This is such a complex topic. Appreciate hearing your side of this story - the insiders confessions!! I can totally relate.
My wife and I got into Beachbody because our friends had absolutely insane transformations on p90x. We were NOT couch potatoes, but the physical transformation we witnessed as a result of purposefully combining lifting and nutrition was just mind-blowing. I never realized that was possible. We did the program and got our own crazy results.
Although there was an aesthetic appeal for us to start the program, I don’t think it came from a place of judgement which is where (I think) the problems begin. We just saw our friends do it and though, can we do that too?
We followed the nutrition to a T and we learned so much about how we were eating. For example, my wife didn’t realize she was eating 16oz of frozen yogurt regularly because she was ordering the small, but the person was filling it up to a large!!! We started weighing our frozen yogurt and built awareness that really made a difference and has continued on in our lives. We learned about cutting coffee and tried doing things differently in so many areas and the programs were a catalyst for that.
On one hand, yes there are aesthetic components to marketing and joining programs like this, but the amount that you learn about yourself as a result goes so far beyond the physical transformation that people see. If you could see the transformation of health, that would be amazing, but it’s more challenging to show those things.
The name Beachbody has been brand in my mind like Nike for so long that I don’t associate it to the physical transformations anymore, but I know that many people do and the Health Esteem movement is great. Plus, from a time perspective, I can’t beat 30 minute workouts in the garage with kids.
Hey Mike - Thank you for such a thoughtful response! It's gratifying to hear that nutrition played a role in your transformation. So many people didn't bother to read "the white book" that came with the P90X series. :)
Being an almost OG with BB, I loved reading this Denis. With a lot of people in an uproar of different levels about the Health Esteem approach...it's the exact approach I've followed with BB for 15 years, both as a participant and as a coach. I was one of the loyal listeners when you and Steve would jump online and just run with topics and keep it brutally honest with both the educated background and putting it out there for Common Joe's to understand.
I'll admit that being a coach (team sports, tennis pro, fitness certs, etc) and with a background in fitness for years before finding Beachbody, the Health Esteem messaging was much easier for me because I understood how our bodies work and also what was "hype" and marketing.
I think once people loosen their personal grip on that "end pic" vision a bit and pay attention to all the daily changes that are happening, that people's results will start to overtake their self-proclaimed failures for not looking like that fitness model.
I also like that you pulled the curtain back a bit here on the actual teams of people that Beachbody has always had putting all the pieces together. Unfortunately I think too many people blow off the trainers knowledge anyhow with it being "at-home" so it must not be on level with in the gym. I was fortunate to be following some of your work with the P3 people during that X2 era and it intrigued me so much. I think a lot that you shared in this post gives even more legitimacy to our programming. Thank you for that. Take care Denis.
I appreciate this view and perspective so much. I’ve been using the programs, nutrition, and supplements for 7 years starting in 2015. I’ve seen my best results when I followed the steps as closely as possible. I’ve also received mediocre results by loosely winging them as well. As someone who was once around 500lbs, I can humbly say that the platform and community helped me no longer be morbidly obese and saved my life. It was never about an after photo for me or as some have snickered about having a “beach body”. Those who have done or said that have missed the point. I’ve always had a beach body. I just have a body that I feel more comfortable at the beach in now. Not only was it health esteem that generated the confidence and self esteem I needed, but the mental stability to maintain it. It’s the community, and people like you who have helped the people like me achieve that. Thank you for your role in my life and journey. I appreciate you.
Certainly miss Steve as well as the content produced that included Denis!
Denis, your info on eating is what allowed me to change my lifestyle to eat differently. I changed myself drastically in about 9 months using the eating and working out. Functional fitness is absolutely what I'm about. The BB->BODi change is late in coming. I've since moved beyond both BB and Les Mills into a mix of Kettlebell / Rowing / Cycling. However, most of the eating remains unchanged! Am not perfect but 85-90% true to my needs. Am truly thankful!!
Rob, dude, I see that as a victory for Beachbody. Would it be nice for them if you still bought their goods and services? Of course! But the fact that you learned what you needed to learn and are now able to maintain a healthy lifestyle on your own stokes me to no end.
When I first heard of beach body 20+ years ago I was put off by the name. I’m a runner. I can’t be drawn in by that name. But the clear intelligence and knowledge of experts like Steve and the sincerity of Tony, and the great workouts drew me in quickly. I love this company despite its glitzy name. Good luck and I’ll be following this.
Mama Kina and I miss brother Steve - and you need to visit in TN again!!
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that after not watching stuff w/ a vengeance like we had for years, I peaked at 228.9 around Christmas (hence my text to you). I'm in the process of clearing out the cut trees in the back yard making room for "the marriage saver" (ie - The drum studio :D) so I would check the security camera playback to check the tree clean up progress since we had eight trees dropped on Dec 20, 2022. I kept thinking... "who's that fat guy?!" It was me!! So while I've not began Les Mills again like I had planned (who needs to when you're man-handling 100-150lb tree rounds onto a log splitter, chainsawing and stacking wood), I weighed 207.4 this morning from just "outdoor living" and eating less and making sure what I do eat is pretty clean - basically what you & Steve taught me/us either in person or thru the programs. So I'm already down 21lbs in 3 weeks. Mama started the ultimate reset again last week, she's down 5 lbs in week 1 and she makes enough for both of us to eat, I'm just not doing any supps. Even my latest drum video I recorded Friday night, I looked better! I actually noticed it. So thanks for setting an excellent template for us to follow.
Now I need to pull up the cameras again and see if that fat guy is still lurking in my yard...
This is such a complex topic. Appreciate hearing your side of this story - the insiders confessions!! I can totally relate.
My wife and I got into Beachbody because our friends had absolutely insane transformations on p90x. We were NOT couch potatoes, but the physical transformation we witnessed as a result of purposefully combining lifting and nutrition was just mind-blowing. I never realized that was possible. We did the program and got our own crazy results.
Although there was an aesthetic appeal for us to start the program, I don’t think it came from a place of judgement which is where (I think) the problems begin. We just saw our friends do it and though, can we do that too?
We followed the nutrition to a T and we learned so much about how we were eating. For example, my wife didn’t realize she was eating 16oz of frozen yogurt regularly because she was ordering the small, but the person was filling it up to a large!!! We started weighing our frozen yogurt and built awareness that really made a difference and has continued on in our lives. We learned about cutting coffee and tried doing things differently in so many areas and the programs were a catalyst for that.
On one hand, yes there are aesthetic components to marketing and joining programs like this, but the amount that you learn about yourself as a result goes so far beyond the physical transformation that people see. If you could see the transformation of health, that would be amazing, but it’s more challenging to show those things.
The name Beachbody has been brand in my mind like Nike for so long that I don’t associate it to the physical transformations anymore, but I know that many people do and the Health Esteem movement is great. Plus, from a time perspective, I can’t beat 30 minute workouts in the garage with kids.
Hey Mike - Thank you for such a thoughtful response! It's gratifying to hear that nutrition played a role in your transformation. So many people didn't bother to read "the white book" that came with the P90X series. :)
Being an almost OG with BB, I loved reading this Denis. With a lot of people in an uproar of different levels about the Health Esteem approach...it's the exact approach I've followed with BB for 15 years, both as a participant and as a coach. I was one of the loyal listeners when you and Steve would jump online and just run with topics and keep it brutally honest with both the educated background and putting it out there for Common Joe's to understand.
I'll admit that being a coach (team sports, tennis pro, fitness certs, etc) and with a background in fitness for years before finding Beachbody, the Health Esteem messaging was much easier for me because I understood how our bodies work and also what was "hype" and marketing.
I think once people loosen their personal grip on that "end pic" vision a bit and pay attention to all the daily changes that are happening, that people's results will start to overtake their self-proclaimed failures for not looking like that fitness model.
I also like that you pulled the curtain back a bit here on the actual teams of people that Beachbody has always had putting all the pieces together. Unfortunately I think too many people blow off the trainers knowledge anyhow with it being "at-home" so it must not be on level with in the gym. I was fortunate to be following some of your work with the P3 people during that X2 era and it intrigued me so much. I think a lot that you shared in this post gives even more legitimacy to our programming. Thank you for that. Take care Denis.
Bradd - Thank you! Those deep video dives with Steve remain some of my favorite content. The fact that folks like you got it means a lot!
I appreciate this view and perspective so much. I’ve been using the programs, nutrition, and supplements for 7 years starting in 2015. I’ve seen my best results when I followed the steps as closely as possible. I’ve also received mediocre results by loosely winging them as well. As someone who was once around 500lbs, I can humbly say that the platform and community helped me no longer be morbidly obese and saved my life. It was never about an after photo for me or as some have snickered about having a “beach body”. Those who have done or said that have missed the point. I’ve always had a beach body. I just have a body that I feel more comfortable at the beach in now. Not only was it health esteem that generated the confidence and self esteem I needed, but the mental stability to maintain it. It’s the community, and people like you who have helped the people like me achieve that. Thank you for your role in my life and journey. I appreciate you.
Thank you for those kind words, Craig. It's nice to hear from someone who really got it!!!!
Certainly miss Steve as well as the content produced that included Denis!
Denis, your info on eating is what allowed me to change my lifestyle to eat differently. I changed myself drastically in about 9 months using the eating and working out. Functional fitness is absolutely what I'm about. The BB->BODi change is late in coming. I've since moved beyond both BB and Les Mills into a mix of Kettlebell / Rowing / Cycling. However, most of the eating remains unchanged! Am not perfect but 85-90% true to my needs. Am truly thankful!!
Rob, dude, I see that as a victory for Beachbody. Would it be nice for them if you still bought their goods and services? Of course! But the fact that you learned what you needed to learn and are now able to maintain a healthy lifestyle on your own stokes me to no end.
Welcome to the club, man!
And I miss Steve.
So do we all, Barbara.
When I first heard of beach body 20+ years ago I was put off by the name. I’m a runner. I can’t be drawn in by that name. But the clear intelligence and knowledge of experts like Steve and the sincerity of Tony, and the great workouts drew me in quickly. I love this company despite its glitzy name. Good luck and I’ll be following this.
Mama Kina and I miss brother Steve - and you need to visit in TN again!!
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that after not watching stuff w/ a vengeance like we had for years, I peaked at 228.9 around Christmas (hence my text to you). I'm in the process of clearing out the cut trees in the back yard making room for "the marriage saver" (ie - The drum studio :D) so I would check the security camera playback to check the tree clean up progress since we had eight trees dropped on Dec 20, 2022. I kept thinking... "who's that fat guy?!" It was me!! So while I've not began Les Mills again like I had planned (who needs to when you're man-handling 100-150lb tree rounds onto a log splitter, chainsawing and stacking wood), I weighed 207.4 this morning from just "outdoor living" and eating less and making sure what I do eat is pretty clean - basically what you & Steve taught me/us either in person or thru the programs. So I'm already down 21lbs in 3 weeks. Mama started the ultimate reset again last week, she's down 5 lbs in week 1 and she makes enough for both of us to eat, I'm just not doing any supps. Even my latest drum video I recorded Friday night, I looked better! I actually noticed it. So thanks for setting an excellent template for us to follow.
Now I need to pull up the cameras again and see if that fat guy is still lurking in my yard...