Performance Academy on BODi: Workout Review

Are you looking for a short Intermediate level at-home workout program that focuses on functional fitness instruction? “Performance Academy” with trainer Amoila Cesar on the BODi online streaming platform may or may not be a match for you.

See this very honest and detailed review to assess whether it’s a fit for YOUR goals! As background, this review is the product of me doing every single part of this workout program and taking copious notes. As with all my BODi workout reviews, the analysis here is from first-hand experience!

Overview of Performance Academy

There are just SIX thirty-minute workouts in the entire “Performance Academy” workout program, so it’s definitely a mini program — much shorter than one like “Dig Deeper!” It’s categorized as “All Levels,” but as we’ll see in the analysis below, it’s more like an Intermediate-or-higher level. Disclaimer: As with all workout programs, please use wise judgment, listen to your body, and consult a medical professional if needed in order to stay safe when embarking on any new fitness plans.

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

How to Access “Performance Academy”

To access the workout videos in “Performance Academy,” you need a subscription to the BODi platform, which is a good deal for many since it also includes over 120 other workout programs. Click here to see the latest deals, offers, and discounts, including a free trial. Use the code LILLIEFIT25 for 25% off full subscriptions!

Note that for certain programs, BODi allows downloading them individually without a subscription at this link here. At this time, “Performance Academy” is not offered in that format, but several of Amoila’s other excellent programs are. Use code LILLIEFIT15 at checkout for a 15% off discount if you go that route.

Equipment Needed:

For “Performance Academy,” you will need a range of dumbbells (I found my ten pound and fifteen pounds most helpful, though I also enjoy my 20s), workout loops, a yoga or squishy mat to cushion floor work, and either a workout bench or a low bed or chair for raised moves.

Since every workout starts with a jump rope warm-up, you’ll likely also want a cordless jump rope — or can just “use your imagination,” as Amoila says — but I enjoy the rope. That said, because this is such a short program, I wouldn’t spend a lot of extra money on equipment unless you’ll be using it again (which you likely could, for example, using the bench for “LIIFT MORE” or the jump rope for “MBFA.”).

The Cast of “Performance Academy”

Unlike most other BODi programs which feature at least two cast members (usually showing modifications up and down like “4 Weeks for Every Body“), “Performance Academy” only has Amoila Cesar in the studio. There is a “BOD Cast” of very small videos of people working out at home who are sometimes shown bigger on the screen within a screen, and Amoila does interact with them. Let’s dive into the review!

Pros of “Performance Academy”

1. Amoila Cesar is a great trainer.

I have loved the “Super Trainer” Amoila Cesar (pronounced “Am-WAH-luh”) ever since I did his super-advanced program, “6 Weeks of The Work” half a decade ago. He’s hilarious and irreverent, but also extremely knowledgable and educational. I also so appreciate his commitment to FUNCTIONAL fitness, rather than just working out to bulk up.

Because “Performance Academy” is filmed live, you get a lot of Amoila’s raw humor — including a “scandalous” (or “scandy”) riff on Frog Pose in the very first workout. Through all the humor, however, Cesar’s emphasis on educating us to move like athletes to promote health and injury-prevention in everyday life is beautiful — much like Megan Davies in “Sure Thing.”

2. Nice for full-body mobility and functional fitness.

Amoila explained that he was inspired to create this program when he heard a friend complain that he was “moving like an old man.” The moves are designed to keep you limber and strong in functional ways, even as we age. Amoila and Elise Joan of “Fire and Flow” have this very worthwhile passion in common!

3. The RAMP warm-up protocol works well.

Each workout video of “Performance Academy” starts with the “RAMP Protocol” — RAISE heart rate (though two minutes of jump rope or BODRope or imaginary rope), ACTIVATE key muscle groups, MOBILIZE joints, and POTENTIATE by increasing intensity. What this means is that each workout has a nice long warm-up like “645” so you’re truly ready to go.

4. Innovative, unique exercises and workout bench use.

Amoila uses the bench in innovative ways I haven’t seen done before on BODi. (You may have already seen in “Chop Wood, Carry Water” that he’s all about surprising innovations!)

As we’ll explain later, some of those bench moves are a little precarious, but nevertheless, like Amoila’s “Kettlebell Academy,” they are exciting. Overall, it goes with the flavor of the program that it speaks to the audience at a high level, pulling for a more “out of the box,” advanced way of thinking and moving, and it really is worth it to have the bench — or an equivalent prop like a low, flat chair, as it’s used frequently.

5. 30 minutes is a nice time frame.

I’ve really come to love 30-minute workouts, as they fit nicely in most schedules, but are (sometimes) long enough to give you the feeling that you actually worked out. “Performance Academy” videos are exactly 30-34 minutes a day — unlike the more erratic timing of “9 Week Control Freak” — which makes this program easier to plan around.

6. Optional music.

There is optional music in “Performance Academy” that can be turned on or off via the icon in the bottom right of your screen. This is a nice feature, similar to the one in “For Beginners Only” with Lacee Green.

7. Varied, unique, and functional moves leave you feeling good and build education.

Despite having a long and strong background in fitness, I learned a lot in “Performance Academy” about unique functional fitness moves to keep feeling good into advanced age! I was motivated to push “Play” on the workouts each day, as they weren’t too exhausting (unlike “80 Day Obsession“), and made me feel good.

The workouts also went by quickly, as each video is divided into distinct and very different sections. As long as you see this “program” as a short and targeted educational clinic versus an intense, body-sculpting full program like “Muscle Burns Fat #mbf,” it will provide value.

Downsides of “Performance Academy:”

A. It’s so short!

Though it may be tempting to do a workout program that’s only 6 videos long (the same number of videos but fewer minutes as “3 Day Split“), I really found it a disadvantage that “Performance Academy” is so short in terms of days. I find three weeks to be the absolute minimum to get good results from a program, with one to two months optimal.

Given this, “Performance Academy” works if you think of it in terms of being a “movement clinic,” not a full program in the sense that “LIIFT4” with Joel Freeman is a full program. Manage your expectations, and it will be worth it.

B. Use caution: “Performance Academy” isn’t really “All Levels.”

I would categorize “Performance Academy” as an Intermediate Level program, and caution folks from thinking it is a match for complete beginners. Not only are modifications not shown until later for many moves (a problem with any program that has no cast members, including “Job 1 “with Jennifer Jacobs), but many of the moves are more complex.

For example, a number of exercises in the program require balancing on a bench with your shoulders while raising hips or lifting weights. This is a unique move that could certainly throw off a beginner, and as Amoila laughs, “If you fall, say I wasn’t here!” It’s a mostly funny joke, but also emphasizes that this move is not for the uninitiated. (This reminds me of how “Let’s Get Up” is deceptively tough for an “All Levels” program.)

C. The format is messier than a polished program, which can distract.

As explained in my article about “BODi Blocks” versus regular BODi programs, the BODi Block format is filmed live and with a screen of live remote exercisers, so it’s inherently messier than the more polished and rehearsed full programs. “Performance Academy” does live up to this messiness in certain ways!

For example, in the very first workout, Amoila accidentally identifies a BOD Cast member’s sister as her mother (EEK!) and then spends several minutes trying to awkwardly dig himself out of the accidental major insult! I was reminded of the weird banter in “4 Weeks of the Prep.”

Further, unlike a polished full program, Amoila assumes that some people are popping in and out of the program, and so may start the third workout without doing the first two. The necessitates some background information to be repeated each video, which again emphasizes why full programs like “4 Weeks of Focus” are usually better and more efficient.

D. The pace is intermittently quite slow.

Amoila Cesar’s “645” program is notorious for its slow pace due to long stretches of exercise education, and “Performance Academy” has some similar elements, though to a lesser extent. Yes, my heart rate did go up and muscles were worked during this program, but I did find myself doing more standing around than expected, and exertion wasn’t the full “cleansed” level that I prefer. Again, if you see this program as an educational clinic, it helps with expectations.

E. No on-screen timer.

Unlike BODi LAVA, “Performance Academy” lacks an on-screen countdown timer, meaning it’s harder to plan exertion.

F. The bench can be unwieldy.

There were a number of moves in “Performance Academy” where you are balancing your shoulders on the bench while the rest of you is hanging off it in a bridge. While moves like this are used quite often in the Caroline Girvan YouTube “Iron Series” that I’m currently doing and reviewing, I always find this position to be somewhat nerve-wracking in its precariousness — as effective as it may be to target the glutes.

“Performance Academy” on BODi, in Sum

If you’re looking for a full-length program that will sculpt your body over the course of several weeks of fast-paced intense workouts like “21 Day Fix,” then “Performance Academy” is NOT a match for your goals. However, if you’re looking for a very short mini-program (just six workouts!) that provides education about unique functional fitness moves in a slower-paced, casual environment, “Performance Academy” is certainly worth doing.

It’s important to note that Amoila Cesar released this program around the same time as “Kettlebell Academy,” and provided this hybrid calendar of the two together that could be used to expand the scope of these videos into a solid month. Check out my “Kettlebell Academy” review if interested!

I hope this review of “Performance Academy” helps. For access to trying it out, tap this link here to see options and deals.

If you’ve done this mini-program with Amoila Cesar, what was your experience, and what would you add or amend here? If you haven’t done it yet, what questions do you have as we sweat and sculpt our physiques? Do share!

Want more? Check out my review of the fabulous program, “Tough Mudder T-Minus 30,” which is an Advanced program that will produce results even for those of us who aren’t doing the actual competition!