (i.e. vegan, vegetarian) and see Kayla’s breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner recommendations for each day. I do my own thing for the nutrition but I enjoy seeing her recipes and save them for inspiration.
What does it cost?
The Bikini Body Guide is 12 weeks. The Bikini Body Guide Pre-Training is four weeks. The app costs $4.61 weekly if you pay month to month (roughly one almond milk latte + tip) or $54.99 for three months. I chose the three-month plan so that I would be motivated to stick it out! I thought about the price a lot before buying it because I already pay for a gym membership, but I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted from my group workout class routine. I was feeling really discouraged so I decided to do something. I read a good review that justified the price by explaining that a boutique workout class costs around $35 per class…so $35 for 45 minutes to an hour…this is three months. I always think health is a worthwhile investment so I’d rather pay for an app than buy a pair of shoes on a whim.
How to do you feel?
I feel sore but also proud of myself for finishing The Bikini Body Guide Round 2! In total, I’ve done BBG for six months— seven if you count the pre-training! I feel stronger, healthier, and empowered. Prior to starting BBG, I was in a workout rut and wasn’t seeing results and, instead of being upset about it, I decided to do something about it. I met with a nutritionist (the author of Clean Food Dirty City) and cut gluten from my diet. I was finding that I was really tired after eating carbs, so I started it as a trial and feel a lot less lethargic as a result.(Originally, I also tried being vegan…but…cheese.) Instead, I am gluten-free, pescatarian (since junior year of college), and limit the amount of dairy I eat.
Back to BBG, the workouts are tough — really tough— but you feel really accomplished when you finish the 28-minute workout. There is a gym five minutes from my office and I am able to walk to the gym, workout, and shower during my lunch break. Endorphins make people happy and happy people get more work done! 😉 I am going to stick with BBG and do The Bikini Body Guide Round 3 next! I also can’t wait to get Kayla’s new book, The Bikini Body 28-Day Healthy Eating & Lifestyle Guide: 200 Recipes and Weekly Menus to Kick Start Your Journey!
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