An Honest Review: BBG vs. Tone It Up
My daily at-home workout routines are what I look forward to most, whether it’s in the morning before work, during my lunch break, or in the late afternoon/evening. 💪🏻 Working out consistently has kept me sane during this past year as we’ve gone through these unprecedented times and grappled with quarantine life and the pandemic. I’ve been working from home for almost a full year now and my home office space is still technically my dining table. After sitting down all day and not getting up to walk much throughout the day in our 900-square foot apartment, I crave physical movement now more than ever and I love moving my body after work. I’ve talked about fitness on the blog before and how it’s always been a struggle for me to remain consistent with my workouts. In the past, whenever I started a workout routine it’s been in the beginning of the year (#NewYearsResolution) or when I have a summer vacation coming up and plan on wearing a swim suit. I would initially start a workout program out strong in the beginning, staying consistent for the first couple of weeks, but then I’d lose momentum and motivation all together and stop completely. I would usually wait a few months before starting up another program and trying again, but the vicious cycle would continue which was always a start/stop, start/stop situation.
A lot has changed in this past year, and I’m proud to say that I’ve been consistently exercising 4-5 days a week and I feel like I can finally say I’ve broken my former bad habit! This past year has not been easy by any means, but in a recent post I shared that my Dad has had a huge impact on my motivation for staying healthy and active. During the last year of his battle with brain cancer, he also suffered a stroke and he lost mobility in his left side. He had to learn how to use his arm and leg again, which was painful to watch, especially when he used to be so active and enjoyed golfing and hiking regularly. It truly gave me a whole new appreciation for my body and my ability to workout. There are so many people who are unable to be physically active, and the fact that I am healthy overall and can use all my limbs was a huge eye-opener for me to show gratitude by working out and moving my body each day.
I’ve tried a variety of workout programs over the years, but the two I’m so excited to share my thoughts around are BBG and Tone It Up! I’ll give a pro/con breakdown for each app and then share my personal experiences with both. 👏🏻
BBG
PROS
Quick & effective workouts (average of 20-30 min sessions)
Each day focuses on a particular area (arms, booty, abs, legs)
No planning involved - just open the app and get to work!
CONS
No recorded classes; stagnant video demos
Not a lot of flexibility to switch up workouts
Gym equipment required for some programs within the app
In the spring of 2019 I started doing BBG (Bikini Body Guide) and shared my experience in this post. I had originally heard about it from several other bloggers who were using it and decided to give it a try! What I enjoyed about the program is that you didn’t have to plan your workout ahead of time. All I had to do was open the Sweat app and it would tell me exactly what I needed to do for that day. I also liked that the workouts were around 30 min so they were quick and effective. At the time, I would do the workouts in the gym at our apartment complex because a lot of the workouts required using a bench (which we didn’t have) and burpees (which are loud when you live on the 3rd floor and don’t want to upset your neighbors!). I think going to a gym hindered me slightly in my consistency, because in all honesty, I hate working out in front of other people! 😳 It took a lot of will power to get myself to go down to the gym and I would pray that no one else would be in there. I still got through the workouts, but I didn’t feel comfortable or confident while doing them.
Aside from that, the other thing that I didn’t truly love about the BBG program is that there isn’t a recorded class to follow along with. I really enjoy class-based workouts where you follow the instructor and can be inspired by their motivation throughout the workout. All the moves in the BBG program are recorded individually, and you do that one move for a designated length of time before moving onto the next one (ex: 10 burpees, 45 seconds). It felt a bit stagnant and that I wasn’t really engaging with the program because I was just watching and listening to the instructor do the same move on a loop. This style might work for some, but it didn’t feel exciting to me and I started to get a little bored with the workouts. I wanted more variety and more of a class-based fitness program, which brings me to my review of Tone It Up!
TONE IT UP
PROS
Class-based fitness videos ranging from 15-40 mins
Fitness catalogue that allows you to filter and choose from a variety of classes such as yoga, barre, weight training, kick boxing, cardio, HITT, meditations, stretching, & so much more!
No equipment required for most classes! If equipment is needed, it’s just dumbbells, booty bands, or ankle weights
New classes added weekly
Multiple programs ranging from 7-45 days long; keeps you on track and motivated!
Meal plans right in the app
Can “favorite” certain workouts that you love & come back to again and again
CONS
App only; can’t do workouts on their website via a laptop. If I had an iPad I wouldn’t mind, but following along on my phone’s small screen isn’t ideal
I have been doing workouts on the Tone It Up app for about a year and a half and I truly love it! I first heard about founders Karena and Katrina while doing a PopSugar workout on YouTube and loved their energy and positive attitude. They seemed to have so much fun working out together so I decided to download the app and try their workouts for a month. One month has turned into almost 2 years and I’m obsessed! 😍 The app is so user-friendly and I love the variety of workouts that they offer. Whether you’re into barre, yoga, kickboxing, weight training, or cardio there’s truly something for everyone. I love being able to mix up my workouts each day depending on what I’m in the mood for. Karena and Katrina lead most of the classes, but they also have a few other BA babes who lead various classes and they are so inspiring and motivating! When I have someone leading the workout and sweating alongside me, I feel like I’m doing it with one of my friends and it helps push me to the finish line, even when I might feel like giving up. Most classes are only 20-30 minutes long yet so effective. They’re all on demand so you can do them whenever and wherever and only involve minimal equipment (weights and booty bands), so I do them all from my living room!
Within the app you can sign up for different programs that vary in length. Some are 7-14 days, while others are 3 weeks or 6 weeks, but the best part is that you don’t have to think about which class to do that day. It’s all planned for you, all you have to do is show up! TIU also provides meal plans for every program so you can fuel your body each day with healthy meals and smoothies. Meditation has also become a habit for me this year, and Karena has a ton of wonderful guided meditations in the app geared towards anxiety, community, creativity, happiness, and more.
I’ve learned that in order to find consistency in working out, the most important thing is to find something that works for you and fits your needs. While I liked BBG, I didn’t enjoy the format or the need to use equipment I could only find at the gym. Tone It Up allows me to workout within the comfort of our apartment and choose whatever class I’m in the mood for that day. Some of my favorite programs that I’ve done have been “30-Day Booty”, “Love Your Body”, “Toned Body, Toned Mind”, & “Summer Tone Up”. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried either of these apps or if you have a fave workout program you enjoy doing. Stay safe and healthy friends! xo 💛
Updated January 2022