Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review

January 8, 2017

Several people have messaged me asking for my thoughts and experience on Kayla Itsines bikini body guide, so I thought it would be best to write a comprehensive Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review. Plus, I did promise to put my thoughts to pen, and share my thoughts with you. Without further ado, here is my full Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review!

kayla itsines bikini body guide review

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What is BBG (the bikini body guide)?

Kayla Itsines offers three products within the bikini body bundle. These are the BBG 1.0 workout guide, the BBG 2.0 workout guide, and the HELP food guide. BBG 1.0 gives you 12-weeks worth of workouts and BBG 2.0 is the sequel to BBG 2.0 and gives you an additional 12-weeks of workouts. The BBG guides provide you with information on what to do for cardio (the amount of cardio varies every 4 weeks, and the majority of the cardio is LISS training) and also provides you with plyometric based circuit workouts which are done 3-days out of the week.

The circuit workouts are divided into weeks 1-3, weeks 2-4, weeks 5-7, weeks 6-8, weeks 9-11, and weeks 10-12. I did not realize that this was how the circuit workouts were arranged and stupidly I did the workouts for weeks 1-3 for the first 2 weeks .. always make sure to thoroughly read sometime from cover to end instead of assuming you know what to do! You can buy the BBG at www.kaylaitsines.com using a credit card or download her Sweat with Kayla app and have the BBG workouts conveniently on your phone.

The equipment you need for the BBG are two benches/steps, a mat (not necessary but better than doing sit ups on a cold and hard floor, right?), two hand weights (the weight recommendation is between 3-5 kgs each), a medicine ball (between 6-12kgs), a jump rope, and a bosu ball. It is a workout that was designed to be done at home, but since I lived in San Francisco at the time, where I had a tiny room, so I did all my workouts at the gym. Specifically in the group exercise room; lots of space!

Okay, now I am going to divide my thoughts on the BBG into weeks 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12.

**Update**

Kayla has since given her bikini body guide a design ‘facelift.’ It now has a pre-training section which lasts for 4 weeks, so that beginners can build up their strength, and feel confident in doing the workouts.

Weeks 1-4

When I first started the guide, I remember looking at the circuit workouts for weeks 1-3 and thinking ‘Okay, this doesn’t look sooo hard’. And like I said, they weren’t incredibly hard but they still made me red as a tomato and sweatier than a sweaty thing. The circuit workouts for weeks 2-4 are much harder, and when I finally got round to these workouts (in week 3 by accident lol), I realized just how hard the rest of the BBG was going to be. Weeks 2-4 introduce you to such lovely exercises as jump lunges and commando’s .. all my girls doing the BBG will know what I mean when I say that they are HARD and I always dreaded doing them. The amount of cardio you have to do isn’t too bad and was quite manageable. I didn’t see any physical results during this time, only performance related progress.

Weeks 5-8

This is where the BBG starts to get really hard. Kayla really steps up the circuit workouts, and there is significantly more cardio to do too (still just LISS though). The jump rope really comes into play during these weeks and my god, your strength is really tested. The way Kayla structured the BBG kept me so motivated because I knew that every week was different, and also because I knew that every 4 weeks, the intensity would get turned up. The amount of cardio you have to do was a little bit hard to keep up with. During these weeks I had to do a lot of split sessions – so for example, I would do a circuit workout in the morning, and then go back to the gym at night to do cardio. Or some days I would do cardio in the morning and then cardio again at night. It was a bit ridiculous and the only downside to weeks 5-8. I started to really see some changes in my body at the end of week 8 🙂

Weeks 9-12

Probably my favorite/most hated weeks ever haha. This is where the bosu ball comes in and it really tests your ability to do plyometric movements. The amount of times I cursed ‘bloody jump lunges!!’ in my head (and sometimes online, oops) was a tad ridiculous. I felt sore every week .. EVERY WEEK! It is crazy that I could still get so sore considering you are progressively increasing your strength and endurance over time. I felt kinda pathetic the amount of times I had to take a break during some of the exercises, but weeks 9-12 are just that hard. In terms of cardio, the amount decreases and now you have to also incorporate HIIT training into your workout. I hope this doesn’t scare you off from doing the BBG haha, because even though the final section was so hard, it felt absolutely INCREDIBLE to complete them and to feel so incredibly accomplished (and sore).

Honestly Fitness Approved

To sum up, I love the BBG. Sure, I may not have had as dramatic progress as some of the lovely ladies who have done the BBG but I did make progress. I became much stronger and can do more push-ups, burpees, jump lunges and all other manner of exercises than I ever could before. My stomach toned up (my problem area!) and my arms toned up a lot. My legs also tightened up and the outer thighs became much smaller. I don’t (yet hehe) have a super defined stomach, that stupid thigh gap (girls need to STOP focusing on this, just focus on losing fat, not getting a bloody gap), or rock solid arms. But I am closer than I was 3 months ago and I will never stop on my quest to be the healthiest and fittest version of me that I can be 🙂

Oh and my progress photo is on my Instagram if you were curious. I am repeating the BBG and will be buying Kayla’s bikini body guide v.2 when it comes out (update, I did buy Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide 2.0). I believe it comes out in September and I can’t wait for the next challenge.

If any of you want to buy her guides, click on the image below and you will be re-directed to her website. She also offers an Sweat with Kayla app, which hosts the workouts on the app itself. Click here to read my full review of Kayla Itsines Sweat with Kayla app.

I hope this review has helped you all. Please leave a comment if you have any more questions and I will be happy to answer them.

Honestly yours,
Alice xx

Disclaimer: I became affiliated with Kayla Itsines in September 2014, but this in no way changes my opinion of her products. My thoughts and experiences are and will always remain honest and unbiased. I am here to help you.

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Planning is Key: Meal Plan

May 10, 2015

I’ve said it many times before, but planning is key to success in anything, and especially in maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This past week, I have been overindulging more than usual and I can tell that if I do not curb my eating back soon, it will start to physically show. Although I have been overindulging in healthy foods (with the exception of some ice-cream from Bi-Rite Creamery and many a tortilla chip at my graduation party), you will gain weight and fat from overindulging in anything. Okay, maybe not lettuce and celery. But you get the point!

What Is My Game Plan?

My usual method of getting back on track is to have a day or two of having a diet high in protein and fat, and lower in carbohydrates, before switching back to my normal routine of moderate carbohydrates, protein and lower in fat (an example of a breakfast I would have during this time is poached egg, smoked salmon with tomatoes and broccoli, as seen below). I use the Clean and Lean recipes by James Duigan whenever I do this.

This is just what works for me personally, and you need to experiment to see what suits your body best. As much as I love foods higher in fats, I find that I feel more happy, balanced and satisfied when I can include more carbohydrates into my diet. I also make sure to start my day off with a cup of green tea (either using green tea bags or matcha green tea powder) and a slice of lemon.

My Personal Meal Plan

So during the weekend, I decided to do two days of eating a higher amount of fats and protein with lower amounts of carbohydrates. If you follow me on Snapchat, you would’ve seen what I was eating (username is honestlyfitness)! To give you an idea of what I was eating, I had my usual poached eggs, tomato and asparagus with 1 slice of marble rye toast with smashed avocado for breakfast, superfood spinach salad with Indian spiced chicken, and zucchini pesto pasta for dinner. During the course of this week, I will be transitioning back to what is a ‘normal’ diet for me, with the focus on sticking to specific portion sizes. Last week, I ate similarly to this but kept adding on more … dark chocolate at night, couple of casual medjool dates, tons of pistachios, more bread. You get the point, and hey what can I say, I am human but I know when it is time to get back on track 🙂

Monday
Breakfast: Boiled egg with roast asparagus and marble rye bread with smashed avocado
Snack: Medjool dates and matcha green tea latte
Lunch: Chicken quinoa stir fry with broccoli and peas
Snack: Greek yogurt with apricot
Dinner: Zucchini pesto pasta with shrimp

Tuesday
Breakfast: Overnight oats with pecans, chia seeds, ground flax seed, and chocolate protein powder
Snack: Banana (or other fruit) with almond butter
Lunch: Chicken and spinach salad with avocado, sunflower seeds and pepita with simple olive oil dressing
Snack: Marble Rye Bread with broiled and sliced tomato + non-fat latte
Dinner: Off The Grid, food trucks with my friends

Wednesday
Breakfast: Poached egg with roast asparagus and marble rye bread with smashed avocado
Snack: Hazelnuts and medjool dates
Lunch: Chicken quinoa stir fry with broccoli and peas
Snack: Greek yogurt with apricot
Dinner: Baked salmon with vermicelli and vegetable mix

Thursday
Breakfast: Overnight oats with pecans, chia seeds, ground flax seed, and chocolate protein powder
Snack: Marble Rye Bread with broiled and sliced tomato + non-fat latte
Lunch: Chicken and spinach salad with avocado, sunflower seeds and pepita with simple olive oil dressing
Snack: Banana with almond butter
Dinner: Zucchini pasta with marinara sauce and shrimp (may not have this depending on how much I eat at my class’ potluck!)

Friday
Breakfast: Poached egg with roast asparagus and marble rye bread with smashed avocado
Snack: Greek yogurt with mango
Lunch: May have lunch with friend, otherwise will buy fresh BBQ chicken rolls
Snack: Cashew Cookie Larabar
Dinner: Making dinner with my housemate, most likely zucchini pasta!

I usually plan up until Friday, and then plan on what I will be eating over the weekend on Thursday or Friday.

What Do You Do?

Do you find that making a meal plan helps you? I find that most times, I do not have to physically write down what I will be eating during the week, but that I definitely have to think about what I want during the week and go grocery shopping and do food prep on Sunday. Would be curious to hear how you guys go about eating healthy while staying happy and balanced 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice

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Kayla Itsines Discount and an Update

February 7, 2015

First things first: the Kayla Itsines discount. [DISCOUNT EXPIRED FEBRUARY 28th, 2015] <— UPDATE

For any newcomers you do not know who Kayla Itsines is, click here to read an interview I did with her. She is the mastermind behind a fantastic program called the ‘Bikini Body Guide’ (click here for my review) which I am currently following.

Kayla has been kind enough to give me a 10% discount to any of her guides which I want to share with you all! To get the discount code, all you have to do is subscribe to Honestly Fitness and you will receive the exclusive code in an email the following day. Remember to check for a confirmation email and check your junk mailbox in case it ends up there. You will NOT receive the email with the code otherwise.

If you do not receive the email within 24 hours, email me at honestlyfitness@live.com and I will send you the 10% discount code myself. This is a great deal as Kayla does not give these out often, and gives you the chance to see for yourself why I and so many others swear by Kayla’s workout and nutrition guides. The graphic below will take you to her website where you can buy her guides (they are EBOOKS).

An Update

I am so sorry for the lack of posts! This is my final semester and it has been killing me, plus I have some other personal issues to deal with (like taxes haha). I have so many ideas in my head, but it may take me a while to translate them into a blog post. I am proud of myself for sharing my perfect four ingredient pancake recipe with you all before life got too crazy. You should try them!!!

I am continuing to do Kayla Itsines bikini body guide and restarted with millions of girls around the world for The Kayla Movement. It has been quite exhilarating to redo the program (my third time!) with so many others and it has helped kept me motivated. I think I plateaued during the first four weeks so I consulted with some of my dear BBG friends and decided to be a little more strict with my food intake and to use heavier weights during the workouts. Fingers crossed this will help me yield the results I am after!

I also took the plunge and bought Kayla’s foam roller (which you can find on her website) because I have received questions regarding whether it is worth buying or not. I will be able to tell you all what I think in a few weeks once I have received it and tested it out.

How are all of you? How have your exercise routines been going and how are things like nutrition wise for you?