Body Beast Cardio: Workout Review


Whaaat?!!!? A Body Beast review that focuses on a cardio session? Surely that isn’t right…

Well, as you probably know, there are two different routes to Body Beast superstardom: Body Beast Huge Beast and Body Beast Lean Beast.

Lean Beast is for those who want to get big but also lose some fat. Huge Beast is for those who only care about getting big.

If you’re on the Body Beast Lean Beast program then you’ll be doing a Body Beast cardio session at least once each week.

On the Body Beast Huge Beast program there is the option of doing the cardio session every so often across the schedule, but you can substitute it with the Beast Total Body workout instead.

As I’m following the Body Beast Huge Beast program, I’ve been going for the Total Body workout, but for the purposes of a Body Beast Cardio review I thought I’d put the session through its paces.

From the outset, Sagi is on form:

Forget about walking on the treadmill for two hours. This is cardio with The Beast, So let’s get beasty!

This session takes 30 minutes and you’re going to need your dumbbells and maybe a bench too, though this is optional.

The warm-up is 1:45 minutes of high knees, hip circles, reverse lunges, side squats, sumo squats and some more high knees, then we’re straight in to the cardio session.

I was in for a bit of a surprise. As this is Body Beast we’re not talking pure cardio here, like you get with Insanity training. What we have is some kind of cardio-weights hybrid session., And it hurts.

Squat To Overhead Press And Hold

For this starter exercise, hold a weight in each hand, starting with them held at your shoulders. Squat down and then stand up while pushing the weights overhead. Do this for a duration of 20 seconds and then hold the squat for 10 seconds at the end. Repeat for a total of three times.

This made my legs and shoulders burn. I am not used to this kind of cardio. It is weird. And I’m pretty pleased that I gave this workout a go. So far I’m not disappointed.

Toe Tap

Using the bench, tap your feet alternately on top as quickly as you can. It’s a bit full on, so if you need to you can switch to tapping the top of one of your dumbbells.

From Sagi:

Tap, tap, tap, tap. One minute is a long time. Pop, pop, pop, pop. You’ve got 14 seconds left. What is 14 seconds? It is nothing!

Yeah, thanks Sagi.

Squat To Jump Squat And Hold

This is two half-squats with a jump in between. Then every 20 seconds, hold the squat for 10 seconds. This is also done a total of three times and gets pretty tough.

Mountain Climber To Row To Plank

Starting in a plank position holding dumbbells on the floor start with mountain climbers. This is where you quickly alternating your knees up to your chest. Then after 20 seconds do a row, alternating the weights up to the ceiling. then hold a plank for 10 seconds. Repeat.

This one really blew my abs and shoulders to pieces!

Sumo Squat And Hold

For this one, it’s the usual Sumo Squat, holding a dumbbell under your chin and squatting with your knees pointing out at 45 degrees. As with previous exercises in the Body Beast Cardio session, squat for 20 seconds and then hold the squat for 10 seconds at the end. Repeat for three times.

Weighted Burpee And Stretch

Crouched with dumbbells in your hands on the floor, jump your legs back into a plank position then jump your feet back to your hands and stand up holding the weights. After 30 seconds put the weights down and go into a leg stretch. Repeat.

If you feel this one like I did, you will be toast by this point.

But there’s still plenty more to get into.

Plyo Pushup And Hold

Starting in a push up position, slowly lower to the floor and push back up quickly so your hands come off the floor. After 20 seconds hold the low plank for 10 seconds. Repeat for three times. This one actually wasn’t all that bad.

Sumo Jump

Squat into the sumo position and then jump your feet in and out as fast as you can with correct form. This one is just weird, but really works up a burn. Ouch!

Squat to Upright Row And Hold

Hold light weights between your legs with arms straight and squat down then row the weights up into an upright row as you stand. After 20 seconds, you guessed it, hold the row for 10 seconds. Then repeat for a total of 3 times.

Alternating Lunge Jumps And Hold

I am really beginning to dislike seeing that “and hold” bit on the exercise description. It is tearing my body to shreds.

Starting in a lunge position, jump and land in a lunge with the other leg forward. After doing this for 20 seconds, hold the lunge for 10 seconds. Repeat this again and hold the opposing leg lunge for 10 seconds.

Plank Press-Up And Hold

Start in the plank position and slowly go down into a push-up onto one elbow, then both elbows, and come back up one arm at a time. This lasts 20 seconds with a 10 second hold at the end. I remember this one from my Insanity training workouts, though I can’t remember which session it comes from.

Plank To Twist To Sprint

Hold the plank position and alternate your knees to your shoulders, then twist them under your chest. Do this for 8 reps and then get up and run as fast as you can for 20 seconds. Yup, you guessed it. Repeat for 3 times.

Boom! We made it and now it’s the cool down!

Two minutes. Stretch each leg while trying to touch your toes, stretch the quads and do a lunge on each side. That’s it.

I survived another Body Beast session. As far as cardio goes, this was pretty full-on weights focused. It’s way different to the Insanity-style session that I was expecting. It’s definitely worth a look, but if your aim is to bulk up, make sure you focus more on your Body Beast total body workout than the Body Beast cardio session.

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