80 Day Obsession review
Workout reviews

80 Day Obsession review

Quarantine, combined with Christmas / New Year (when I was already carrying some post baby extra pounds), meant I was desperate to lose a bit of weight. Getting out to the gym each day just isn’t feasible with two young kids and a full-time job. I’d seen all the before and after pics on Instagram and Facebook for 80 Day Obsession and and decided to give it a try myself. Read on for my unbiased 80 Day Obsession review.

Note: I’m in no way affiliated with Beachbody on Demand.

What is 80 Day Obsession?

80 Day Obsession is one of the online workout programs offered by Beachbody on Demand which streams exercise videos. It is created by fitness instructor Autumn Calabrese  and is promoted as “a total body transformation with a strong emphasis on glute and core training”.  In other words, it aims to give you a bikini bod in 80 days.

It’s 80 days of workouts – with a different workout for each of the 80 days.

There is also a meal plan to follow, but I didn’t try that as it looked very strict.  The meal plan is apparently all about eating small, portioned controlled meals  every 2-3 hours at the right time to fuel the workouts (note there are no cheat days).

You need to join up online to Beachbody On Demand to get access to 80 Day Obsession.

It’s also part of a dreaded MLM where you get access to a coach to keep you motivated and can also buy shakes (called “Shakeology”) and supplements (called “Beachbody Performance”). I didn’t want any of that so I just joined via the Beachbody on Demand website.

The idea behind the program is that after you have exercised/ engaged in healthy eating for 80 days, you should have enough of a foundation to make it a habit.

To keep you motivated, you get workout tracker sheets  to fill out and track your progress and an 80 Day Obsession Calendar which lists out all the workouts you will be doing and when during the 80 days.

You can get a better idea about what the program is about in this Youtube video:

What are the workouts like?

There are 3 phases to the workouts. Phase 1 covers days 1 -26, phase 2 covers days 27-50, phase 3 covers days 51-74 and Peak Week (the final week with a selection of the best exercises) is days 75-80 . In each new phase the workouts are different and each phase gets progressively more complicated. So if for example, you hate phase 2, you are going to loath phase 3.

Each day of the week targets a different area of the body. For phase 1, the workouts are:

  • Mondays – Total body core;
  • Tuesdays – Booty;
  • Wednesdays – Cardio Core;
  • Thursdays – AAA (Arms, Abs and A**);
  • Fridays – Legs; and
  • Saturdays – Cardio Flow

Sundays are a rest day (but there are no rest days if you are following the meal plan). Because Sundays are a rest day, the program actually goes for 91 days.

Some of the workouts are 40-60 mins long. On stretching days though, you can done in less than 20 minutes.

I started seeing some results after 14 days – which was pretty motivating to keep going.

80 Day Obsession equipment

You will need to spend some $$ on equipment for this program. You’ll need dumbbells (preferably different sizes), resistance loops, strength sliders (which are little discs that you put under your feet to slide on), a foam roller (optional), a mat (I used 2 mats on top of each other), and a ropeless jump rope (optional).  I think you can buy most of the equipment through Beachbody’s website but I just got everything from Amazon. If you’re following the meal plans, you’ll need portion-controlled containers which Beachbody also sell.

You also need a device such as a tablet, or computer/ laptop to stream the workouts. A phone would sort of work but it will be difficult to see all the moves.

Can you lose weight with 80 Day Obsession?

Yes I lost some weight. I can also see better definition in my abs.  I didn’t bother tracking measurements as I was only interested in what the scales had to say.

I feel like if you wanted to see dramatic weight loss though, you’d need to follow the diet plan.

80 Day Obsession FAQs

How much does 80 Day Obsession cost?

The minimum you can pay is US$39 for 3 months which includes the 80-day exercise plan as well as meal plans for each day.  The $39 plan doesn’t include the protein shakes (called “Shakeology”). There is also an option to get a 3 month subscription with a 30 day supply of Shakeology for US$140. There are also other more expensive plans that give you access to Beachbody for longer.

Can you do 80 Day Obsession without the resistance loops?

Yes you can but you won’t see as good a result without them. Plus they are pretty cheap if you get them off Amazon – about $10 so if you are going to invest in the program, you might as well shell out an extra $10 for the bands.

Is 80 Day Obsession for everyone?

I would say no. It is best suited to intermediate to advanced level exercisers. They do have a person in the class who does a modification of each exercise however the exercises are still quite challenging. You also need to be very committed to weigh loss, especially if you are following the meal plan.

They have a taster program called A Little Obsessed which you might want to undertake first to see if 80 Day Obsession is right for you. It’s a 5 day introduction to the full program. You could also try the 21 Day Fix or Country Heat which are shorter and suitable for beginners.

Even though some of the longer Beachbody subscription plans work out cheaper in the long run, I recommend joining on the 3 month membership plan to see if it is right for you. The 3 month plan gives you a free 14 day trial (you still need to enter your credit card details). If you don’t cancel within the 14 day trial, you’ll  get charged for the full 3 months.

For me, the time commitment needed each day to complete 80 Day Obsession was just too much but it won’t be for regular gym goers (if you include the time saved from not having to get to and from the gym).

I also think that you need to be extremely motivated to get results because the program is hardcore. While I didn’t try it myself, apparently the meal plans are equally as gruelling

Who is the 80 Day Obsession most suited to?

I think a person who is already pretty fit and healthy who maybe wants to lose a bit of weight and tone and sculpt their butt and abs to get a bikini bod fast will enjoy this program. If you have the discipline and time to do the diet and shakes too, you will definitely see results.

Does 80 Day Obsession have music?

No, there is no music however they have created playlists you can access via Spotify during the workouts.

Pros of the 80 Day Obsession program

  • You can do the workouts from home or anywhere you have an internet connection.
  • The intensity of the workouts become progressively harder as you progress through the program.
  • It’s cheaper than a gym subscription.
  • You’ll save time on travelling to and from the gym.
  • New workouts each day keeps things fresh. You are unlikely to get bored.
  • The workouts don’t require much room, although Beachbody recommends having a six foot by six foot space for most of the workouts.
  • You also get access to meal plans. These didn’t interest me but presumably if you follow the meal plans closely plus do the exercise, you’ll get better results.
  • The vids are “live style” without a lot of editing to them so it feels some what like being in a real class. I like the way the videos followed along with the progress of the cast and their struggles.
  • One person in the class is a “modifier” meaning they do an easier version of each exercise.
  • Excellent program if you like a challenge plus variety.
  • Even if you don’t want to do the meal/ diet plan, I feel like using the meal containers to control portions of whatever you are eating, would be excellent to get your eating back on track if that is an issue. You could of course follow any other diet program whilst doing the exercise component of 80 Day Obsession.
  • The program claims to boost your metabolism so that you see long lasting results (I’m a bit sceptical about this – especially if you start eating “normally” again).
  • If you struggle to motivate yourself, you can always get a Beachbody coach (for an extra cost).
  • You’ll obviously see better results that the 21 Day Fix due to the 80 day duration of the program.
  • You get access to a behind the scenes video that you watch each week to prepare you for the next lot of exercises. It features the cast talking about their challenges they faced as well as tips from Autumn. Some people will find these videos motivating.

Cons of the 80 Day Obsession program

  • The 6 day a week workouts were too much for me, especially as they were up to an hour long.
  • You don’t get the motivating atmosphere of the gym.
  • The workouts are intense and not suitable for beginners / people who are unfit.
  • Each workout averages 45mins to 1 hour. I found that there weren’t enough hours in the day to devote that amount of time to exercise each day. Half an hour is about my limit.
  • Not suitable for the very unfit/ overweight.
  • You need to be very committed or “obsessed” with the program.
  • If you have problems with your knees and back, this is definitely not the exercise program for you. 80 Day Obsession is not a low impact, no jumping workout.
  • If your form isn’t correct, you risk causing yourself an injury – although Autumn spends time correcting and critiquing the other cast members’ form.
  • Some of the moves are overly complicated.
  • You don’t get a DVD or a digital download of the videos. So once your membership is up, you will need to re-subscribe to Beachbody if you didn’t complete the 80 Day Obsession in time or just want to redo the program.
  • If you don’t like being sore after a workout, this program is probably not the right one for you.
  • If you have or had in the past, a problem with disordered eating, 80 Day Obsession might be triggering.

Final verdict

The 80 Day Obsession program has the ability to transform your body in a relatively short period of time. I feel like the program would be amazing for someone prepping for a big event say a wedding.  But while I think it is possible to achieve amazing results, especially if the meals plans are followed, for me, the results will be short lived. I know the idea behind the program is for a healthy lifestyle to become a habit, but the program is just too gruelling/ time consuming for me to follow on a regular basis. The tag line to Beachbody’s promotion video is that “it is time to get obsessed” – but I don’t really have the time to get obsessed. Also keep in mind that the shakes are at the heart of the Beachbody weight loss program, so if you aren’t into meal replacement shakes/ or can’t afford them on an ongoing basis, you might not see results or keep seeing results.

I’m also cheap and not a hardcore exerciser. There is enough good, free exercise vids on Youtube to keep me happy. However if you like variety in your workouts, Beachbody On Demand is pretty good value for money – there are many workout videos on there.

There seems to be a lot of negatively online towards 80 Day Obsession due to the MLM component of it. But you can do the program without joining through a MLM coach  and in the process save yourself a bundle. I didn’t take the MLM coach approach so I can’t say if  I would have received better results if I had used a coach.

Finally, even though I didn’t lose that much weight, I loved how I felt after each workout. I felt like I could crush anything that the rest of the day had to throw at me!

You might also like my Beachbody on Demand Barre Blend Review and my 21 Day Fix Review.

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