It’s time for a very honest analysis of a much-anticipated BODi workout program streaming online. Let’s review the “Dig Deeper” no-impact weightlifting program with Shaun T, which opened for early access December of 2023, available in the library May 6, 2024!
Why Trust This “Dig Deeper” Review?
As background, my name is Lillie, and I’m a 42-year old teacher and mother of two young children — and I’m not affiliated with BODi in any way. This means I can be completely honest about my opinions, as am not a “Coach” incentivized by making sales. My motivation, as I explained in my recent “XB Sweat + Sculpt” review, is to help readers around the world like you to find workout programs that match with YOUR goals and tastes — and thus bring the jobs of exercise far and wide!
Before we begin, an important disclaimer: Please use wise judgment when starting any new fitness regimen in order to avoid injury, and consult a doctor if needed. As I explained in my “Job 1” review, even the most experienced athletes can get hurt if not mindful of form and fit for one’s own body. On to today’s review!
“Dig Deeper” Overview
The context of “Dig Deeper” is that Shaun T — beloved creator of the “Insanity” workout program — just finished training for and competing in bodybuilding physique competitions, and won numerous medals thanks to his total body recomposition. The idea is that “Dig Deeper” shares the actual weightlifting moves that he used, himself, to build strength and muscle definition.
Though the program lasts 12 weeks, there are actually only three weeks of “collections,” which are repeated four times each before moving on to the next one. The three main collections are each 5 days of pure weightlifting (40-50 minutes) and one day of “Steady State Cardio” (30-40 minutes) — all no-impact moves with zero jumping (like “4 Weeks for Every Body“).
Also included in the program is a “No Excuses” collection of six workouts (five lifting and one Steady State Cardio) that are a shorter 25 minutes or so each. It is encouraged to add additional Steady State Cardio such as walking, biking, or even something like “XTend Barre” on lifting days, too.
Equipment Needed for “Dig Deeper”
Here is a run-down of required “Dig Deeper” equipment, with affiliate links to the actual products I used and enjoyed, myself. The good news is you don’t need a million things like “9 Week Control Freak.”
1. For “Dig Deeper,” you’ll need wide range of dumbbells. I used 5 pounders, 10 pounders, 15 pounders, 20 pounders, and 25 pounders. (I love vinyl-covered weights like these.) If you’re male and/or very strong, you will probably need heavier weights, as Shaun T explained he was using 50s, 60s, and higher.
2. You will also want to get an adjustable weightlifting bench. I’m sure you’re all wondering whether it’s possible to do “Dig Deeper” without the bench… and I’d say it’s really not recommended to skip it because you’d miss out on a lot of the helpful step-up, incline press, and ab moves that are hard to re-create. I have been enjoying using this relatively affordable bench (shown in my photos here), which shipped quickly and is sturdy and simple to set up.
“Dig Deeper” Cast
The “Dig Deeper” cast shifts each collection! For the first four weeks, “Dynamic Circuits,” it’s Shaun T, his actual bodybuilding trainer, a doctor named Kristen Bennett (who sometimes chimes in with great insights), and a jolly man named Chris. For Collection 2, “Sculpt & Define,” it’s just Shaun T and Kristen. For the final month, “The Build,” it’s only Shaun T on the screen — with occasional comical interactions with the cameramen, Mac!
“Dig Deeper” BODi Review
So, how is Shaun T’s “Dig Deeper” lifting program on BODi? Overall, it has some excellent aspects — but some issues, too. Here’s my breakdown of the pros and cons.
Pros of the Program
A. Shaun T is amazing!
If you want to smile and feel happier, Shaun T is the trainer for you. He’s hilarious, knowledgable, hard-working, and motivating. He also gives excellent cues throughout “Dig Deeper” about which muscles to activate and how during each move — illustrating each by pointing to the corresponding part of his perfectly sculpted physique.
His rapport with the cast — especially his trainer Kristen — is a delight to watch, and works well. Further, he REALLY pushes himself to lift heavy, modeling what it looks like to “get stuck” in the best kind of muscle failure for bodybuilding.
B. “Mind-Muscle Connection” and education is key.
Shaun T carefully explains each lift before it’s done, and gives cues that helped me have far better form than I ever had before, despite having completed nearly two dozen BODi programs, starting with “6 Weeks of the Work” way back in 2020. For example, his demonstrations of “pushing dumbbells to the floor” for Lat Pulls were enlightening. The emphasis is on “Mind-Muscle Connection,” so you truly visualize and focus on the areas you’re working.
C. Makes you feel strong, cleansed, and great.
Before each workout, I kept saying, “This video seems so long — I don’t want to do it… but I guess I’ll just try the start of it” — but then the time would fly by and I’d make it through the whole thing and feel great! The benefit of the substantial length and intensity of each workout (hovering around 45-50 minutes and at an intense pace) is you truly feel like you’ve WORKED OUT: cleansed and strong. Without fail, each workout lifted my mood, too.
D. On-screen timer (minus cool-down)!
It’s immensely helpful for programs to have an on-screen countdown timer showing how much longer is left in the workout — and “Dig Deeper” has one! Just be aware for your planning purposes that it doesn’t include the cool-down time (which, to be fair, is quite short).
E. Pacing is smart: Going slow then faster.
Though “Dig Deeper” does have some slower parts to explain moves in the first set and provide needed rest between sets, it’s overall a faster-paced program for the second and third sets (unlike “21 Day Fix“). I didn’t find myself needing to fast-forward past any monologues, as I have for certain other programs.
F. Challenging but doable.
For someone at a High Intermediate fitness level like myself, “Dig Deeper” was challenging, but doable, like “Sure Thing.” That is a satisfying feeling to be pushed — but pushed within your proximal zone of development.
G. The “No Excuses” collection is FABULOUS.
“Dig Deeper” has six “No Excuses” workouts included in the program that are all about 25 minutes long instead of the 40+ minutes long of the rest of the videos — and they’re so good! I wrote in my notes, “These shorter workouts are the gem of the program.”
H. Excellent embrace of steady state cardio.
As someone who likes to take long walks (and even walk and talk therapy) at least five times a week, I was delighted at Shaun T’s embrace of doing “Steady State Cardio” on your own as much as possible in addition to “Dig Deeper.”
I. Solid background music.
Ok, so I think the background music in “Dig Deeper” is the same synthesized techno as several other programs on BODi — but it’s not bad. It kept me bopping as I did each move, it matched the pace of some reps (always very helpful, as we saw in “Muscle Burns Fat #mbf”), and it was nice not to have to fiddle to put on my own music.
J. Full-body results, with some functional movement.
“Dig Deeper” is absolutely a full-body workout program, and you’ll get results in terms of muscle and strength from head to toe. A bit of functional movement, balance, and mobility work is included (for example, balancing on one leg to do hammer curls — though not as much as “XB Sweat + Sculpt“), ab work is frequently featured, and there are many complex compound moves.
K. Indeed, no impact.
My 42-year-old body was very thankful that “Dig Deeper,” like “4 Weeks for Every Body,” truly has no impact in its moves! No jumping or arduous HIIT — just lifting. Yay!
Cons of “Dig Deeper”
1. Repeating videos stinks.
Ok, I understand all the rationales behind why “Dig Deeper” has us repeat each collection FOUR times before moving to the next one… but… it’s just not ideal in my book. It takes a level of willpower and tolerance for repetition that aren’t common. I know that even repeating a collection twice, as with “4 Weeks of the Prep” is a stretch for some.
My guess is a lot of people will use “Dig Deeper” as a 6-week program — repeating the collections only once, and perhaps adding extra rest days. I think it’s still worthwhile, fun, and effective in that format, but of course doing the full 12 weeks is what will yield best results.
2. Quite long and intense.
For the most part, “Dig Deeper” workouts are all around 40 to 50 minutes long, which ends up being about an hour when you add in extra cool-downs that are necessary — and that doesn’t even include the recommended additional Steady State Cardio after each lifting day! Further, the leg day workouts in particular are so intense that you may be tempted to add additional rest days. (In contrast, “Job 1” is just 20 minutes long, and BODi seems to be realizing people really love half-hour workouts.)
The positive part of this is you truly feel “fully exercised” at the end of each “Dig Deeper” video. The negative is that it’s harder to fit in a hour-long workout to one’s schedule than a 30-minute one like “XB Pilates.” You may find yourself frustrated as the minutes add up — especially when there are pauses (albeit important for muscle recovery) for educational monologues.
3. Relatively difficult, with few mods.
Like “CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER,” “Dig Deeper” is quite challenging. There are some modifications, but not many, and you may have to add your own (for example, in Week 2, Workout 2, bringing push-ups to knees). I would call this program “Advanced Intermediate” and give you the heads up that the moves are more complex and compound than those in “LIIFT MORE,” for example.
4. Minimal warm-ups and cool-downs.
This is pretty standard for most BODi programs, but the warm-ups and cool-downs in “Dig Deeper” are quite minimal and repetitive. You’ll likely need to supplement with more. (I found out the hard way with “30 Day Breakaway” how injuries can happen with improper warm-ups!)
5. Weight amount not communicated often.
Though Shaun T says his dumbbell weight amount frequently (and it’s usually high!), there’s much more rarely a report on the female weight amount — and when there is, it’s way above what I would lift. I suppose this plays into the idea that you’re going on your own personal journey and tracking your own weights over the four weeks you do each collection, but I missed having a dumbbell weight touchstone like in #mbfa to aim for with each move.
6. Steady state a lot of side to side.
Though the Steady State Cardio videos are fun, they feature a lot of fast side to side movements which could irritate knees of people with certain conditions. Similar to Shaun T’s “Let’s Get Up,” proceed carefully, and modify as needed.
7. Less functional fitness and mobility.
Unlike programs like “645” with Amoila Cesar that really emphasize mobility, flexibility, and functional fitness, “Dig Deeper” is focused above all on more classic weightlifting. Though there certainly are unilateral moves that work balance, I would recommend if you’re doing this program to also be actively seeking out mobility elsewhere — for example, by doing yoga or another flow-style video for the daily steady state cardio suggestion.
“Dig Deeper” Results
You WILL get RESULTS if you actually fully do “Dig Deeper” – like whoa. Similar to “80 Day Obsession,” any program that is almost an hour a day, six days a week, for twelve weeks is going to show gains in weight loss, muscle definition, strength, and general fitness. “Total Body Recomposition” is right.
That said, bear in mind that you really do need to supplement “Dig Deeper” with mobility work, since it’s focused on straight lifting. Unlike “Fire and Flow” which has it built in, “DD” requires finding your own mobility plan.
“LIIFT MORE” vs. “Dig Deeper”
A number of readers have emailed me asking: How does “Dig Deeper” compare to “LIIFT MORE” — another weightlifting-focused program on BODi? Which is better? (Note: See my full “LIIFT MORE” review here.)
In general, I liked “Dig Deeper” more because Shaun T is so great, and I found the moves more interesting and complex (and slightly more functional fitness) than “LM,” and enjoyed NOT having HIIT workouts. That said, “LIIFT MORE” might be a better match if you like HIIT cardio, and if you’d prefer not to repeat workouts four times each (!) since it has new videos for each day of the eight-week program.
As I explained in both my “LIIFT MORE” and “LIIFT4” review, both of these Joel Freeman programs feature very classic and simple weightlifting, and the danger is that there isn’t much mobility, flexility, balance, or functional fitness. Given this, I strongly urge adding in mobility-based workouts of other kinds to create a more well-rounded hybrid program.
“Body Beast” vs. “Dig Deeper”
At the time of this writing, the most analogous program to “Dig Deeper” is probably the old-school Sagi “The Beast” Kalev program from 2012, “Body Beast,” as it also focused on intense weightlifting. So how do they compare? To find out, I did a few workouts of the latter… and was surprised.
Why surprised? Well, the shock came in two different directions. On the negative side, “Body Beast” is SUPER dated in terms of what is said, (“MAN UP!!!”) — to the extent that I hesitate to recommend it at all. On the positive side, I really enjoyed the videos that I did do; they are super fast-paced with high-volume reps, and really got me pumped up. This is to say, “Body Beast” is worth a peek, but for this day and age, “Dig Deeper” is a much more fitting program.
BODi “Dig Deeper” Review, in Sum
I hope this review of “Dig Deeper” on BODi with Shaun T has been helpful! Overall, I found it to be an excellent program (and certainly better than the one-off “BODi Blocks” — it’s just a question of whether the intensity, duration, and FOUR TIMES repeated videos are a match for what you’re seeking.
If you’ve done “Dig Deeper,” what was your experience? If not, what questions do you have about this or any of my other BODi reviews? Do share!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!