On to the review. If you would like to see my review from Alpha Phase, you can find it here. Beta Phase is laid out basically the same way as Alpha, but the DVD's are different. You do one 25 minute workout 4 days a week, a double day on Friday (so two 25 minute workouts), and a 25 minute stretch on Sunday. If you aren't up to the double you can do one workout on Friday and one on Saturday to split it up. Tania is the modifier for this phase as well, and she still sweats and gets a great workout just like everyone else. The workouts are Core Cardio, Speed 2.0, Rip't Circuit, Dynamic Core, and Upper Focus. The first week happens in that order but over the course of the 5 weeks of Beta 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.
CORE CARDIO
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This workout is another series of progressive moves starting with switch kicks - low, double, high; then uppercuts stationary and jack feet. Throw in some twisting "x" lunges starting high and working all the way to the floor with a few sets of squats for good measure and by the time the first 7 minutes are done you will be a sweaty mess. Then things get crazy with some air plank jumps right before heading into the "burnout". The super fast repetition of all the hardest moves you just did.
After the first burnout you have about 8 minutes of hopping, twisting, kicking, shuffling, squatting..... and oh yeah - burpees! Like you'd get away without those. Some planking is thrown in for good measure before the second burnout. The workout ends with some floor sprints and then up to full body sprints. This was another great workout and I felt like I was in Beta Phase. The Alpha phase was a good base and definitely helped prepare me for this Beta cardio. Not my favorite of all the workouts in Beta but a good one.
SPEED 2.0
This is by far my favorite workout of all the workouts so far. It makes me excited to see what Speed 3.0 will be like in Gamma. This workout consists of 2 levels with about 8 moves in each level. You repeat the 2 levels 3 times each, and then you go through the entire workout from the top twice increasing speed and decreasing the number of times for each move. I love the music, I love the moves, I love that Shaun T sing songs everything while he is doing the moves in time to the music. This workout just gets me motivated! Some of the moves include switch kicks, zigzags, squat hops, uppercuts, knee raises.... the list goes on. There is quite a bit of fast footwork in this workout and my calves and sometimes feet would feel like they were going to catch fire. Maybe I love this one so much because there are NO BURPEES!!!
RIP'T CIRCUIT
I was very afraid of this workout. I mean, just look what it is called. I figured if it was worse than Total Body Circuit from Alpha phase I was in big trouble. The one thing that I was looking forward to though was the use of weights (finally)! I love strength training and after 5 weeks without any weights I was ready to pump some iron! I used 8 pound weights and trust me, for me that was plenty. If you don't have weights that is ok because the program comes with a resistance band.
You can get results with the band just like you can with the weights (if you look closely you can see Andy the band guy in the back row). This is a total body workout, some cardio, some upper body, some lower body and some ab work. Pretty much in that order. Probably the best thing about this workout is no burnout and the worst thing about this workout is the air plank to single leg burpees..... WHAT IS THIS MADNESS??
I didn't hate this workout as much as I hated Alpha Total Body Circuit, maybe because of the weights or maybe because of the lack of one thousand burpees. Overall this was great and didn't make me dread seeing it come up on the calendar each week - even the 3 times I had to do it in week 5.
DYNAMIC CORE
The above picture is from the warm up for this DVD. It starts with a brief cardio warm up and then moves into standing ab work mixed with cardio including some twists, kicks, and tuck jumps. The focus is to keep your abs tight throughout all the standing work. Close to halfway in to the workout you move to the floor work. This includes crunches, planks, V holds, hip ups... the list goes on. This was HARD. I had to take several breaks during some of the V hold work. But, so did this guy so I didn't fell so bad.
Notice how he is gripping the mat, Shaun T even let him have a second or two break. The end of this workout was what Shaun T calls a plank walk squat pyramid.... yeah those are BURPEES!!! Again with the tricky names. A burpee by any other name is still a burpee Shaun T. I definitely felt this workout later in the day. I kept thinking maybe I was getting sick, a stomach bug or something but then I remembered - no it is just my abs burning like the fire of the sun.
UPPER FOCUS
The opposite of Alpha's Lower Focus comes the Beta round's Upper Focus. Again, weights or bands are involved with this workout which makes me love it. This workout was accurately named as the majority of the DVD included upper body work. Some cardio was involved in the warm up and a few other moves spaced throughout the workout. The upper focus included standing work such as shoulder presses, front and lateral raises, jabs, and upright rows. Floor work included chest flys, tricep dips, and hip ups. This workout was probably the easiest of all the DVDs, that's not saying it was easy though. I definitely felt this later in the day and even the next day. Both bands and weights can be used.
All workouts end with a 2-3 minute stretch depending on the day. 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.
I really liked Beta phase of T25. As I said I am a huge fan of strength training and I had missed it for the first 5 weeks of Alpha phase. I didn't necessarily feel Beta was that much harder than Alpha. My guess is because Alpha was such a shock to my system and it really did give me a great foundation for Beta. I still felt like I got a great workout in only 25 minutes. Here are my results for the total program: in 10 weeks, using the T25 program, drinking Shakeology, and making an effort to follow my weekly meal plan...... I lost 10 pounds and 14.25 inches!
I am really super happy with those results. I mean 25 minutes a day? 10 weeks, 10 pounds and 14+ inches?? It goes to show that you really CAN get results in just 25 minutes a day. I am also really proud of myself for actually completing the workout. So what's next? Gamma phase! Four more weeks of 25 minutes a day with Shaun T and even more strength training. I can't wait!
If you would like to try T25 and join my next fitness and healthy eating accountability group, leave a comment below or visit www.beachbodycoach.com/ashleywrobbins to have me assigned as your coach so we can start creating a customized fitness program to meet your needs! If you have more questions, email me at fitfamilyrobbins@beachbodycoach.com - I'd love to help you reach your goals!
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