FOCUS T25 was one of the HUGE announcements at Summit 2013, along with the secret Vanilla Shakeology … holy cow, add a banana, some almond milk, and ice to this bad boy and you have the most amazing banana milkshake ever … okay sorry I got distracted for a minute LOL!
As I mentioned in my first post (HERE), the idea behind FOCUS T25 is to give you a workout program that is only 5 days per week, only 25 minutes per workout, but that pushes you to the MAX during those 25 minutes so that you get an incredible calorie burn and amazing results with limited time. I wanted to give you a first impression as soon as possible so the Midweek Motivation will be taking a week off.
My goal is to give you an overview of what to expect from T25. I have spent the very first part of this week going through the Alpha Phase. I have doubled up workouts to make sure to get them in because I wanted y’all to get my review as soon as possible. How I am going to break this down is that you’ll get an Alpha Phase review now, I will have Beta done for the start of next week, and will then give you a complete picture of the program and guides later next week. You guys are the best, so you deserve the best!
T25: Alpha Phase
The Alpha Phase of T25 is what is going to give you your base for the rest of the program. Although the moves may be slower, you still need to complete them with perfect form and complete focus. In many ways you are building muscle memory and skill for the more challenging workouts. Your knees still need to get above your waist, you still need to go deep on yours squats, and you still have always keep your core engaged. It was mentioned at Summit by Carl and it is really true, T25 has some of the best (if not the best) cueing of any program. The cues and commands are clear, precise, and almost constant. Going for only 25 minutes means that no minutes can be wasted. Shaun T’s cueing makes sure of it.
What I think will be one of the biggest strengths of T25, beyond being only 25 minutes, is its modifications. Every move is modified and modeled with the modification. No matter who you are or where you are are in your fitness journey, YOU can do T25. Everyone has time for 25 minutes and everyone has a place to start. Think about starting with a burpee or pull up. Both are moves that can be so difficult in the beginning that people can only do a few reps before failing completely. If you do 2 burpees are you going to be changed? No. But what if you are given a modification that allows you to work in a similar fashion but remain in motion for a complete set? You are building strength and making real changes! T25 opens the doors to everyone. Oh and if you are already a BB veteran, you can dig deep and go all out with T25 too!
The Alpha Phase Workouts – No Gear Needed for any workouts!
Cardio – Like the title suggests this is straight up cardio. Working for 25 minutes straight is a new sensation. I found myself looking for a rest or mid-set break. Shaun T does use less intense exercises throughout the workout to allow you some active recovery. But each set (progressions) is building towards a more challenging move or a more focused exercise. There are burnout sets where you are challenged to up your intensity and really dig deep. I was really impressed with the level of workout I could get in 25 minutes from the Alpha Phase Cardio.
Speed 1.0 – Right off the bat Shaun T tells you that today will be a little more intense. Speed 1.0 incorporates more striking movements, burpees, and mixes in quite a bit of stretching. This workout will require more coordination and possibly a little more practice because of the complexity of those moves compared to the first Cardio workout. Once again modifications are given for almost every single move. You might not be able to work at someone else’s level of intensity, but as long as your able to give YOUR 100%, you will get results. T25 provides a place for everyone to give 100%!
Total Body Circuit – The title gives it away. It’s a total body circuit that gives you some great strength moves. There is no equipment needed — just you and your body weight. If you’ve done other Shaun T workouts you will notice some classic moves. Shoulder taps, tons of plank variations, punching, squats, lunges, in-and-outs, and the list goes on and on. When you don’t stop for 25 minutes it is really amazing how many moves you can fit in a workout. The workout ends with a great Burn Out. It takes you through many of the same moves from the start of the workout but now you need to focus and dig deep to keep the pace and push it as hard as you can. It’s a great balance of power and cardio.
Ab Intervals – This workout starts with a progression of downward dog and plank. There are various holds and spiders from the plank position. The first 5 minutes is almost all abs from planks and side holds. There are cardio intervals thrown in the mix again but you are always coming back to ab work. The cardio sets are sprints, squats, shuffles, and even mountain climbers. One of the final sets is a big ab in-and-out pyramid with wide legs. If you’ve been focused and have stayed with it, that set really brings you home.
I haven’t mentioned it yet, but there is a cool down for every workout. The workouts are all 25 minutes but Shaun T gives you a focused 2-3 minute cool down to just take care of your body after each T25 workout.
Lower Focus – T25 describes this workout as a “lower-body burnout.” Many of the workouts start with a run progression and Lower Focus starts here as well. Knowing this is a lower body workout should make it pretty obvious that you’ll be doing some squats. Shaun T has you do a burning squat progression. One of the coolest progressions is the calve progression from single raises to a calve hop on a single leg with your arms up. Then it’s into lunges and more lunges. This is a BURNOUT! And wait, you thought your were done with squats. No there’s more! You will have no problem getting your HR up and keeping it up with this one. A couple of the progressions really build and you may not be perfect your first time through the workout. Your brain will get a workout too at times.
Stretch (used in all phases) – Truth be told, I only previewed this one :-) I wanted to get this post up as soon as possible. So I watched this workout while doing some other work. Stretch is used on Sundays for T25. This workout, like most stretching/yoga/mobility workouts, is used to recover and take care of your body. The large majority of the workout takes care of your lower body and legs. This makes since as all the T25 workouts have cardio aspects and many intervals that require a lot of running and jumping. It’s not a traditional yoga workout, but if P90X Yoga has always been pretty intimidating this T25 Stretch will be a great way to get used to some poses and using stretching to rest and recover.
I am really excited to see what the Beta phase holds and then the Gamma phase. If it steps it up from the Alpha phase, it will only get better and better!
***You can start order T25 NOW, through the link below, or by logging into your teambeachbody account and clicking the “shop” tab. I also have product pages in my main menu under Products and Challenge Packs.
(Only $119.85 and free shipping for July 2013)
So why has Beachbody spent so much time and resources to create shorter workouts? That’s easy. Because very few people like long workouts. So if you could get the same or better results at home with a daily workout that only took 25 minutes, isn’t that the workout you would want to do? And wouldn’t you be willing to do it more often? Aha! So if we have a workout option you would do more often, you’ll stick with it, get results, and keep going! A winning strategy! As a coach, I like that!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
