Shift Shop Review – Does it Work?

 

Not going to lie, I was very excited for the new program Shift Shop to come out with the new Beachbody Trainer, Chris Downing. Given my background playing sports growing up I definitely gravitate toward athletic, performance-based type workouts. I think this is especially true since I have a long history of knee and lower back injuries, which limits my ability to participate these days in live competitive sport activities. So, anything I can do to compete with myself safely makes me VERY happy (with modifications as needed)! That is why I am such a big fan of Shaun T’s Insanity Asylum series with the agility ladder, weights and speed rope. Shift Shop has the look and feel of this style of workout program!

 

I was even more pumped for this program given that I had the opportunity to preview the program with 3 live Shift Shop workouts with Chris Downing in Punta Cana! Chris is a great guy and the workouts were awesome as my review describes. Of course, it still remains to be seen from my perspective how the concept of “shifting” your mindset and performance translates to sustainable results with a health and fitness program that can be done at the home or gym. The Shift Shop uses a “ramp-up” method that starts you off slow—then gradually increases the intensity week by week—all while refining your nutrition. It is described as a rapid rebuild program where the workouts are 25 (Phase 1), 35 (Phase 2) and 45 minutes (Phase 3) with 50-minute Deluxe workouts for speed and strength. There are also core and mobility workouts for overall foundation and balance for better results and performance. Like most Beachbody programs, there are modifiers for a range of fitness levels. You can either access Shift Shop as a streaming option on Beachbody on Demand (BOD) or the Shift Shop DVD Challenge Pack! The ALL ACCESS pass to BOD includes this new Shift Shop program along with nearly $8,000 worth of other workout programs, nutrition guides, healthy cooking show and exclusives. The ALL ACCESS Beachbody on Demand Challenge Pack is a KILLER deal, but both packs are a great value.

 

My goal with this detailed Shift Shop Review is to both try the program AND create perspective for you to make a decision on leveraging Shift Shop for your health and fitness goals. I also created a hybrid schedule with my favorite mass gain program, Body Beast!

 

Again, given that I am a Science guy,  I will leverage heart rate analysis for each workout to draw conclusions and comparisons including the data in my perspective. This approach is similar to my popular reviews for P90X3, Insanity Max:30, Hammer & Chisel, 22 Minute Hard Corps, Body Beast, Country Heat, Core De Force and Shaun Week. I have a Polar H7 Bluetooth enabled heart rate monitor (chest strap) synced to my iPhone using the free Polar Beat Mobile App and Polar Flow. Warmup and cooldown time is included in the heart rate analysis. The warmups and cooldowns are limited so it is recommended to add additional time to stretch if needed. I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Shift Shop Agility Markers for the workouts, they are color-coded and non-slip to keep you from getting frustrated from the markers moving around during the agility performance moves! Each workout has a “SHOP RULE” Chris discusses at the start to keep you engaged and focused.

 

Nutrition is CRITICAL for getting the results you want with your fitness program and the targets need to be aligned with the clean eating system (Nutrition + Portion Fix recommended, but you may need to bump calories for mass gain depending on goals). My current supplements include the BODi Performance Advanced Stack of ENERGIZE pre-workout, HYDRATE during workout, and RECOVER post-workout with Shakeology and Beachbar snacks. Be sure to let me know if you would like to join my private support team for daily motivation and accountability, the slight edge, for your success. Check out my TESTIMONIALS! Click JOIN TEAM RAGE with any questions. Let’s do this!

 

• Special Offer: GET BODi ACCESS to EVERY Beachbody program ever created HERE!
• Download the individual programs without a BODi subscription

 

I hope you enjoy my Shift Shop Review!!

 

 

 

 

 

The Workouts

Speed 25
Speed 45
Strength 25
Shift Core
Speed 35
Shift Mobility
Strength 35
Super Shift Core (… DELUXE DVDs …)
Super Speed 50 (… DELUXE DVDs …)
Strength 45
Super Strength 50 (… DELUXE DVDs …)

 

 

The Data Analysis Summary

I will get to my data summary shortly, however, overall I REALLY like the Shift Shop program created by Chris Downing. I think that the workouts are solid and definitely provide a total body challenge with focus on functional movements and agility. The program works and the nutrition plan is awesome. To me, Shift Shop feels like a mix of Insanity Asylum, Max:30, Body Beast and 22 Minute Hard Corps. That is not a bad thing since in many ways Shift Shop takes some of the best aspects of these programs combined with his unique stye of motivation to bring your best performance to the program and life. The agility markers are a great way to visualize your success and stay on track during the workouts. However, I was disappointed that Shift Shop leaves out a major exercise for physical fitness and upper body focus… pull-ups! Seriously, this is one movement that should be in every balanced program, it IS the ultimate exercise. Insanity Asylum, Body Beast and 22 Minute Hard Corps all work in pull-ups, even if limited compared to the pull-up monster series of P90X. There is one variation in Super Strength 50 with sandbag that essentially simulates a pull-up one side at a time while laying chest down on the ground (superman pull, see video in Super Strength 50 review below). Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to rip off some pull-ups in a warmup set before pressing play or post-workout on some of the resistance days. Speaking of sandbag, get a sandbag for the Deluxe workouts if you do not have one. The workouts are just different otherwise, and not as effective from my perspective. And, do the extra Deluxe workouts. They are awesome! Super Shift Core is one of the best ab/core routines I have done and the only one I know that uses a sandbag throughout. Weighted abs is a good thing if done safely and good form to get those abs to pop (provided nutrition is dialed in). Shift Mobility is another great component of Shift Shop, reminding me of a shorter version of P90X X Stretch. I highly recommend Shift Mobility in your schedule for any program given the general stretch, flexibility and mobility work. With all that said, I am looking forward to more Shift Shop workouts as well as my Body Beast Shift Shop hybrid!

 

The table below demonstrates the VERY detailed results from comprehensive heart rate analysis for all 11 workouts for Shift Shop (click to expand for easier reading).  The data includes calories burned, average heart rate, max heart rate, time in each of 5 workout zones plus the percentage of time in max zones 4 and 5. Normalized calories are also shown (calories/workout time). The data is sorted with the highest calorie burn workouts near the top ranked toward lowest calorie burn at the bottom (not surprising, core and mobility workouts). The graph also summarizes the workouts with regard to heart rate analysis (calories burned, average heart rate).

 

 

 

I feel really good about the data set and the regression analysis below indicates a very strong correlation to the data set for normalized calories and heart rates, which is a good sign (very close to perfect correlation R2 = 1). Although not shown in graphical format, max heart rates vs. average heart rates for all 11 workouts also provides a good fit at y = 1.1607x + 10.2 (R2 = 0.93569).

 

 

You can see from the data set that Shift Shop provides a range of workouts that challenge in different ways. (By the way, I know that you are not actually “burning” calories, ha, it is just a term.) Speed 45 is by far the toughest workout in the program, while the core and mobility workouts are the easiest. The Strength workouts involve a warmup in addition to the cooldown. Strength 45 is quite challenging and Super Strength 50 is the most fun workout for me in the program (not as challenging as Strength 45). Further, the strength (resistance) workouts typically have lower calorie burns than the speed (cardio) focused speed workouts, however, as expected, the longer workouts for both strength and speed burn more than the shorter workouts (with the exception of the “Super” 50 min workouts with sandbag).

 

 

Check out the comparison below to some key performance indicators relative to other top Beachbody programs P90X3, Insanity Max:30, Hammer & Chisel, 22 Minute Hard Corps, Body Beast, Country Heat, Core De Force and Shaun Week (click to expand for easier reading). Numbers shown are averages of all 16 Insanity Max:30 workouts, all 20 P90X3 workouts, all 19 Hammer and Chisel, all 13 22 Minute Hard Corps workouts, all 15 Body Beast workouts, 11 Country Heat workouts, all 14 Core De Force, all 7 Shaun Week workouts relative to all 11 Shift Shop workouts. Workout times generally average in the 30 minute range for most of the programs…

 

 

The data comparing Shift Shop to other Beachbody programs actually surprises me quite a bit. That is why data is SO important! Overall, Shift Shop comes in as one of the “easier” ones via heart rate analysis given relatively lower calories burned, average heart rates, max heart rates and workout zones. With that said, Shift Shop is NOT easy. I believe overall some of the numbers are lower on average given the significant amount of time spent on instruction in this program as well as the three ab/core/mobility workouts. I would also say that the resistance workouts did not push me as hard as some of the other resistance workouts in the Beachbody catalogue (e.g., Body Beast, P90X3). This is clearly more of a performance based program along the lines of Insanity Asylum and 22 Minute Hard Corps.

 

So, Does Shift Shop Work?

 

YES! As I always say, I am not going to lie, most if not all of these programs will work if you follow them, especially the nutrition guide and discipline. I know this from my personal experience as well as the experience of thousands on my Team across the World over 8+ years already. Shift Shop is ANOTHER tool in the toolbox for achieving your health and fitness goals. I am a fan of Shift Shop and Chris Downing, but I still gravitate toward Body Beast for my mass gain goals at the present time. As such, I have created a Body Beast Shift Shop Hybrid that incorporates Shift Shop workouts to enhance my overall core, cardio and functional performance development along with the muscle hypertrophy focus of Body Beast. I hope you enjoy my Shift Shop Review — Empower, Love, Inspire!

 

Favorite Workouts: Speed 45, Shift Mobility, Super Shift Core, Super Strength 50

Least Favorite Workouts: Speed 25

Hardest Workouts (for me): Speed 45, Super Speed 50, Strength 45

Easiest Workouts (for me): Shift Core, Speed 25, Strength 25

 

 

 

 

 

The Reviews

 

Speed 25

The first workout in my Shift Shop Review is Speed 25 since it was the preview sneak peek workout provided on Beachbody on Demand well before the release date. I figured it would be one of the easier workouts in the program found in the first phase of the ramp rebuild approach. Described as,

“Jumpstart your cardio with 1-minute intervals designed to work your entire body and make you break a sweat.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Try before you modify

So how did I do in 25 minutes of Speed 25 (plus several minute cooldown)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Honestly, I thought this was going to be easy since it is one of the Week 1 workouts in Shift Shop at 25 minutes, where Week 2 is 35 min and Week 3 45 min… but, it was definitely a challenging workout! The thing is, you can make it as hard as you want. There is a modifier and within moves you can go faster or slower. The agility markers are a great addition, highly recommended since it was a disaster when I tried paper or other items around the house. So, Speed 25 reminds me of a mix between 22 Minute Hard Corps and Insanity Asylum, which is awesome since I enjoy those athletic, performance based workouts. There are 14, one-minute exercises with no warmup (I recommend to get one yourself) and a 3 minute cooldown (short breaks between moves). The moves include jump rope, skip combo, ali shuffle, quick jack taps, high knee run, bear crawl, lateral slide, mountain climbers, butt kicks, shop hops, fence jumps, burpee jumps, swing jumps and catcher’s crawl. Several moves ramp up the intensity where you go all out for 1 minute such as quick jack taps, mountain climbers, shop hops and burpee jumps (you can see this reflected in my heart rate data spikes). Here is my daughter and I rockin’ Shop Hops!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWFWXz-AjC8/?taken-by=howdoigetripped

 

Bear crawl and catcher’s crawl were tough! My upper and lower body were pretty exhausted by the end. Again, there are modifiers throughout so anyone can do this program. Heart rate analysis demonstrates 311 calories in 29 minutes total time with average and max heart rate of 147 and 180 bpm, respectively with most of the workout in Zone 4 “Hard” at 80-90% target heart rate max. Not bad for what I expect to be one of the easier workouts for Shift Shop. Get ready!

 

 

Speed 45

So, once the program released I asked around to my friends that were in the official Beachbody test group for Shift Shop to confirm the hardest workout. I wanted to do whatever that was next! Ha, bring it. Turns out the overwhelming majority, actually all I talked to, said Speed 45 is the hardest. Described as,

“Up the ante with new dynamic drills that continue to ramp-up your conditioning and get your ready for any challenge.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Celebrate the challenge

Chris Downing actually states early in this one that this is the most challenging workout of Shift Shop, by far. Cool.

So how did I do in 50 minutes of Speed 45 (again, cooldown included)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Okay, yeah, that was intense! Awesome stuff. Clearly my heart rate analysis results show this one challenged me throughout. Almost 600 calories in this workout with average and max heart rates of 157 and 183 bpm, respectively. Clearly the calories, average and max heart rates are higher than Speed 25! Most of the workout was in Zone 4 “Hard” 80-90% target heart rate max. Actually, pretty much ALL OF IT if you remove the 3 min 45 sec cooldown, breaks and time between moves where the circuits are explained. Wow, impressive. Speed 45 consists of 4 agility markers using 3 “formations” (i.e., sets or circuits) at 4 moves and 3 rounds each, 30 second breaks between the 3 formations. The rounds are 60, 45 and 30 seconds in length, respectively, for the identical moves within the formation. Round 1 there is some time between moves while Chris explains the proper form, but Rounds 2 and 3 eliminate the breaks, although the length of each move is reduced each round. Formation 1 includes SRP, double cross sprint, bounding bear and suicide slide. Formation 2 involves square hops, shoot the gap, grass pickers and fast fences. Finally, formation 3 is the toughest with skater leap, plank jumps, frog hopper and downing burpee. My favorite movements are double cross sprint and skater leap (see Instagram video near top of this blog article). The most challenging for me are bounding bear (lateral hops followed by bear crawl around the agility square) and downing burpee (see below)!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWcm9EFgcuv/?taken-by=howdoigetripped

 

Overall, loved this workout and will be doing it again for sure, especially in my personal hybrids. The Deluxe workouts are 50 minutes long, so I am interested to check out Speed 50 in comparison to Speed 45!

 

 

Strength 25

I was pumped to press play on the first resistance-based workout in my Shift Shop Review and I fully expected this workout to have marked similarities to Insanity Asylum Volume 1 or even T25. Described as,

“Build a strong foundation with easy-to-learn 1-minute intervals of resistance movements designed to set you up for success.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: You need form to perform

So how did I do in 29 minutes of Strength 25 (warmup/cooldown time included)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Not exactly what I expected, but kind of what I expected! This workout really reminds me of Body Beast, BEAST:Cardio more than anything, maybe with a bit of P90X3 mixed in. The workout requires dumbbells, a set of medium and a set of light. I chose 15-lb dumbbells for light and 30-lb dumbbells for heavy. This ended up being a good choice for me, it was definitely challenging for resistance. There is a 1 min 40 sec warmup followed by the bulk of the workout consisting of 15 moves at 60 seconds each. The 60 seconds typically involves standard reps with some isometric hold and burnout reps near the end. Pretty tough if you select the weight appropriately. Also, there really are not any break between moves other than instruction from Chris on proper form, and you don’t drop the weights between many of the moves (talk about time under tension!). The workout finishes up with 4 minutes of cooldown. The warmup has a jog, jumping jacks, squat arm raise over head, inch worm and then runner stance to twist arm raise (both sides). The 15 moves of the main workout include squat (dumbbells at shoulder), shoulder raise, reverse lunge, plank walk, bicep curl, side lunge (30 sec each side), pushups, shift lunge, renegade row, bridge with weight, upright row calf raise, piston plank, tricep kickback, bear kicks and sumo squat. Again, most of these involved a isometric hold and burnout sequence near the end of the 60 second sequence, which promotes fatigue. The pushups were killer after the plank walk and required some elevator-style iso hold pushups (X3 anyone?) and burnout. The toughest moves for me were shoulder press ( I needed to drop down to 15-lb dumbbells from 30s), bicep curl, pushups and bear kicks (iso balance holds). It is not that any of these exercises are inherently tough, it is the fact that there are virtually no breaks and multiple muscle groups are engaged each move. Good stuff! Heart rate analysis indicates 285 calories with average and max heart rates of 140 and 173 bpm, respectively, and most of workout in Zone 3 “Moderate” at 70-80% target heart rate max. This is not surprising for a resistance workout vs. higher zones for typical Shift Shop cardio. GREAT workout, and I am expecting big things from Strength 35, 45 and Super Strength 50!

 

 

Shift Core

Wasn’t sure what to expect for Shift Core. I envisioned that it could be something like Shaun T workouts such as Back to Core from Asylum Volume 1 or 360 Abs from Max:30. Or, perhaps something more traditional with crunches and variations similar to the P90X series or Body Beast. Described as,

“Strengthen your core as you breathe through 9, 1-minute ab-shredding exercises.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Breathe through it

So, this should be fun. How did I do with 13 minutes of Shift Core (includes intro/outro)?

Heart rate analysis data….

 

 

Very effective workout, not my favorite core routine, but I will definitely be doing it again. Overall, Shift Core felt a lot like Body Beast, BEAST:Abs. As mentioned above, this one has 9 unique ab and core moves at 45 seconds each for most, some 60 seconds. There is a modifier for each. The moves include side knee tuck (30 seconds each side), power sit-up, twisted cabbage patch, plank step-over, rapid fire 8, V heel tap, swimmers, wiper half circle (30 seconds each side) and sit-up & reach. Now, although I said this is not my favorite core workout, IT WORKS! I am writing this review 2 days after I did this workout and my abs/core are SORE. Big time. That is a good sign. My favorite and toughest move is rapid fire 8 where you crunch 8 times under control then hold, and repeat. Several of the moves also leverage this isometric hold concept to enhance the burn. I also like the plank step-over, and it is similar to the scorpion move in P90X2 warmup. The wiper move is very similar to the BEAST:Abs finisher. Heart rate analysis is fairly uneventful, as expected. 53 calories with average and max heart rates of 98 and 119 bpm, respectively, with most of the workout (almost 100%) in Zone 1. Regardless, Shift Core will find its way into my hybrid schedules moving forward!

 

 

Speed 35

Speed 25 was a good workout as I mentioned, but ultimately less challenging for me (and others I have talked to about Shift Shop). Again, not a big surprise since it is the first cardio workout in Phase 1 to get started up before ramping intensity in Phases 2 and 3. As such, I expected Speed 35 to be more challenging and was looking forward to how Chris leverages the agility markers. Described as,

“Intensity increases as does the formations. This workout was designed to improve your agility, build your stamina and burn more calories.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Don’t let the move finish you

Well I certainly expect Speed 35 to burn more calories than Speed 25 since it is 10 minutes longer, but we will see. So how did I do in 39 minutes of Speed 35 (cooldown included)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

As advertised, I burned an extra 100 calories in Speed 35 vs. Speed 25 with the extra 10 minutes of workout time. 401 calories with average and max heart rates of 144 and 172 bpm, respectively. Regardless, still a great workout and most of the workout was in Zone 3 “Moderate” at 70-80% target heart rate max. The average and max heart rates as well as workout zones are actually lower than Speed 25, which I find interesting (I wouldn’t say it was any easier overall). There are 3 agility markers in Speed 35 with 2 rounds with 2 different marker formations. Each of the 2 rounds involves 6 unique movements that are repeated at 60 seconds each as a circuit followed by 30 sec break and then the circuit is repeated at 30 seconds per move. There is a 60 second break between rounds. Round 1 includes lateral slide, chop shop, frog hop, hurdle hop, bear crawl and baby hop. Round 2 exercises are cross jacks, plank shifter, oblique picker, single leg hop, diamond drill and spider climber. My favorite moves were chop shop (sprint in place and shift/twist lower body toward marker color on command), single leg hop and spider climber (plank position and bring alternating legs to marker color on command). I found frog hop, bear crawl, baby hop and plank shifters challenging. Legs and shoulders were on fire! Many of the movements also involved a “shift” where you reverse direction around the agility markers on command from Chris. Good stuff!!

 

 

 

 

Shift Mobility

As we all know, flexibility and mobility are critical to success in any health and wellness program while reducing injury. This focus certainly helps get the most out of your workouts and performance overall in life’s challenges, especially in athletics. I am a BIG, BIG fan of X Stretch from the original P90X from many years ago. It is a full blown stretch routine (not crazy Yoga moves) and works amazing for those with patience to stretch/balance for almost an hour. Since then (like 10 years) there has not been a significant stretch routine that I am aware from Beachbody other than shorter 5-10 minute supplements to programs and P90X2 Mobility & Recovery with foam roller. Enter Shift Mobility, 20 minutes, the perfect length! Man, I was excited for this one. Described as,

“20 minutes of focused stretching to alleviate tightness and get you ready to continue the Shift.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Love yourself

So how did I do with 21 minutes of stretching (yes, I am still tracking heart rates!)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Shift Mobility begins with a warmup around 3 minutes similar to Strength 25 including jog, jumping jacks, squat arm raise over head, inch worm and then runner stance to twist arm raise (both sides). Also, alternating knee grab and toe taps. The “workout” then moves into the rest of the stretching movements in Shift Mobility with around 15 moves or so (some are slight variations of others). These include forward lean flat back, cat cow, bend/extend legs, alternating side lunges, shifting runners lunge (right and left), plank to slow motion drop to floor, cobra (4 positions), frog alternating legs (squeeze glutes!), hamstring stretch both sides, back/shoulder/arm towel stretch, side lean with neck stretch and breathe. The work with the towel at the end is pretty good, although I would have preferred a resistance band similar to some of Sagi’s warmups in Hammer and Chisel. I may do that next time. Overall, I really like this stretch routine and will be incorporating it into hybrids no doubt. There were also a couple funny moments… one was when one of the cast members was showing up Chris on some yoga pose and he warned her that it will quickly turn into a pushup challenge if she doesn’t check herself. The other is when he is doing some back/shoulder workout and emphasizing posture, making a comment that you don’t want to walk around with bad posture looking like you need a V8. Ha! Good stuff. The heart rate data is clearly uneventful since this is focused on Stretch and Mobility, however, 68 calories down with average and max heart rates of 92 and 112 bpm (not bad!), respectively, with all of the workout in Zone 1 “Very Light” at 50-60% target heart rate max. Definitely recommend Shift Mobility to anyone doing any program!

 

 

Strength 35

Let’s see what the next level of resistance workouts provide in Shift Shop Phase 2 with Strength 35. 10 more minutes vs. Strength 25. This one uses light and medium dumbbells for resistance. Described as,

“By combining the foundational moves, the intensity ramps up creating new challenges as you continue to get stronger.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Go towards the burn

So how did I do with 38 minutes of Strength 35 (warmup/cooldown included)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Heart rate analysis indicates that I burned 358 calories with average and max heart rates of 136 and 170 bpm, respectively, and most of the workout in Zones 2 and 3. The lower calories, heart rates and workout zones are common with resistance routines relative to cardio so I am not surprised by the analysis. Also, compared to Strength 25, the workout zones, average heart rate and max heart rates are almost identical with approx. 75 additional calories burned in the extra 10 minutes of Strength 35. All of this makes complete sense. Good. Strength 35 has the same warmup as Strength 25 including jog, jumping jacks, squat arm raise over head, inch worm and then runner stance to twist arm raise (both sides). For dumbbells in this one I selected 20s and 30s, which was ambitious, but I made it work. There are 2 rounds of 10 moves with 60 seconds per move round 1 and 45 seconds per move round 2. 45 second break between rounds 1 and 2. Throughout there are a series of isometric hold variations added in, pulses and fast rep burnouts. It is a rocker. Round 1 moves include curl squat press, pulsing lunges (30 seconds per side), push-up row, side lunge upright row (30 seconds per side), figure four bridge (30 sec each side), staggered row (30 sec each side), pull plank fly, sumo circle, hungry bear and flying lunges. In the second round of 45 seconds per move, Chris mixes up the technique for each set above, usually breaking the compound movement up to the individual muscle groups to provide burnout for each. For example, for curl squat press in round 2 you perform 15 seconds of curls, 15 seconds of squat press and then 15 seconds curl squat press. The result is a major burn by the end! Very effective. My favorite moves are the curl squat press (Asylum-like), pull plank fly, sumo circle (Body Beast/Asylum hybrid) and flying lunges. The most challenging for me was the pull plank fly where you are in plank position, roll dumbbell to the right, plank walk over and do a shoulder fly with the dumbbell outside arm. Then go back to the other side and repeat for the entire time interval. 20-lb dumbbell was more than enough! I probably could have used a little heavier than 30-lbs for the sumo circle, which was a great movement, but be careful not to smash your face when moving the dumbbell around your head. Strength 35 was a great workout, I am excited for Strength 45 and a bit nervous for Super Strength 50. Bring it!!

 

 

Super Shift Core

I did Super Shift Core after Strength 35 and, man, what a combo. The “SUPER” workouts (Shift Core, Speed 50 and Strength 50) are from the extra Deluxe workouts that you can get alone in DVD if you do not have BOD All-Access or with the sandbag in the Deluxe upgrade package (highly recommended)! I was excited for this one since I learned that a sandbag (or dumbbell alternatively) is included for resistance in the core/abs routine. Super cool, and if the structure of the workout is logical this can be innovative no doubt! Described as,

“Take the Beachbody PT Sandbag to the mat for 9 intense 1-minute core-focused exercises.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Just one more rep

So how did I do with 16 minutes of Super Shift Core?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

In this workout I used a 20-lb sandbag. Wow, loved it and 20-lbs was a good challenge, especially for some exercises. This core/ab routine is AMAZING and I will be doing it many more times. It is unique and one of the first ones I have found that is effective as a purely sandbag workout for the core (I recommend sandbag over dumbbells). There are 9 unique moves at 60 seconds total per move. The first movement is the sandbag V-Up with 30 seconds each side. Here is my demo!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWkVNYzAfZn/?taken-by=howdoigetripped

 

The rest of the moves are 60 seconds each including suitcase (grab sandbag double handle side and crunch while reaching the sandbag over toes), downing tap, pillow crunch, crunchy climber, cliffhanger, around the world (russian twist variation), hip dips (similar to bucket drop from Body Beast) and downing surprise to finish up. The downing surprise at the end is where Chris calls out specific ab moves from Shift Core such as flutter kicks and rapid fire 8 (there are 2 rounds of the surprise moves). You have to be careful to maintain good form with the sandbag, but the added resistance is sure to get the abs to pop provided your nutrition is dialed in (contact me if you need help via the contact button below!) My favorite moves are the suitcase, sandbag V-up and around the world. As a consequence of the added resistance, heart rate data is fairly impressive for a core workout. 109 calories in 16 minutes with average and max heart rates of 117 and 148 bpm, respectively. Most of the workout was in Zones 1 and 2. The max heart rate was near the end in the hip dips set, which is a bit of a cardio challenge if done properly. Overall, this is now one of my all-time favorite core routines. New stuff here and the resistance will help pop the abs!

 

 

Super Speed 50

Although I was told from Shift Shop test group participants that Speed 45 is the toughest Shift Shop workout, I have to believe that Super Speed 50 is also very challenging. In fact, in the intro for this workout Chris says it IS the most challenging of all Shift Shop workouts. Again, the “SUPER” workouts (Shift Core, Speed 50 and Strength 50) are from the extra Deluxe workouts that you can get alone in DVD if you do not have BOD All-Access or with the sandbag in the Deluxe upgrade package (highly recommended)! Super Speed 50 is described as,

“Adding in the Beachbody PT Sandbag, this workout brings you 3 rounds of calorie-scorching drills guaranteed to shift your endurance into high gear.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Anything is possible

Wow. Sandbag (or dumbbell) in a Speed workout. This will be tough! So how did I do with 50 minutes of Super Speed 50?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Yeah, that was tough, I wasn’t expecting so much resistance in a cardio-based workout. Reminded me of 22 Minute Hard Corps (Spec Ops) and Asylum Volume 1, mostly. First off, I DEFINITELY recommend the sandbag over dumbbell for multiple reasons including pure safety during the dynamic movements. Also, the sandbag creates instability in the resistance that helps challenge stabilizing muscles to get better overall results as the sand shifts around. Get a sandbag, sand is added up to 20 pounds (works well in other programs like 22 Minute Hard Corps). I used 20 pounds in the sandbag for Super Speed 50 and it was about right for me. The workout consists of 4 agility markers with 3 formations and 3 rounds for each formation at 60, 45 and 30 seconds each. Marker formation 1 exercises involve ZZ taps, bullfrog and marker climbers. There are 30 second breaks between rounds within each formation and 30 second breaks between formations. The first round of each of the 3 formations is much slower since Chris spends A LOT of time with instruction on the marker locations and proper form in the moves. Marker formation 2 includes power baby, plyo shift and fireman. Marker formation 3 exercises are jump pogo suicide, heavy picker and combine. There is then a surprise 2 minute burnout in the end with several moves from other Shift Shop workouts on command such as quick taps, pogo hops, S drill, squat hold and grass picker. There is a 4 minute cooldown stretch at the end (MUCH NEEDED)! This workout is killer. Seriously. Like I said, the first round of each formation is a little slower to get going due to all of the instruction, but Chris moves through rounds 2 and 3 very fast. There are a lot of plyometric moves and sandbag weighted dynamic moves with the agility markers. I really, really like this workout. The hardest move for me was plyo shift (plyo pushups lateral down a line of markers with jump knee tuck at end, then back). Also, combine is extremely fun and challenging as you simulate NFL combine work with sprint, high lateral knees through markers and plyo pushup jump knee tuck, then back. Jump pogo suicide was motivational with inspiration from Chris, just have to try it to shift your mindset! One move I was less excited about was heavy picker, you REALLY have to be careful of your lower back moving through the agility markers up-and-down hops/shuffle/curl with sandbag.  I think Super Speed 50 gives Speed 45 a run for toughest at this point, although I have Strength 45 and Super Strength 50 left. Gonna be a big finish here next couple days in my detailed Shift Shop Review! The heart rate data demonstrates impressive numbers, however, Speed 45 still seemed to show more challenging via heart rate analysis. Speed 45 had more calories burned and higher average heart rate, but same max heart rate at 183 bpm. I think having the sandbag resistance and extra time between some of the moves lowered the heart rate more at times, which led to the difference. Super Speed 50 ended up burning 548 calories with average and max heart rates of 149 and 183 bpm, respectively, with most of the workout in Zone 4. What is cool is the visual confirmation of the impact of Chris Downing on elevating performance. Case-in-point, near the end of this workout in the last round of 30 second moves for jump pogo suicide, heavy picker and combine, even though there are few breaks (virtually none), Chris challenges you to exceed your capabilities in performance. Even though I was EXHAUSTED, you can see I ended up spiking my heart rate to its max for the entire workout in the red zone. THAT is the power of the right program at the right time with the right motivation and support (including Team support from a Coach, like myself). The time is now, let’s do this!

 

 

Strength 45

And back to resistance workouts with Strength 45 as I come to the end of my Shift Shop Review. I prefer weighted workouts for my goals so I appreciate these Strength workouts in Shift Shop. They mostly appear to be total body, compound dynamic movements. Other than knowing that Strength 45 is 10 more minutes than Strength 35 and 20 minutes longer than Strength 25, I did not know much about this one until I pressed play. Requires light to medium set of dumbbells. Described as,

“The ultimate resistance workout created to challenge every muscle group to increase definition and get the very best out of you.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Go bigger to get better

So how did I do with 48 minutes of Strength 45 (warmup and cooldown included)?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

 

Strength 45 begins with the same warmup used in the other Strength workouts for Shift Shop followed by 3 rounds of 9 moves. Each round is progressively shorter while increasing weights if possible when moving from Round 1 to Round 3. Time intervals for each move in the Rounds include 60 sec Round 1, 45 sec Round 2 and 30 sec Round 3. For this workout I used dumbbells ranging from 20-30-lbs. Ambitious for me, although perhaps I could have gone a little heavier on some exercises. Round 1 includes pulsing lunge hop (30 sec each side with weight, watch your form and knees!), push row piston, floating upright row (30 sec each side), bear dog, straight leg bridge (30 sec each side), staggered row kickback (30 sec each side), pull-push reach, sumo circle chop (30 sec each side) and shift maker (mixes up various Shift Shop moves in burnout). Round 2 is 45 seconds per move and then Round 3 is 30 seconds per move, but there are some iso-metric holds and burnout series in Round 3 to mix it up. After all 3 rounds are complete, there is a final burnout sequence with curls, pulses and squat press. Killer! I found the pull-push reach to be one of the toughest moves, where you roll one dumbbell to the side, plank walk over, pushup followed by one arm dumbbell raise/reach, back to other side and repeat sequence (used 20-lb dumbbell). Another favorite is sumo circle chop with a cool variation of sumo circle (sumo squat with dumbbell then rotate dumbbell around head) where you lunge to the side with a dumbbell after the rotation move. Heart rate analysis indicates 456 calories, which is 75 cal or so more than Strength 35 in the extra 10 minutes (after I do Super Strength 50 I will graph metrics vs. workout time). Average and max heart rates in Strength 45 were 137 and 179 bpm, respectively, with most of the workout in Zone 3. These stats are similar to the other Strength workouts. By the way, I set off the alarm in our house in this workout throwing down the weights after the last shift maker series! Ha. I KNOW this workout works you, in fact, I believe I sweat the most in Strength 45 relative to the others. Rage on… Empower, love, inspire!

 

 

Super Strength 50

I straight up assumed Super Strength 50 was going to be one of the hardest, if not hardest, workout in Shift Shop given the resistance focus and length of workout. I was actually wrong, see below! However, what I did find with Super Strength 50 is the funnest workout in Shift Shop! Again, the “SUPER” workouts (Shift Core, Speed 50 and Strength 50) are from the extra Deluxe workouts that you can get alone in DVD if you do not have BOD All-Access or with the sandbag in the Deluxe upgrade package (highly recommended)! Super Strength 50 is described as,

“Three rounds of resistance intervals designed to challenge your strength with the Beachbody PT Sandbag. This workout will challenge your body and your mind.”

SHOP RULES FROM CHRIS FOR THE WORKOUT: Push with purpose

So how did I do with 50 minutes of Super Strength 50?

Heart rate analysis data…

 

 

Okay, similar to the other DELUXE workouts from Shift Shop, I definitely recommend the sandbag. The workout is simply not the same with a dumbbell. The sand in the bag constantly shifts upping the challenge to stabilizing muscles, while the bag is more readily moved around safely in the dynamic movements (see video below). I used the max 20 pounds in the sandbag again, although I feel that I could have used more weight on many of the moves. The warmup is the same for Super Strength 50 as the other resistance workouts in my Shift Shop Review. Then, there are 3 rounds of 10 moves performed in succession 3 rounds with 60, 45 and 30 seconds per move Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3, respectively. Some moves involved switching sides during the time available. There are 60 second breaks between rounds and very little break between moves in Rounds 2 and 3. There are modifiers for a range of fitness levels. Again, this is not much different than other Shift Shop workouts and the format works well even though the first round is very slow with the instruction from Chris. The exercises with sandbag include sandy sumo, RDL upright row, superman pull (awesome!), prisoner press, bridge push (could have used more more weight, next time I will use heavy dumbbells as sub), double cross, sticky bear, T-row (great balance move, like pistol squat P90X3 and some Hammer & Chisel variations), bail out and the wrestler. My favorite move was superman pull as it is very challenging for the core WHILE working the arms, lats, shoulders and especially back as an alternative to pull-ups. Good stuff and this workout has been the most fun for me of all 11 Shift Shop routines. Here is a mix of my 3 favorite sandbag moves in Super Strength 50 (in order in the video – superman pull, sticky bear and the wrestler). Awesome use of the sandbag!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWsDVEugHKV/?taken-by=howdoigetripped

 

Now, as I mentioned Super Strength 50 is the most fun workout in the program for me, however, the heart rate analysis shows lower calories, average and max heart rates, and workout zones than I would have expected. I think a major reason for this is the significant amount of time spent on instructing and the resistance focus in this workout is less cardio intensive than other resistance workouts (even Strength 45 where average and max heart rates are much higher). And, again, not sure that the 20-pound sandbag was enough weight to push me to my max in some moves. Several exercises involved twisting and for those I would not increase weight in order to protect my lower back. Heart rate analysis demonstrates 391 calories with average and max heart rates of 125 and 167 bpm, respectively, and most of the workout in Zones 2 and 3. SOOO >>> That concludes my Shift Shop Review! Hope you enjoyed the review and be sure to reach out to me for support toward your health, fitness and financial goals — Let’s do this!!

 

 

*****

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Shift Shop Review

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