When looking to lose weight or get in shape it’s important to have some kind of system in place to follow. Otherwise it’s very easy to get off track, or frustrating to try to find new and fun exercises to complete everyday. Many fitness lovers I know have a tendency to focus on one specific type of activity, like running for example, which for many of us can start to feel tedious or repetitive. On top of that, completing the same exercise over and over won’t get your whole body fit, can slow down your fitness results, and potentially lead to repetitive use injuries. With all that in mind Lauren and I decided to try something a little different and look for a comprehensive fitness training system that met several important goals: 1. It had to have variety 2. It had to be compatible with both of our fitness levels (beginner and intermediate) 3. It had to be fun (well as fun as working out can be) 4. It had to be short enough to do every day for 5 days a week. 5. It had to work! Well it looks like we found the complete package with the Shaun T Focus T25 so we reviewed it here for our great readers!
The Focus T25 system comes from Shaun T. the man behind the Insanity series of workouts. When I saw that, I had two reactions. First I thought “Cool, this guy knows his stuff”, then I thought “Man, I bet this is for people that are already crazy fit”. Then I started looking into the system and realized that it met all of my requirements so Lauren and I decided to give it a shot. Here’s how it met all of our requirements.
1. It Has Variety
The core of the Focus T25 system is the concept that you can get a full, yet targeted workout in 25 minutes (plus a few minutes of cool down) a day. In order to do this they combine the concepts of High Intensity Interval Training and circuit training into something they call Focus Intensity Training. Basically what it all boils down to is completing a highly focused series of exercises across varied muscle groups without stopping in between. In order to make sure that you get a total body workout each week though, the system is broken down into different sessions. That means you get to do 5 different workouts each week, that give you both cardio exercise and targeted muscle growth. On top of that the system is broken into 3 Phases, which takes me to the next point.
2. Designed for Different Fitness Levels
In order to make sure that the Focus T25 System is compatible for different fitness levels Shaun T. did two different things. First, they broke the T25 system down into 3 Phases Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. The Alpha phase is designed to focus on core competencies like strength, balance, and cardio. Then the Beta Phase builds on that focus and adds in more core exercises and targets areas like upper body and core focused activities. The third program phase Gamma, is sold separately from the main kit and focuses on taking the Alpha and Beta Phases to the extreme. We haven’t tried the Gamma yet, but the Alpha and Beta have been awesome. The fact that it’s broken down that way means that by the time you’re done with Alpha, you’ll be strong enough for Beta, and so on. My favorite part though is the fact that they also include a modifier workout on every video. What does a modifier do? We’ll she’s there in every video doing a lower intensity version of the same workouts that Shaun T. is doing. That way if some parts of the Alpha phase are too hard, you can follow the modifier, get a good workout, and build up your strength. The modifier is probably the #1 reason that Lauren and l like the T25 system so much. The modifier gives us the opportunity to follow the system but not feel overwhelmed by some of the workouts that get a little too intense. For example, being high intensity, there’s a lot of jumping involved. At first I couldn’t keep up with it, so I followed the modifier, now at the end of it, I can follow all the exercises without an issue.
The Modifier is always on the right.
3. It’s Fun
As I said in the beginning a lot of workouts can get boring over time. Because of the variety of the workouts, and the fact that I’m doing something different every day, Focus T25 is actually fun. It comes with a calendar to keep track of where you are each day so it’s easy to stay on track and your workouts are always switched up. Each workout spends a few minutes on different parts of the body and moving in different ways, so it’s nothing like jogging down the same street every day. The fact that I get to also rotate workouts means that I don’t have to do the same workout every day and that allows it to be fun too! The other fun part? Well that’s my next point
4. It’s Short
I know a lot of people that go to the gym and easily spend an hour a day there. Why? Either they are on a treadmill or elliptical doing the same thing every day or they are going from station to station waiting their turn to work out. With Focus T25 you are doing it in the comfort of your own home which means no gym rats, and no wasted time driving to the gym. The other benefit of Focus T25 is the fact that each day’s workout is only 25 minutes long! That’s less time than one sitcom. That means you can work it into any part of your day. It also means that while it’s super intense, it’s not grueling or exhausting. That’s part of what makes it fun. You know you just have to commit and focus for 25 minutes, then cool down and stretch for 3, and you are all done for the day. I know you might be skeptical about getting results in just 25 minutes a day for 5 days a week, but trust me …it works!
5. It Works!
How can I so confidently say that it works so well? I’ll give you a few reasons. First of all, Lauren and I have started many a work out system in the past only to abandon it. This is the ONLY system we’ve ever done for months at a time. So it worked well enough to keep us doing it. Secondly, when both of us started the system we couldn’t complete most of the exercises on the videos without following the modifiers, now we’re both planking and doing burpees! If that’s not progress I don’t know what is. Want more proof that it works? Take a look at these before and after pictures. We combined our Focus T25 training with a 90-Day Challenge and look at us now!
If you’re looking to get yourself into shape, I firmly believe that the Focus T25 system really has something for everyone. It combines a high intensity workout with a cardio workout and gets results for you in less than 30 minutes a day. There aren’t many systems out there that can successfully do that while also being fun and keeping you interested. Lauren and I both highly recommend you give T25 a shot.
