Lift. HIIT. Rest. Repeat.

That’s the mantra of Beachbody on Demand’s newest exercise program called LIIFT4.

“It’s like shampooing your hair,” says the creator of the program Joel Freeman, “but for your body and muscles…”

It’s all about lifting for lean muscle and working up a sweat with high-impact interval training to get in the best shape of your life.

Because look, we all want that lean, chiseled beach body. BUT. . . we also want to live a semi-normal life and not become a slave to the gym. It’s a delicate balance.

Well, the new Beachbody LIIFT 4 program promises to be the solution we’ve all been looking for.

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But does it stack up? Can we really build muscle, burn fat, and lose weight working out only 4 days a week for 8 weeks total?

Is this “hit it and quit it” exercise program really the fitness breakthrough that it’s hyped up to be?

And if it is. . . is LIIFT4 right for you and your fitness goals?

These are important questions, as the program releases to the public in a few short months (October 1st!), with early access beginning in July.

So let’s dig in and get some answers. Let’s see what LIIFT4 is all about, and if it really works.

What is LIIFT4?

LIIFT4 is the newest exercise program soon-to-be released by fitness giant better known as Beachbody.

And the program itself is the brainchild of “super trainer” Joel Freeman.

In typical Beachbody style, the program is live-filmed so that you get the sense you’re actually in the studio with the trainer. Joel keeps it fun and interactive, as if he’s your own personal trainer to keep you motivated.

The program is challenging, yet simple. Joel takes what would typically eat up an hour-plus in the gym and packs it into a 30-minute workout that spans just 4 days of your week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday).

Yup, it’s 4 days on and 3 days off. This is a pretty flexible and forgiving fitness schedule for almost. And it’s becoming  a well-known fact that working out 4 days a week can bring better results than working out 5 or 6 days per week. Source

It’s a moderate-to-advanced program due to the fast pace, but the three rest days are designed to let you rebuild and re-energize so you come back stronger than before.

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One attractive thing about LIIFT4 is that you never do the same workout twice. So if you’re one to get bored with your exercise routine or workout plans, this might be just the program for you.

It also includes a detailed nutrition plan, and the program is designed around the Beachbody Performance supplements (surprise, surprise).

The nutrition plan is manageable, and actually allows for a cheat day once a week. Because we all need a cheat day.

Alright, without further ado, here’s the LIIFT4 plan in a nutshell. . . 

On any given training day you’ll isolate and work the following muscles:

• Back and biceps
• Chest and triceps
• Shoulders
• HIIT & legs

Every single training day also includes a core workout. It’s OK, you’ve got this. . . now you can get those chiseled, rock-hard abs you’ve always wanted.

Otherwise, the program is super diverse and always changing to keep you (and your muscles!) on your toes.

For instance, some days you’ll only do the LIIFT portion. Other day’s you’ll do a little bit of everything. And still other days you might just do the HIIT exercises. We’ll talk more about why this is so important in just a bit.

LIIFT4 workout plan

You’ll have to be a card-carrying member of Beachbody on Demand to access the LIIFT4 introduction and the nutrition plan on their website. But lucky for you, you’ve got me!

So here’s a detailed list of what you need for LIIFT4:

3 sets of dumbbells (or bands) for light, medium, and heavy reps. And that’s it. Seriously.

Although the program hasn’t released yet, I found a free preview of LIIFT4 on YouTube, and here’s the lowdown on LIIFT4. . .

Overall it was a great workout, pretty high intensity, with a fun and light-hearted flavor. At the end of the preview, Joel runs a pretty cool live-streamed Q&A session.

Now, since the exercise program hasn’t released yet, there’s not a TON of information about the actual schedule. But I think the preview workout is a pretty good window into what you can expect with Beachbody LIIFT4. So let’s have a look.

Joel called it the “50-50 workout,” and sure enough it was 50% LIIFT, 50%  HIIT. . .

And 100% “what the hell have I gotten myself into?!”

It started with a cardio warmup, then went into LIIFT first, HIIT second, then core, and finally light stretching for a warm-down.

By the way, here’s the video if you want to give it a shot!

The workout was fast-paced, as expected. And we started off with chest press and triceps. We did a few sets of 10 reps, while focusing on isolating the muscles and performing effective movements. There was a (short) 30 second rest between each set.

I immediately liked the simplicity of the workout. I mean, just dumbbells? Who doesn’t have those laying around? (If you don’t, now’s the time!)

We then went into shoulder press and reverse flyes, again doing three sets of 10 reps apiece.

Then we mixed in some rows for good measure. . .

Finally, to round-out the LIIFT portion of the workout, we did two sets of front-loaded squats, followed by bicep curls.

Throughout the workout, Joel really emphasized weight control and good form. After all, there’s no reason to risk injury this early in the game. . . or ever. According to Health & Style, “Chronic injury can come about when, after a time, your body becomes slightly misaligned from repeatedly practicing poor form.” Source

Then Boom! Welcome to HIIT my friends.

Yup, after the weight training session, we went straight into the HIIT portion of LIIFT4. And I have to say, it was a beast.

With the World Cup in full swing, why not start things out with 30 seconds of soccer runs?!

Followed by the next exercise, good ol’ “catchers.”

If I’m being honest, I was straight-up pooped by the time we finished catchers and started with these things, whatever they were. . .

Now, if you find any of these exercises too hard for you, don’t worry, Joel encourages modifications. In fact, he shows you exactly how to modify each of the HIIT exercise if needed. And with the LIIFT portion, they’ll actually have a split-screen option so those with bands can follow along. Pretty dang cool.

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Never be afraid to modify your exercises. According to Ace Fitness, “If you do not modify your exercise routine, you reach a plateau because your body has adapted to the repetitive training stimulus.” Source

Alright, we finished both the LIIFT and HIIT portions at about the 2o-minute mark, and went right into the core component.

The core exercises consisted of reaching sit-ups for 30 seconds. . .

And bicycles for 30 seconds. . . (Yay. I had almost forgotten how much I hated bicycles).

Form, form, form. Do the move clean, no using momentum. In so many words, Joel says “do it right or don’t do it at all.” And I think this constant reminder is much-needed nowadays.

RELATED ARTICLE: Ultimate Abs Stimulator Review: Is It REALLY Worth It?

Finally we warmed-down with some light stretches, had our recovery mix, and called it a day.

Ah, but not before Joel engaged his live-stream audience in a pretty solid Q&A session, where he answered all (ok some) of our burning questions.

Philosophy behind LIIFT4

If you strip it back to its core, you’ll find that LIIFT4 is all about compromise. And it seems to be driven by a “work hard, play hard” mentality.

In the preview workout video, Joel says something that really resonated with me. He said, “Your life doesn’t revolve around this program, instead this program fits into your life.”

At 30 minutes per day, four days per week, it’s just enough to whip you into shape, but without dominating your life.

And guess what? According to the brainiacs at Harvard, 30 minutes of exercise a day is just what the doctor ordered. Source

Joel talks a lot about how to enjoy your rest days, and that one cheat day every week. I mean, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy exercising and still get amazing results. Right?

Another related philosophy that seems to drive LIIFT4 is the incredibly diverse approach to the exercises.

Really, no two exercises are the same throughout the whole program. They’re constantly changing it up for optimal muscle activation.

I’m not sure how they do it, but if you’re the type of person who loses interest with repetition, you might be in good company with Beachbody LIIFT4.

Pros of Beachbody LIIFT4

Pro #1: First off, LIIFT4 really seems to be for (almost) everyone. During the live-stream preview video, Joel had a 70-year-old woman calling in, and even an 11-year-old kid. So it’s a great fit for all ages. With that said, it’s not a program for complete beginners, as you’ll want to have a bit of stamina to keep up.

Pro #2: Next, the program is realistic and sustainable. Remember, 4 days on and 3 days off. Who wouldn’t love that?

Pro #3: It’s challenging, but modifiable. They do a split screen option to accommodate those using bands instead of weights. Pretty cool.

Pro #4: Beachbody LIIFT4 really highlights the importance of good nutrition. According to Joel, the nutritional portion is simple and based on the highly-studied but basic macro-nutrient diet (Source). So you can expect meal plans that are 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat.

Joel says, “It’s nutrition 101. You clean it up for 6 days per week, and the 7th day is a cheat day. . . Cheat day is meant for you to ‘mentally loosen the reigns.’ ”  Which brings us back to the philosophy of getting real results without sacrificing too much of what makes you happy.

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Pro #5: It’s digital! So no fumbling around with DVD’s.

Pro #6: They offer a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t dig it.

Cons of Beachbody LIIFT4

To be honest, I can’t find too many downsides to this workout plan. But, since you asked. . .

Kidding, it doesn’t suck. But here’s what I’ve got. . .

Con #1: It won’t be in DVD format. Now, I know I listed this as a ‘Pro’, but I also understand that many people still like having physical DVD’s. This is the new trend with Beachbody. They say they can offer a better price if they don’t have to go making physical copies of every program. Seems legit.

Con #2: You won’t get jacked with LIIFT4. But that’s not really a con if that isn’t your goal in the first place. Also, if you’re looking to get jacked, you probably haven’t read this far anyway.

Con #3: You have to actually exercise.

Con #4: They spelled ‘Lift’ wrong. 😉

My experience with LIIFT4

Obviously, the full program hasn’t released yet and doesn’t come out until October 1st (when it releases, I do plan to try it). But hopefully you got a pretty good taste of what it’s all about.

I definitely found the free preview workout of LIIFT4 to be highly effective. I could see myself doing it four days per week for eight weeks, and I can almost visualize the results.

Another cool thing about these Beachbody programs is that you can cycle them in the future, running through the workouts two to three times throughout the year. So if you get results, you can maintain the results.

LIIFT4 Reviews

There aren’t many unbiased user reviews just yet. But the site does have some before and after photos of LIIFT4 users. Obviously, you have to take ’em with a grain of salt, as they’re put out by the company that makes the product. Like this one. . . Meet Laura, an employee of Beachbody.

But. . . you can also find real LIIFT4 transformation videos on YouTube. Here’s an inspiring video of a one-month transformation of a “Test Group” participant. . .

The woman hopped right on board when Beachbody corporate asked her  and her husband to join the test group.

Right away she was happy with the nutritional portion. She says, “Luckily we get to eat a lot on this meal plan.” Also, it’s important to know that throughout the program she was taking the Performance line of Beachbody supplements.

Week 1 — Throughout the first week, as expected, her body was pretty sore. At one point in the video when she was wrapping up ‘leg’ day, she said “That was the most intense HIIT ever.”

Week 2 — After week two she was settling into the program and noticing she wasn’t nearly as sore. “Get in, get out, work hard, sweat hard,” she said with high spirits.

Week 3 — By week 3 she had lost 7 1/2 pounds, but still eating a ton of food. Some days she woke up sore, but she attributed this to increasing the weights bit by bit on the LIIFT portion.

Week 4 — During week 4 she was feeling super strong, and seeing major changes in her body. She even began to see her abs peaking out. Because of the structure of the program, she said she was getting better results than when she was working out 5 days a week. Not bad.

Finally, she expressed that she feels like Joel is right there in the living room with her, which only helps with getting (and staying!) motivated.

Now meet Kelsey, another Test Group user of LIIFT4. She gives a nice intro to the program, but it sort of comes across like an advertisement.

She says, “This one is going to be a game-changer. It’s going to change SO many people’s lives.” But she stops short of sharing if/how it changed her life.

Also, you can see quite a few before and afters pictures in this video, but again, it’s an advertisement for LIIFT4. . .

Like this one. . .

And this one. . .

And this one here. . .

Who will benefit from LIIFT4?

Well, what are you fitness goals? If you want to get jacked and put on some serious muscle mass, this probably isn’t the program for you. You’ll likely build muscle, but it’ll be lean muscle.

There is nothing wrong with lean muscle and it is the goal of many exercise hungry people out there, but it is not going to contribute to bulky tree trunk arms.

But if you’re looking to shape up fast, with a very minimal time commitment, LIIFT4 could be the answer.

I would say this program is for all types of people, including:

• Women who want to lose 5-15 pounds and tone up
• Men who want to turn flab into fab (and by fab I mean lean muscle)
• Anyone who wants to get in shape and feel all-around fit
• Those who prefer classic, simple exercises over complex ones
• Anyone who usually gets bored during their workouts

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Recommendations

Well, I guess I like it.

I’m fairly confident that anyone who sticks to the program (including the nutritional plan) will get results.  After all, if you’re exercising day in and day out, and eating healthy all the while, you’re bound to see changes in your body.

I like the simplicity of the workouts, and the fact that you really only need a few sets of dumbbells to get going.

If you are like me and sometimes enjoy a program that leaves you with ample rest time and doesn’t eat a lot of the day, then you will probably appreciate this one.

But most of all, I really for me like the 4 days on and 3 days off regimen. I feel like it’s totally sustainable, especially if I’m only going for 60 days. I can make that sacrifice, and I well intend to.

All in all, I’d say give LIIFT4 a try!

RELATED ARTICLE: Shortcut To Size Review: Will Jim Stoppani’s Get You JACKED?

Have you tried LIIFT4? If so, write your review in the comments below!

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