REVIEW – Shaun T’s DIG DEEPER

BODi…Beachbody…whatever, has released Dig Deeper with Shaun T into the wild.  At last, I get to judge another would-be contender to the Body Beast throne.  Our last voyage of the damned into BODi’s fitness catalog brought us LIIFT More with Joel Freeman.  And while I’m pleased to say he delivered and delivered quite well…there was still a gnawing sensation that with a little extra push, we could have gotten something closer to an honest to goodness bulk gainer.

And I accept that I may be acting like a simp boyfriend who just can’t get over a lost love when it comes to the crushing reality of knowing a Body Beast 2 will never happen.  But my journey to recovery is moving along, even if slowly.

Now admittedly, I did a double take when I saw the promotional material that inexplicably had a freakishly chiseled, dang near 0% body fat, jacked mass of humanity inhabiting the body of the one-time Hip Hop Abs guy.  I don’t want to outright accuse the man of juicing, but for someone Shaun’s age, this feels outside the general scope.

But for years, Beachbody has fumbled the ball when it came to anything that was ever in the same category as Body Beast.  I don’t want plyometrics at all, I want guns.  If I wanted cardio, don’t worry, I would just look at nearly EVERY OTHER WORKOUT in BODi’s catalog.   I want…no…I NEED to empower and grow these muscles so that every day I can get up in my Canadian home, embrace the warm, -30 degree CELCIUS days in July, run the dog-sled race, be an Oilers fan, punch a bear, and maybe even CHOKE a Canada Goose.

The story behind Shaun’s current action-hero physique is related to shoulder injury rehab.  Resistance training is a foundation of recovery, but Shaun took it a few steps further and proceeded to continue into body building competitions.  Of course, if you only do Dig Deeper, you will not in any way get into this kind of competitive shape.  That level takes religious, if not fanatical food awareness, borderline legal supplementation and a hell of a lot more than 45 minutes in a home gym.  You’ll get fit with Dig Deeper for sure…just keep your expectations realistic.  However, competitive aspirations aside, is Dig Deeper based on a system that works?  Well, lets start from the beginning.

In this cruel, unfair world, the story of Shaun’s recovery is something we can all take a little inspiration from.  The right workout at one stage of life, can be the same workout that will work against you as you get older.  I highly doubt our beloved creator of Insanity does anything like his old workout system anymore.  Like all of us eventually,  Shaun T has entered this more mature phase of life.  But wow, he’s handling it like about as impressive as one can imagine.

And I like seeing this.  I cannot express how much value there is in trainers that can change their approach as they age.  But enough about the man, what about Dig Deeper?

The schedule for Dig Deeper has 4 week-long blocks in a 12-week calendar.  Each Collection includes 5 lifting workouts, plus 1 optional low-impact cardio workout, per week.

The workouts repeat each week, for a total of 4 weeks, before moving on to the next training style.

COLLECTION 1

Collection 1 begins with Dynamic, Fast-paced circuit workouts with higher rep counts, usually 16, to enhance your muscular endurance and stamina.   The cast is Shaun, and similarly named Christin and Chris who looks like a Wish.com version of Hugh Jackman.

So the set is not overloaded with excess humanity.  If three people on the set is still too much for you, then fear not.  Like autumn leaves, they will drop away until only the mighty oak of Shaun remains.

COLLECTION 2

Goals change to Sculpt & Definition.   We are also now we’re down to Shaun and Christin.  I can only speculate what happened to discount Hugh Jackman.

Weights get heavier with lower reps using supersets and time under tension to build muscles and definition.  Rep count targets reduce to 12.

COLLECTION 3

This is the Build phase of Dig Deeper – Slow and controlled heavy lifting using drop sets and pyramids are designed to increase strength and gain muscle.  Everyone is gone now.  It’s just Shaun T and you.

There’s also an additional collection of shorter workouts that can be swapped in when you’re strapped for time OR if you’re looking to add a 6th day of lifting to your weekends.

COLLECTION 4

No Excuses is the final leg of our journey.  Again, there are no cast members for this phase.  They have been sent home without pay, and we are alone with the T.  Here we experience the same lifting techniques and intensity as the full-length workouts, only under 25 minutes.  I enjoyed these the most as they really felt true to basic weight lifting.  Yeah, they sometimes went a little fast, but not so much that I would give it a strike against.

The layout of 4 week blocks gives most bodies the time to adjust before moving to the next level.  But the option to speed things up and move to a block more suited to one’s immediate needs or desires is always there.

PRODUCTION VALUES

One of my complaints about LIIFT More was how it came so close to a complete package, and then decided to send everyone home when it came to finishing touches like music and a timer.

Shaun T on the other hand, decided to follow his old familiar path.  The music is not overpowering, but provides a welcome background that sets a good tempo.  The set is darker, and appears to be a makeover of the old T25/Max: 30 sets of yesterday.  And can you believe it, they decided to spend the extra fifty bucks and force Gary to include a timer.

Now all they need to do is lock Gary in the basement, feed him croutons and snickers bars and get him to add a timer in every workout from here on.  Problem solved…you are welcome.

There’s a reason people line up when Shaun T announces a new creation.  On the whole, Shaun has a solid reputation with far more hits than misses.  T25, Max 30 are probably some of the best high interval cardio workouts on the planet.  Shaun Week never quite measured up…but even it wasn’t a flop.   His old dance workouts are completely subjective…you either are the Lord of the Dance or you’re not.  Me?

Dig Deeper though, absolutely falls into the must-do category.  So much so I’m going to say that it is the undisputed, best thing BODi has put out in several years.  I mean, sure, that’s not exactly a high bar these days.  With maybe the exception of Liift More and a few stragglers wandering the landscape, everything new from BODi tends to be just so BORING.

But Dig Deeper thankfully leaves a lot of the hardcore cardio behind in favor of good old-fashioned weightlifting that in my humble opinion makes it go the distance.

Which begs the question: does it surpass Body Beast?  Well, no…yes…kinda…maybe.  But probably no.

But that doesn’t mean it is not awesome.  It might be close to being as good.  For some Dig Deeper is the flavor of weight training they were looking for because they don’t like Sagi.  I can’t imagine such…lifeforms…exist, but the world is filled with all kinds of people.

There’s a refreshingly different philosophy to Dig Deeper.  And once you see it, it can affect how you see all others to the point you will begin to see them with a loathing, Captain Ahab/Mobi Dick level of hatred.  With Dig Deeper, there is clearly a plan here…one that allows time for the body to adjust.

And bless Shaun T for this, because contrary to nostalgia, he is fully capable of making utter garbage.  The original Insanity was shot for $15 in a high school gym with terrible lighting and served no other goal than to just make you jump continuously and destroy knee cartilage.   His dance workouts such as CIZE are…hey, if you like them you like them.  I’m not the target audience.

Now, let’s talk food.

While Body Beast had me eating portions the size of a friggin garbage can lid, Dig Deeper, Liift More, 630, 745, etc…all more or less copy and paste their food plans.

The diet is relatively ordinary for any workout of this nature, minus the insufferable Tupperware that Autumn Calabrese inflicted on us.  Things like a couple eggs in the morning, protein shake, a fine Pacific salmon fillet for supper…you know…stuff that will now cost probably a $100 a day for one person.  So hopefully you got the means to keep up.

I have to wonder if Beachbody/BODi’s best days are behind it, and the reason for this…in my opinion…is simply because just about everything coming out is a clone.  A boring, uninspired, genetically inferior Quasimodo clone.  Why make myself do a random sweat when I can just go for a run or skip rope and come out ahead?  You have to give me a reason to press play instead of doing something else.

But Dig Deeper has a fitness plan…a slow progression in training.  You can see glimmers of physiotherapy concepts…beginning with high reps/low weight progressing to lower reps with more resistance.  There’s the allowance of time for the body to accept these changes.  Clearly, this had thought and intent behind its inception.

Of course I can’t be too hard on BODi, as investing in a thought-out methodical training system that doesn’t look like it was filmed over a weekend takes a little more cold hard cash.

That having been said, I’m not suggesting that we go back to 90-day programs either because I get it, nobody has attention spans that long anymore.

The Sagi sized hole in my heart must, for now, be filled by Dig Deeper.  Dig Deeper indeed, has the power to stand on its own and be the old school resistance workout to get the job done.

So despite any of my criticisms, if you have a BODi subscription, you’d be nuts not to give this one a try.