BBG 1.0 Review

One of my 2019 goals was to complete the famous BBG workout program, and I finally started it in October. I only stuck to it for 6 weeks rather than the full 12, so I can’t say I completed the goal, but I still want to share my experiences with it and why I eventually stopped. Overall, I think I disliked the program (eek) – or at least I didn’t LOVE it the way most people do.

Background

Prior to starting BBG, I had been exercising pretty consistently for the last few years. I used free weights, weight machines, and various body weight exercises from Blogilates (kinda cringe-y name, but really great at-home work out routines). I would say I’m naturally pretty slim, but have always had a difficult time building muscle and also never did much cardio. I have some “problem areas” but my goal has never been to shed pounds- more like to spot reduce fat in only a couple areas (which isn’t really possible). With BBG (actually in general), my goal was to build muscle in my arms, abs, and glutes.

BBG // Background

There are a ton of blog posts on BBG, so I won’t spend too much time describing it beyond that it’s a set of workout routines for 12 weeks and that there’s also a diet component. I didn’t follow the diet recommendations, so I can only evaluate the workouts. The program was started by Kayla Itsines, a famous fitness trainer. In retrospect, given how important diet is, I wish I’d actually tried her meal plan also. All the crazy ‘BBG before and after’ pictures you see on the Internet are probably from people who followed Kayla’s diet recommendations in addition to her workouts.

Pros

1. You don’t need much equipment to complete the workouts. You do need a good amount of space, thought. I used to go in my building’s hallway to do the lunges, for example.
2. The routines are challenging, so you know you are getting a good workout in. The modification ideas that Kayla gives are helpful, and most people should be able to complete the routine with those modifications, so that was also a plus.
3. I could tell that my endurance for cardio really increased during these 6 weeks. I don’t usually run too much, and cardio is a weak point for me, so I was happy about this.

Cons

1. I know I mentioned that the fact that the workouts are challenging was a plus, but I think that it was also sometimes a negative as well. Since the workout involves completing 7 minute circuits of 4 exercises, you could end up wasting time if something was too challenging for you. When I would perform the push-ups, I couldn’t do all 15 straight in a row; I had to rest for a little bit in between each one because I’m at the point where I can barely do a push-up in the first place. I didn’t want to use the modification for it because I CAN do a push-up but I can’t keep moving constantly for 7 minutes straight when I’m doing exercises that are really pushing me that hard.
2. I felt like the routines were working my thighs a lot and that there was a lot of cardio. These aren’t bad things, but relatively, I don’t feel like I built much strength in my core or my arms, and those were two of my goals. I didn’t actually care to build more muscle in my legs.
3. Part of the benefit of BBG is that the entire routine can be completed in 28 minutes. That is because it is 4 sets of 7 minute routines. However, I needed at least a 3 minute break between sets. The guide recommends a 1 – 2 minute break between sets but even 3 – 4 minutes was barely cutting it for me. With the breaks added in, the routines were closer to 50 minutes, and that’s fine, but it’s pretty far from what is advertised, so I’m counting that as a negative.

Why I Stopped

Ultimately, after the 6 weeks, I felt like I was not noticing as much of a gain in muscle in my arms and abs as I was with my previous workout regimen of free weights and body weight exercises from Blogilates. I randomly went to the gym and did my old arm routine and found it SO challenging, almost as if my arms had become weaker than before BBG. I’m sure my legs became much stronger with BBG, but ultimately, that’s not the area I care most about building muscle, so I decided to stop BBG. I did feel like my glutes became stronger as well because of all the squats in BBG, so I’ll likely incorporate more squat based exercises into my workouts going forward.

Update

It’s now October 2020 and this post was published in November 2019. Looking back on this post, I realize now that in order to complete a lot of the exercises in BBG, you need an existing level of core strength and muscle in your arms and legs. Just to perform the moves at all requires a baseline level of fitness. It makes total sense why there is a pre-BBG workout plan, but I personally believe that it is necessary to do that pre-BBG plan for several weeks or even months.

I always felt slightly discouraged when I’d try to do BBG and would have to make so many modifications to the exercises. I wish I had recognized a year ago that just because week 1 of the program is the easiest week, that doesn’t mean it’s actually a ‘beginner’ level workout regimen.

Finally, I realize that it’s so important to realize what works for you and STICK TO THAT. I love Pilates based workouts- that’s what got me started with fitness many years ago, and that’s the ONE workout I have ever been consistent with. So why am I trying to force myself to do BBG or other workout programs when I already know what has historically worked for me? Maybe it’s the amazing before and after photos, but who knows how much of that is due to the workouts and how much of it could be other things. Plenty of the women who post before and after photos are post-partum, so a lot of the change in their body is just natural as they shed the baby weight. Maybe some of those images are just photoshopped. Whatever it is, if you’re reading this, I hope you find a workout you love and stick to that!

Thanks so much for reading- drop a line below! I love hearing from you!