(image not mine, using for illustration purposes only)
The idea is great, and hearing him say about 'everyone has 25 minutes' - that is totally true. Most people do tend to make excuses about not having enough time. Why did a lot of tech companies make smart phones that can do pretty much everything 'on the go'? because lives nowadays are far busier - less time to hit the gym. Can you get in shape by doing 25 minute training sessions a few times per week? of course you can. I have watched the advert and the workouts do look pretty tough to be honest with you, very fast paced, so I can totally see how people could get results. There are a few flaws though...
First of all, Sean is relying on people being able to motivate themselves at home. I work from home and I can tell you that some days I really lack motivation and don't get a lot done, and that's the same with home workouts. Yes you pop the DVD in and you have Sean motivating you, but he isn't motivating 'you', it's not personal, he's not in your house pushing you to workout. So, you still have to get yourself up, get in front of the TV and workout to the intensity level that is required. It's the same problem that people have with nutrition - being bothered to stand in the kitchen and prepare a healthy meal instead of ordering a take away. That is probably the T25's biggest problem. It's all about will power.
Secondly, the advert and his website likes to talk about cash and figures. Here is a direct quote that is actually under his 'bio' section on his website - "10 million DVD's sold, $350 million in DVD sales since 2009, #1 infomercial 8 years in a row". To start with, it's probably the number 1 infomercial because whenever I have flicked comedy central on before 8am, I've always seen a Sean T advert. Whenever people talk about money (especially in the fitness industry) I am always suspicious. The supermarkets 'Aldi' and 'Lidl' only ever talk about how much cheaper they are than other stores, NOT how much healthier their products are (because they aren't). Okay, 10 million DVD's have sold, well, how many of those have actually got results and kept them? showing a few transformations on an advert is one thing, but then talking about those numbers is another. If your product/service is so good, then you don't have to talk about money. Take UP Fitness for example, they are one of, if not the best personal training gym around, having some of the most incredible transformations I have ever seen (a lot of them too!!) - do they talk about money? not at all. Before Sean T launched all of these DVD's, I would have liked to see how successful he was working in a gym, working with actual people one on one, doing actual personal training - it might be a different story.
The last 'problem' with this whole system is that it's a DVD system. Some trainers make a workout DVD to promote themselves and to give a 'taste' to people of their personal training - that's fantastic, that's fine. Then you get some trainers who make workout DVD's for cash - knowing that if you market them in the right way, you can make a good lump sum pretty quickly. It's the same as trainers who become 'online PT's' - you don't have to do as much work (as in training), you can have a lot more clients = more cash. There are millions of people who are 'vulnerable' and will buy the 'next best thing' to lose weight - DVD's fall into that category. To put it bluntly, most people who are overweight/obese, they are in that position because they lack will power and don't have the right mindset to 'get up and go'. Having a DVD at home will only work if they put the effort in - but that requires them to suddenly, completely change their mindset and train hard at home and eat healthy. If those people could suddenly do that, then they wouldn't be the weight they are. Some of the transformation people on the advert said things like "who get's off a treadmill and shouts YES! but I do after finishing a T25 workout". That goes to show the lack of knowledge of a lot of people - thinking you only run on a treadmill at the gym. Most people go to the gym and not know what they're doing (I see them all the time), so yes, of course you're going to have a better workout when you have someone telling you what to do. I would like to see a comparison between 'Focus T25' and a good personal trainer (Jamie Alderton for example). I would say that Jamie would get far, far better results with a client than someone using the T25 system. Would it be more expensive? yes, but ask him about his success rate...
DVD's are very easy to get 'conned into', but most people will give up with them (just like a new years resolution to get fit). If you put the effort in and stay committed, then I reckon using T25 would give you good results, but if you have that mindset, then you probably wouldn't actually need those DVD's...
Lee Gregory Fitness
