The Sweat app is a workout and nutrition platform made famous by Kayla Itsines. It has had over 50 million total downloads, 1 million active users and brags an average of 4.6 stars from 36,000 ratings.
But is the Sweat app worth the hefty price tag of $19.99 USD per month?
And is it actually going to live up to the hype and get you results?
The Sweat app is absolutely worth it if you want a highly personalized program, the ability to customize things like equipment, and a world-class fitness app experience. However, if you want full-length workout videos or don’t have the budget, Sweat mightn’t be the right fit.
We downloaded the Sweat application and took a deep dive into everything the Sweat brand and platform have to offer.
In this definitive review, we will be helping you weigh up the pros and cons to help you decide if Sweat is worth the investment.
Here’s what we’ll be covering:
- Who is Kayla Itsines?
- What is the Bikini Body Guide (BBG)?
- What is the Sweat App?
- How to Use the Sweat App
- Which Sweat Program You Should Choose
- How Much is a Sweat App Subscription?
- Does the Sweat App Work?
- Sweat App Pros
- Sweat Cons
- Is the Sweat App Worth It?
- Sweat Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s dive in!
Open Table of Contents
| Who is Kayla Itsines?
Kayla Itsines is a personal trainer turned global fitness influencer and businesswoman who started her humble journey training clients at a Women’s gym in Adelaide, South Australia.
Over the years, Itsines discovered that most women seek three specific outcomes from working out:
- Smaller inner thighs
- Flatter stomachs
- More toned arms
(Whilst not becoming too bulky)
Thus, her workout plans started to slowly gather around these three goals in particular.
Itsines’ programs started to really pick up steam when she asked her clients to take before-and-after photos. From there, she would post these photos on Instagram and quickly gained thousands of followers and was receiving regular requests for advice and help.
Within a few months, Tobi Pearce, Itsines’ partner at the time, suggested that she collate all of her workout routines into an eBook that could be sold online, which became known as the famous BBG (Bikini Body Guide) program.
| About the Bikini Body Guide (BBG)
The BBG program is a 12-week, program that promises “real results” for women who are looking to get fit and tone up. Its format loosely resembles HIIT, also known as High Intensity Interval Training or High-Intensity Training.
BBG sold 1 million copies in the space of a few months after launching and has sold almost 10 million copies all up.
The BBG program included a detailed guide on how to train and eat properly, as well as a library of exercises that can be done at home with minimal equipment.
Each workout would run four times a week for 28 minutes with a 7-minute break between each circuit. Exercises included movements like squatting, lunging, push-ups, and sit-ups.
BBG was originally sold as an eBook but has now evolved into the Sweat app, which is what brings us to 2022 and this review.
| What is the Sweat App?
The Sweat app is Kayla Itsines’ latest iteration of BBG, however, it now offers far, far more customization and capability than the original, humble eBook.
The Sweat app offers dozens of programs based on different goals such as:
- High Intensity Training
- Strength training
- Cardio
- Weight lifting
- Power lifting
- Post Pregnancy
- Pilates
- Barre
- Yoga
- And more!
Although the majority of programs are taught and instructed by Itsines, she has also brought in multiple other fitness influencers/trainers such as:
- Kelsy Wells
- Stephanie Stanzo
- Chontel Duncan
- Cass Olhom
- Anissia Hughes
- Samantha Ortiz-Young
- Sjana Elise
- And more!
These trainers offer more variety and areas of specialty.
For example, if you are interested in getting stronger and building muscle Stephanie Stanzo is a powerlifter and bodybuilder that can give you more targeted muscle building workouts to follow.
| How to Use the Sweat App
The first part of the review will take you through our personal experience with the Sweat app and how to use it.
If you don’t want the navigational overview aspects, you can skip straight to the rest of the review by scrolling to the heading: ‘Which Sweat Program Should I Choose’.
How to Download Sweat
Sweat allows users to download and use their application for free for 7 days, giving you the ability to try everything the app has to offer before financially committing (more on the price later).
In order to download Sweat, you can either search for it on the app store or alternatively, you can go directly to their website, where you simply follow the prompts.
It is available on both android and Apple devices.
How to Sign Up to Sweat
Upon opening the application on your device, you are asked a series of questions so that the platform can gain more of an understanding of how to serve you.
These questions may not seem like a big deal but believe me, they are.
When it comes to health and fitness apps, it is very common for an app to just have a library of content for you to wade through, where you attempt to find the right workout all by yourself.
Very rarely do apps take the time and money to invest into understanding the user journey and ensuring the app can adjust to your needs and feedback.
This is where Sweat really excels – its individualization.
The questions you’ll be asked include:
-
- What plan you would like to subscribe to?
- How would you like to train?
- What are your fitness goals?
- What is your fitness level?
- Where would you like to train? (Home or Gym)
- How would you like to train?
- Which training styles interest you?
After filling in the preliminary questions, Sweat will suggest a program that’s best suited to you.
Once you’ve selected the program, the app will optimise your experience and display the workouts and nutrition plan for that program.
Sweat Workouts
The Sweat workout tab is like your home base. From here, you’ll be given a simple list of what’s on for the day including any workouts you need to get done.
If you decide you’re not enjoying the program you’ve originally chosen, you can easily change it later down the track in settings.
Before you commence your workout for the day, Sweat gives you the ability see an overview of all exercises you’ll be completing in the session.
I liked this feature because it enabled me to see an explanation of the correct execution and form for each exercise before diving in.
Sweat sessions come in two formats:
-
- Time-based: e.g. 60 seconds on 20 seconds off
- Sets and reps based: e.g. 3 sets of 10 reps
Before you start, you can also tell Sweat what equipment you have access to. For instance, say you typically work out at the gym but today you’re at home, you can edit the equipment list and Sweat will modify the exercises accordingly.
Most of the Sweat App workouts aren’t fully instructed video sessions. Rather, there is a video of each exercise that repeats over and over.
If you don’t want to necessarily change your whole plan but feel like doing something extra or changing it up for the day, Sweat also lets you browse the plethora of other programs and individual on-demand workout sessions.
You can filter between:
-
- Trainers
- Challenges
- Targeted Muscle Groups
- Workout Types (Strength, HIT or Cardio etc.)
- and so much more.
I tried my luck at the ‘Intense Abs’ workout and I can say my core was absolute toast. However, I am not sure how much that has to do with the workouts and how much it has to do with my winter body.
Overall, the workouts tab appears to offer an awesome range of sessions. From 15-minute bodyweight workouts done from home to gym workouts that are closer to 60 minutes in duration.
Sweat App Food
Sweat also offers you a meal plan with healthy recipes based on your diet, including:
-
- Standard
- Pesctarian
- Vegetarian
- Lacto-Vegetarian
- Ovo-Vegetarian
- Vegan
You can also change between:
-
- Metric (kg, cm, ml)
- Imperial (lb, fit, fl.oz)
Sweat keeps it super simple. There’s no mention of calories, macronutrients or restriction. Just healthy, nutritious recipes.
Although this is great for beginners who just want simple instructions to follow, it may not be ideal for those looking for more specific nutritional plan.
There’s also a super helpful shopping list function, which lets you know what you need to buy from the supermarket to make all the recipes.
Sweat Planner & Activity
The Sweat planner tab gives you a bird’s eye look at what you need to get done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
It’s like a calendar for your health and fitness, allowing you to get planned and prepared and see what’s coming up for the week.
The activity tab works in conjunction with the planner, enabling you to see your progress, badges and awards over time.
This section also allows you to take progress pictures and store them, giving you the ability to see how far you’ve come along your Sweat journey.
Sweat Community
The Sweat community is where I personally think the Sweat platform truly delivers.
One of the original purposes of the Sweat app was to help connect people with other like-minded people on the same journey.
Sweat educates users not only through content, but allows women to connect via forums on different topics, giving them a safe space to share their battles, triumphs, and questions.
| Which Sweat Program Should I Choose?
With such a diverse range of different Sweat programs and training types, it might have you confused about what program to select.
You’re not alone.
In fact, this is the most commonly asked question new Sweat users have upon signing up for the app.
You should choose a program based on how often you’re hoping to work out, what fitness goal you’re hoping to achieve, as well whether you have access to a gym and/or equipment.
Fortunately, the onboarding questionnaire does a pretty good job at narrowing down Sweat’s breadth of programs to one that’s a good fit.
Keep in mind that you can also change programs at any time at no additional cost if you find you’re not enjoying the one you’re currently doing.
We recommend also checking out this article on the Sweat blog, which can help you make a more informed choice about which program to select.
| Does the Sweat App Offer BBG (Bikini Body Guide)?
If you’ve come across the sweat app because you’re looking for the BBG program, you’re in luck!
Although the Sweat app has evolved to include far more than just BBG, it still has the original BBG workout format available, just under a different name.
In order to access the 2022 version of BBG, you’ll need to download and sign up for the Sweat app and select ‘High Intensity by Kayla Itsines‘.
This will give you access to her original 28-minute BBG sessions.
| Is the Sweat App Free?
Sweat offers new users the ability to try the app’s full functionality for a 7-day free period, allowing you to enjoy everything it has to offer without any financial commitment.
After this period, you will automatically be upgraded to their paid membership. If you’re not interested in continuing, you’ll need to cancel your membership via your Apple or Android device’s settings (see bottom of the article for instructions).
| How Much is a Sweat App Subscription?
If there’s one thing that the Sweat app has been criticized for, it’s their high price point.
In saying this, in our reviewing experience, Sweat is no more expensive than comparable market-leading fitness apps like Centr or Alo Moves.
So how much does Sweat actually cost you?
A Sweat App membership varies in price between $9.99 and $19.99 USD per month, depending on how long you commit to signing up for, with three options available.
A month-by-month membership costs $19.99 USD per month.
A quarterly membership costs $54.99 USD up front, which works out to be $18.33 USD per month, saving you 8.3%
Annual membership costs $119.99 USD up front, which works out to be $9.99 USD per month, saving you 50.00%.
| Does Kayla Itsines’ Sweat Program Work?
If you’ve been following Kayla Itsines for any length of time, you’ve probably seen the hundreds of success stories and transformation pictures.
These were particularly evident in the early days when the focus was on BBG.
So does the Sweat app live up to the hype? Does it actually work?
The Sweat app absolutely works if you pick the right program for your desired fitness goal, you get the right nutrition and you stick to it for several months. However,
Let’s break them down one by one:
| Does your fitness goal match the Sweat program you’re choosing?
For the majority of people who are researching Sweat, you probably want to lose weight and tone up.
In order to do this, you’ll need to be doing some form of resistance (strength) training in addition to only HIIT and cardio and be progressing the difficulty over time.
We recommend choosing a Sweat program that prioritizes using your own body weight or free weights as resistance, rather than only doing yoga, Pilates and cardio based training.
Lifting weights forces your muscles to grow, helping you look more toned over time. Furthermore, when your body holds more muscle, your metabolism increases which helps you to burn the extra layer of fat off the top.
| Are you getting the right nutrition for that goal?
In order to lose weight and tone up using Sweat, you will also need to be eating fewer calories than you’re consuming, as well as getting enough protein in to promote muscle growth.
Although Sweat’s recipes do not specify the number of calories in each meal, their nutritious nature usually make them less calorie dense than your previous diet.
If you find you can’t see any changes in your body after a 4-6 weeks, you could try a dedicated calorie tracker like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to get more granular about it.
| Are you staying consistent for several months?
Finally, keep in mind that changing your body takes time.
In order for Sweat to work, it can take up to several months of consistently training and following their nutrition plan to observe any significant changes to your figure.
| Does Sweat have Pregnancy Workouts?
Yes, there are pregnancy workouts available on the Sweat app.
The Pregnancy Program is a 12-week program designed by Kelsey Wells, a certified personal trainer, and new mom.
This program includes three 30-minute sweat sessions per week and is suitable for all trimesters.
To access the Pregnancy Program, go to the Programs tab and scroll down to Pregnancy.
| Can I Stream Sweat to my TV?
Yes, you can stream Sweat workouts to your TV. To do this, you will need to use the screen mirroring function on your phone.
| How to Cancel Your Sweat Subscription?
Apple Users:
- Go to settings.
- Click your profile at the top of the screen.
- Click Subscriptions
- Click Sweat
- Click Cancel Subscription/Free Trial
Android Users:
- Go to the Play Store.
- Click your profile at the top right corner of the screen.
- Click ‘Manage your Google account’.
- Click Payments and subscriptions.
- Click Sweat
- Follow the prompts.
| Sweat App Pros
Individualised Plan
Our frustration with many fitness apps in the past is their cookie-cutter approach. Instead of offering a program that’s the best fit, everyone is treated the same.
Instead, Sweat has an abundance of different trainers and programs available, meaning that there is a program for everyone no matter your goal, preferred style of trainer or workout preferences.
Incredible User Experience
Have you ever downloaded an app and immediately gotten lost in the hundreds of workouts and programs available?
Talk about decision overwhelm. It’s enough to put a beginner off altogether.
On the contrary, Sweat is extremely beginner-friendly, straightforward to use and doesn’t have you getting lost in rabbit holes.
We love how at the start of each workout, you’re given an overview of what to expect, the different exercises to be done as well as information about the correct form.
We also love how you can see what weights you lifted previously via the history function,
Customisation Options
There’s nothing worse than starting a workout and halfway through you discover you don’t have the right equipment.
What we absolutely love is Sweat’s level of customisation. You can tell the app what equipment you do/don’t have access to and it will re-jig your program accordingly.
You can even select different warm-ups based on your preferences.
| Sweat App Cons
May be difficult to choose the right Sweat Program
Although the onboarding questionnaire does a great job at giving you the right program, if you’re not liking it and want to change, the number of other programs on offer can quickly become overwhelming.
No full-length video workouts
Are you someone who absolutely digs full-length YouTube workout videos? Enjoy feeling like you’re there doing the workout with the instructor?
Unlike apps like FitOn and Alo Moves, Sweat (most of the time) does not feature full-length workout videos, instead, they use a follow-along program format with GIF-like videos.
In the Sweat forum, I heard a member summarise the difference perfectly:
“Sweat is like a personal trainer in your pocket, whereas FitOn is like going to a group workout class.”
| Is the Sweat App Worth It?
If you want to sweat it out at home with a program that will get you results, then we think the Sweat app is worth it.
The individualization, great user experience and ability to customize workouts based on your equipment make this app stand out from its competitors.
Additionally, with a library of programs available as well as access to expert trainers, you’re spoilt for choice.
The only downside is that the number of programs available might be overwhelming and it would be nice to see some full-length workout videos included.
Overall, we think the Sweat app is great for women looking for a comprehensive fitness program they can do from anywhere.
If you are still not convinced, take our 3 – Min Quiz that has been specifically tailored by our team to help you find the perfect fitness app for you.
