Focus On: Bodyrock
Bodyrock is another one of my major workout loves. It’s an extremely effective low-cost workout solution –the videos are posted for free and you need minimal equipment- and I think it’s what helped me bust through my own workout plateau.
Before I got pregnant, I felt STRONG and my bodyfat was the lowest it’s been in a while. I totally attribute this to a balance of my favorite workouts: Zumba, Turbofire and Bodyrock.
I first stumbled upon Bodyrock quite a while ago (maybe last year?) when I Googled for a HIIT workout. Zuzuna came up on the screen, and I thought that there was no way she worked out for a few minutes –I had no idea you needed to repeat the moves and time yourself on your own- and look the way she did.
[When I was explaining Bodyrock to the Pilot, I was like, “This girl doesn’t look real. She looks like a video game character. And the workouts are HARD. It’s crazy”]
She actually does do the workouts, offers fantastic clean eating advice and is so refreshingly *real*. She has a totally down-to-earth and laid back personality (not mean or judge-y in the least).
What is it:
A home workout program, utilizing interval training, your own body weight and plyometric moves. In each video, Zuzana will go over each exercise for the set (along with modifications), and below the video is a breakdown on how to split the workout up. Usually you’ll repeat it, or go over certain parts more than once, and time yourself using an interval timer.
What to expect:
-To be a little confused at first. Definitely watch the entire video before giving the workout a whirl, because it will help you understand the order and breakdown. Write down the exercise order on a small piece of paper, along with the times or rounds you’re supposed to complete to have close by.
-To SWEAT. The workouts are short, but extremely effective. If you’re pushing yourself, you’ll get an awesome workout. I’m not sure what the calorie burn is, since I never wore my heart rate monitor during a workout, but I was maxed out and the afterburn for interval training is much higher, too.
What to wear:
-Whatever the heck you want- it’s your house 😉 I prefer shorts, a tank and supportive sneakers for jumping.
Pros:
-The workouts are SHORT. 20 minutes-ish and that’s it. It’s perfect if you don’t have a lot of time to workout or for transportation to and from the gym.
-Minimal equipment. All you need for the workouts is your own body + a few extras: interval timer (can use the one on your computer for free), jump rope, dip station (I never bought this and would just do a modified exercise instead), sandbag (can make your own with a duffel bag filled with bags of rice) and a pull-up bar (I would use the assisted pull-up machine or lat pulldown at the gym instead). For this reason, you can do the workouts pretty much anywhere. I’ve busted out quite a few hotel Bodyrock workouts 🙂
-Bonus nutritional information + community atmosphere. Zuzana often posts eating goal videos and the site is filled with enthusiastic “Bodyrockers” cheering each other on and posting recipes. It’s fun to go through and read the comments.
Cons:
-You have to motivate yourself. No one is there to watch you, push you or correct form (another bummer). It’s important to pay attention to your form to prevent injury- go for quality over quantity. The best ways for me to motivate myself for Bodyrock is to blast a Pandora station at home (like “Muse” or “30 Seconds to Mars”) and git it, or to do the workouts at the gym. People will stare, but they get over it. Bonus: you feel hardcore 🙂
-Almost all of the workouts I’ve tried are set up a similar way: interval training and heart rate sky high. For this reason, I don’t recommend doing Bodyrock everyday. Your heart is a very important muscle and needs rest, just like our other muscle groups. There’s no reason to work it to its limit every.single.day. I prefer alternating Bodyrock days with steady state cardio.
Have you tried Bodyrock or any online workout videos before? What’s your fave?
Here’s some more info for ya, if you’re interested:
103 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
great overview! – I dont have as much space for body rock anymore but I still use some of the moves in my work outs at home
I LOVE LOVE LOVE BodyRock!! I only started doing the workouts a couple of months ago but they are killer hard and definitely make me sweat!! When you said she looks like a video game character, you’re totally right – I thought the same thing! I don’t think I have a favourite BodyRock workout, but I do love the ones in the Exercise Challenges section!
I was totally intimidated by BodyRock initially, but they are great workouts if you find some moves you can handle!
I was so shocked to open this post and recognize Zuzuna! I’ve been following her on YouTube for a year or so now (I think) and have loved her videos! 🙂
just want to thank you again for these focus on posts. they are so informative and make the workouts seem less scary to try out. though i am still majorly intimidated by bodyrock and crazy in love with turbofire so it might be awhile before i get bored and get up the courage to try it out..
I like Bodyrock — and I love Zuzana. You are so right — she is like a video game character!!!
I don’t do the workouts often (at most 1x per week) because I find myself doing them with poor form to get max reps. My back kills the next day so I know I’m doing something wrong. I do love that she uses such minimal equipment and does basic moves (pushups, squats, side lunges, etc) but amps them up big time with cardio bursts, etc.
I just need her to train me and make sure I’m doing the moves right. That would be ideal 🙂
I love BodyRock! I wish I could motivate myself to do it more often. Zuzana is badass!
I totally 100% agree. about 1 1/2 yrs ago when I first discovered Zuz I thought exactly what you said…“This girl doesn’t look real. She looks like a video game character.” Totally!
However, she is real, amazing, and does practice what she preaches but I do have to say, I cant stand her breathing noises! Do you know what I am talking about??! haha.
It is a great way to switch things up and I like how she is aware of beginners too so workouts can be motified as well.
OMG I thought I was the only one who found her breathing noises….mmm weird? I happened to run across a video while taking a mental break at work and had to immediately turn it off because it sounded like I was watching something I shouldn’t be if you know what I mean…
I LOVE this post! I discovered the Bodyrock website last month and have been thinking about trying it. This definitely gave me the push to start doing it. 🙂
Waaay to intimidating for me. Most of the moves seem crazy hard.
she gives a lot of beginner modifications, too!
I LOOOOVE bodyrock! I hate repeating workouts so I just usually follow her schedule and whatever the newest workout is 😉 they’re all amazing though.
After I did my first bodyrock my arse hurt so bad I thought it might fall off. I learned about her from the Pure2Raw twins and their enthusiasm for her was DEAD ON. Love it.
Just did bodyrock this morning and finished in a sweat pool! I don’t have a gymboss timer so I did a little search (a la Google!) and found this: http://www.speedbagforum.com/timer.html Your very own timer — it can be set to Tabata intervals or whatever you’d like. Very Handy!
I tried my first Bodyrock workout a couple weeks ago. I was so surprised how hard it was! I was sweating like a beast after five minutes and I seriously was waddling for a couple days! Soo effective, but to be honest I’ve been scared to try another one! Haha.
I love Bodyrock too – who doesn’t?!! 🙂 I am just wondering if you are continuing with Bodyrock through your pregnancy or taking a break from it? Sometimes I find it difficult to think of modifications to Zuzana’s moves; thought you might have some tips!
i’m taking a break from it. it was just too much jumping for me and too intense for right now. i can’t wait to start again in january
I am really into Bodyrock workouts, too!
Gena, or anyone else with Bodyrock experience, do you think it’s enough of a strength workout to do just this and steady state cardio? You said you were doing mostly Bodyrock, Zumba and TurboFire, but I know you probably get gym access more often than myself. I’m wondering about giving up the weights and just using Bodyrock as my resistance training and HIIT.
I was wondering the same thing! You described it as cardio, but it sounds like some serious resistance training to me! I always wonder how to balance workouts like that with my *real* strength workouts and still get in enough rest days for each muscle.
when i do bodyrock, i count it as strength and cardio
I consider it cardio/HIIT more than anything. It does improve your strength but not in the same way that a traditional weight-lifting program would. Bodyrock exercises get your heart pumping like crazy, and that equals cardiovascular exercise 🙂
i would count bodyrock as my cardio and weights for the day, but if i felt the bodyrock didn’t get *enough* of a muscle group, i was at the gym already and would do some weights on the same day. i think you can definitely count it as both, though
I’m such a fan of these workouts! Like you said, they make you feel strong and I really do believe in HITT training; I do a few a week interspersed with runs. One thing I had to let go though? Her breathing (as another reader commented) – it was a little off-putting for me at first and I always make sure to mute my computer or turn the screen if my husband’s around. 😉 But once I accepted that, I realized she’s super legit! And I like her approach to fitness and life, plus her antics with Freddie. 😀
I love all of the Focus On posts. I am currently doing Turbo Fire and so far i am in LOVE with it, I will do a post in a few months on how it changed my body. After I am done with Turbo Fire I definetely want to try BodyRock! I dont wanna look as cut as Zuzana, and I definetely wont, my body is different but I think it will do some good things to my body! By any chance what workout would you recommend for legs? I am trying to work my thights mostly, but something that is not very hard on my knees, because even when I do Turbo Fire I look for modifications that wont affect them. Thanks!
Sounds really intriguing – and she looks absolutely fantastic – abs, arms, shoulders – holy cow, what an inspiration. Thanks for talking about this, I might give it a whirl now that the cooler weather is on it’s way and it won’t be too long before the snow hits – I’m still contemplating snow shoes! Do you like your Gym Boss timer? Seems to be a really handy device – and I’m kind of a gadget freak anyway. By the way, that “beach angel” comment had me rolling – I howl everytime I see that commercial. Genius. Take care my favorite internet friend.
Mo
yeah, her body is kind of ridiculous.
i love the gymboss!! and glad someone else enjoys the beach angel phrase as much as we do over here 🙂
xoxo
I can’t help but giggle at the reference because my sister said she was in Target with her 3-year-old, and he just looked up at her and said in awe, “Mom, you look like a beach angel!”
I’ve been wanting to try bodyrock for awhile now. I don’t have some of the little necessities though (like a jump rope) and to be honest, every time I go on the site, it seems confusing, like I don’t know where to go to find the workouts or something. Anyone else out there think this?
I keep seeing this around the blogosphere–I’m going to make it a goal to try it soon!
I love love love love zuzana!!!!!! bodyrock does ROCK!
Her workouts are insane. I think guys just watch it because the camera guys focuses on the boobies pretty much. But her body reflects her workouts, kudos to this woman!
i love bodyrock and found her through you! i started “bodyrocking” right after my first (and probably only..) half marathon this past april. as soon as i was done with the half i couldn’t wait to get back to lifting and do refreshing new workouts. i was hooked after trying it once.. and slowly built my own gym in my basement (got the sandbag and dip station– which has completely shaped my upper back) . i haven’t been to a gym in over 2 years and honestly, i’ve never been in such incredible shape, and i have the body shape i want now and am not a slave to running anymore or doing lifts that weren’t giving me any gains. now i still do a lot of lifting, plus one or 2 tops HIIT 20 min runs a week, and mainly body rock now. switching up my diet also helped me achieve my goals which is a huge part of it, but bringing this new intensity and interval training into my life has been life changing. i’ve always wanted cut arms and envied women with them, and now i freaking have them! okay this comment is long enough 🙂 have a great day !
Ohh thank your for the great focus on post! I have been wondering about Body Rock ever since the first time that you mentioned it! I love that you can do it at home and that it’s free! I’m a little nervous about doing it wrong or not pushing myself hard enough but that’s great advice to watch the video all the way first! I’m going to give it a try!!
I loooove Bodyrock. Zuzana has the best abs on Youtube 😛
I think my favorite workout is this one, but it’s SO incredibly hard:
http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/05/28/600-rep-fat-burner-workout/
You’re supposed to do two rounds but I can only manage 1, and it takes me like 35 minutes to do. This is probably one of her hardest (and longest) workouts, IMO.
I actually recommended Bodyrock to a corporate wellness client (middle aged man) and he informed me that Zuzana used to do soft porn in Russia…she found a weird niche market of things like being totally nude and dirty/sweaty except she’d wear work gloves, boots…and use big heavy power tools. Needless to say, that convo was a little awkward…and although I think Zuzana’s workouts are great, I am careful about recommending her to men who may bring that up and proceed to joke about the noises she makes while doing her workouts!
She’s done plenty of porn in the US, too. Not that I find anything wrong with that, but in some situations it might be awkward, like you said.
She does look like a machine. There are lower limits to what’s considered healthy for a woman’s body fat percent. I’d love to know her’s. It must be miniscule.
haha, wow
Yeah, she used to do erotic modeling around Europe. I actually work in the uh, “adult industry” behind the scenes, and I found a pictorial of her in one of my magazines from 2001 when she was probably 18 or 19. I thought it was interesting to see how her body changed through the years. She was definitely a lot softer then, but she aaalways had that super-flat stomach.
I thought it was odd that she had the fake tits put on after her career in porn – (as far as I could see)
She totally did. I think the reason is because towards the end of her porn career she got into fitness and lost a lot of weight, and her boobs shrank along with the rest of her.
you’re right about the “con” motivation factor of workout out at home. I love the camaraderie at the gym and the trainers who push me. when it comes to weight training, I don’t do as well when I’m in my own house with no one to talk to or boss me around. 😉
I totally think that those work outs look crazy! I am doing P90X right now with My Love. Maybe after we are done this, we will give Bodyrock a go! At least then we will be fit enough to survive 😉
Thanks for the post. I have not tried Body Rock yet, but I think I will make it my workout tonight.
Thank you for posting about this Gina! At home workouts are my favorite kind, and while this sounds super hardcore, I’d love to give it a try!
That girls body is ridiculously ripped…kinda jealous, not gonna lie! I find it so hard to motivate myslef in the comfort of my home. Maybe if I had a buddy to do it with me?
OMGosh I think this is a case of perfect timing! I’ve been looking for a new workout, and when I hopped over to the website you linked, I got really excited. I think I will be giving this a try tomorrow morning! Thanks!!
I LOVE Bodyrock! I already busted out a Bodyrock workout this morning before I even saw the focus on post 🙂 Zuzana is amazing–she is super down-to-earth and just NICE. I love how she offers modifications for beginners and people without the equipment. I don’t have any equipment other than an interval timer, and I still manage to do at least two of these workouts every week. I feel SO strong afterwards, and I am almost always good and sore the next day!
I am definitely going to check out body rock now. I had seen others write about it but somehow missed the fact that it was free!
Thanks Gina! This is awesome. I had never heard of Bodyrock before. I’m still recovering from a knee injury so I’ll have to wait a little to do the super high impact stuff.
I’ve never tried body rock before but it looks fun! Thanks for posting this review!
This overview is awesome – I love Bodyrock and actually started doing it based on your earlier mentions of Zuzana’s workouts. My bright pink interval timer is actually in the mail on its way to me right now! Thanks for this 🙂
Hi~
I’m so glad I saw your blog post, posted on bodyrocktv page on FB. I’ve been wanting to find fitness blogs. I’m also a bodyrocker. I stumbled upon Z and F on youtube one day because I was bored with my trainer at the gym. I LOVE IT!!! the community is awesome and supportive so I have to disagree with your non motivating comment.. I get what your saying you do have to be accountable, (I think is a better word) for your own workouts. but if you want support and motivation than the bodyrock community is great! I was a bit shocked to find out about her past but we all have skeletons and she is a beautiful person inside and out.. her and Freddie have a great relationship and seem like fun loving, down to earth, generally sweet people. So I hope that her past will not turn people off of bodyrocking…
excited to read your blog and get some great info. I’m going to be getting my PT cert through NASM soon and want to focus on Nutrition. I can’t wait to start sharing with people all I’ve learned and will learn… let’s beat this obesity epidemic one rep at a time!! 🙂
I love Zuzana and BodyRock.Tv. The healthy lifestyle she promotes and her body are inspiration in itself. I have been following her workouts around 3 times per week for the last year or so. The community online is fantastic as well. You can learn tips and tricks if you are a beginner and also receive motivation when needed.
I feel like Zuzana is part of my family now 🙂 I am a BodyRocker and I love it !
Will you post your favorite bodyrocks??
sure! will do that in tonight’s post
Body Rock————>My love
I discovered Zuzanna in the early days of Body Rock (like 2 years ago??) but never got the interval timer until recently. I used to just do the moves or get use it for HIIT ideas and workout moves to add to my routine or for clients. After having the baby I got my gymboss (which is not working at the moment for some reason) and LOVE it. Body Rock has been LIFE saver after baby for workouts because…you will find out…your time will not be yours anymore! I felt so weak my first 3 months post partum but body rock 2x a week in addition to my strength routines and cardio and I am starting to feel more myself. A ways to go, but seeing great progress every week. Many thanks to Zuzanna.
I have done the BR workouts quite a bit in the past and really like them. I have to get back into them- because I lost track when I started moving.. Def a great workout!
I love Body Rock, and I love Zuzanna! She seems so genuinely lovely 🙂 Agree with you about the sense of community too, it’s great to have so many like-minded people all together!
I am the only person out there who’s never done Bodyrock…yet!
I need to try it!
Normally I just wing it with what I do for at-home workouts and dont focus too much on online stuff or even DVDs b/c I can’t follow a recipe or a DVD to save my life 🙂 But for new moves and inspiration, I need to check them out more 🙂
My sister does this and looks amazing! i had a baby 6 months ago and although I’m losing weight from nursing, I’m nowhere near as toned as I should be! thanks for the links, I’ve been meaning to try this out for quite some time, since it would be perfect for me b/c im a stay at home mom 🙂
Smoking Crayolas Blogspot
Love Bodyrock. And love Zuzana. Hot hot hot! lol Also love these focus on posts. I’m learning about workouts I’ve never heard of or have heard of but didn’t know anything about. Keep doing them please!
so glad you’re enjoying them!
You are so helpful!! I did Insanity for a month and loved it, but towards the end, my knees were killing me! I have always been very active and have never had knee pain, but for some reason my knees were dying after a month of Insanity. I want to give it another try again because I LOVED it, and I got so much energy from it, but this time I think I will supplement it with evening yoga.
Bodyrock is KILLER! I’ve only done it once, but it was seriously insane. I watched it first and thought, “there’s no way I can do that.” I was wiped after!
This is another great program. But, I am trying to decide between Zumba and Turbojam. What do you think is the most versatile for a beginner/intermediate? Mainly to lose fat (I hate that word) and build up cardio.
i’ve actually never tried turbojam, just turbofire. i vote for zumba 🙂