30 Day Breakaway Beachbody Review

After a year of COVID isolation, I needed a change from my regular indoor workouts with Beachbody On-Demand. 30 Day Breakaway was the first Beachbody program I heard of that incorporated running, so I was really excited to try it out!

The 30 Day Breakaway workout program was created by Idalis Velazquez and incorporates both weights workouts and audio running instruction to get you to a 5K on the last day of the program. Plus, I’ve been doing Yes.Fit virtual races for a few months now and was interested to see how far collectively I’d run through the 30 days. So I figured why not try it?

“Celebrate everything your body is able to do.”

Idalis Velazquez, 30 Day Breakaway

30 Day Breakaway Basics

• Most days, you have two workouts. Each are ~20-30 minutes, so about an hour total each day.
• While it is a 30-day program, it is not 30 unique workouts. You will repeat some workouts.
• You’ll need resistance loops, a variety of dumbell weights, and a foam roller for the indoor workouts.
• If you’re running outside, you’ll want to download the audio and listen to it using headphones as you run. They have treadmill audio as well.
• There is a rainy day run option if you can’t go outside and run.
• The workout calendar incorporates days off.

Everything above you can learn online. Below is my honest review and feedback of 30 Day Breakaway after going through the entire program:

PROS

• It felt really great to get outside and run, even if only for a bit.
• I loved having days off so I could get in some Peloton spin classes on my Echelon bike!
• I’ve never had instruction when I ran before, so that was very new, but also quite motivating. Despite that I didn’t get to listen to an audiobook or a podcast, I really liked the variety of running combinations she provided.
• After I got used to the hour-long workouts, I came to appreciate that this program forced me outside of my 30-minute workout comfort zone.
• Idalis is very positive and upbeat the entire workout, which helped me stay positive too even when things got tough.
• With her audio instruction, I actually felt like a runner who knew what I was doing.
• How hard you push yourself during your runs is up to you and your subjective level of effort. Once I realized this, I wasn’t as intimidated.
• I like that you can hear her breathing heavy and she admits she’s burning or getting tired too. I know she’s strong but it’s nice she admits she’s human too.
• You can tell they really tried to pick scenic locations for each workout.
• Idalis is the only one in the video, likely because of COVID, but no annoying cast members!
• Compared to my first rounds of 21 Day Fix years ago, I definitely felt stronger. I was using 10 and 12 lbs weights for my light weights! Those used to be my heavy weights!
• My 5K on the last day was my fastest 5K time yet!

CONS

• Perhaps it’s obvious, but this is not a low-impact workout. Besides that it does include running, she does not really give many options for modified versions except for going on your knees during pushups.
• This workout is NOT for beginners. She does not explain moves very well or not at all sometimes. I was glad I knew what a chest fly or tricep press was, for example, since without her instruction I could’ve easily hurt myself.
• She doesn’t give good instruction on what weight to use, heavy or light so you have to know your body and moves.
• The weights workouts are very rushed and she often doesn’t prompt you to start (especially if you’re switching sides) so you really have to keep an eye on the screen constantly.
• The countdown clock in the corner of the screen is not for the workout, but just the phase you’re in. When it gets to zero, it restarts.
• She talks in terms of seconds left in a move instead of reps. I came to learn when she says 5 seconds, that’s usually 1-2 more reps. Otherwise, I just kept going until she stopped, which was often on 2 seconds instead of finishing past 1 second.
• She really loves runners stretch. Be prepared to do it…. a lot.

• It was really confusing to know when the workout’s going to end. She’ll say “one more move and then you’ve completed the workout,” but then you do the move and next it’s, “OK only four more moves.” Or you finish your run interval and she’ll tell you “OK now we’re going to do it again”… excuse me… do what again? The whole thing or the last move?
• Idalis talks to you as if you know what she means. For example, on the runs, she kept saying “RPE” and I’d spend minutes each run making up the acronym’s words. It wasn’t until day 27 that she explained what it was and what it meant. Or “hypo,” “clean,” “overstriding,” what do those things mean? How do I run lightly when I’m running?
• The camera angles kept changing and it drove me batty. I know they were trying to be creative but sometimes you need to see her legs or you need a front view to know what’s going on. One time, she even said, “Let me show you from the side,” and turned. The camera angle then changed to show her from the front again. How is that helpful?
• The rainy day cardio option is 10 extra minutes so I chose to run in the rain instead to save time.
• Idalis will sometimes remind you to track your weights or ask you to do more reps than the previous time, but there aren’t tracking sheets for the workouts other than one small box on the calendar. Also, reminding you on the second round doesn’t help me remember what I did on my first round.
• 9 of the days include a “Rest Day Roll-out” workout. I’m sorry but one time was enough. There’s no way I’m spending 30 minutes on a roller 9 times in 30 days. I stretched out on my own or did another, shorter Beachbody On Demand stretch class!

Some of this is venting, yes, but this program genuinely frustrated me at times for the silliest things. But whatever, we keep on moving, do our best and get it done, right? And don’t forget to smile! (She says that a lot!)

The end result?

I started 30 Day Breakaway at the end of March and finished on May 1, but we took a week-long vacation in the middle of my 30 Day Breakaway program so I stayed mostly on schedule! During that week, I switched over to Barre Blend and running the Yes.Fit Easter Bunny 6K (in two days) so the workouts complemented the program.

Because I also started Whole30 a week into this program, I don’t know if I lost weight (I’m not supposed to go on the scale); however, my 5K pace improved by about 1 minute, 30 seconds! I gained much more confidence in my running ability, felt more comfortable with pushing myself to go faster, and even found myself feeling like a genuine runner by the end.

Plus, I ran a combined ~25 miles during this program, which is huge for me. I completed the 22.2 Mermaid in Denmark Yes.Fit race! And, I had miles leftover to put toward my next virtual race!

Would I do 30 Day Breakaway again as a program?