One of the hit DVD workouts from Beachbody last year was Body Beast, a strength-focused workout regimen from trainer Sagi Kalev. Sagi has an impressive resume in the body building community as both a two-time “Mr. Israeli” and a fitness model for magazines like Muscle & Fitness and Ironman, to name a few. But just how well do mass-gaining workouts translate to the DVD format, especially given the equipment limitations from working out at home? So in this Body Beast review, we’ll take a close look to what to consider when tacking it.

Now let’s be honest, Body Beast is really aimed at men. BUT, women are getting amazing results when they are dedicated to the nutrition. Women fear strength training because they’re afraid they’ll look like a body building woman from one of those magazines. Let me tell you something…those women are “enhanced.” Women don’t have it in their DNA to look like that, hence the enhancement. So while it’s referred to as a “mass gainer,” there are limits to what you women can add to your frames naturally. Women who are dedicated to the nutrition are adding lean muscle mass and loving it. Strong is the new skinny and this program will unquestionably make you stronger.


Body Beast comes with 12 DVD workouts, which are divided into 3 phases:

• Build Phase: These workouts are designed to lay the foundation for your strength and/or mass gains. Sagi introduces Super Sets and Giant Sets to the progressions.

• Bulk Phase: Next, Sagi brings in Force Sets, Progressive Sets, Combo Sets, and Multi-Sets to build on the size/strength you gained in Phase 1. Now the focus shifts to muscular hypertrophy, the technical term for the muscle cells enlarging, bringing about muscle growth. There is NO cardio during this phase.

• Beast Phase: Finally, in Beast Phase, Sagi reintroduces cardio to the mix, along with a combination of Build and Bulk workouts. These 3 weeks will help burn fat via circuit-training and intense core work and Beast Phase nutrition. The goals will be increasing capacity to lift heavier weights and grow bigger, more defined muscles.

Body Beast has two schedules, Huge Beast and Lean Beast. The primary difference between the schedules is the amount of cardio workouts. Huge Beast was designed for people who are primarily interested in adding mass, whereas Lean Beast helps keep the fat gain that typically accompanies mass gainers at a minimum by incorporating more cardio.

I’ve been lifting weights for years, so getting back to old-school moves that I was familiar with was a nice break from the craziness of the P90X2 moves that take some getting used to. Not that I knew all the moves, but certainly most of them are familiar to anyone who has spent time lifting weights…various bench presses, shoulder presses, arm curls, tricep extensions, and different versions of rows and squats.
What was new to me were some of the set progressions, what Sagi calls Dynamic Set Training.

Dynamic Set Training is a specific sequence of sets and reps which maximizes the muscle’s time under tension with the goal to exhaust the muscle and to recruit more muscle fiber. Dynamic Set Training is also designed to help enhance your body’s own testosterone production. Testosterone is the primary hormone responsible for developing muscle mass. The more testosterone the body makes, the faster it grows.

So what does this look like practically speaking? Rather than doing something basic like three sets of eight repetitions, you’ll do a Progressive Set of a move where the reps go down as the weight goes up. For example, if you’re used to doing three sets of eight shoulder presses with 25 lb weights, in Body Beast, you’ll do something like 15 reps at 20 pounds, followed by 12 reps at 25 pounds, followed by 8 reps at 30 pounds, take a short rest, then you do the same thing in reverse.  After that, your next shoulder exercise might be a Force Set composed of five sets of five reps with minimal breaks in between.

Exercise Progressions:

Single Sets: Only one exercise
Super Sets: Any two exercises that are done without any rest between them
Giant Sets: Three exercise movements that are done back-to-back-to-back, all of which target the same muscle group
Multi-Sets: Three exercises that target different muscle groups
Force Sets: Five sets of five reps, with 10 seconds of rest between each set (these are harder than they sound)
Progressive Sets: A pyramid that goes from high reps, lighter weight to low reps, heavier weight, takes a short break, and then goes in reverse, from low reps heavier weight to high reps lighter weights
Combo Sets: Compound exercises, which is any exercise that works more than one muscle group using more than one joint
Circuit Sets: Moving from one exercise to another with very little rest
Tempo Sets: Holds a contraction for a given amount of time. Example: 6 seconds of concentric action (think pushing/pulling), then 6 seconds of eccentric action. These, my friend, are not easy.

So your body is constantly guessing, which helps keep it from adapting. Furthermore, there’s not a huge amount of wasted time, which gets you sweating, while helping keep the workout to an average of about 40 minutes each (6 days a week). Where I notice this Dynamic Set Progression the most is on the leg workouts, which are two of the hardest workouts I do… PERIOD (Asylum Volume 1’s Speed and Agility and Vertical Plyo and P90X’s Legs and Back round out the top 5). Let’s just say, I don’t sleep well the night before and I don’t walk well the day after. They’re that hard… but then again, I
havehad chicken legs.

Body Beast Review: Equipment Needed

Must Haves:

• Dumbbells
• Adjustable Bench or a stability ball will work

Optional:

• EZ Curl Bar with weights
• Pull-Up Bar or Resistance Bands

Body Beast Review: Cost

The Body Beast DVD’s by themselves are $39.90. So that’s about $13/month, which is far cheaper than my YMCA membership. Plus you own them for life…so like P90X and all the other Beachbody workouts, the more you use them, the cheaper they get.
Ideal User: Someone who just wants to dabble, or maybe thinks they can go the nutrition road alone. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE BODY BEAST DVDs.

Body Beast Challenge Pack Options

Challenge Packs are designed to simplify the nutrition by keeping the supplementation automatically sent to you every 30 days. By choosing this option, you’ll get FREE shipping.
Body Beast Challenge Pack ($170 the first month, $169.80 after): This includes the workouts and a 30-day supply of all the Body Beast supplements, plus a 30-day trial of the Club membership (which gives you access to the exclusive meal planner, celebrity chat rooms, and 10% off future purchases). You’ll also get the Total Body Lucky 7 workout as a bonus for ordering through me.
Ideal User: Anyone who wants to try a variety of supplements to see what works best for them! Someone who wants to add A LOT of mass. Ectomorphs and aspiring body builders, I’m talking to you!
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE BODY BEAST CHALLENGE PACK

Body Beast Shakeology Challenge Pack ($160 for the first month, $129.95 after): This includes the workouts and a 30-day supply of Shakeology, the healthiest and tastiest meal replacement shake out there. And it too includes a 30-day trial of the Club membership. You too will get the bonus workout Lucky 7 Total Body.
Ideal User: The person who wants to add some strength and muscle, without adding too much mass. Lean Beast users will love this option.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE BODY BEAST SHAKEOLOGY CHALLENGE PACK