Boxing, kickboxing, martial arts inspired cardio… I’ve always enjoyed working out stress, anxiety, and rage through exercise. Focusing your energy into punching something or kicking something provides such a strong release that I always feel more grounded and clear after a workout like that. Plus, boxing is a killer, low-impact workout that works your entire body, from arms and core, to legs and booty.
That’s why I was SO EXCITED to learn that Beachbody was releasing a boxing program! I had recently invested in Beachbody On Demand (BOD), which gives you access to the entire library of Beachbody workout programs, so I was all-in. But then I learned how the company does it’s product launches: When a program launches, it’s not available in the BOD library for about 6 months unless you pay extra. The program launch is a “pay to get it before everyone else” launch.
Not going to lie… I was going to just wait and do the program later on, when I didn’t have to pay extra, but then several people I know all signed up to do the boxing workout program! When I realized everyone who signed up would be doing the program together at the same time, I decided to give it a go and I bought what Beachbody calls “Early Access.”
Here’s the thing, did I spend money on a program that would have been free if I had just waited? Yes. Was it worth every penny? HECK YEAH! Here’s why: Moving through the program with a group provided extra motivation and accountability — I didn’t want to fall behind everyone else — and it made it easier to stay on track and see the results I wanted.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff, my review of the program…
Go 10 Rounds With Joel Freeman
Beachbody’s boxing program is called 10 Rounds. It’s billed as “a sweat-drenching fitness program that delivers a maximum cardio burn by combining technique, repetition, and intensity for a total-body workout.” 10 Rounds was created by Joel Freeman who also created LIIFT4 and co-created CORE DE FORCE, both available through Beachbody On Demand. Joel has been working in the health and fitness industry for more than 15 years, and is currently a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer and Behavior Change Specialist.
“Squeeze your booty now so someone else will squeeze it later!”
— Joel Freeman
10 Rounds was my first program with Joel Freeman and I’ll definitely try one of his other programs in the future. He’s serious but much more laid back than the intensity I was used to from Shaun T in Focus T25. Unlike Autumn Calabrese, who in 21 Day Fix Real Time and 21 Day Fix Extreme Real Time, is pretty matter-fact, Joel cracks jokes and introduces humor. He just makes each workout more fun.
What Is 10 Rounds?
10 Rounds is a 6-week program built around the core moves and principles of boxing — jabs, crosses, uppercuts, hooks, defensive slips and rolls, footwork, core work, and cardio conditioning. It’s name comes from the workout structure: Each boxing workout has 10 3-minute rounds of work with short breaks between each one.
With 5 workouts each week — 3 days of boxing workouts and 2 strength training workouts — you’ll work your core, arms, legs, and booty, and sweat your butt off. Instead of hitting a sparring partner or heavy bag, you use your own intensity in each low-impact workout, focusing on making sure every combination is powerful and effective.
What’s unique about this program is that it isn’t shot in a single studio. Each week for six weeks, the cast hits the road and travels to different cities. This also means the program is shot in real-time, so every workout you’ll do in the program is unique and new.
- Week 1 takes place in studio, in Los Angeles, at the Beachbody headquarters.
- Week 2 takes place at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas, and the workouts are shot on a balcony, above the sparkling lights, at night.
- Week 3 takes place at the Fort Worth Stockyards in Dallas, outside, in the cold.
- Week 4 takes place in Miami, in what looks like an empty parking garage, and it’s windy, so hair and resistance bands are blowing around!
- Week 5 takes place at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, one of the oldest and most famous boxing gyms in the country, and once home to Muhammad Ali and other legends.
- Week 6 takes place in Philadelphia. The first four workouts are done in an old warehouse, but the last workout of the entire program takes place at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, made famous by Rocky Balboa in the movie Rocky.
10 Rounds Program Structure
Five workouts each week for six weeks means that 10 Rounds has 30 different workouts to complete that range from 30-40 minutes in length. It also means the program starts out on the easier side and slowly gets harder and more complex as the weeks progress.
Overall, the program is low-impact. There are a few cardio conditioning sets that include jumping, but it’s super easy to modify the move to remove the impact.
For me, this program was a Monday-Friday program:
- Monday, Wednesday, And Friday = Boxing Days
- Tuesday and Thursday = Strength Training Days
- Saturday and Sunday = Rest Days
The boxing workouts focus on building power, speed, and endurance. They follow the “10 rounds” format with 10 3-minute rounds of work, and at the end of each boxing round, there is a ding of the bell to signal the end of the round!
Here’s how the boxing workouts are structured:
- Warm up
- 3 minutes of boxing
- 3 minutes of boxing
- 3 minutes of cardio conditioning
- 3 minutes of boxing
- 3 minutes of boxing
- 3 minutes of cardio conditioning
- 3 minutes of boxing
- 3 minutes of boxing
- 3 minutes of cardio conditioning
- 3 minutes of core work (abs, usually on the floor)
The strength training workouts are the shorter 30-minute workouts. Each week you’ll do one that focuses on the upper body and one that focuses on the lower body. These workouts don’t follow the same “10 rounds” format, but they do keep the countdown clock on the screen. I LOVE that every workout in this program has a countdown clock so you know exactly how much time you have left.
Core work and abs are also included in every workout of the program. Every punch begins at your feet, burns up through your hips, intensifies as you torque your core, and explodes all the way through your fists, so you engage your entire body each time you punch. Wrapping up with a block of ab work also gets your core burning in a good way!
My 10 Rounds Experience
You get out of a workout what you put into it. If you are lazy with your punches, you’re not going to get a great workout.
I attacked every punch with as much intensity and strength as I could muster and by the end of every workout I was dripping with sweat. My core, legs, and booty burned, and my sides and even my lower back were sore. All that twisting in the core worked muscles I didn’t even know I had. Plus, upper body strength training days had me feeling strong and legs days turned my legs to jello.
“I’ll teach you the fundamentals of boxing and how to build killer combinations — jab, cross, roll, uppercut, hook, one after another. The key is giving every punch everything you’ve got. Yeah, it sounds technical — but once you learn proper form, it’ll feel like second-nature.”
— Joel Freeman
I had to stretch for about 30 minutes before bed every night during this program because I felt the work everywhere and was sore every day. With that said, I had a lot of fun doing this program and look forward to trying LIIFT4 with Joel in the future.
Equipment Required For 10 Rounds
Okay. Let’s talk about the equipment needed for 10 Rounds. You don’t need boxing gloves or a heavy bag. The Beachbody website says you need resistance loops; light, medium, and heavy dumbbells; and a small towel… But this isn’t exactly true.
I did this program during the pandemic, while ordered to stay at home. I didn’t own dumbbells and there were none to be found anywhere and it didn’t matter. The resistance loops can be used in place of the dumbbells for nearly every move. You can get them direct from Beachbody or snag these resistance loops on Amazon. For the few moves the loops may not work great for, you can get creative and lift items found around your house. No excuses!
The towel is used to throw around your neck and hold onto during the boxing workout conditioning rounds. It’s meant to help train you to keep your hands up, but it’s not needed and won’t make or break your workout in any way.
Now, what is missing from this list is a fitness mat. I snagged a thick, cushy, 1″ thick mat off Amazon and I love it! It makes floor work and ab work so much easier on my back and knees!
10 Rounds Pros + Cons
What would a review be without a list of pros and cons?!
10 Rounds Pros
- The final bell in the boxing workout rounds — it motivates you to keep going until the very end. It felt great to give it one last final punch in sync with the bell to close out a round of work.
- Three minute blocks of work makes the workout go by super fast. I was always surprised by quickly the workouts were over!
- Joel takes time to walk around and point out tips on form and correct the cast when their form is off a bit, so you can improve your form too.
- Joel cracks jokes and keeps the mood serious but not heavy.
- Week one starts off semi-easy, with a lot of teaching and explanation for those new to boxing and the workouts and combos get harder as the program progresses. Just as you get a combo down, it gets harder with the addition of level changes, shuffles, and pivots.
10 Rounds Cons
- There is no cool down or stretching at the end of the workouts in this program, which is a little weird. There are separate stretching videos you can follow, but it’s not the same.
- The footwork gets complicated. In Week 6, I had to focus so much on getting the footwork right (FYI, I never did) that it took away from my focus on the rest of the workout and I ended up not getting as good of a workout. I actually think I got the most out of Weeks 3 and 4, before the footwork got complicated — and that’s coming from someone who has danced their entire life.
Should You Try 10 Rounds?
Of course! I really enjoyed it.
As with any fitness program, you get out of it what you put into it. Again, lazy punches won’t get you a great work out. Plus, Joel Freeman is funny and not as serious as other trainers — he’ll have you working hard and laughing too.
Interested in completing 10 Rounds and committed to going all-in? Consider snagging a 10 Rounds Challenge Pack that includes a Beachbody On Demand (BOD) subscription, Shakeology, and both Beachbody nutrition programs — 2B Mindset and Ultimate Portion Fix.
I follow Ultimate Portion Fix off and on and drink Shakeology (with spinach added) nearly every day. I mean… If I’m going to go through all of the effort to workout, I’m going to be sure my nutrition is on point too so I see the fastest and best results from my effort! You, however, need to do your homework and do what works best for you, your goals, and your budget.
You can get started and see results with nothing more than the Beachbody On Demand (BOD) subscription that gets you access to a huge variety of Beachbody programs — now including 10 Rounds — for far less than a gym membership. Or, if you’re curious about Shakeology, 10 Rounds, what program would be best to get started with, how the nutrition programs work, or anything else, I’m happy to have a quick chat or answer questions with zero pressure, zeros sales pitch, and no obligations — I just do this for fun!
