Is Kinobody's Movie Star Masterclass Worth It? (Review)

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The key is to tell her you to look like Christian Bale, but don’t specify whether that’s the Mechanist, Vice, or Batman Bale.

Jokes aside, we’d all wanna look like the folks on the big screen. Bigger, leaner, faster, and just plain sexier. Kinobody claims his Movie Star Masterclass can at least make you bigger and leaner – but will it really?

Let’s find out.

About the Creator- Kinobody

Greg O’Gallagher (also known as Kinobody) is what you would describe as a “fitness influencer.” No real fitness education, and no real coaching certifications – just someone who likes lifting and has had great success sharing his methods with the world.

That’s not to say the guy isn’t successful. Au contraire! Apparently, he was faced with a choice when he was 18 years old – go to college for a business degree or follow his passion. In his own words, “F*ck being average!” He chose his passion.

Initially, he did what most people in the fitness industry start off doing, which is personal training. His heart wasn’t really in it, though, and soon enough, he started expanding to online marketing for his services. It wasn’t long before his popularity rose.

With Instagram and YouTube as his weapons of choice, he started creating content for those looking to lose weight and longing for an aesthetic physique. He wasn’t a bodybuilding coach, after all, but rather a transformation coach.

Today, he’s achieved quite a lot:

Started his own company called Kinobody
Released various programs and e-books, such as the Superhero Bulking Program, The Kinochef Cookbook, and The Greek God Muscle Building Program
Has amassed more than 600k YouTube subscribers
Lured in more than 900k Instagram followers
Has helped thousands reach their goals in regard to health and fitness

Century Bob is also no match for this guy…

Is Kinobody's Movie Star Masterclass Worth It? (Review) - NOOB GAINS (2)

So it’s safe to say Greg has become one of the most influential fitness stars on the planet.

That said, he still doesn’t really have any physiology or nutrition education, so how good are his programs? Are they merely copying and pasting information from the internet? Or are they based on the latest and greatest research?

Movie Star Masterclass Overview

Like most online courses these days, you’re treated with a set of videos of the star breaking down every part of Movie Star Masterclass, derived from the original Movie Star Body Program. Kinobody is no different, and the very first video guarantees that you’ll reach your goals, regardless of how big they are.

Let this be a lesson, kids. Never overpromise and underdeliver…

Fitness level: Beginners to intermediates
Duration: 16 weeks
Workouts per week: 2 – 4 workouts per week
Average workout duration: 60 – 75 minutes
Equipment needed: Full gym
Goal: Lose weight

This 16-week program has a large focus on losing weight, which is perfectly fine. However, there’s also some emphasis placed on actually building muscle.

Something I’ve personally noticed about Kinobody is that he makes pretty wild claims with no scientific backing, such as:

Kinobody says, “The CNS requires 48 hours to recharge.” In reality, CNS recovery will depend on a myriad of factors such as diet, sleep, training age, etc.
He also says, “Getting stronger in the 5-10 rep range will result in perfect muscle gains.” Truthfully, getting stronger in any rep range will result in muscle gains. Also, define perfect.

These are just some of the claims he makes, which would be perfectly fine if only he referenced where he got this information from.

However, instead of bunching everything up here like a group of teenage boys bunching around the bench press, let’s break things down neatly.

Kinobody Movie Star Masterclass Details

Upon opening the Masterclass on the Kajabi website, you’ll come across various categories that you need to “complete” in order to continue.

Let’s look at some of the more “important” ones.

Category 1: Nutrition Guide

The nutrition guide opens with a gradual introduction into the world of calories, macros, and food manipulation, specifically how to use those to either lose or gain weight.

However, we’ll make a quick turn down the route of “internet babble” with Fasting 101.

Fasting, for those of you who don’t know, would have you not consuming any food for a set period of the day, usually 16 hours, and then you have an 8-hour feeding window.

The idea is that you can accelerate fat loss both via the fact that your body needs to run on fat and also the fact that fasting can increase human growth hormone.

Is there anything wrong with fasting? Not at all, but it does have its limitations. See, by not feeding the body with amino acids, you’re limiting the amount of muscle you can build in a certain period.

Not a single study has found that fasting is more effective for fat loss or muscle gain than a regular calorie deficit or surplus, respectively.

But what does Greg say? Well, “Fasting is very effective at promoting fat loss and staying lean while gaining muscle. I’ve been utilizing fasting for 10 years. It has changed the game in fitness. Research is strong on the benefits of fasting.” This is a bold claim with zero citations.

(Unsurprising) Category 2: Supplements

Since Kinobody owns his own supplement company, you can be damn sure that there’s going to be a lot of focus on supplements. It’s worth noting that unless your diet is lacking in a certain nutrient, no supplement is essential. None.

That said, here are the supplements he recommends:

“Natural” Pre Workout Kino Octane, which contains 6000 mg of citrulline malate. You would need to consume 160 oz of watermelon to get that same dosage (in nature). Very natural.
Essential Amino Acids – Kino Aminos, which he claims curbs appetite and helps make cutting easier. It does neither, and if you eat enough protein (regularly, i.e., not fasting), you don’t need to supplement EAAs. Seems like he created a problem with fasting and then solved it with his own product. Coincidence?
Creatine – Kino Gains. I have nothing bad to say, as creatine is the GOAT of supplements.
Collagen Protein – Kino Collagen Protein is, according to him, better than whey protein, especially when cutting. It’s a pity that studies have found collagen to be lacking in the essential amino acids needed to build muscle.

Is the Supplement Guide worth it? Absolutely not, but the creatine is welcome!

Category 4: Phase 1 (0 – 12 Weeks)

After just completing the Nutrition guide, I didn’t have high hopes. Boy, was I surprised? The first 12 weeks of the program are designed with a three-day-per-week split, with an optional fourth day on Saturdays:

Monday – Chest, and Arms with Light Shoulders
Wednesday – Legs and Traps
Friday – Shoulders and Back with Light Chest and Arms
Saturday – Core, Neck, and Forearms (optional)

The idea here is to have you hitting the “more important muscles” twice per week. These include the upper body muscles … because screw training legs, am I right!?

You’re also given the option to switch movements once you hit a plateau. For instance, swapping out barbell bench presses for weighted dips. This does give you some freedom in the gym, seeing as not all gyms have the same equipment.

Kinobody also uses various lifting techniques, like:

Reverse Pyramid Training: Training where you start heavier and lower the weight but increase the reps.
Rest-Pause Training: You take a set to completion, rest a certain period of time, and go again.
“Kino Rep” Training: You start at a certain weight, complete your set, increase the weight, and then do more reps (a reverse drop set, essentially. (Not good for recovery, so be careful, please.)

The overarching goal of phase 1 is to grow stronger week to week. Building strength is the main reason why you’ll build muscle size, so you should really be focusing on progressive overload (granted, your form remains reasonable).

Is Phase 1 worth it? Sure, it might not be the most scientific approach to lifting, but if done with 100% effort, you will definitely see results.

Category 6: Phase 2 “Shrink Wrap Phase” (13 – 16 Weeks)

Now that you’ve spent 12 weeks increasing the muscle strength, the Shrink Wrap phase is focused on giving the muscles a ton of volume – making them look shrink-wrapped.

Promises about the Shrink Wrap phase include:

Rapidly increasing muscle size and volume
More Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy
Improving recovery
Enhancing work capacity

Not going to lie – this sounds amazing! The general idea behind the workouts seems to be based on main and back-off sets. This means your first set would be your heaviest, and the following sets would be lighter for more reps. You’ll still only be doing three sessions per week.

So, is Phase 2 worth it? Eh, debatable.

First off, his claims about boosting sarcoplasmic hypertrophy being “good” is a bit overstated. Then, the idea of this kind of training boosting recovery and work capacity is false – since he doesn’t have citations.

Overall, it will probably help you look bigger and fuller, but … why? For a day on the beach, and a week later, that sarcoplasm leaves, and you’re normal again?

Category 7: Two-Day Minimalist Routine

What if you’re someone who’s a bit busier than the average individual? What if you barely have time to train and you desperately wanna have gained? What is a person to do?

Well, Kinobody was kind enough to create a two-workouts-per-week plan as well! Kinobody claims this to be even more effective than the other “normal” plan, seeing as you’ll have better recovery, less hunger, and less fatigue.

How is this accomplished? Stop training legs. Yup, the Two-Day Minimalist routine barely has any leg training, making up only around 25% of the total training.

Here’s how a workout could look:

Bench Press: 4 sets – 5-6, 6-8, 8-10, 8-10 (Reverse pyramid Training)
Pinned Biceps Curls: 4 sets – 6-8, 6-8, 8-10, 8-10 (Reverse pyramid Training)
Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets x 10-12 (Pyramid Training)
Bent Over Flyes: 12-15 + 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 (Rest-Pause Training)

If you think this looks a bit odd and confusing (the last exercise), that’s because the UX of the whole program is… off. There are quite a few spelling and grammatical errors all over.

Day 1	Day 2
Barbell Rows(Reverse pyramid Training)	Weighted Chin Ups(Reverse pyramid Training)
Seated Barbell Overhead Press(Reverse pyramid Training)	Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press(Reverse pyramid Training)
Squats(Reverse pyramid Training)	Leg Press(Reverse pyramid Training)
Incline Dumbbell Press(Reverse pyramid Training)	Decline Dumbbell Press(Reverse pyramid Training)
JM Press(Rest-Pause Training)	Cross Body Tricep Extensions(Reverse pyramid Training)
Single Arm Cable Curl(Reverse pyramid Training)	Dumbbell Preacher Curls(Rest-Pause Training)

Now, the Others

Oh, you thought we were done? No sir or ma’am.

Well, we basically are, but to seem like a nice guy, Kinobody is kind enough to provide you with a few gifts on your way out:

You get access to the MSM Facebook Group where you can post workouts and meals or just ask questions of the other lifters.
Discount codes! Whether you’re buying his supplements or his workout clothing, he has plenty of discount codes for you.

And that’s really it. If this seems underwhelming, that’s because it is. But before we do the “5 things wrong with” section, let’s have a look at the pros of this plan.

1 Movie Star Masterclass Pro

Usually, this section is a list, but I’d rather talk about this program as a whole, and the biggest pro it has is the fact that it’s doable. I’ve reviewed a lot of programs, I’ve designed a few, and I’ve done even more myself.

A common denominator with a lot of programs is the fact that most regular-gen pop folk can’t follow it because it’s too damn hard. You don’t have the cash to eat 3 grams of protein per pound every day, you don’t have the time to train 3 hours each day, and you certainly don’t have the mental fortitude to do 10 sets of squats.

And that’s okay.

Sure, you should always aim to be better in all aspects of life. However, you shouldn’t sink a ship by trying to gain 2 knots per hour. You know your limitations, and you know what you’re capable of. Choose a program accordingly.

Some coaches buy into the idea of designing programs based on the type of lifter:

A person who revels in progression will logically prefer a program that has them tracking every lift and every gram of food.
Someone who loves the intensity and harder workouts will do better with a lower-volume plan.
A person with great cardiovascular capacity will do better with more volume.

The nice thing about this plan is that it doesn’t really align with any singular type of workout. Sure, it’s a bit all over the place, but it uses that as its weapon. It has all types of lifting involved, and that makes it approachable to most people.

Compared to a program that’s dogmatic about a particular lifting style or progression method, a normal person might find this more engaging and accessible.

However, as my dad used to say, “You’re definitely not bad, but you aren’t good.” This plan certainly isn’t good (also, wth dad?!).

5 Movie Star Masterclass Cons

Five?! Five. Am I being serious, you may ask? Are there really five cons?! You bet your a*s I am. Kinobody made several claims about his programs being amazing and impressive, so your best bet I’m going to dissect this plan rep by rep.

The Nutrition Information Is Woeful

First off, Kinobody doesn’t have nutritional education. So he’s technically not the best person to be giving nutrition advice. Luckily, I actually am certified, and I can give you more insight.

Firstly, only 0.8 grams of protein per pound? Why so low, my friend?

Kinobody mentioned several times how combating hunger seems to be the key to dropping weight. Obviously, he has a point since eating less can lead to weight loss. It doesn’t make sense then to a lower protein that much.

Here’s some research to back that up:

A 2014 study found that even overfeeding on protein to the tune of about 2 grams per pound of weight did not lead to weight gain. It didn’t lead to more muscle. However, those people surely had an easier time sticking to their diet.
This 2012 paper states that protein plays a crucial role against obesity by “acting on the relevant metabolic targets of satiety and energy expenditure in negative energy balance, thereby preventing a weight cycling effect.”
A 2008 paper clearly states that people who followed a diet in which 35% of total calories were protein reported less hunger.
Finally, this 2014 research paper has the following finding, “These data suggest that, when compared to high-fat snacks, eating less energy dense, high-protein snacks like yogurt improves appetite control, satiety, and reduces subsequent food intake in healthy women.”

All of these research papers point towards a higher-protein diet being advantageous for hunger and potentially even more – muscle gain!

Could you follow this plan at only 0.8 grams per pound? Sure, but you could also crawl to Texas on your belly like a snake. I’ll take the Mustang, thank you.

Solution? Eat enough protein to sustain muscle size and strength. The deeper your caloric deficit, the more protein you should be consuming to retain as much muscle mass as possible. Start at 1.2 grams per pound and lower it by 0.1 grams weekly to find your sweet spot (this will also save you money).

Fasting Sucks

For all the internet clout that fasting gets, it surely has almost zero evidence supporting the idea that it’s actually good.

Let’s address the first thing Kinobody mentions, which is the fact that it can help with fat loss:

A 2020 paper suggests that fasting is only moderately good for fat loss, granted, you’re still in a calorie deficit.
In a recent 2022 study, the researchers came to the conclusion that “The degree of weight loss achieved with intermittent fasting is on a par with that achieved with traditional dieting approaches (daily calorie restriction).”

Overall, it seems that while fasting can help with cardiovascular health markers, such as cholesterol and blood pressure, it does almost nothing for accelerating fat loss.

But what about the growth hormone?!

Relax. Yes, it is true that fasting can increase natural HGH secretion in the body. Since HGH will “move” nutrients from storage areas in the body to the blood, it would make sense that HGH rises when there’s no food in the gut for a long period of time.

Studies have taken that into account as well, and still, no accelerated fat loss was achieved. Furthermore, the benefits of HGH largely come from IGF-1, which is released in response to HGH.

Unfortunately, there’s barely any IGF-1 released while fasting… In fact, fasting might even lower IGF-1, at least according to some researchers. Seems like fasting is a bit of a fad.

And then, Kinobody makes the claim that you can burn fat in those earlier hours and build muscle in the feeding window. Just a shame that we have already put that idea to rest earlier.

Supplements, Anyone?

Now, we’ve already spoken about the number of supplements he wants you to take and how almost all of them don’t really have a place in a diet. It’s becoming crystal clear that he creates problems that then need to be solved with his own supplements.

In reality, you only “need” (used loosely) two supplements:

Creatine to boost performance, and getting 5 grams daily from food is a pain
Protein shakes if you struggle to hit your protein amount for the day

Sure, some of these could make life tastier, like the EAAs. However, they certainly are not needed.

Phase 1 Training Protocol

We’ve already spent a lot of time discussing phase 1, and overall, it’s actually pretty good. But that just won’t cut it. The program heavily relies on changing the load used, seeing as day 1 will have heavy lifts for the chest, and day 3 will have lighter movements.

This is not unheard of… in the strength world. Powerlifters and strongmen follow this style of training to make sure their form is on point. But Kinobody is not training a strength athlete, so what is the point of doing a lighter day?

To allow for heavier training on the other muscle groups? Choose better movements that require less stability. To allow for better recovery? How about creating a program that includes a category on recovery and the things you can do at home to improve recovery?

Hell, how about creating a system where the volume changes based on the amount of food the client is eating? We know that the more food you have, the more recovery capabilities you have. So why have the same workouts for those cutting and bulking?

Anyone who has done a real cut to below 10% body fat will know that your recovery takes a massive hit, and so does your sleep. You have to lower the volume at some point, and Kinobody dogmatically sticks to the same volume for cutters and bulkers.

This might be an oversight, but looking at the other errors in the plan, it does seem like laziness. Between UX problems and insane volume for those in a deficit, it doesn’t look good.

Phase 2 and the Two-Day Programs Stink

I understand what he was trying to do. Phase 2 still has some applications, but that application is so small that it seems like an unnecessary add-on. I would have loved to see that energy go into a section about cardio or recovery.

The Minimalist program really sucks, however. Poor exercises, worse techniques, and a plan that reeks of “Just get it done.” There certainly are people who gain muscle and lose fat working out twice per week, but not with that program.

If you’re looking to do that, your diet needs to be on point, and you can follow the plan I made for you earlier. It’s a banger.

BONUS! Your Movie Stars May Be on Steroids

It’s just a fact, unfortunately. Training like them certainly won’t make you look like them, no matter how hard you try. Testosterone will always trump creatine.

Movie Star Masterclass by Kinobody – Final Thoughts

And finally, we come to the end of the onslaught of me vs. Kinobody. I truly am sorry, my friend, and I am sure you are a great person.

But the Movie Star Masterclass Program by Kinobody is not a great one.

And when I say sorry, I really mean:

Is Kinobody's Movie Star Masterclass Worth It? (Review) - NOOB GAINS (4)

You spend most of the time making wild and false claims, and then you proceed to create a plan that won’t deliver on them, either.

However, as with most things, there are a few good things (if you dig):

It’s approachable in terms of the fact that most people should be able to follow this plan without having too many problems.
While not perfect, the nutrition approach is alright. It also falls into the aspect of “most people should be able to do this.” However, it’s also extremely lackluster and doesn’t really deliver on anything it promises.
The fact that there is a lot of interaction, whether it be the daily videos or the Facebook group, does make the whole process a lot easier, I’m sure.

And that’s about it. By now, it’s become crystal clear that this plan was not developed by a professional coach or even an entry-level coach.

For all the “good parts” in this program, there are two or more bad parts:

More science fiction than Comic Con. Wild claims about fat loss and muscle gain with not a single reference.
A nutrition approach that sounds like it was created for a primary school exam about “Food and Your Body.” It’s unacceptable that a hard-training individual should have to eat like that.
Training programs are alright for the most part. That said, Phase 2 and the Minimalism programs are rather drab at best. They were certainly created only to fill space for this program.
The supplements! Oh, the supplements! I understand you have a business and that you need to sell products. But creating problems that can magically only be solved by using your products is unethical.

And so, we can finally answer the question, Is Kinobody’s Movie Star Masterclass Worth It?

The answer, unsurprising to no one, is no … it is not worth it.

But hear me out!

The plan does have its subtle benefits, such as the fact that most people can follow it, it’s easy to do, and most people will probably find this enjoyable. That said, most “movie stars” who get into extreme shape always say, “It was not nice doing all that work” – unless you’re talking to the Rock, of course.

Getting into phenomenal shape doesn’t need “fun” or “good enough.” It requires more than 0.8 grams of protein per pound, more accuracy than “multiply your weight by 15,” and will almost always require you to do some cardio.

Kinobody does what influencers do best – overpromise and underdeliver. I’m sure he is a lovely person, and I’m also sure he has some great ideas on how to lose fat and gain muscle. That said, this particular program is certainly not one to get you those two goals.

If you’re shopping for the bare minimum, this is your plan. If you spice your chicken with anything more than just pure salt, keep looking. This plain ain’t for you.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Is Kinobody's Movie Star Masterclass Worth It? (Review) - NOOB GAINS (2024)