10 Reasons Why Morning Meltdown 100 Became My Favorite Video Workout

I started Morning Meltdown 100 about 110 days ago. I expected it to be a cool program based on the promotional videos I’ve seen and some of the sample workouts I previewed, but I didn’t expect it to turn into one of my favorites of all time. As a long video workout user, I’ve always benchmarked all programs against the first one I used: P90X. Since Tony Horton brought the magic of home-based exercises into my life, I never ceased to look for new things. I’ve experienced most of the best of the best that Beachbody can offer from Tony’s workouts, Shaun T, Joel Friedman, and Sagi Kalev. But, I have to be honest, Jericho McMatthews’ Morning Meltdown 100 gripped me. If you stay with me for about ten minutes, I’ll tell you all about it.

Before we start, let me mention that I am not affiliated with Beachbody in any way. This is a simple, honest review of this program by a real user. Enjoy!

Home Exercise Is a Pain in the Butt

I think we all agree that exercise is necessary. It’s good for our health, self-esteem, and self-confidence and serves as a practice ground for our resilience and discipline muscles. But, on the other hand, it’s a pain in the ass. Totally.

It took me about five years to turn exercising into a habit and make it stick. Even so, I still fall off the wagon now and then, and I still find it to be a pain in the butt. Once I accepted that fact, though, it became a lot more tolerable.

Back in the day, even workout videos were a little bit annoying. That’s because most people had only one place in the house where they could play videotapes or, later, DVDs. That was usually the main TV-watching space, which generally is inside the living room.

So, using that space to exercise was never very convenient, and creating a new area with a TV and DVD/video player in the basement was not always an option.

Everything changed, though, with the explosion of the internet. Later, wi-fi and the ability to cast videos to any device from any device was another leap forward. Companies quickly realized that this is a goldmine and began exploiting it. Online workout videos exploded over the past five years.

I got my first BeachbodyOnDemand membership about three years ago, and I never looked back. It’s only $99/year and gives you full access to all of their workout programs, streaming through most devices at any time of the day.

Since then, working out on Beachbody videos has become an integral part of my morning routine. Why? Because all of a sudden, there were no more excuses. I mean, really. None.

Workout Videos Are Fun

I don’t know if anybody else remembers the Jane Fonda workout videos of the eighties. The leg warmers, the stretchy pants, the perms. It’s fun to watch now, isn’t it?

Jane Fonda in her 1982 VHS tape, Jane Fonda’s Workout

Those days are gone, my friends. Today’s workouts are very different. I find most of them engaging, energizing, and plain fun. And some of them are hard as hell, as they should be.

Remember that for real progress, you cannot merely train at the level of your current capability. You need to push the limit every time, even if just by a little bit. By stepping out of the comfort zone, you grow. When you experience pain, you grow.

In the words of the US Marine Corps, weakness is pain leaving your body. Whereas this statement doesn’t apply to everything in life, it surely applies to deliberate physical exercise.

With that in mind, let’s dab into the Morning Meltdown 100 program.

Jericho McMatthews – Creator of Morning Meltdown 100

Jericho McMatthews holds degrees in psychology and physical education and kinesiology, as well as personal training certifications with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). For many years she has traveled the globe as a trainer and presenter, educating thousands of new instructors and presenting at top fitness industry conferences.

Jericho became a Beachbody Super Trainer and, together with Joel Freeman, co-created a program called Core De Force—a mixed martial arts fitness program.

In 2019, Jericho teamed up with Beachbody once more to create a new program called Morning Meltdown 100. And what a great idea that was!

Morning Meltdown 100 In a Nutshell

Beachbody themselves declared MM100 to be the most extensive program they’ve ever created. Indeed, when you hear 100, it sounds like a lot and quite daunting, to be honest. But once you get into it, you’ll fall in love with it. That’s because the program has a clear goal of helping you develop an athletic body that is strong and healthy.

There are five categories of exercises that are cycled between the five phases of the program. They all have pretty cool names: Cardio Meltdown, Upbeat Strength, Core Inferno, Total Body Badass, Freestyle Flow, LIT Cardio, Downbeat Strength, Fight Club, MeltCon, and Re-Vibe.

The workout program’s video format is super energetic, and it will get you pumped from minute one. Much like most home-based workouts, Morning Meltdown 100 doesn’t require a lot of space, so that you can use any area in your home. There is some jumping involved, so make sure you use suitable footwear on a non-slippery surface.

The Ten Reasons I Love Morning Meltdown 100

Below is a list of the ten reasons I love Morning Meltdown 100, in no particular order. These are the things that are important to me when I evaluate a workout program, and I am putting them in the context of this specific program.

No breaks

I hate breaks in my exercise. There, I said it. When I use a program, and it has one or two days of “rest,” I find myself looking for something else to do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t over-train. During those days that are supposed to be for resting, I usually either do a more extended stretching session, a yoga routine, or some light running—anything but nothing.

What I love about Morning Meltdown 100 is that it goes on for 100 days without a full break. In each ten-day section, the first four days are high intensity, followed by a yoga respite. Then you get four more days of intense workouts, followed by a stretching routine. Then, rinse and repeat.

I love that.

Habit formation

They say that it takes about thirty days for a routine to begin to form and start to stick in your brain. Then it takes about 90 days for the new behavior to become automatic and turn into a habit. As I said above, the biggest problem with exercise is discipline.

By approaching your workouts as a personal daily routine and striving to put it on auto-pilot, you create a new pattern, a new habit loop. Many workouts go on for 90 days, but the difference with Morning Meltdown 100 is that it goes on for 100 days, every day. That is critical in establishing a routine that will stick.

Short and effective

One of the biggest complaints against programs such as P90X or Insanity is that the workouts are too long. Some stretch to forty-five to fifty minutes, and if you add cooldown, they start to edge one hour. The problem with that is that you might think that one hour is too much to give to exercise on those days when you have pressing issues, and you give it up ultimately.

However, it’s hard to argue with twenty or twenty-five minutes. That is why programs such as P90X3, T-25, or Transform:20 have appeared. Morning Meltdown 100 is no different: the workouts are twenty to thirty minutes in length (including warm-up and cool down), except for workout #100, which is 53 minutes long.

By packing super-high intensity in just twenty minutes a day, you can get great results. It’s far better to put in hard work for twenty minutes a day, every day, for one hundred days than one hour a few times a week. The power of consistency and intensity combined is paramount in this context.

Progressing Difficulty

Another issue that many programs out there have is a pre-set difficulty. Morning Meltdown 100, on the other hand, is designed with growth in mind. The program includes five consecutive phases, each phase building upon the prior one. The exercises grow in difficulty and intensity, and although the growth is subtle, it’s noticeable.

You can also set your difficulty by either following Jericho herself or one of the modifiers that bring the intensity down a notch. The program is flexible enough, and you might even decide to repeat it and up the difficulty on the second run.

Great music and ambiance

Morning Meltdown 100 is the first video workout program that I know to feature a DJ in the room, spinning music live. That brings an extra level of freshness and coolness to the workouts. The music is excellent, engaging, and on point, always matching the type of exercise.

The set DJ is Jesse Blake, and I highly recommend checking some of Jesse’s mixes on Spotify.

No repetitions

If you are used to doing video workouts, you know that there’s an inevitable repetition or pattern to them. No matter how different, when you have to repeat the same exercise twenty times, it becomes a bit boring. Now, I’ll be honest, this does not bother me, per se, but it is a bit of a pain point.

With Morning Meltdown 100, you get 100 distinct workouts. Yes, you will reuse some of the moves, but they repeat in different sequences; people wear different clothes and sit in different positions. Jericho’s delivery is, of course, different because each video is distinct. So, it feels fresh, and you always feel like you are doing something new.

Even if you decide to repeat the entire workout, after 100 days, you will simply not remember any of them, and it will feel like new again.

Variety

Although there are several mixed workout video programs, most of the best-known ones fall into a particular category. They might be cardio-centric or centered on weight training, plyo-training, pilates, and so on. In other words, they focus on one specific type of exercise.

In Morning Meltdown 100, I was happy to see a combination of high-intensity interval training, martial arts, weight training, slow-focused fat-burning routines, yoga, stretching, upper and lower body workouts, and core training. The program cycles through the entire body in many different ways while slowly increasing the difficulty level.

Involves Weights

If you are a buff gym-going guy, you might not care about this that much. But for most people, lifting weights is a big taboo. Women think that weight-lifting will make them look like the Hulk, while guys who want to lose weight would much rather put on a plastic suit and run on the treadmill for three hours at 85 degrees.

However, we now know through science that weight lifting is much more effective in weight loss and managing weight than cardio. And when I say weight lifting, I don’t mean doing squats with 200 pounds. In Morning Meltdown 100, you’ll often do exercises that don’t need more than five to ten pounds. By the end of the routine, you’ll barely hold that weight in your hand.

I do understand that this might be a problem for some if you don’t own any weights. I believe that investing in a small rack of weights is always a good idea. You can purchase several brands on Amazon that include pairs of 2, 8, 10 lb, or similar. If you want to invest in more, you can grab a pair of Bowflex adjustable weights. Check this other blog post I wrote about how I set up my home workout space.

Engaging crew

This is a big one for me. If the team is boring, things start to fall apart after a while. With Morning Meltdown 100, you don’t have to worry about that. First of all, it’s Jericho herself. She’s a firecracker. The level of energy and engagement is sometimes overwhelming, but it gets you going.

The team behind her is entirely focused and on it. It’s a big team, and you get to feel like you are, in fact, in a group workout. Everybody moves slightly differently, so you get to be okay with you moving a little bit differently. There’s a sense of inclusion and camaraderie.

Related Materials

This is not unique to this program, but it’s worth mentioning because it is a biggie. Working out is excellent, but a lot of your fitness and health will come from the nutrition you pair with your exercise. Morning Meltdown 100 comes with a full nutrition guide that you can follow to maximize your results.

I haven’t used the nutrition program because I am still deep into my intermittent fasting and keto routines. Still, I did look through it, and it seems like an excellent option for people who struggle with creating their meal plans. As a side note, if you are interested in learning more about how I do intermittent fasting and its benefits, please check my beginner’s guide to intermittent fasting.

The “Be 100 Book” is a part motivational tool, part daily tracker, and part journal. It’s a 154-page PDF that you can print and use as a companion during the program or purchase it directly from Beachbody.

Finally, the program includes several alternative calendars, including a 28-day prep calendar for people who need to take an extra month to get into shape and ready for the full schedule. The other alternative calendars offer different lengths and combinations, including two workouts a day and additional rest days.

Morning Meltdown 100 Gets Two Thumbs Up

Overall I am delighted with this program. After 100 days of exercise, I feel more energetic, leaner, lighter, more agile, and flexible. I also feel more committed to my goals of maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.

I highly recommend you give it a shot and see how it goes. The site offers a free thirty-minute circuit training sample workout that you can try before you commit.

Let’s quickly recap the basics of the program:

• 100 unique workouts
• 20/30 minutes per day
• Intermediate Difficulty
• Includes: Cardio, HIIT, MMA Training, Core, Strength, Yoga
• Equipment needed: Dumbbells (light, medium, heavy), Yoga Mat
• Where you can access the program: Morning Meltdown 100 
  

Unfortunately, you cannot purchase this program as a DVD, but if you download the Beachbody app on your mobile device, you’ll be able to download the videos and use them offline. That is perfect if you are traveling and need to pull a quick workout on the go.

If you still have a shred of a doubt, watch the official promotional trailers for this program:

Other Related Resources

• Beachbody On Demand
• Follow Jericho on Instagram
• The New Beachbody Program Left Me Sore For a Week — and Got Me Excited to Work Out Again
• An Honest Review of Morning Meltdown 100 (MM100)
• REVIEW: Beachbody’s Morning Meltdown 100

Now, before you go, I have…

3 Questions For You

Please share your answers in the comments below. Sharing knowledge helps us all improve and get better!