In all honesty, I only went to Body20 Carlsbad because of a Facebook ad I saw in Feb 2025. The location is close to my office, and the demo was free, so I decided to see what all the hype was about.
At the time, they had you wear a thin, yoga‑style base layer under an EMS suit. The idea is that the electrical stimulation fires more muscle fibers than traditional training, giving you a full‑body, low‑impact workout in about 20 minutes. Honestly, I thought it sounded like a gimmick until I tried it.
I was 62 years old, about 30 pounds overweight, and still dealing with lingering issues from long COVID. I was tired, out of shape, and just sick of feeling sick and tired. After the 20‑minute demo, I checked my Garmin and realized I'd burned more calories than I would have on a 1‑hour walk at 3 mph, which was difficult, and I definitely felt it.
Before the demo, the trainer, Mandy, asked about my health history, including my joints and back issues, which I really appreciated. Afterward, they walked me through the process, answered my questions honestly, and let me share my feedback. Yes, the pricing was higher than I expected, but then I realized this wasn't just a "class"; it was 1‑on‑1 personal training with a high‑tech EMS suit that only takes 20 minutes of my time. As a busy executive, that value resonated with me, so I signed up for 1 month, twice a week (8 sessions).
By my 6th session, they bumped up the intensity, and the differences were noticeable. The trainers, Nick, Corey, Mandy, and Mo, were all patient and knowledgeable, and they tailored the instruction to my level. Once I started going regularly, I built momentum and even started walking more. By the end of that first month, I'd lost a few pounds, felt stronger, and could walk a full mile without getting winded.
In the summer of 2025, they rolled out new dry-suit technology that fixed all the earlier "wet suit" quirks we sometimes had. No more damp layers or glitch‑prone sleeves. Special shout‑out to Brandon and Pauly for keeping the Carlsbad crew strong after some of the original trainers moved to new locations.
Once I got used to the dry suit, I loved the results so much I bought my own. Unless being sore the next day from a 20‑minute session counts as a downside, it's been a win‑win. Between the inBody body‑comp scans and my Garmin Fenix 7, I'm also seeing around a 20% increase in heart-rate zones and calories burned compared to the suit they used to wet down.
After seeing real, measurable progress, I prepaid for all of 2026 and now go 3x a week with unlimited sessions. In about 10 months, I've lost 25 pounds of fat, gained over 6 pounds of muscle, dropped two pant sizes, now regularly walk 3 miles, and was even able to do a 1/2-mile jog, something that would've been impossible a year ago. I feel healthier and stronger than I have since my 30s.
If you're on the fence about Body20, my advice is simple: try the demo. It's quick, low‑impact, and data‑backed (yes, I'm a geek), not just marketing talk. At 63 years old, I'm lighter and stronger than I've been in decades, and that's not something I ever expected to say about myself. read more