I gave you some information about T25 a few weeks ago and I promised to give you some results and a review. We finished up the Alpha phase this past Friday and did our weighing and measuring on "STAT"urday. I have to say I am really pleased with the outcome, and although Beta phase scares me - I am really looking forward to the next 5 weeks!
So on to the review. There are 5 discs to follow in Alpha phase. Cardio, Speed 1.0, Total Body Circuit, Ab Intervals, and Lower Focus. The first week happens in that order - Monday, Cardio; Tuesday, Speed 1.0; and so on until you get to Friday. Here is where it gets tricky. Friday is a double day, so you actually do Cardio again, and also Lower Focus. Fridays are 50 minutes unless you chose to do 1 workout on Friday and 1 workout on Saturday. Over the course of the 5 weeks of Alpha phase, these workouts will rotate and you will do different DVDs on different days with different doubles on Friday. No 2 weeks are the same which is nice. Even though you are rotating through the same 5 workouts each week, it doesn't get boring because you change the order each week. Also, since the workouts are only 25 minutes it goes by so fast you don't have time to get bored. However, there are cool downs after each workout which run between 2 and 3.5 minutes as well as a disclaimer at the beginning of each DVD that you can't skip through. When all is said and done you actually put in close to 30 minutes.
CARDIO
This workout consists of a series of progressive moves. In the beginning you do a run progression, this is nice as a warm up of sorts as well. You start with an alternating knee lift and progress through several moves ending in a high knee jog. Next come the jumping jacks. You start with just your feet, then double feet, then double feet and arms, and end with a regular jumping jack. Lunges up after that starting with a regular step lunge and end with lunges with your hand touching the floor.
Lateral moves and heel taps and jumps follow with the final exercise of this progression being a half tuck jump. This takes you to about the 15 minute mark and that's when you get to experience your first Burn Out. You go through a mixture of some of the moves you have already done, but this is where you speed up and push harder. After this burn out comes a squat series, a sprint series, a kick series, and some speed and agility work.
The last 5 minutes consist of your second burn out where you again do a faster, harder version of most of the moves you just finished doing over the last 10 minutes. The workout ends with a cool down that is just over 2 minutes long.
This was a great workout and I got a serious sweat going even though I had to follow the modifier (Tania, she is in the blue T25 t-shirt in the pics) for quite a few of the moves. The first time I did the video I did have to stop a few times to figure out exactly what I was supposed to be doing. By the end of the 5 weeks though I was able to keep up with the majority of the workout.
SPEED 1.0
This is probably my favorite workout of all the Alpha phase exercise DVDs. I felt like I was in some kind of hip hop dance video. Trust me, I can't dance but the music was great and by the end I felt like maybe I could one day be a "fly girl". This is another fast paced cardio DVD that focuses on speed, stretching, and stability. Tania is the modifier and even though she is doing everything low impact, she has got some moves! Along with the dance moves, you also get some stretching and balance work. Don't think this is not a workout though, there is also punching, kicking, an extended burn out, and yes..... burpees. There is a cool down at the end as well.
TOTAL BODY CIRCUIT
So if Speed 1.0 was my dream workout, Total Body Circuit was my nemesis. This workout has a special place in Dante's Inferno..... Oh it starts out innocent enough, very similar to the Cardio DVD. Then within the first 5 minutes we hit the floor and that's when the fun really starts. Shoulder taps, shoulder taps with push ups, more push ups, more shoulder taps..... I'm done - what do you mean there's still 18 minutes to go? Back up off the floor for lunges, squats, and jabs. Back to the floor for planks, plank walks, planks with in and out abs. In and out WHAT??? Shaun T... those are BURPEES! I don't care what he called them, I know a burpee when I do one. Does this look like a burpee to you?
Back up again for some sprints and squats, then back down for pike ups, then back up for more squats and more burpees, then back down for a series of push ups. Crazy push ups, spider push ups, plank push ups, push ups on your push ups. If this wasn't bad enough we still have a burn out to go. I am already dying - as I said earlier I was done after the first 7 minutes. This workout made me sweat like nothing I have ever done before. The tops of my hands were sweating, I know because I spent so much time on the floor looking at them! After the burn out comes a full body run for the last minute. I'm sure I look like some kind of drenched rag doll throwing my body around and flinging sweat all over the place. Then thankfully it is over! There is a cool down that lasts a little over 3 minutes. This was never enough for me, I had to walk around and continue to cool down for a while after.
AB INTERVALS
25 minutes of abs as the only exercise for the day? Well, as I soon found out it wasn't only abs. This was Ab Intervals. Abs, cardio, abs, cardio, abs...... you get the picture.
You work the upper abs, lower abs, obliques - and as Shaun T says ...... the back abs??? What? I really liked this part of the workout the best because I got to lie on my stomach for a few minutes. Again in this workout, towards the end are these things that look suspiciously like burpees. I think those must be Shaun T's favorite exercise. I'm pretty sure he sneaks them into every workout, he just calls them by different names to confuse you. A cool down that runs about 3.5 minutes follows the end of this workout.
LOWER FOCUS
The last workout to review is Lower Focus, this one is to "strengthen and sculpt muscles from the waist down." That is no joke. During the course of this DVD Shaun T only refers to your upper body twice and that is to just make sure you are straight and holding it still. The first 5 minutes or so are really similar to some of the other moves learned throughout the week, run progression, jack feet, squats.
Next you get into some calf work with a lot of hopping around which produced a pretty good burn. This was nothing compared to the burn that happened next. Lunges and more lunges. I thought my calves were going to catch fire. I had to stand up several times and look around to make sure the carpet wasn't burning. So what is next? What's that you say Shaun T? The burn out? Are you kidding me?? Another round of burn inducing moves like before except faster. It's like a SAUNA up in here Shaun T! After the burn out is some adductor work, some dance moves, and some hamstring work. Then, I'm not believing this... ANOTHER burn out! This almost takes you to the end of the workout, you finish up with some hip flexor work. A cool down of just over 3 minutes follows.
A Stretch DVD is also included to be done on Sunday. 25 minutes of well deserved relaxing and recovering the body. This workout can be done more than just 1 day if you feel you need more of a cool down or stretch.
Overall I really loved T25 Alpha phase. I felt like I got a great workout in only 25 minutes. I questioned how well I could do working out only 25 minutes a day 4 days a week - don't forget the double on Fridays (and that is truly all I did for the last 5 weeks, no other exercise except T25) since I am used to working out for at least 30 minutes and usually closer to an hour. Here are my results (which is probably what you really wanted to see all along - so thanks for hanging in there). In 5 weeks, using the T25 program, drinking Shakeology, and making an effort to follow my weekly meal plan...... I lost 7 pounds and 8 inches! I am really pleased with that. It goes to show that you really CAN get results in just 25 minutes a day.
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| Top row before; Bottom row after |
T25 really puts a nail in the coffin of that last excuse we tend to cling to when talking about exercise - I don't have time.....
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