Beachbody Review

Great

Price 9 out of 10

Interface 7.5 out of 10

Compatibility 9.2 out of 10

New Shows 8 out of 10

Beachbody is a home workout and fitness streaming service which describes itself as ‘the company that defined home fitness’. They showcase how millions have reached their goals using the programs, and offer a range of options – from a yoga and pilates mashup called Piyo to Insanity workouts. Its main competitors are Openfit and Aaptiv.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Quick workouts. Exercise newbies can find the concept of long workouts daunting. Fortunately, most Beachbody workouts are 30 minutes or less in duration.

Tailored fitness. The workouts on Beachbody can be adjusted to any fitness level, so both newcomers and exercise veterans will benefit from the service.

Good track record. Openfit has proven results over a timespan of more than 20 years, with millions overhauling their lives in this period.

Cons

Billing issues. Some people have complained online that Beachbody has charged them for a subscription despite them cancelling within the free trial period.

Customer service issues. A number of people have expressed their annoyance at phone waiting times for customer service.

Technical issues. Some customers have encountered troubles with the features of this service, such as app glitches or unstable streaming.

Top Beachbody workouts

21 Day Fix – This program claims to let users lose up to 15 lbs in 21 days. Personal trainer Autumn Calabrese uses a simple six step approach.

Insanity Max: 30 – The program which claims to provide insane results in just 14 days. Super Trainer Shaun T offers subscribers ‘the craziest 30 minutes of their day’ where the aim is to max out and go as hard as possible for as long as you can.

Piyo – Super Trainer Chalene Johnson combines pilates and yoga to create Piyo, letting users burn off excess fat and sculpt their entire bodies while minimising the aches which often accompany high-impact workouts.

LIIFT4 – This program is described as ‘the ultimate 4 day a week body shred’. It provides an efficient and effective workout which burns fat and defines muscles. Celebrity trainer Joel Freeman designed the routines for clients who couldn’t work out 6 days a week.

Morning Meltdown 100 – The aim of this program is to allow users to lose pounds and inches. Jericho McMatthews uses a high energy and motivational training style with 22 minute workout routines.

Country Heat – A fun 30 day program from Autumn Calabrese which only takes 30 minutes or less per workout. It focuses on dancing and having a good time, so it doesn’t feel like doing exercise at all.

User interface

The user interface is simple in style, with a blue and white theme. The programs are split into categories such as Cardio, Slim and Tone, Dance, Kids and Family and Low Impact. Workouts can be downloaded for those with unpredictable internet connections, and there is a nutrition portion for planning healthy meals.

Video playback on the app is high quality, with audio options including turning the music off or switching to Spanish. English and Spanish subtitles can also be added to supplement a workout.

How to watch and setup requirements

Beachbody is compatible with a number of devices. These include Windows and Mac computers and laptops, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Android devices, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick (not in Canada), Chromecast, Roku (not in Canada), Apple Watch and Wahoo Tracker. At the time of writing, the Beachbody on demand app is not available on smart TVs or gaming consoles.

Users will need to use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Safari if they are streaming on desktop. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer is not supported at this time. Software requirements are PC Windows 10 or above, OS X 10.9 (Mavericks and above), and Chromebook users will need to download the BOD app. At the time of writing, Linux and Chrome OS are not supported. It is generally recommended that internet bandwidth must be 3 Mbps or above in order to stream the best quality.

How to cancel Beachbody

Sign in to your account.
Locate your order details.
Select ‘Click for details’.
Select ‘Cancel Membership’.
Select ‘Yes, cancel BOD’.
Select the downgrade option you require.

Plans, trials and subscription options

There are multiple pricing and plan options for new and existing Beachbody members. For a Beachbody On Demand subscription lasting 12 months, the price is $99. There is also a quarterly (3 month) plan, which is $39.

The memberships are billed on the same day the order is placed. The exception is the quarterly plan, which includes a 14 day free trial depending on the device used to sign up. In this instance, the plan price is billed on the 15th day – in other words, after the free trial period has ended.

Competitors

The main competitors for Beachbody are Openfit and Aaptiv. Like Beachbody, Openfit offers a range of workouts combined with nutrition plans. The price point for all three plans is similar, but what may persuade someone to choose Beachbody is this platform’s decades of reputation.

Is Beachbody worth it?

What we found most appealing about Beachbody was the well-marketed and in-depth overview of particular plans, which set out clear goals and outcomes for people to work towards. For example, people know how long they’ll be working on a program and what results they can expect. This clarity, combined with a range of pricing options, makes Beachbody an appealing choice.