Focus On: Bodyrock

Hello friends!

Hope all is well with you! I am still having mega family time on the East Coast, with a healthy does of seafood and running to keep me sane ;)

Focus On: Bodyrock

I’ma be honest, you can’t (or shouldn’t) watch these videos at work.

This was for reals.

This is more up-to-date. Baby steps.

I started my obsession with bodyrock Winter 2011, back in the day when the workouts were posted at www.bodyrock.tv (now you can find the free daily workouts at www.dailyhiit.com). I have to give these guys a LOT of credit for my initial dabbling into the world of fitness.

Since the workouts are only 12 minutes long, I found it easy to do them almost every day. Little did I know at the time, but you should only do this sort of tabbata-style, high-intensity workout every other day to let your body recover. 

Although they have gone through their strange phases *ahem* a very public boob job (find link), but they have continued to post quick (and effective) workouts almost daily, and have continued to maintain their promise of keeping it free to the public. Gotta love that ;)

I continue to use these videos about once a week, as well as Zuzka Light who used to be the main trainers in the videos, but disappeared after divorcing the video man of bodyrock (again, a not-so-nice part of the website, but life happens!) along with other free online workout sources like here (fitnessista) and here (pbfingers) and here (something else). 

What to Expect

A sweat-inducing, crazy heart-pumping workout that lasts only 12 minutes! Some of the moves involve equipment, but you can always modify the workouts to use what you already have 

 

Firm chair I use for tricep dips.

 

Concrete form I use for upright row.

 

Jars I use as kettlebells or dumbbells, and improvized  system for pull-ups.

Some of the moves might seem a bit intimidating, but you can always do modifications to make it more of a beginner level – they are usually good about explaining this, and even have ‘bodyrock light’ videos now. 

What to Wear

Whatever the heck you want! Since these workouts can be done in the comfort of your own living room/bedroom/whatevs (and letsbehonest, it would look a tad strange doing this at the gym...) you can wear whatever workout clothes float you want! I usually wear shorts, a workout bra and a tank top since I KNOW I’ma be a sweaty mess by the end of it, but you could wear pretty much anything...yep. I said it. ANYTHING!

I see a little someone lurking in the background...

I personally don’t wear running shoes to do the workouts, but if this gives you more support/more comfort during the workouts, go for it!

Equipment

The bodyrock site gives links to the following equipment, although I personally don’t have any of it ;)

Here are pictures of the previous host, Zuzana, with the various equipment that makes an appearance in their regular workout videos:

Sandbag

Dip Station

Medicine Ball

Dumbbells

Interval Timer

I actually do want to invest in one of these, I just haven’t yet! I use the timer on my phone and keep track of the intervals (50sec on/10sec rest, 20sec on/10sec rest, etc).

I honestly wouldn’t recommend going all-out and buying all of the equipment they use until you have done the workouts for a while and have decided that it would be worth the investment. Remember, you can make do with what you already have!

Overall

An example of a recent workout video - see this link for workout breakdown.

Although I don’t completely agree with their very public displays of highly sexualized content, I love their workouts! I have been following along for so long now that I feel comfortable changing it up a bit with my own variations and use my own ‘equipment’. 

As I mentioned above, these workouts shouldn’t be done every day of the week, but at most every other day to let your muscles heal. This downtime actually makes you get fitter in the end – so worth it! I typically alternate these workouts with cardio, such as running or zumba, or a yoga class. 

I give them mad props for sticking to their initial motto of being a free workout movement, whereas others tend to sell out and demand a small (or large) payment for their services to the workout community. 

Overall, I’m a lover, not a hater ;)

Question of the Day:

• Have you tried bodyrock workouts? What do you like about them? What do you not-so-like about them??

I love the convenience of following along with a short and sweet workout that gets your heart pumping and feels like a good sweat session after you’re done. I don’t, however, like the overly sexualized nature of the videos and pictures, and don’t really agree with the image that they portray in the workout community of fake boobs and whatnot. But, hey, it’s their life! And they make hella good workouts, nonetheless :)