This is a review for 4x4 – Trilogy 1

Main Menu – 4x4, English subtitles, Spanish subtitles

Set, Music, and Exercisers - The set is nice, light, and airy looking. There are some 20 Minute Body banners on the back wall and it’s not cluttered looking and the exercisers aren’t too close together. The music is instrumental and I can’t recall it at all which means it was neither really good nor really bad. I do remember that it helped pace the workout nicely. Brett works out with 4 background exercisers. There is 1 man and 3 women and all are wearing athletic tops and bottoms and no one is noticeably mugging for the camera or acting in an obnoxious fashion. One woman shows modifications suitable for someone just starting with fitness.

Equipment – a mat is working out on a hardwood floor or slick surface. Have a towel and water bottle close by.

Warm Up – This is the same warm up throughout the series. The moves include forward fold to plank, cat/cow, spider lunge w/ a twist, sumo squat to forward fold, sumo squat w/ twist, 8 jumping jacks.

Main workout – There are 4 exercises in this workout. The work to rest ratio is 1 minute work/15 seconds of rest or transition. Each time you complete the 4 exercises is a round. You do four rounds total.

This is a progressive workout in that each round the exercise gets modified slightly to make it harder. The exercises and how they progress are below.

Jinga (alternating reverse lunge) – slower count/slower count, then tempo/all tempo/tempo + add a knee thrust.
Capoeira sit through – slow count sit down/slow count, then tempo sit down/slow count sit through w/ arm raise/tempo sit through w/arm raise and balanca.
Esquiva (sumo squat w/ side lean)- slower count/slower count, tempo/all tempo/all tempo with outside hand touch.
Capoeira sit up – slower count w/ punch/ slower count with roll to back extension/slower count + roll to plank/ slower count w/roll to plank tuck, tempo.

Cool down – This is the same cool down throughout the series and uses a towel to help increase the stretch. Stretches include seated twist, laying glute/low back, laying hamstring, laying figure 4, and laying twist.

Overall Impressions: This workout really snuck up on me. After the first round I thought the workout might be too easy and kind of boring. By the end I was sold and found that I had really enjoyed the workout. As each exercise progressed in the subsequent rounds the work really started to add up and my butt and thighs were on fire, I was breathing heavily and I was a sweaty mess. It reminded me of several Men’s Health workouts were the first time through the exercises acts as a warm up and other rounds are more intense. That was definitely the case with 4x4. If you don’t progress the exercise, this workout is suitable for a high beginner. If following all the progressions, I think intermediate to low advanced exercisers will enjoy the workout. Advanced to high advanced exercisers may find the first two rounds too easy for their fitness level.

Instructor Comments:
Brett is more animated and demonstrative in this workout than in Primal Movements. There are a lot more ‘UHs’, fist pumps, and other over the top moves such as cartwheels and capoeira kicks. I found I was working so hard that it didn’t really bother me, but then this type of stuff usually doesn’t. But if you’re bothered an at times over the top instructor, you’ll probably not like 4x4. Outside of the antics, Brett offers a lot of encouragement, good form pointers, and frequently reminds the at-home exerciser to modify when needed.

Sabine Reuter