REVIEW: OPENFIT 4 WEEKS OF FOCUS

Four Weeks of Focus is my favorite online workout program so far (and believe me, I’ve done a lot). It's the first online workout program I’ve undergone where the pre-taped participants are at my level of fitness (intermediate beginner) and who were clearly struggling through the workouts with me, so it was extremely motivating to me that I could match the same amount of effort the other participants (Shay Mitchell in particular) put in. Because Shay and I started with the same dumbbell weights, whenever she started lifting heavier weights, I did as well. Having her as a benchmark fast-tracked my growth, resulting in an inch lost off of my stomach and being able to do 2 to 20 push-ups in a minute.

If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend this program. There’s a 2-week free trial so there’s no risk in trying! 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview
• What is 4 Weeks of Focus
• Workout Structure
• Workout Difficulty
• Equipment
• Cost
• Results
• Numbers
• Looks
• Mindset
• What I Liked
• What Could be Improved
• Summary

OVERVIEW

What is 4 Weeks of Focus

4 weeks of Focus is a 4-week workout program on the Openfit platform, run by celebrity trainer Kelsey Heenan. Each week you do 5 days of 30ish-minute workouts, followed by 2 rest days. 

Workout structure

The days usually consist of a quick warm-up, 2-3 circuits followed by a finisher that you usually do twice, followed by a quick cool-down stretch. There’s a 30 second rest between each set of the circuits and also rests between circuits while Kelsey explains the movements. Because of this, you only end up doing around 20 minutes of serious exercise per day. That, in conjunction with a constantly rotating set of exercises, makes the class fly by. I get bored easily but found that I was able to stay engaged through each session.

The weeks themselves vary in structure but tend to have a day devoted to the lower body, a day devoted to the upper body, and some days focusing on faster reps/getting your heart rate up. While the days focus on different parts of your body, they’re still full-body workouts.

Workout difficulty

The exercises were beginner-friendly and nothing fancy. Expect classics like pushups, rows, RDLs, and lunges, all with the help of dumbbells. While there’s work on the upper body, there was a lot of emphasis on exercises involving the legs and glutes. So. Many. Squats.

The sessions themselves were tiring. I don’t sweat very much (I’m more of a glistener) but these workouts had me dripping sweat on my dumbbells. That being said, the workouts were doable and I never felt like I was going to pass out or felt nauseous, which I’ve experienced in the past.

However, I was incredibly sore after the first 2 days of the program and had to take 3 days off to recover, as I wasn’t able to fully squat.

Equipment

You’ll definitely need weights for this program-- preferably two pairs (heavy and light). I started with an 8 lb and an 11lb but ended up doubling them up to 16 lbs and 22lbs during the second week.

I found it helpful to have a towel as well, to help with modified push ups and other exercises involving my knees. The towel can also help for padding on the ab work/arm exercises that require you to lay down.

Cost

I did the 14-day free trial, which automatically enrolls you in the one-year plan for $120. However, near the end of my 14-day trial, I emailed Openfit and asked to switch to the 3-month plan ($57) so I could finish the program.

Online programs cost around $15-30 per month so I think $57 is reasonable given that you’ll definitely complete one round of 4 Weeks of Focus and can then use the remaining 2 months to check out some of the other classes (or go for more rounds of 4 Weeks of Focus!) I’m personally interested in checking out some of the barre and walking classes so the price works out for me.

RESULTS

Numbers

I don’t have a scale so can’t attest to the amount of weight I lost, but I did measure my body at the beginning of Week 2 and again at the end of the program. I lost 3cm off my waist but other than that, my measurements didn’t change.

However, my numbers from the fitness tests during the program did change:

• Push-ups: 2 full/9 modified > 20 full/5 modified
• Jump squats: 32 > 44

Looks

Like with my measurements, I only took photos at the beginning of Week 2 and at the end of the program. I honestly didn't see any changes in my looks. However, my boyfriend did mention unprompted that he noticed changes-- namely that my butt was firmer. :)

In addition to firmer glutes and thighs, I also noticed that my core was tighter and my balance was better. I have pretty bad posture, but during this program I noticed that I stood straighter, which helped my stomach look smaller. 

Mindset

Most importantly, I felt so strong by the end of the program. I’m self-conscious wearing crop tops and bikinis but by the end of the program, I felt like I looked good, even though my numbers didn’t shift. I felt confident enough to even show a bit of midriff at the park and I’m excited to wear some more crop tops!

WHAT I LIKED

• Quick and interesting workouts. The sessions are usually 30 minutes long, but are always less than 40 minutes. While the movements are basic and are circuit-style, they go by fast so it’s hard to get bored.

• Real role models. I loved that Kelsey pushed everyone to increase their weights if they could. And because Shay/Steph are at similar fitness levels to me, I would follow along and increase my weights with them. I saw so much progress from this.

• Progress monitoring. You take a fitness test 3 times. During the second test, I had already increased my scores, which made me already feel like the whole thing was worth it, even though I hadn’t even finished the program!

• Easy-to-use UI. Out of all of the at-home workout platforms I’ve used, this one has one of the nicest UIs and is clean and intuitive to use. There’s a really nice dashboard that shows you your next workout day and information about it. If you skip a day, the dashboard will automatically re-assign the workout to a different day. While I did the programs on my computer, you can also access the program through your phone as well. 

• Facebook group. While I’m not much for needing community to keep myself accountable, the Facebook group is still active despite the program having existed since early 2021 and everyone is positive and encouraging. The biggest benefit from the Facebook group is that Kelsey does live sessions to answer people’s questions about workouts.
  

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• Countdown timer. Some of the workouts have a countdown timer but not all of them do. I’m very motivated by knowing how much time is left on the clock, so having a timer for all of the activities would have helped.
  

• Music. There’s no music playing in the background. Honestly, I didn’t mind this because Kelsey would often be giving tips or encouragement during the workouts, and Shay/Steph would also chat, so it kept things interesting. If you’re the type of person to need music, you can always play it in the background.
  

• Stretches. The stretches Kelsey leads you through at the end of the workouts are too short for my taste. And given that I had jumped into this program after months of inactivity, I really needed to stretch myself out after every workout to prevent soreness. I ended up stretching about 10 min extra each day on my own.
  

SUMMARY

Do it! These are interesting, fun, and effective workouts. Get the 14 day trial and then switch to the 3-month subscription ($57) if you want to finish the program but don’t want to commit to the one-year price.