Sweat 12 Week Challenge Review

At the beginning of this year I set out to complete the Sweat with Kayla 12 week challenge which is a high intensity interval training program by fitness trainer Kayla Itsines. Kayla is the person behind the Sweat App and Bikini Body Guide otherwise known as BBG. Kayla’s BBG program features 28 minute workouts that you can do virtually anywhere.

Why I chose the Sweat 12 Week Challenge

During the winter I typically don’t want to leave my house unless it is absolutely necessary (i.e. for work or for food). Winter is the time when my workout routine is shot because going to the gym does not fall in the category of ‘absolutely necessary’ for me. That is where the Sweat App came in to play. The Sweat App is like having a personal trainer available any time of day and the workouts require little to no equipment making it easy to complete them in the comfort of your own home.

What I liked about Sweat

• The App: I had the BBG PDF for a couple of years and could never bring myself to complete more than a week or two. When I learned about the Sweat App I knew I had to try it. The App really made all the difference for me. The App shows exactly what moves to do and keeps track of the time all in one place. There is an App for the iPhone and for the Apple Watch as well. 
• Flexibility: I loved being able to fit my workout into my schedule. Since I had access to the workouts on the App I could workout whenever I had time. I liked not having to look up class schedules at my gym or not having to worry about making it to class on time. 
• The Community: I follow Kayla on social media and really love the positive community that she has built around her program. If I ever needed a boost of motivation it was easy to just scroll through Kayla’s Instagram feed and see the progress that others have made by using the same program. 

What I would change 

• Variety: I would like to have a little more variation in the workouts. Each workout featured two circuits. Instead of repeating circuits I would prefer to have different moves in the second half of the workout routine. 

Results

Aside from the increase in strength and energy, at the end of the 12 week challenge I was down ten pounds and could see some muscle definition. I can’t attribute all of my results to the Sweat 12 Week Challenge because I was also training for longer runs and completed a Whole30 during the last four weeks of the challenge. I will say that the four weeks where I was focused on both diet and exercise were the weeks where I saw the most results: flatter stomach and more muscle definition.

Is it worth it?

For $20 a month you get access to the resistance workouts, recovery workouts, and more. If you don’t currently go to the gym or workout consistently then this would be a wonderful option for you! You will only need to purchase a few pieces of equipment and some space in your home to complete the workouts.

Will you continue using the Sweat App?

While the App worked wonderfully and the workouts were challenging I did miss taking the classes at my gym. I feed off of the energy around me and I really missed having a trainer and others there to motivate me. I do go through phases where I don’t want to go to the gym (like winter time) so during those phases I will definitely be using the Sweat App to get my workouts in.