- Company Quote:
"Beachbody.com™ is dedicated to creating satisfied customers with reasonably priced products and exceptional quality and support. We are constantly looking for new ways to motivate and educate people about health, fitness, and the benefits of maintaining a lean body. We create and offer products that have been thoroughly tested and proven effective. We operate by a set of four fundamental values:
- Treat people with respect, and be courageously forthright
- take initiative to find ways to improve everything,
- make a commitment, and deliver on your promises,
- work with passion, commitment and enthusiasm."
- Membership:
Beachbody.com actually offers 14+ fitness and weight loss products which can all be seen on their Beachbody.com Fitness Programs 
page. They also sell a line of fitness equipment and supplements that can be used with the fitness programs.
Theirs is not a membership site as such, but sells fitness product packages designed to meet certain goals. The best known and most popular due to effective informercial advertising and affiliate sites are the Power 90, Slim in 6 and P90X programs. Each package of videos, guidebooks and software is mailed to you to use at home. Prices are as follows:
- Power 90...$59.85
- Slim in 6...$59.85
- P90X...$149.85
Sometimes you can find better prices at Amazon.com
, but you may not get all of the guides or online support if you purchase second hand.
- Programs:
P90X.com
This is an advanced program containing an extreme fitness series of workouts with Tony Horton. Bruce is currently doing P90X (I got it for him for Christmas) and the results are showing only 4 weeks in. I have also tried the YogaX video and it is an advanced and rigorous workout in itself.
Slim in 6 
This is a full-body slimming and toning program focusing on abs, thighs, buns, and hips. It combines cardio work with light strength training to burn fat.
Power90
This program is also by Tony Horton and focusses on abs, thighs and upper body. Tony uses fast circuit training techniques in his 35 minut workouts..
Hip Hops ABS
Cardio work and strength training of the abs and core with Shaun T. He sets his workouts to fun hip hop dance tunes to burn fat.
Brazil Butt Lift 
Leandro Carvalho reveals what he calls The Supermodels' Secret to a Perfect Butt. These are advanced fat-burning, atrength training workouts to help shape your butt, plus resistance tools to accelerate your results. TriAngle Training works the three major butt muscles to shape your behind, without adding bulk to your thighs.
More dancing with Shaun T. Calorie-burning cardio and full-body sculpting moves. Party off the pounds as you dance and sweat to the hottest hits.
INSANITY
An extreme, 60 day total-body conditioning program by Shaun T. This is an advanced and intense program involving interval training.
TurboJam - 
Chalene Johnson brings you advanced kickboxing and body-sculpting moves focused on core, thighs, and upper body. Intense targeted workouts maximize your fat-burning and sculpting results.
CHALEAN EXTREME
This is an advanced circuit training program that develops lean muscle. She uses a proven 3-phase circuit training technique.
Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer
- Think you don't have time to workout? Tony Horton brings you 10 minute workouts that are effective.
RevAbs
Brett Hoebel brings you a 90 day program using what he call 'Abcentrics' to slim down and build your abdominals. Comes with nutrition and motivation plans.
Shaun T's Fit Kids Club
Think your kids could use some exercise that's fun? Shaun T. brings cool music and fun activities and nutrition education to your children.
Yoga Booty Ballet 
Fitness experts, Gillian Marloth and Teigh McDonough bring you Yoga Booty Ballet®, also known as YBB, This is a dynamic fusion of yoga, booty sculpting, and cardio dance.
- Benefits and Features:
Because there are so many packages to choose from, Beachbody has included a program comparison page (see the link near the bottom of the page) that makes it a little easier to choose a program to meet your objectives.
There is real benefit to having the hard products, tapes, books and DVD's in your hands to work with. One of the CD's is solely for support and all are professionally produced. Support is an important factor in any weight loss program and the multiple discussion boards, forums and interaction from the site create a sense of community.
- Comments:
Beachbody has come up with strong products and support that create momentum and make it easier to stick with your chosen program. What we like most is that the emphasis is on exercise which will really be the key to long term weight control. Your eating habits are the other half of the equation and the P90X program and several others come with a complete nutrution planning guides.
Beachbody really helps (even pushes) you to meet your goals and remain positive throughout and as a result you might have your best chance of getting there with a Beachbody program.
What concerned us at first is that after the program is complete (6 weeks, 90 days etc.) there is little emphasis on maintaining your new body except to move you up to the next product they have. Since starting the P90X program though, there is such variety in the progression of exercises that repeating the program or trying the variations that are given outside of the 'classic' version will provide interest for a long time.
Power 90 is probably the better choice over P90X for a beginner. 12 weeks is a reasonable time to make some real changes in your body.
Slim in 6 sets a pretty ambitious 6 week goal for weight loss. There is only so much you can accomplish in 6 weeks but if you only want to lose a few pounds and tone up, this will work.
P90X is an advanced program for body builders who have graduated from the above programs. You even have to pass a physical test they send you in order to sign up. This isn't for the beginner.
Each program uses exercises that require little equipment. But to get the most out them, you will have to purchase resistance bands or some dumbells and a chin-up bar and a floor mat. No need for any fancy and expensive strength training machines.
Beachbody also promotes weight loss supplements from their site. We are not advocates of this as there is little or no real evidence that they have any effect. Save your money and leave them alone!
In addition, the P90X recovery drink crystals, which are also sold from their site have been receiving some bad reviews lately due to a change in flavouring that has many long time users complaining and asking for the old formula back. Here again, you might save your money and buy a good quality (good tasting) Whey protein powder mix as your recovery drink.
Need some motivation and support? Check out the message boards, chat rooms and more at Beachbody.
