This chart will allow you to sort through the variety of fitness programs that Beachbody has to offer, and effectively select one based on YOUR fitness objectives and goals.

So, go ahead, get ready to create your next fitness transformation or further challenge yourself.  Click on the image to use the interactive program comparison.

As always, I’m available to help you select a program suited for your goals.  Please reach out to me, as you need.

Your partner in health & fitness!

Probably the most common question I get when I release a new exercise program is, “Help! I’m gaining weight! Am I doing something wrong?” This is a common phenomena with any new exercise program, Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, you name it! It’s especially common (and temporary) with intense strength training programs like ChaLEAN Extreme or Tony Horton’s P90X.

The motivation to start a new exercise program is almost always to lose weight loss. However, what most personal trainers know and most at-home exercisers do not, is that a new exercise program often can cause an immediate (and temporary) increase on the scale. (Notice I didn’t say weight gain! I’ll explain.) This common increase in the scale is also the reason why perhaps millions of people start and then quickly quit their resolution to get fit.

The temporary weight gain explained:
When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and “unfamiliar” the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to “protect and defend” the effected or targeted tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen with fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of water retention and slight swelling.

Most people are motivated enough to put up with this temporary muscle soreness. Yet, many, especially those who really need immediate weight loss to keep them motivated in those first couple of weeks become discouraged and quit!

When I worked with a group of 70 test participants during the development stages of ChaLEAN Extreme, this happened. Who was the most upset and discouraged? You guessed it… the women! I’m happy to report with absolutely every single woman (and man) in our group, the weight increase was temporary and never lasted more than 2 weeks before they started to see a major drop in the scale. However, these people had the advantage of working with someone who was able to explain to them why this was happening and assure them the weight would come off if they stuck to the nutrition plan and stayed true to the program.

For those of you who are following the ChaLEAN Extreme phase plan, keep in mind that when you start each phase, your body will be “in shock” again. Don’t be surprised or discouraged if you experience a temporary gain on the scale the first week of each phase.

My own personal example of this is running 10K’s. I don’t do it very often, maybe 1 or 2x a year. Even though I run on a regular basis, when you run a race you push much harder. It’s natural for me to be “insanely” sore the next day. It’s also very common for me to see the scale jump 4 pounds the next day from forcing fluids post race and the resulting DOMS. Even though I know the cause of it, it’s still a bummer. We’re all human and hard work should mean “results”. Hard work equals results, but our bodies are amazing machines and they know how to protect us from hurting our selves. Soreness forces you to give those muscles a break Ultimately you will lose the weight and you will change your metabolism in the process.

The key is understanding that this is a normal and temporary and stick with the program!!

When to be concerned:
If you experience a significant weight gain (exceeding 5 pounds) which does not begin to decrease rapidly after the second week, guess what it is??? I’ll give you one hint… you put it in your mouth and chew it. You know it! You’re food (or calorie laden beverages). Newsflash friends.. exercise doesn’t make you gain weight. Consuming more food than you burn makes you gain weight!

So if after two weeks you are not losing weight, have gained weight that’s not coming off, it’s time to take a close and honest look at your food intake. It’s time to find out what your burning in calories each day. Have your RMR or BMR tested. This can be done for less than $50 and the information is invaluable. It takes out the guess work. Google “hydrostatic body fat testing _______ ” and insert the name of the big city you’re closest too. Companies that do HBFT also do BMR testing. Knowledge is king.

I’m gaining weight, but I’m sure it’s muscle:
Possibly, but if you’re following ChaLEAN Extreme correctly, you should be losing fat and gaining muscle and the fat loss should be much more substantial than the rate at which you can physically put on muscle. This is even true for the guys. Of the 70 plus people in my test group, every single one of them lost body fat and gained muscle and not one of them gained weight. I believe the average weight loss after 4 months was 28 pounds with many people losing 40 plus pounds. Even the men, who as you can see put on a lot of muscle, were seeing huge drops in the scale. We tested their muscle composition at the beginning and at the end and 100% of the participants maintained or gained muscle while achieving substantial weight loss. That’s the key to keeping weight off long term, i.e. muscle. Muscle burns fat. But you’ve heard me say that before.

Moral of the story:
Be patient young grass hoper. You’ll be lean and mean in no time!

This is one of the most useful articles I have come across that makes sense and enlightens one, as they prepare for their new program or are in the midst of it.  Just having an understanding and a reason why we experience this temporary weight gain, makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

I hope you enjoyed this article and get the mileage that I, and many others have, out of it.  Thanks Chalene!

Let’s start with the basics:

1.            What’s your current level of fitness activity?

A.  Very limited, maybe a short walk here and there. (May also have some health issues that inhibit workout activity – high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, Type 2 Diabetes, heart condition, etc).

B.  My activity is sporadic, some weeks are better than others.

C.  I’m fairly active and hit the gym as much as 3 x’s a week, but not seeing results.

D.  I’m VERY active and strong. (i.e.: I run quite a bit, do cross training, boot camps).

2.            What are your fitness goals?

A.   To find a program with a consistent level of lower impact activity.

B.   To find a program that will keep me active and is active.

C.   I want to see results, but I’m not a beginner and I’m not advanced

D.  I want something higher impact and that incorporates weight training & cardio.

3.          What is your time commitment to reaching your goals?

A.  I can commit to about 45-60 minutes, 2-3 days a week.

B.  I can commit to about 30-60 minutes, 3-4 days a week.

C.  I can commit to about 45-60 minutes, 4-5 days a week.

D.  I can commit to about 45-75 minutes, 5-6 days a week.

Ok, so these are just 3 top questions that I generally ask anyone interested in getting started with a workout program, but not really knowing what is the best one for them.

Often times, people want to immediately start with P90X, when they are NO condition to begin with a program that is so advanced.  The beauty of the selection of Beachbody programs, is that there is something for EVERYONE, and not every program will be suited for all…but definitely challenges to work towards.

So here’s a breakdown of what workout program would work best based off these category of questions (scroll down to bottom of the page to review the short video clip showcasing each product and its brief description):

If you answered mostly A’s:

A few recommended programs would be: Slim in 6® Rapid Results, Kathy Smith’s Project: You! Type 2®, Total Body Solution™ or Tony and the Folks® (for active adults 55+)

If you answered mostly B’s:

A few recommended programs would be: Slim in 6® Rapid Results, 10-Minute Trainer®, Power 90® or Yoga Booty Ballet®

If you answered mostly C’s:

A few recommended programs would be: Turbo Jams®, Hip Hop Abs®, Rockin’ Body®, 10-Minute Trainer® or Power 90®.

If you answered mostly D’s:

A few recommended programs would be: P90X®, Tony Horton’s One-on One Series, ChaLEAN Extreme® or Insanity®

Here are the descriptions of each suggested program above:

SLIM IN 6® Rapid Results, by Debbie Siebers

The original 6-week miracle makeover combines daily cardio with light resistance to burn fat fast. Fitness expert Debbie Siebers developed Slim in 6® through a combination of low impact cardiovascular and weight-bearing exercises collectively called Slim Training®. This three-phase, 6-week slimming program helps shed pounds quickly in a healthy manner, while jump-starting the body onto the path of long-term health and fitness.

Kathy Smith’s Project: YOU! Type 2™, by Kathy Smith

Kathy Smith’s Project: YOU! Type 2™ is a step-by-step guide to creating a healthy lifestyle for people with type 2 diabetes and anyone who wants to reduce his or her chance of getting diabetes. Developed in conjunction with doctors, certified diabetes educators, and the American Diabetes Association, this is a comprehensive program to take control of your health and your life!  This 12-week workout system comes with a cookbook, fitness & food journal, workout calendar, workout guide and a wallet to house the 8 workouts.  For more detailed information, click here to review the product page.

Total Body Solution™, by Debbie Siebers & Chad Waterbury

If minor or major post-exercise soreness has sidetracked your workout program, this program will help you get back on track. Created by Debbie Siebers and neurophysiologist Chad Waterbury, Total Body Solution™ is an incredible preventative and rehabilitative series of drills to help you recover without pain pills or chiropractic visits. Even if you’re not suffering from pain, you can use Total Body Solution as part of your warm-up to help prevent muscle strains and pains before they happen. Take control of joint and muscle health today so you can maintain your workout routine—and be comfortable doing it.

Tony and the Folks! by Tony Horton

It’s never too late to get fit!  Now there’s a great way for anyone age 55 and up, with the help of Tony Horton himself!  A fun half hour of fitness for anyone who wants to ease into a new exercise program and get results. You’ll get the heart pumping and blood flowing with each low-impact exercise presented in this program.  In just over 30 minutes, Tony & the Folks! will help you: increase energy, reduce joint stiffness, improve flexibility, strength & balance.  All the moves in this program offer alternate positions to increase or decrease the intensity. It’s truly one of the most entertaining ways to achieve and sustain a healthy lifestyle for someone new to fitness.

10-Minute Trainer®, by Tony Horton

No matter how busy you are, you can always find the time to squeeze in a 10-minute workouts.  With these breakthrough workouts and his easy-to-follow eating plan, you’ll lose weight, get toned, and have plenty of time left over!  Tony’s breakthrough Super Stacking Technique™ using resistance bands, combines the most effective moves I know into each 10-minute workout. Instead of starting with cardio, then working different body parts one at a time, he stacks them to work everything at the same time—in just 10 minutes! It’s multitasking for your muscles!

Power 90®, by Tony Horton

Total body transformation in just 90 days!!  Fat burning and total-body sculpting focused on abs, thighs, and upper body.   This in-home boot camp for dramatic body transformation uses Tony’s Sectional Progression™ technique, which gives you an effective workout in as little as 30 minutes each day.  The program comes with 4 workouts that are progressive to maximize your results and keep you active.  Plus, get a program guide, food plan and a few other special gifts thrown in for fun.  If that’s not enough, with Tony’s Fat Burning Express plan, you can lose up to 10 lbs. and 10 inches in your first 6 days!

Yoga Booty Ballet®, by Gillian Marloth & Teigh McDonough

Hollywood’s fun fitness secret combines yoga, dance, and body sculpting to blast calories and target your abs, thighs, and booty. Yoga Booty Ballet® is a dynamic fusion of yoga, booty sculpting, and dance that will make you feel strong, confident, and beautiful! You could see a dramatic difference in your body after just 2 weeks.

Turbo Jams®, by Chalene Johnson

Kickboxing and body-sculpting workouts set to the hottest dance music.  Get ready to rock your workout!  Chalene packs each workout with calorie-blasting kickboxing, body sculpting, and the hottest dance music. The “Elite 11″ signature moves are proven to burn fat and give you a sleek, sexy body and ripped, rock-hard abs.

Hip Hop Abs®, by Shaun T

Dance your way to hot, sexy abs and burn the fat off your entire body with Shaun T’s fun, exciting dance program! Using Shaun’s revolutionary Absolute Engagement™ technique, you’ll “Tilt, Tuck, & Tighten” your way to 6-pack abs without doing a single sit-up or crunch.

Rockin’ Body®, by Shaun T

Get a hot new Rockin’ Body with Shaun T’s high-octane dance party that will have you sweating off the pounds to all your favorite dance-floor hits!

P90X® Extreme Training System, by Tony Horton

P90X is not for beginners.  Designed by celebrity fitness trainer Tony Horton, P90X gets you absolutely ripped in 90 days. Through 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, a detailed fitness guide and a calendar to track your progress, the P90X program will define muscles you’ve got and develop muscles you never knew you had. In just an hour a day, it will physically and mentally transform people from being in good shape to being outstanding athletes.  By way of Tony’s advanced training method, dubbed “Muscle Confusion”, your body or your mind, won’t get tired of the workouts, as they switch every 30 days.

Tony Horton’s One-on-One Series

Have you hit a muscle building plateau? Break through the plateau with celebrity trainer Tony Horton’s workout series Tony One-On-One. Designed to compliment or coordinate with his P90X® series, Tony’s constantly introducing new workouts will keep your muscles “confused.”  With this workout series your muscles are forced to adapt to new moves all the time, so they keep growing. Tony’s vastly successful concept of muscle confusion will get you the results you are looking for. Work out with Tony in his own gym, mano a mano. You will love to see Tony sweat and suffer, just like you. It’s like working out with a buddy!

ChaLEAN Extreme®, by Chalene Johnson

Get ready to burn fat and get lean with ChaLEAN Extreme™!  It’s a fact – the more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn. You can burn up to 60% of your body fat in just 3 months and see visible results every 30 days—GUARANTEED!  MUSCLE BURNS FAT™! This proven circuit training technique shifts your fat-burning focus from cardio to resistance training. You’ll be lifting heavy weights in 3 phases to ignite your metabolism and burn fat long after your workout—even while you sleep!  Click here for the product sheet.

Insanity™ 60-Day Total Body Conditioning System, by Shaun T

Transform your body in 60 days with the most intense workout program ever put on DVD. Shaun T will push you past your limits to get the hardest body you’ve ever had.  The secret to these mind-blowing results: MAX Interval Training. Shaun T took traditional interval training and flipped it on its head—you perform long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest. Each workout keeps you constantly challenged as you alternate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals performed at your MAX. The results: burn up to 1,000 calories an hour and get the most insane body in only 60 days.

You can view all these products and many more of the Beachbody workout systems at my Team Beachbody Store.  There is something for everyone and maybe a program that I have one that’s NOT listed here, that’s just right for you.  Go ahead, ask me to help you get started with your next fitness challenge.  And why not?  I’ll do a FREE fitness and nutrition analysis.  Who doesn’t like free?

What is the Coach Business Opportunity?

It’s a breakthrough income opportunity that lets you turn weight loss into profit. In order to make money, all you have to do is let people know about getting fit and losing weight with Beachbody’s best-selling line of products. You succeed by helping others succeed!

Who is the company behind the Coach Business Opportunity?

Beachbody is a successful 10-year-old, $250+–million corporation based in Southern California. We create and sell the nation’s most popular in-home fitness and weight-loss products – high-quality, well-manufactured DVD workout programs, gear, and nutritional supplements that have been proven to work. When you become a Beachbody Coach, you’re teaming up with a solid, stable company and a best-selling brand.

How do I earn money?

You get paid weekly commissions when people buy Beachbody products and Team Beachbody Club memberships through your personal website. You can also earn cash bonuses based on your team’s sales.

What does it cost to begin?

It only costs $39.95 to start a Beachbody business. That includes your first month’s Business Services Fees and your Coach Business Kit, which comes with everything you need to begin earning income.  There are, however, some great packages available that will kick start your business as a Coach.  The “Ultimate Starter Pack” (Best), “Coach Starter Pack” (Better) and “General Coach Starter Pack” (Good).

Do I need to be a fitness expert?

No, you don’t need to be a fitness or weight-loss expert to become a Beachbody Coach. You just need to be ready to commit to changing your life.

Do I need to be a slick salesperson?

Not at all – the fact is, just about everybody already wants to get fit or lose weight. And our products can get them there – we have thousands of real-life Success Stories to prove it! To make money as a Beachbody Coach, all you have to do is let people know that they can finally achieve the health, fitness, and weight-loss goals they’ve dreamed of.

What kinds of help and support will I receive?

Once you become a Beachbody Coach, you’ll be part of a whole network of successful Coaches who are there for you to learn from and share with. You’ll also get full access to your online office, which has everything you need to market and manage your business with ease – including your own sales website and email account, a full set of sales and marketing tools, and extensive training guides and videos. In addition, our Coach Relations team is available to answer your questions via email or over the phone. And you’ll have a Coach of your own for extra motivation and guidance.

Will I have to purchase products for resale?

Unlike marketing programs that require you to buy a lot of products in order to participate, the Coach Opportunity has no inventory requirements. If you do want to purchase products for your own use or resale, you’ll get them at a significant discount.

Will I have to handle product inventory, billing, shipping, or customer service?

No – when customers purchase products through your website, we take care of the rest.

Is it easy to set up my website?

Setting up and customizing your Beachbody Coach Website is low-tech and simple! We provide you with an easy-to-use system that allows you to add text and photos (or you can just use ours), and you can choose from a number of Beachbody marketing banners to help make sure your site is viewed.

How does Beachbody promote its products?

We spend millions of dollars every week advertising our home fitness programs on the major TV stations and cable networks. (You’ve probably seen our famous infomercials for programs such as P90X, Turbo Jam, and Hip Hop Abs, as well as our magazine and Internet ads.) Millions of people already know about Beachbody, and every time we run an infomercial, we get thousands of new customers. We want those customers to shop through your store, so you get the commission on those sales!

How much of a discount will I get on my own Beachbody products?

As Beachbody Coach, you receive a 25% discount on all Beachbody products available in the Team Beachbody store.

There are many more excellent questions and much more I’d love to share about this business that has changed my life and could change yours, or someone near and dear to you!  Learn more about this ultimate fitness revolution by viewing this short video clip.