My Beachbody Muscle Burns Fat #MBF and #MBFA Workout Review with My Personal Results

After finishing the #MBF workout program followed by #MBFA, I wanted to share a review for anyone who might be wondering whether or not to try this program and what kind of results you can expect.

First if you don’t already know, #mbf stands for Muscle Burns Fat and #mbfa stands for Muscle Burns Fat Advanced. Each program is 3-weeks long. You can do them independently or back-to-back.

Quick Review Thoughts on the Program

I really liked this program! It’s fast-paced, energetic and the 30-minute workouts easily fit into my busy schedule. And I don’t always say that.

I also got pretty amazing results in just 6 short weeks. I lost weight to finally get below a weight I couldn’t budge past since my son was born, and all of my measurements went down and up in all the right places. So expect a feminine, lean physique.

Yes, there are definitely some things I think could’ve made the program a little better. But for being put together and filmed during the Covid-19 pandemic, I feel like it’s a very well-rounded program.

From a comparison perspective, my #mbf and #mbfa results were better than 9 Week Control Freak, and that program was three weeks longer. I was in better shape doing the MBF programs, but the program was also more advanced and faster-paced than 9 Week Control Freak.

That’s because MBF is a workout program designed to build lean muscle and burn fat.

Here’s how…

Two Training Principles in the #mbf Workouts Explained

After you’ve done a Beachbody program or two, you might notice that a new program often means new equipment. We’ll go over all that in the next section. You’ll also begin to recognize that Beachbody programs rely heavily on exercise science, so it’s not just a workout program thrown together.

MBF uses a couple unique training principles to get you real results fast:

1. Unilateral Training: This is all about working one side of the body while the other side rests. An example would be doing a dumbbell chest press with your right arm only.

Even though you’re only physically working one side of the body at a time, your nervous system is being stimulated on both sides. Working one side of your body at a time makes you work harder to stay steady and not be pulled off to the working side

That’s how unilateral training really helps work your core muscles and other small stabilizer muscles that are important to posture and overall body mechanics. It also helps you feel if you have any muscle imbalances, so you can correct them.

2. Time Under Tension (TUT): This is the amount of time your muscles are working during resistance training. 

When you do a bicep curl, you curl the weight up for a count of one and lower it down for a count of two. The 1+2 count is the total time under tension.

You can use TUT training to make your workouts harder. To do this, you could lift the weight for 2 counts and lower the weight for 2 counts for a total of 4. That forces your muscles to work harder by doing an extra count.

Continue through an entire set of 10 curls, and you’ll put your muscles under more stress for an extra 10 count! This optimizes your muscle strength and muscle conditioning leading to greater strength gains.

The good news is that you don’t need any fancy equipment to get the full benefits of these training principles. 

What Equipment You Need for #mbf and #mbfa

You really only need a couple of pieces of equipment for #mbf workouts. 

• A Mat: A Beachbody core comfort mat or yoga mat works great. I used both.
• Dumbbells: A set of light, medium and heavy should be good enough.
• BOD Ropes: These are Beachbody’s cordless jump ropes. More info below.

BOD ropes have comfortable foam handles with a short piece of rope connected to a lightly weighted ball at the end. As your wrist rotates, the handles and the ball start swinging around, and you get the same feeling as you would using a real jump rope.

Do You Really Need BOD Ropes to Do the MBF workout program?

Personally I feel like they’re a must if you do the program, because it makes a huge difference in your arms vs using no weight (even if you fake the movement.) And all of the workouts have some sort of cardio aspect with the BOD ropes – except the active recovery workout.

I honestly thought the BOD ropes were just there to get you to buy something extra for the program – until mine came in after the first few days, and I used them vs doing the same movement without them. They do have their advantages over an actual jump rope like not having to worry about tripping on the cord and having to reset. Plus, they’re great for small spaces, and/or if you have pets. 

The #mbf Workouts and Schedule

The #mbf workout schedule is 7 days/week. That means you don’t get any days off. I know for some that may seem kind of scary and hard to get around mentally, but I liked knowing exactly what I’d be doing at 8 o’clock after the kids were in bed.

How long are the #mbf workouts? All of the #mbf workouts are 25-40 minutes long, which even the busiest person can fit into their schedule if you really want to make a change.

Here’s a quick breakdown of all the workouts:

• Lower Body Burn: This lower body-focused workout is broken down into 4 blocks. The 1st and 3rd blocks have 5 moves for a total of 2 sets. It sounds like a lot, but it’s just one exercise, another exercise, then a combo of the 2, then you do the other side. The 2nd and 4th blocks have 2 different exercises for a total of 3 sets.
• Core Circuit: This workout works your core – not just your abs. This is the workout that introduces AMRAP aka “as many reps as possible”. This workout is broken down into 3 blocks with a 4-minute AMRAP at the end.
  
  Each block has 3 core-based moves. One of the moves changes with each block. At the end of each block, you do one cardio-based move with the jump rope. At the end of the workout for the AMRAP, you perform all of the cardio moves in a row plus jump roping for a total of 4 moves to equal one rep. 
• Upper Body Burn: This is broken down exactly the same as Lower Body Burn, except it focuses on your upper body. Think one-armed chest presses, one-armed chest flies, push-ups and rows. 
• Core Circuit: This is exactly the same concept as the other Core Circuit day with different moves and different AMRAPs. 
• Full Body Burn: This is broken down the same as Lower and Upper Body Burn except it focuses on your entire body. You do everything from classic kettlebell moves using regular weights to deadlifts with hammer curls. 
• Power Ignite: This was one of my favorites and also when the EMOM comes in. EMOM stands for “every minute on the minute”. In this one, you do as many of a certain number of reps as you can in one minute. You rest once you’ve finished the reps until the next minute. Most moves are dynamic compound moves. The first 2 blocks stay the same for the three weeks with only the reps changing. Then the final block changes slightly week to week. 
• Dynamic Recovery: This workout doesn’t change from week to week, which honestly, drove me crazy and probably one of the things I liked least about the program. I got pretty bored with it, but it is a great dynamic recovery.

#mbf vs #mbfa Workouts

The major difference with these programs is that MBFA kicks it up a notch in intensity from MBF. The way the workouts are set up are the same though. Here are a few key differences:

As you can see, the workouts get a little longer, the level of difficulty and intensity increases and the MBFA workouts include Megan minutes (these are extra 1-minute challenges.)

What the #mbf Nutrition is Like

Whether you want to lose weight, maintain your weight, go all out and eat like an athlete or eat more relaxed, there’s a nutrition option that will help you reach your goals and get you feeling better than ever with MBF.

Two Nutrition Choices for #mbf

The good news is that Beachbody streamlined their nutrition guides and no longer has unique nutrition guides for each individual program.

Now you get to choose from the Portion Fix or 2B Mindset programs. And then depending on your specific goals, you get to personalize your nutrition program even further by choosing one of three Portion Fix options to best help you reach them.

What I Think Would Make #mbf Even Better

I don’t know how much I can really take away from this program, since they filmed and produced it during the initial craze of coronavirus pandemic. It’s very well done if you ask me.

But if you know me, then you know I always like to include what I don’t love about the program or feel could’ve been better. I have 2, which one is definitely more subjective.

My Only Real Complaint

My main problem with MBF is that the rep schemes on the resistance training exercises changes every once in a while, and she doesn’t let you know. Say you’ve been doing 10 reps, well suddenly you’ll be doing 16 reps. This usually means you would’ve chosen a different weight for the set if you’d known ahead of time.

The above doesn’t happen often and it’s so minor, but it did irk me a little. The good news is you can always switch out weights mid-set if it feels too heavy. Mostly it threw me off when suddenly it seemed like I was doing way more reps than the last exercise. It’s because I was haha.

My only other thing is that is is very high volume, which is just the type of training it is. After having my daughter, I feel like my body didn’t necessarily love the higher volume, but it’s part of the reason why it’s such an effective program.

My 6 Weeks of #mbf and #mbfa Results

I followed #mbf immediately with #mbfa after completing 9 Week Control Freak. I really wasn’t expecting to get very good results, since I thought I was already in pretty good shape.

How My Fitness Progressed

I used the #mbf tracker sheets to track my progress. Yes after/during every workout, I made note of the weights used or number of reps I completed. The only thing I’ll say is that it’s not always accurate, because the moves change from week to week so your weight may go down with certain exercises, too. 

I was honestly crazy surprised to lose 9lbs in 6 weeks after feeling like I wasn’t making much progress in the weight loss department over the first three weeks. I did lose multiple inches and felt more in shape than I’d felt in a while. Plus my core, which is impossible to ever totally tone up without surgery because of my irreversible diastasis recti, did lose a layer of fat.

My Beachbody #mbf Before and After Result Photos

How to Order Muscle Burns Fat

If you feel like you’re ready to build muscle and burn fat with MBF. MBF is only available in the Beachbody On Demand member library. There aren’t any DVDs.

There are, however, many different MBF purchasing options. For the sake of your sanity, I’m only going to share a couple.

If you’re new to Beachbody On Demand…

You have many different options for purchasing the MBF program depending on your needs:

The new #mbf Essentials Pack includes everything you need to succeed with the program, including an annual BOD membership, the MBF & MBFA programs program materials and equipment, plus every other Beachbody program already in the BOD member library and complete nutrition of your choice tailored to your specific needs.

Or if you just wanted the basics, you could do a subscription to Beachbody On Demand and order the BOD ropes separately.

Should you Follow up #mbf with #mbfa?

Of course you should. As long as you feel like you’re making progress, the programs are designed to be completed one after another. If you’re really scared the #mbfa workouts are going to be too hard, then by all means do another round of #mbf until you feel comfortable enough to move on. But you should be feeling good enough to move on after one round of MBF.

Conclusion

MBF is a great overall program. I can’t say enough good things about it, especially since they filmed it during a tough time for all. If you’re looking to burn fat and build lean muscle, then it’s worth trying it out. It does have a lot of volume, so if you’ve never trained this way before, you will likely get some good gains.

Have Questions? Need Extra Support?

If you have any questions about the program or would like more information about choosing one of the many new essential packs to help you reach your specific health and fitness goals, please leave a comment below or email. I’m happy to help.

Also know that when you purchase through any link on this site, you will also gain access to my private VIP group on social media for extra support during your transformation if you choose!