25 Minute Speed Train Review: BODi Workout Program

Looking to jump-start your fitness life? Let’s review whether the all-levels home workout program, “25 Minute Speed Train” on BODi with Joel Freeman might be a match for your exercise goals! (Hint: This is one of the best workout programs I’ve ever experienced, and it may well be a match for what you seek…)

As background, my name is Lillie, and I’m a 44 year-old teacher who has completed and written wildly detailed reviews of THIRTY-ONE home home workout programs — so every review here is from first-hand experience, plus a lot of sweat! My passion and motivation is to help people find the kind of movement that is the right fit for their aims and life.

By way of disclaimer, please remember (as I said in my “Sure Thing” review, and all the others!) to use wise judgment when starting any new workout program, and consult a professional if needed to avoid injury. Now, time to dive into the “25 Minute Speed Train” review!

What is “25 Minute Speed Train?”

Released on the BODi streaming fitness app in June of 2025, “25 Minute Speed Train” is an “All-Levels” weightlifting, cardio, and mobility home workout program with “Super-Trainer” Joel Freeman that consists of 8 weeks of 25-minute workouts, 7 days a week. The seventh day of every week is an easier mobility and stretching video which is essentially an active rest day.

Note: Some links here are affiliates that provide a commission upon purchase at no additional cost to you.

How to Access the Program:

There are two ways to access “25 Minute Speed Train.” The first and probably most economical option is to get a full subscription to BODi, which also gives you access to 140 other programs. Click here to see the latest deals and discounts, and use the code LILLIEFIT25 for 25% off if there isn’t another sale happening.

The second option is to purchase “25MST” as a stand-alone program. Click here to see current deals on that, and use the discount code LILLIEFIT15 for 15% off that price.

Equipment Needed:

There is relatively little equipment needed for “25 Minute Speed Train,” which is a nice perk! Because there are so many reps of each exercise (usually one full minute each), you don’t need as heavy weights as usual. I used 5, 10, 15, and 20 pound dumbbells, and recommend this soft-coated brand.

You also need workout loops like these, and will likely additionally want a yoga mat or thicker mat for floor exercises. Finally, I swear by compression socks like these to reduce leg fatigue and protect veins, but this is a personal preference and is not required.

“25 Minute Speed Train” Review

Let’s cut to the chase. I’ve done a LOT of home workout programs (from “Fire and Flow” to nearly else on the BODi platform), and “25 Minute Speed Train” is by far one of the best I’ve EVER done.

It’s the one I’m now recommending to most everyone (except maybe extreme beginners) to do as their next program. What makes it so great? Read on…

Positives of “25MST:”

1. “25 Minute Speed Train” results are incredible — for all fitness levels!

WOW. I did not think that just twenty-five minutes a day for two months could make such an impact, but let me tell you: the results I got from “25 Minute Speed Train” we off the charts in terms of toning, slimming, shaping, and generally making me feel strong, limber and great! Even better than “4 Weeks of Focus.”

Now, I’m at an Advanced level of fitness, but in order to test the “All Levels” claim of the program, I coached my friend Joaquin (a Beginner new to weightlifting, though he’s been jogging) and Rachel (who is at an Intermediate level and has been doing Pilates but no heavy lifting) to do the full “25MST” program with me. This was my first foray into fitness coaching!

Their results were stupendous. Joaquin lost TWENTY-FOUR pounds in the eight weeks of “25 Minute Speed Train,” which he paired with jogging 2 miles three times a week (the same jogging frequency as he’d been doing before the program). He also reported significantly improved functional fitness in everyday movements like getting up from the sofa, or lifting groceries.

Below is a chart of his fitness stats, demonstrating how he was only slowly losing weight from July to October when he was just jogging, then began rapidly losing weight during the mid-October to early-December stretch when he did “25 Minute Speed Train.” Astounding, right?!

Rachel had a similarly great experience with the program. Her goal in doing it was to increase bone density, as a fellow woman over age 40 who knows that weightlifting is key to structural health. In her words, “I’m really happy with how much stronger I’ve become from doing ’25 Minute Speed Train’ (I’m on my second round now). I’m able to lift heavier things, and my arms look a lot more defined.”

I can attest that Rachel’s arms are indeed looking fabulous now! Let’s move on to other perks of “25MST.”

2. The program is extremely well-rounded and COMPLETE.

One reason I feel so good about recommending “25 Minute Speed Train” to friends is that it combines weightlifting with low-impact cardio PLUS mobility, flexibility, and balance. There are very few other programs that are so utterly complete, and as you may recall from my review of Joel’s previous program, “LIIFT MORE,” his older programs lack this well-rounded feature.

As a result of this deliciously complete structure, “25 Minute Speed Train” leaves your body feeling GREAT. Not only do you become stronger, more toned, and slimmer, but the mobility work (sprinkled throughout, and then in the full last video of every week) melts away stiffness and discomfort, yielding a youthful buoyancy and sense of wellbeing.

3. The 25-minute time-frame is perfect for a busy schedule, and for forming positive habits.

Unlike Caroline Girvan’s “Iron Series” on YouTube which is around 35 minutes a video and doesn’t include a warm-up, “25 Minute Speed Train” is exactly 25 minutes a workout, and includes both a warm-up and a cool-down. This proved to be the PERFECT amount of time to fit into our busy schedules, and the fact that it was every day got us into a great groove of daily fitness.

A nice perk is that 25-minute workouts are short enough to double up on days you have extra time or are highly motivated. In this way, if you miss a day, you can make up the time! Because the program gets harder as it goes on, I mostly doubled in the beginning, but towards the end I did about one double every two weeks.

4. The pace is great and there’s no wasted time. Plus: On-screen timer!

Unlike the notoriously slow pace of “80 Day Obsession,” “25 Minute Speed Train” wastes no time! Without being overly rushed, Joel keeps a fast pace and moves the workout efficiently from start to finish.

And here’s the amazing part: an on-screen timer for 25 minutes counts down on the screen the entire video… And the border around the timer counts down each minute-long set of lifting!!! As I gushed on my BODi LAVA review, these on-screen timers make SUCH a difference in planning my exertion, so I can really “leave it all on the mat” and do my best.

5. Joel is an excellent, fun trainer with useful exercise cues.

There’s a reason Joel Freeman is such a popular “Super-Trainer” — he’s funny, personable, and gives excellent cues on form, modifications, and weight amount suggestions. For example, for those of us who still can’t do push-ups, he gives the modification to do them on all fours, which I’ve never seen before, but is wonderfully inclusive and doable.

He also frequently models humility by dropping to lower weights midway through an exercise, and encouraging you to similarly listen to your body. There’s more of a jovial air to the program than the Boot Camp style of “Tough Mudder T-Minus 30.”

Side note: Apparently Joel filmed THREE workouts each day — all in his personal home gym. Given that, it’s astounding that he’s able to maintain talking and lifting throughout each entire video! (Even Autumn Calabrese had breathless moments in “9 Week Control Freak.”)

6. “25 Minute Speed Train” progresses and stays varied and exciting.

Unlike “4 Weeks for Every Body” which purposely doesn’t get harder over time, “25 Minute Speed Train” has a very cool ramp-up structure where you learn a new tempo (timing) for weight lifting each week, and steadily increase exercise difficulty. This means that you really see results and progress by Week 8, plus maintain interest because there’s always something new and surprising.

7. You don’t need to buy crazy heavy weights, thanks to the volume.

Because “25 Minute Speed Train” is so much about lifting for a long, endurance-boosting stretch of time, you really don’t need crazy heavy weights — and thus you can save money and space, because dumbbells can be pricey. I got away with just 5-20 pounders, in contrast to programs like “Dig Deeper” which call for much heavier weights.

8. Exercises are counted by time, not by reps.

When exercises are counted by reps (ex: “12 reps per set”), there is the temptation to rush to finish faster. In “25 Minute Speed Train,” however, everything is counted by time — usually one full minute per exercise (counted down by the hand-dandy border timer), and sometimes 45 seconds for ab exercises. This format helps you focus on form and time under tension to get a great workout.

9. “25 Minute Speed Train” is doable, pleasant, motivating, and addictive.

There are some workout programs that just exhaust and destroy you (“MBFA,” anyone??), but “25 Minute Speed Train” is not that. Yes, it will work you hard and yield results — but all in a doable, surprisingly pleasant way. Because of this, I was motivated to press play each day, because I knew I’d feel great after less than half an hour of effort!

10. The program pairs really well with running, walking, and other cardio.

Since “25 Minute Speed Train” is only twenty-five minutes, it is an excellent complement to outdoor recreational exercise like walking or running, or other indoor exercise like swimming, biking, dancing, and so on. Because I adore walking (and walk 2-3 miles a day), I love programs like this that don’t exhaust you too much to do that.

I actually think “25MST” pairs even better with running than “30 Day Breakaway,” the official running program on BODi. The program also paired well with my PT mobility exercises.

Problems with “25 Minute Speed Train”

While this review is overall a rave one, there are some important warnings to keep in mind before doing “25 Minute Speed Train.” Here they are…

A. In many cases, the warm-up is too short, increasing injury risk.

Especially on leg days, the warm-up really isn’t long enough in “25 Minute Speed Train.” To avoid injury, it’s a good idea to add in a bit more jogging-in-place and no-weight squats and lunges while Joel is doing the intro speech — or pause and add in even more mobility before starting. You’ll want to add more of a cool-down, too.

B. Since there’s no cast, modifications are delayed or incomplete.

Ok, this is a big issue, especially for Beginner level folks new to home fitness: Because there are no cast members to show simultaneous exercise modifications (as there are in “Barre Blend“), many modifications are not shown in “25 Minute Speed Train” until it’s kind of too late.

For example, in Week 1, Day 4 there is a very difficult exercise called “Negative Lunges” which can easily hurt your knees, and modifications aren’t discussed until much later — and frankly aren’t even useful once they’re explained. (They’re almost as bad as the “Surrenders” in “21 Day Fix!”) I strongly advise you to listen to your body and make your own modifications to this and other exercises early on.

C. 25 minutes is short; you’ll want to pair this program with other exercise.

Especially in the initial week, you will likely find “25 Minute Speed Train” too easy and too short at first. I urge you not to give up (since it gets harder and more satisfying than the 20-minute “Job 1”), and instead, double up some of the early days, or add in extra cardio like outdoor running or walking.

D. Joel’s suggested weight amounts are weird.

I was perplexed about Joel’s dumbbell weight amounts for the entirety of “25 Minute Speed Train.” At the start of the program, his weights were insanely light, and I was out-lifting him with ease. Then by the end of the program, his dumbbell amounts had escalated exponentially, and it was hard to come close to his amount, let alone match him!

I chalk this up to Joel filming three videos a day and being tired at first, and then pushing himself to the max at the end to encourage people to do a second or third round of the program? Either way, this is also an issue with not having a cast who displays differing weight amounts (especially male vs. female), so I encourage you to listen to your own body for what weight amount makes sense, and follow Joel’s lead of “Drop Setting” when needed.

E. Mobility days repeat! Grr.

I really dislike repeating videos, and so I was peeved to realize that (although the rest of the program is all fresh videos), the 7th day of each week alternates two repeating “Flexibility and Mobility” videos. Harumph!

Though this may seem like a small thing, it means that you end the program with a video you’ve repeated four times… which isn’t as exciting as ending on a fresh note! It also might tempt people to skip those videos after a while — though you can’t earn your completion “badge” if you do, and a body needs moves like those to stay limber.

F. You may miss having a set and cast.

We were very spoiled with the lush sets and cast of Joel’s earlier program, “10 Rounds,” and so I admit that my first peek into Joel’s spare home gym felt disappointing. Though I got used to it, and it got the job done, I do prefer the more polished backgrounds, and missed the cast banter like Amoila Cesar’s “6 Weeks of The Work.”

G. I yearned for Joel’s signature daily core.

The hallmark of all previous Joel Freeman workout programs (from “LIIFT4” and beyond) is that every video had a core and ab component. In contrast, “25 Minute Speed Train” has only one explicitly “Cardio Core” day of the week, and the rest of the core activation is basically folded into standard arm and leg moves by bracing your abs while lifting other muscles.

H. Pros or Cons: Loops, no music, much talking, fast pace, and more.

There are several aspects of “25 Minute Speed Train” which may be positives or negatives, depending on your preferences. First, there is no background music. If you prefer the sweet sounds of a program like “Let’s Get Up,” you will need to cue up your own beats.

Second, Joel uses workout loops liberally throughout “25MST.” I far prefer dumbbells, and find loops unwieldy and awkward, especially with my tall frame (unless they’re the cloth ones like BODi “645”), so their use was somewhat annoying to me. However, I begrudgingly admit that they did yield nice results, and also boosted mobility.

Third, Joel’s nonstop talking and fast pace may or may not be a match for what you want. My friends with adjustable weights did find the pace too fast for clicking the plate changes, so “25MST” is probably a better match for loose dumbbells than adjustable ones.

Next, you may be concerned about doing a program that’s 7 days a week like this one or #mbf “Muscle Burns Fat”… But that’s easy enough to solve. Either add in extra rest days to extend the length of the overall program, or double up days so you can put some free days in your week.

Finally, there is so much variety in “25 Minute Speed Train” that you may get confused at times (though nothing as is as confusing as “Chop Wood, Carry Water.”) For example, sometimes we’d do two sets of an exercise in “25MST,” and sometimes three, and the tempos varied, too. However, they do say it’s good for you to exercise your mind along with your body through destabilizing changes like this, so it’s probably all for the best!

25 Minute Speed Train Review, in Sum

In total, “25 Minute Speed Train” is one of the best home workout programs I’ve ever done, and I highly recommend it to any level besides extreme beginners. If you’re interested in trying out “25MST,” click here to see the latest deals and promotions.

So, if you’ve done this program, what was your experience, and what would you add or revise here? If you have’t done it yet, what questions do you have about how it might fit with your workout plans, hopes and dreams? Do share!

Want more? Check out my “XB Sweat + Sculpt” review! “25MST” lends itself well to hybrids with programs like this if you want to do a second round of it, but mixed with other moves.