The Latest Scoop about Beachbody on Demand
Since Beachbody on Demand launched in 2015, the company has added an insane amount of content (and value) to this streaming service. Originally, you only had access to the programs you'd previously purchased on DVD. Then Beachbody gave everyone access to most programs, but kept a few of them as premium content. The all access pass was introduced, conferring access to all programs (but at an extra cost)... and then the company did away with it in 2017 and gave all subscribers access to the entire program library.
Within the past year, the company has settled at a happy medium where the newest one or two programs will be available with a "digital unlock" for an extra charge. For example, the digital unlock for the new Transform:20 program from Shaun T costs $50—but the program will be added for all subscribers as of April 1. This way all subscribers will eventually have access to the program; they just have to pay a little extra if they want early access.
In addition, one nutrition program (the 2B Mindset) has a separate membership fee, because it's a different membership structure (pay the fee once and get lifetime access, instead of a subscription model).
The company has made some additional user-friendly adjustments, such as adding sample workouts in front of the paywall to allow you to try a workout even if you're not a subscriber yet (and even if you don't have a free Team Beachbody account with a coach yet).
One of my personal favorites is the Clean Week program, which is a week-long series of videos led by trainer Megan Davies. In the workouts, Megan offers a taste of many different Beachbody workout programs so you can get a sense of which programs you might enjoy and which trainers' style you appreciate. (For that, you do need a free Team Beachbody account, and you can create one here.)
The company has also started doing special promotions as incentives and thank-yous. For example, "A Little More Obsessed" was a series of workouts meant for fans of super trainer Autumn Calabrese who have already completed Autumn's entire 80 Day Obsession program and were hungry for more. The program is now part of the regular Beachbody on Demand subscription, but for three months it was available only to people who have a nutrition product on monthly autoship, offering these loyal customers a chance to get more content from their favorite trainer.
I also love that the company has added content to "frame" the workout programs. For example, the new programs include videos with safety and form tips, as well as a video laying out the instructions for what to do before you begin (take measurements, take "before" pictures, set up your workout space, etc.) These are things we go over as coaches, so customers working with a coach would receive that anyway, but it's nice to have that information reinforced as part of the official materials that all customers receive.
In addition, the newest programs have a "reality show" that focuses on the experiences of the cast offering a "behind the scenes" look while also helping participants to mentally prepare for the week ahead by getting a peek at what's coming up. So far we have this type of content for 80 Day Obsession (the "Weekly Obsession" show), LIIFT4 ("Ready for LIIFToff"), and Transform:20 ("Transform Your Life with Shaun T").
I also love the week-long "teaser" programs that allow you to get a taste of the program, or just prepare for it, before diving into the full program. After "Shaun Week" with Shaun T and "A Week of Hard Labor" with Sagi Kalev proved to be wildly successful, the company has added others with "A Little Obsessed" (Autumn Calabrese), "B4 LIIFT4" (Joel Freeman), and "Before You Transform" (Shaun T). Sometimes a commitment a week at a time is just what is needed!
Over time, the company has worked to make these videos more accessible to everyone, now offering captioning in multiple languages (as well as a program filmed in Spanish, Mes de Más, with captions available in English and French) and a split-screen option where you can keep the modifier onscreen the whole time if you're following the low-impact or lower-intensity versions of the moves.
Our mobile app also allows for downloading workouts to play later—meaning that now you REALLY have no excuses since you can even play them in locations where there is no wifi connection!
And the workout library now includes sessions from Beachbody Live for programs including PiYo, TurboFire, Insanity and Cize. These are the same videos that certified instructors use to learn the new routines they'll be teaching, and it means you have even more additional workouts to choose from within these programs!
Here is the full list of exercise programs, ordered roughly from newest to oldest:
Transform:20 (only available for VIP early access customers until April 1, 2019)
Before You Transform
B4 LIIFT4
Mes de Más
A Little More Obsessed
A Little Obsessed
A Week of Hard Labor
Double Time
Active Maternity
Shaun Week
21 Day Fix
TurboFire
Body Beast
P90X One on One
P90X2
P90X
10 Minute Trainer
Total Body Solution
Project You
Power Half Hour
Ho'ala Ke Kino
Power 90
Great Body Guaranteed
As always, the workouts can be played on any device with a web browser, as well as on the mobile app for Android and Apple devices. Apps also exist for other devices, such as Roku and Kindle Fire. One of my favorite tips is to buy a Chromecast (a USB device that looks like a thumb drive) so you can transmit the signal from your laptop onto your big screen TV, meaning you'll never miss another move from squinting at a tiny screen to see what's being demonstrated!
In addition to these roughly four dozen exercise programs, a Beachbody on Demand subscription includes access to the Fixate cooking show—including hundreds of healthy recipes in both video and text format—plus a reality show ("The 20s") chronicling the process of choosing Beachbody's next super trainer, and other bonuses such as tips from Sagi Kalev for preparing for a figure competition.
Beachbody on Demand was the best value in fitness when it was introduced, and the price has remained basically the same while they have shoehorned in so many more additional features for a completely premium experience!
Ready to try it? Check out your membership options here! For a 14-day free trial, choose the quarterly membership option. You won't be billed for your first quarter until the end of the 14 days, and you won't be billed at all if you cancel before the end of the trial period!
