In May 2017, 75% of Americans admitted that being “in shape” and attractive mattered to them. Yet, 45% of the country’s adults were also completely inactive, with just 31% training regularly.
Sure, we can continue to toss around blame in a riveting game of hot potato — no time, too tiring, hate sweating, zero equipment, the excuses that have become like second nature to us.
Or … we can introduce you to BodyFit’s Your Transformation Starts Here Volume 1. Is this 20-minute-a-day beginner-friendly fitness program the key to finally getting active?
Let’s find out!
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About the Creator – Vince Ozalp
Vince Ozalp is an Australian personal trainer with nearly two decades in the fitness industry.
Believing that we’re all “elite” top-level athletes waiting to unleash our inner-beasts, Ozalp’s training style hinges on building confidence, resilience, strength, and mobility.
His passion for fitness inspired him to launch his own Australian-based training facility — Elite Training & Sports Medicine — that offers nutrition and fitness advice for all skill levels.
Ozalp’s biggest achievement as a trainer was coaching Declan McGovern on his warpath to the 2018 Bodybuilding.com Transformation Challenge title.
What Is Your Transformation Starts Here Volume 1?
YTSHV1 — c’mon, tell me that doesn’t sound lightyears cooler — is the first installment in Vince Ozalp’s three-part BodyFit series sharing the same name.
And even though this program doesn’t have a lot of research and studies to back up its claims like Robertson’s Built by Science, YTSHV1 stands out in a different way…
This six-week back-to-basics routine defeats nearly every excuse in the book:
- No time: The three real workouts per week cap out around 20 minutes.
- No space: If you can stretch out for planks and perform star jumps without busting a hole through the ceiling, you have more than enough space.
- No gym membership: Nope, you don’t need one.
- No experience: All resistance exercises are scaled to your strength.
- No equipment: It’s not totally dependent like Total Body Dumbbell Fix, but Ozalp recommends dumbbells or resistance bands, though an adjustable bench and medicine balls couldn’t hurt.
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The coordination, stamina, and strength you develop over the next 42 days will prepare you for the program’s amped-up second level — Volume 2.
YTSH Details & Features
(There’s really no catchy way to shorten the program’s name. It’s either a ten-syllable mouthful or what sounds like a fake overseas brand on Amazon — take your pick.)
Now that we’ve gotten that off our chest, here’s a closer look at YTSH: Volume 1:
Schedule
Volume 1 features three “real” workouts, three active recovery days, and one rest day per week:
| Day | Workout |
| Monday | Functional Fitness |
| Tuesday | Active Recovery |
| Wednesday | Strength Training |
| Thursday | Active Recovery |
| Friday | High Intensity |
| Saturday | Active Recovery |
| Sunday | Rest |
Equipment
YTSH requires little in the way of equipment.
All you really need are adjustable dumbbells (or resistance bands) — with resistance that allows you to hit failure at or before the rep goal — and a bench.
However, Ozalp recommends a medicine ball and a sturdy surface as alternatives. The BodyFit platform also has an Exercise Database full of alternative exercises to swap in/out.
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Workouts
Most YTSH workouts begin with a brisk 10-minute warm-up walk or 5–10 minutes of fast-paced calisthenics (like jumping jacks).
All Functional Fitness, Strength Training, and High-Intensity workouts include a walkthrough video leading you through all six workouts. But what about the workouts themselves?
Functional Fitness
The Functional Fitness workouts set the tone for the rest of the six-week program.
These circuit-style workouts feature four exercises — assisted push-ups, bench dips, alternating dumbbell front raises, and hand-elevated push-ups — before finishing with a minute-long plank.
Rest periods: 90 seconds between rounds
Reps: 2 x 10 in weeks 1–3 and 3 x 12 in weeks the final three weeks
Strength Training
The Strength Training sessions continue the circuit trend established on day one. The only difference is that this time, workouts add some artificial resistance.
Exercises include dumbbell (or resistance band) bent-over rows, bicep curls, and hammer curls, with a 15-minute walk to close out each workout.
Rest periods: 90 seconds between rounds
Reps: 2 x 10 in the first half of the program and 3 x 12 in part two
High Intensity
The High-Intensity workouts are your standard calisthenic circuit divided into two unique cycles. First in the line-up are:
- Star jumps
- Mountain climbers
- Bodyweight squats
- Assisted push-ups
… and then:
- Bear crawls
- Elbow planks
Rest periods: 90 seconds between rounds
Set lengths: 2 x 20 and 1 x 30 seconds for three weeks followed by 3 x 20 and 2 x 30/60
Active Recovery
Between each legitimate workout is an Active Recovery day calling for 10, 30, or 60-minute “brisk” yet “sustainable” trail runs/walks. Some AR days end with 1–2 sets of 20–40 sit-ups.
Rest
How you spend your one rest day per week falls on your shoulders. Ozalp leaves you with a few choices, including “nothing,” a hot or ice-cold bath, meal prep, massage, walking, or stretching.
Audio Workouts
In an era where everyone and their mother has a podcast, oh, why the hell not? Ozalp includes an audio-only version of each workout video walking you through all six training sessions.
(It’s a little confusing listening to someone verbally explain how to do push-ups, and we don’t know why Ozalp himself doesn’t star in these videos, but the audio is a great alternative to videos!)
6 Benefits of Bodybuilding.com’s Your Transformation Starts Here Volume 1
- The minimal time and equipment requirements leave few excuses to be inactive.
- Walking burns about as many calories burned per mile as running, especially if your running speed is similar to your walking speed (Western Journal of Medicine).
- Progressive calisthenic exercises (i.e., push-ups) deliver strength and mass benefits similar to that of traditional resistance exercises, like bench presses (The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research).
- Each week, not including warm-ups, guarantees 160+ minutes of training, surpassing the CDC’s recommended 150 minutes per week for heart health perks.
- The modifications — such as foot positioning during bench dips — and elevated push-ups make Volume 1 ridiculously beginner-friendly.
- Each workout lists three options: written, audio, or video.
5 Negatives of Your Transformation Starts Here
- If you don’t know what counts as a “brisk” walk (hint: it’s about 3 MPH — or a 20-minute mile pace), this program’s cardio benefits are limited to the High Intensity Workouts.
- It’s too mild for anyone with recent training experience so don’t expect the same results you might get from Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Shred.
- Aside from the near-daily walks, star jumps, squats, and mountain climbers, which peak at your bodyweight, the legs see very little direct resistance training.
- There isn’t a nutritional guide, which is concerning since diet is where many newbies fail whether they’re working out with BodyFit or V Shred.
- There really isn’t any direct abdominal training and you’ll need to supplement with a direct core workout like 30 Day Abs by Abel Albonetti.
Wrapping Up This Your Transformation Starts Here Volume 1 Review
Volume 1 is quite literally the tamest BodyFit program we’ve seen yet. This Ozalp program is suitable for those without training experience or rebounding from their lazy college days.
It’s incredibly reasonable for newbies, improves total body fitness with the de-trained population, and is impressively modifiable based on equipment and experience level.
However, if your idea of a true “body transformation” is carving out a six-pack or beefin’ up your biceps, a Jim Stoppani, Steve Cook, or Mike O’Hearn BodyFit program will be more your speed.
Anyone with recent training experience will find this program more comparable to a warm-up or “light” training day than a regular routine to improve fitness.
Rating: 7.3/10
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