So, 80 Day Obsession is done. I hope people have found my day to day reflections on the programme a useful read. I’m going to put up a more formal review of the programme too, but here, I just wanted to share some reflections.
Firstly, I’m genuinely proud of myself for making it all the way to the end with most of the workouts complete. I love exercise, but I was really dubious about whether I’d consistently manage 6 strenuous hour-long workouts (plus some stretching and foam rolling on day 7 each week for 13 weeks. Shorter workouts, fewer workouts a week, or that sort of schedule for a month, absolutely. But the combination made for a real challenge, and it’s shown what I can do when I really prioritise working out.
Secondly, the only way I was able to complete this was to really prioritise working out, to the slight detriment of other constructive things I might do with my spare time, like my writing. Absolutely fine, even exhilarating for 3 months, but not something I can keep up indefinitely. I’m starting T25 tomorrow, and I’ve got to admit I’m really looking forward to the shorter workouts and extra rest day.
Thirdly, my physical results are mixed. I feel a lot stronger and fitter, which is great. In particular, I think my tolerance for both high-intensity and longish duration cardio has improved. I’ve often tended to neglect the cardio parts of other programmes, but treating this one as a set challenge didn’t allow me that luxury.
As far as aesthetics go, I think the main improvement is to my abs. My obliques in particular really stand out now, and in the right light, on perfectly non-bloated days, you can see the start of a six pack. My tummy has always been one of my least favourite body areas (is there anyone who doesn’t feel like that?!) so I couldn’t be more delighted with that development. On the contrary, I’ve always been fairly happy with my legs and bum, but I do feel like this has given them an extra zing. More surprisingly, My upper arms, shoulders and back have shown massive improvements, which is funny, as I was never that conscious of doing lots of upper body work. Pictures below. I took these on Day 80, and I actually don’t think they quite do the change justice, as Peak Week eating had ironically left me a little bloated by the end.
Weight-wise, I went from about 127 pounds to about 123, . I’m reasonably small to begin with, so weight loss wasn’t a major aim for me, but hand on heart, I couldn’t help but be a little bit disappointed that after working out so hard and so consistently and eating so healthily, for so many weeks, I didn’t drop below 120. I also lost 2 inches off my waist and 1 and a half off my hips – so good but not astonishing on that front too, but as the pictures show, those relatively small changes in measurements make quite a big difference
In terms of the workouts, what I loved above all was that the sense of being on a journey and the way that no two videos were the same. Things changed nicely, day to day, week to week, and month to month. It was a great mix of cardio and strength and upper and lower body. Some of the moves were ingenious in how they either worked lots of muscles at the same time, or really neatly targeted hard to reach areas. I don’t think my abs or my bum have ever been worked so consistently, but that wasn’t at the expense of other body parts.
I enjoyed the slides and the bands. They made some of the exercises feel quite fun and they definitely added some difficulty and some interesting angles. I did sometimes wonder whether they were a little overused, and whether in places, a more straightforward, weight-based move might have achieved the same or better results. I felt the same with some of the particularly complex compound moves, and couldn’t help but enjoy some of the workouts like Phase 1 legs that just let you blast a certain body part in a focused way.
Having done it once, I don’t see myself repeating this programme in full. It’s just too much of a commitment, especially once the challenge angle has worn off. But I do see myself turning again to some of the individual workouts when I’m between programmes. And most importantly, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t done it before, who has a good base level of fitness, who is willing to commit the time and energy needed, and who really wants to blast their bum and core while also getting in some cardio and a solid total body workout.
So glad I tried it, so glad I got through it, looking forward to my next challenge.
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If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180 here
If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here.
There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.
Munday Morning Fitness 