Every time we read one of those dramatic VShred reviews, we cringe at the thought that this is a million dollar company. Oh yes, they make close to $250 million each year with their fat loss extreme program and supplements which they upsell.
Makes you wonder if it is really so easy to make money, and more importantly, if this is what sells in the fitness industry.
We have been closely following VShred since the company was formed in 2015. It's not that we were keen to follow them. But their advertorials would keep popping up on our social media feeds and YouTube.
Just out of curiosity, we saw around 3 minutes of that ad and closed it in disgust. But some of our readers wanted us to take a deep dive into VShred and the mystique around the brand. They have millions of followers on their social media handles.
What ticks? Let's find out, shall we?
Best Alternatives for VShred
PhenQ - The Best All Round Supplement for weight loss
PhenGold - Oxidize more fat through BAT
Hourglass Fit - End cravings and control appetite
What is VShred?
VShred is a health and fitness brand based in Las Vegas that was set up in 2015. Since then, the brand has risen to become one of the most popular wellness brands in the industry.
It currently has offices in four continents with hundreds of employees and has an average income of $250 million per year. The company offers a range of programs, primarily aimed at losing weight. The VShred program is their flagship for weight loss though.
All VShred programs are aggressively marketed across search, video and social media advertising networks and their reach is phenomenal. If you follow fitness trends on any social media handle, or have searched for the phrase 'lose weight', chances are that you might have seen a VShred ad.
It features a shirtless, ribbed social media influencer by the name of Vince Sant. Vince is a certified fitness model and a celebrity trainer, as per his updated profile. He features in most of VShred's informercial styled ads, and also in the main intro videos for their workout programs.
VShred has been in the news for all the wrong reasons though. The brand has been called out by some of the most reputed names in the fitness industry, for peddling misinformation. That's not all.
If you dig into messaging boards and Reddit for real customer reviews, you will discover that there are complaints galore about V Shred, not only about the workout routines, or the meal plans mind you. But even about dishonoring guarantees and so on.
What is Fat loss extreme?
Fat Loss Extreme is one of VShred's flagship fitness programs that claims to help people lose weight during their fitness journey, in a span of just 28 days.
The whole branding for this program is centered on getting results fast. Anyone who's ever embarked on a weight loss journey would vouch for the fact that its never easy and its never fast.
You can subscribe for the most advanced shred programs and you will still have to focus on consistency, sustainable eating habits and calorie restriction, to be able to lose weight.
But Vince Sant, rarely talks about all this. Instead, he chooses to ramble about the secret techniques in the Fat loss extreme V Shred program that can help you dramatically lose body fat, regardless of what your current body conditioning is.
He uses terms like metabolic confusion and smart exercises to drive home the idea that this program will work, no matter what. Because VShred seems to have unlocked the secret of Hollywood celebrities to burn targeted body fat.
The Many Red Flags with VShred
Before we start discussing products and other aspects of the program, let's just jump straight into the red flags associated with VShred. There are several that needs mentioning.
No Qualified Experts on board
The biggest red flag about VShred is that they are peddling fitness and nutrition advice without having a panel of qualified fitness experts on board. We are not sure whether Vince designs the plans and the workouts himself, or whether he's just the face of the company.
But if they do have a panel of experts who are creating these structured plans, then they dont reveal their names, which again is very suspicious. Why would you want to take fitness advice from someone who's not even qualified to train a newbie?
Its a Cookie Cutter Program
VShred wants you to believe that by answering a questionnaire on their website, you are somehow getting a personalized diet and exercise plan. Make no mistake, you are not.
No matter what details you fill into the questionnaire, you are likely to be recommended the same Fat Loss Extreme program that they offer to everyone else. Even if you are a 13 year old, or a 39 year old, or a 55-year old with pre-existing illnesses, you will still be redirected to Fat Loss Extreme.
Fitness programs cannot be one-size-fits-all. It rarely leads to good results, and almost always leads to a cascade of problems.
Exaggerated and Unrealistic claims
VShred makes some exaggerated and unrealistic claims about the kind of results you can achieve with the program. They claim that you can rapidly lose fat while maintaining muscle gain, during the program.
For instance, they claim that HIIT, thrice a week is the secret to fat burning. Well, by now, even a teenager will know that HIIT can help you lose fat. But, HIIT does not work for everyone. There are people who cannot do HIIT for various reasons.
Rather, you need a personalized approach with a blend of HIIT, resistance training and targeted nutrition, which needs to be constantly monitored and changed as per your progress.
Pseudoscience
Most of VShred's videos are filled with pseudoscientific humbug. For instance, they talk about 'body type' or somatotypes. Are you a Mesomorph, an ectomorph or an endomorph? This information is from the 1940s, from a botched up clinical study.
It has been dismissed thousands of time by peer reviewed journals. That's not the only bit. VShred talks about 'Metabolic confusion', which is a fancy name for Carb cycling. Carb Cycling is no more effective than planned calorie restriction is.
This has been proven a number of time in meta-analysis studies. It's just another 'fancy new tool' that dieticians like to throw around like it can help you get superior results.
So any custom meal plan or personal trainer plan that you subscribe to, from V Shred, you will end up cycling carbs and performing HIIT.
Severe Health Risks
Many of the VShred programs, including Fat Loss Extreme are too aggressive for sustainable weight loss. In fact, they can cause more damage than good.
In one of their diet plans that they send out during Fat loss extreme, the recommended calorie intake for 3-4 days of the week is 1300. We have never seen people losing weight in a healthy way on 1300 calories a day.
Add to that the fact that you will be performing HIIT on some of these days. You will end up overworked, with poor sleep. How will you even be able to retain muscle mass on this plan?
Unethical practices
You might be thinking that all of the customer reviews you see on social media and on Google are original ones. But that's not the case.
V Shred has been accused before of resorting to unethical business practices including using doctored photographs, dishonoring guarantees and what not. If you take a look at some of the honest reviews on messaging boards, you will come across a lot of negative ones.
While all fitness brands may resort to a little bit of exaggeration, the problems with V Shred are more grave.
Is V Shred worth it?
We think that with all these red flags that we have highlighted, the answer is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?
V Shred is not the ideal choice at all for long term health and sustainable fitness goals. It is a cookie cutter program that uses aggressive marketing and upselling to pitch you workout plans, supplements and personalized meal plans.
How do the customers achieve these results then, one wonders. Well, since they have been accused of business malpractices as well, we cant really be sure whether the customers really do achieve the kind of results they advertise.
You are better off using a sustainable approach towards your fitness goals, that takes into account your current health, and is tailored around the exact challenges that you are facing while trying to lose weight.
V Shred alternatives - What should you use if not V Shred?
A common question that we've heard is, what else should we try if not V Shred? Is there an alternative program that we can try?
Should we try supplements instead? Should we hire a personal trainer?
Here are our two cents. You should focus on the basics. Calories in vs calories out. That's what fat loss and any form of weight loss is all about.
Now ask yourself what are the challenges you face while trying to restrict calories? Maybe you have a habit of unhealthy snacking. Maybe you are unable to do HIIT and would prefer low impact movements, which can help you burn more calories.
Maybe your mood and motivation levels slip during weight loss journeys which causes you to quit midway.
Based on these, we feel that the three supplements listed below, combined with very low impact activities can help you get great results.
Here are our detailed reviews of these three supplements and why we think they are much better options than VShred.
