The Points

Bill Phillips, owner of EAS nutritional supplements, popularized Body for Life’s 12-week exercise and nutrition program in a series of bestselling books. To support the program, EAS holds an annual spokesperson competition awarding cash prizes to winners. Contestants submit ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos along with essays detailing their experience participating in the Body for Life program. In hopes of becoming Body for Life Champions, challengers perform intense weight training and aerobic exercise while maintaining a balanced, small meals diet.

A typical workout week involves alternating 3 weight-lifting days and 3 cardio days with 1 rest day. The strength days alternate between upper and lower body exercises for 45 minutes per workout. Cardio days encourage aerobic exercise for 20 minutes with increasing intensity. To keep up with the strenuous workout routine, the Body for Life diet plan boosts metabolism by eating smaller, more frequent. The diet balances lean proteins and good carbohydrates to stabilize insulin levels and help suppress hunger. Sample menus include EAS’ performance enhancing Myoplex nutrition bars, shakes, and protein powders.

The Pros

Success Stories: Intense training with balanced diet is a recipe for results. According to website testimonies, after 12 weeks, participants exhibit a significant increase in muscle mass and drop in overall weight and body fat.

Longevity: With plenty of vegetables and whole grains, many people find the diet reasonable to keep up for an extended period of time. Eating 6 meals per day keeps you feeling full. And, on Day 7, you are free to eat as you normally do.

The Cons

Diet Demands: Some participants feel the recommended diet with supplements is too high in protein. Also, if you’re away from home a lot, eating 6 small meals per day could present a challenge especially with the diet’s food restrictions.

Intense Exercise: The exercise portion may be too tough for on-the-go users to follow. And, if you’re a beginner, the 6 days per week for 12 weeks schedule is a big jump in intensity.

Additional Costs: The program will require gym membership or home exercise equipment. The recommended EAS supplements are sold separately and fairly expensive.