I made it! This week I hit the halfway point of Kayla Itsine’s BBG program. After years of hearing about it from friends and online I decided I should give it a try. I was in a little bit of a fitness rut and just needed something to kick me in my pants and get me refocused.

Woah, boy. Let me tell ya, I was not expecting it to be as tough as it is. It was less of a kick in the pants, and more of a full on Chuck Norris roundhouse kick in my rear end. Since I really had no idea what I was getting into when I got started I thought it’d be good to share my thoughts on it so far for anyone else who might be considering it!

Let’s start with the good.

The good is that is it so hard. I think I think it’s easy to not push yourself enough when you’re not following a plan, I know I definitely don’t, so it’s definitely been really good for me. It also has me doing things I would typically resist at all costs, like push ups and burpees. They’re part of the program, so I’ve just got to do them now no matter how much I really really really really don’t want to (did I mention I really don’t want to?).

There’s also plenty of cardio which is my jam. You can adapt the cardio days to be more walking then running if you want, which is good depending on how you’re feeling and your level of fitness, but I love still having time to run during the week!

Last but not least, I do feel like I’m seeing changes in my body that I appreciate. If you’ve read my blog before you know that the main reason I work out daily is not to loose weight, but seeing my body evolve has definitely been really exciting! You don’t have to have your appearance be your main goal in order to still appreciate the changes, but not making them the focus makes it WAY easier to stay on track even on days when you don’t feel those changes as much.

Okay, so let’s talk bad.

It’s not for beginners. I am actually doing an older version of the program, and I don’t have the app, so Kayla may very well have fixed these problems in updates, but the PDF version I have is not beginner friendly at all. There are no modifications if you aren’t able to do a move, and she jumps right into some things that are super tough from the get go. Like I said before, it’s good that it is so challenging, but thinking back to my fitness level (or lack thereof) a year ago I know I would have given up pretty quickly if I hadn’t done some other programs first.

Even though I’ve been doing strength training the past year there are still certain moves that I simply can’t get through and have had to either adapt (I’m still over here doing modified push-ups yo!) or on rare occasions completely swap out because I physically can not do them. On the same note, she repeats move types a lot within a work out, so if it’s something you’re struggling with it can be really easy to over-do it and hurt yourself (I tweaked my shoulder from all of the push ups one day!). I am definitely getting better at these things, which is great, but it can sometimes feel a little disappointing to know I need to modify.

If you’re a newbie to work out programs I would definitely recommend starting with a program that has modifications so you can work your way up and avoid injury. There are tons of great programs like that out there, so find one that works best for you! I love all of the Love Sweat Fitness programs (her Spring Slim down last year was my very first one I ever made it through!). That said, I would still recommend BBG once you’ve built up some strength and have learned how to adapt and modify workouts for yourself. It’s good, but it’s easy to get frustrated or hurt yourself if you don’t have some familiarity with fitness programs.

Final Thoughts

So would I recommend it? Yes! If you how to modify moves, and also know when how to tell when you’ve hit your limits, then it’s a great program that will definitely help you push you to a new level. I would not recommend it as a starting point in your fitness journey. Get a little experience under your belt before you jump into this one, because you’ll definitely need to know the basics and having at least a little strength is super helpful.

Has anyone else made it through the program? Let me know your thoughts! Also feel free to drop any questions you might have in the comments. I am by no means an expert, but I am happy to share my experience!