I Tried a New Workout Program: My Review of LIIFT4
For me, the hardest part about starting a new strength training program is figuring out which program to actually do. I will happily spend hours designing a 4-month running program, but somewhere along the line the strength training aspect became a black hole that I hid away for later. “Later” being an infinite deadline that would never be reached.
Having just sprained my ankle and with social distancing recently in place, I figure I had nothing but time. I was ready to face that black hole. Later had become now.
And with that, my two-month commitment to LIIFT4 began.
What is LIIFT4?
LIIFT4 is a workout program available through Beachbody, with Joel Freeman as the trainer. It is an 8-week program that consists of both weight lifting and high intensity interval training (HIIT). There were 4 workouts per week, and each video is about 30 to 40 minutes long. Each day focuses on different muscle groups (chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoulders, and legs), and every workout ends with a relatively short core workout. The format of the workout varies day to day, but is always one of the following:
LIIFT 50/50: The first half of the workout is weight lifting, and the second half is HIIT
LIIFT Intervals: Each set of weight lifting finishes with a HIIT move.
Circuit: These workouts are lifting only with no HIIT component. There is a “burnout” set at the end where the same move (e.g. push ups) is repeated for a specified amount of time.
HIIT: Every other leg workout is entirely HIIT. Be ready for lots of jump squats!
What I like: It’s simple
The moves done in this program are all very classic. Things like push ups, chest press, bicep curls, etc. Having some past experience with strength training, I was able to dive into each workout without paying too much attention to the screen. If you don’t have experience with strength training, don’t worry -- you won’t be thrown any complex moves*. Joel explains each exercise before the circuit starts, and gives tips and feedback throughout. I was able to concentrate on my form rather than spending time figuring out exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
*to be honest, I never did quite master “catchers”…
What I like: Variety
There is a total of 32 workouts and 32 videos in this program, which means you never repeat the same video twice. The individual exercises are repeated from video to video, but I never had that stale feeling from hearing the same one-liners week after week. I could feel the camaraderie grow as the weeks progressed, and I found myself feeling like I was a part of the athletes’ interactions. Joel likes to make the same jokes (he doesn’t do the full workouts and is happy to remind everyone of this), but I still find myself laughing as I was pushing through the pain
What I like: Modifications
One aspect that I think gets overlooked in a lot of other workout programs is the importance of modifications. Too often there is person in the corner of the room doing the modified move who gets ignored as the trainer pushes the other athletes. The reality is that modifications are crucial to being able to progress, especially for beginners. I found it refreshing to see Joel encourage everyone on screen (and at home) to revert to modified exercises in order to maintain proper form. I found there was a great balance of “push yourself” hype while not letting anyone lose form.
One modification I would have loved to see was on the push ups. The classic modification of doing push ups on the knees was included, but personally I can’t hammer out more than 1 or 2 triceps push ups even like this. I did most of these on an incline using a bench, and seeing some of the athletes struggling to complete the exercise on video made me wonder if an additional modification should have been included.
What I liked (but others may not): Short Warm Up/Cool down
If you’re someone who works out first thing in the morning or who needs a solid warm-up before things get intense, you may find this aspect of LIIFT4 is lacking. I actually really loved the minimalist approach to warm up and cool down, but it is not for everyone.
What I didn’t like: … Nothing
To be perfectly honest, I have no real complaints about this program*. It can be as intense (or easy) as you want it to be, and the relatively short videos were exactly what I needed to be reminded how good it can feel to build muscle. I was consistently lifting heavier weights with each workout, and was able to do more push-ups and power through the core workouts by the end of the 8 weeks.
*Okay, ONE thing: Joel randomly references “Kobe” several times in ONE of the videos at Week 6. Who is Kobe? Why have we never heard of Kobe before? Why does Joel keep talking about Kobe?
I looked it up later. Kobe is Joel’s cat.
