LIIFT 4 Review

LIIFT 4 is Beachbody on Demand’s most solid workout to date! Led by trainer Joel Freeman, this combination of lifting and HIIT (high intensity interval training) is a reliable and effective workout. If you are searching for a time efficient, no bs program, look no further. The commitment is to work out four days a week for 30-40 minutes per session. Want to learn more? Keep reading. 

The Good

Typically Joel mixes things up. He mixes up a more traditional circuit workout, with the LIFFT 50/50 (lifting then cardio), LIIFT Intervals (alternating weight lifting and cardio), and HIIT days where there are no weights involved.

Joel does not workout with the group, which means he can give more tips on form. I appreciate this a lot as many of the instructors do the workout and forget to talk about proper form. Joel is an excellent trainer who has great chemistry with his participants. He walks around and corrects their form, which is especially important when lifting weights.

You lift heavy weights with low reps and sets. Max, you do thirty reps. Thirty reps may not seem like enough to some, but trust me 30 reps are more than enough. If you are not feeling anything you need heavier weights. I feel this is the best upper-body workout Beachbody offers. If you have worked out with Jari Love or Cathe Friedrich, you know they do a lot of reps and sets and the workout is usually an hour or longer. You will get a serious gym style workout without taking an hour.

What I like most about LIIFT 4 it’s a one and done workout. You get your strength workout, your cardio workout, and abs at the end. All with 4 workouts a week. You never do the same workout twice.

The Bad

Honestly, HITT days are mostly legs and for me this is just not enough. I need heavy weighted squats, lunges, and other moves to stay on track. My body is not a fan of using its own body weight. I feel like the upper-body workouts are stellar and the leg workouts are lacking. An easy fix is to replace the HIIT leg day with Legs LIFFT 50/50 from another week instead.

The modifiers are not always the best. Two things if you are low impact and avoiding anything that could strain your wrist and back, some modifications suck. I do other exercises instead rather than mountain climbers, burpees, bears, and so on. I am a fan of the standing knee raise with the twist, doing low intensity push kicks and punches, squatting down and tapping each leg back then standing and repeating this move. If you have a neighbor below you like I do, make adjustments. 

Typically, if you read my other Beachbody reviews, you will know I usually have issues with the modifiers. As in I cannot see them until they have been preforming the modified move for some time. It’s a pain when you are trying to follow the modifier, you have to rewind and start after seeing them move or make something up. 

A reader brought this to my attention, if you use the app there is a modification mode to focus on the modifiers. If you stream via a streaming service as I do on Roku that option is not available. And not on my BODi membership on my MYX II bike. I would suspect that those who stream Beachbody on demand via Apple TV, Chromecast, or with Amazon Fire TV would have the same issue as I do. Mostly, you can see the modifier when they exercise. I had an issue a few times. It was inconvenient, but not as bad as other Beachbody Workouts.

The Ugly 

In typical Beachbody fashion, they have Joel mention their workout drink Energize more than I would like. Really, that is it. Joel also made some comments to one participant I thought were stupid or borderline rude. Most people would not notice, but I have done this program several times. 

My Thoughts

LIIFT is not a program you want to start if you are out of shape. This program is for Intermediate to Advanced levels and is difficult. You need to lift heavy weights. This is a workout I use between other programs to build muscle. I finished Morning Meltdown 100 recently and I am doing LIIFT 4 because I lost muscle doing that workout. This program is best for those who love weight lifting! 

You do LIIFT 4 to improve your strength and endurance. If you eat right, you will see some serious results in 4 weeks. I never saw an immense difference, but my heavy weight went from 8 pounds to 15-20 depending on the muscle group. I get stronger every time I do this program, which is why I repeat it. This is a workout you pick when you're an intermediate or advanced level and want to get stronger and leaner. 

I also feel that this needs to be said, because most of Beachbody workouts exclude the plus size community, over half of our population is a size 16 or larger. The problem is most exercise tapes are excluding the plus size community. I want to see someone who looks like me in fitness tape and not have them be part of the background. You can be fat and fit! 

I am overweight and my workouts could put some fit people’s to shame. My workouts consist of lifting weights, running, step aerobics and power walking. I work out every single day and love it. Hopefully one day Beachbody figures out people come in all shapes and sizes and would add more participants to represent the plus size community. 

I recommend LIIFT 4 and if you think you are not ready yet to try it, start with the 21 Day Fix. Then do 21 Day Fix Real Time and give LIIFT 4 a try. LIIFT 4 is one of the best workouts and one of my favorites. Have you tried Beachbody on Demand? If so, comment below.