I made it through my first week of T25! Woo hoo!
As I mentioned in a previous post,Focus T25 is my newest fitness challenge. It’s a structured 10 week program made up of two phases and a number of 25 minute workouts.
What the workouts entail
Cardio – intense workout that focuses a lot on the lower body and lower ab area (lots of squats and jumping movements)
Speed 1.0 – lots of super-fast (hence the name!) cardio/plyometrics and lower body movements with the goal of increasing speed, agility and endurance (probably my favorite!)
Total Body Circuit – planks, pushups, lunges, squats…over and over again (probably the toughest workout in the alpha phase)
Abs Intervals – as the name implies, this workout is all about the abs (with spurts of cardio in between)…reminded me a little of an intense Pilates workout
Lower Focus – this workout left my legs feeling like jello – lots of pulsing squats and pulsing lunges
And for those that are interested, I burned between 215-250 calories per workout. Please note that these numbers are based on my stats. This would obviously vary from person to person.
What week one looked like for me
Monday – Cardio + 2 mile run
Tuesday – Speed 1.0
Wednesday – Total Body Circuit
Thursday – Ab Intervals + 2 mile run
Friday – Cardio + Lower Focus
Saturday – 100% rest
Sunday – Stretch
Phew!
My thoughts
Week one was tough (duh!) as the workouts are very high intensity. And to be completely honest, I took 1-3 breaks during each workout and modified some of the higher impact moves (there is always one person modifying in the videos which makes it easy to follow). With that being said, I still believe most people can safely complete T25, but I think an established (basic) level of fitness is a must. Without that, I think it would be easy to get discouraged early on in the program and perhaps even risk injury.
As the descriptions above state, the Alpha phase is very lower body and cardio focused, while I hear the Beta phase focuses a lot more on the upper body (it incorporates weights). My thighs and calves were ridiculously sore after the first two days. Luckily, it wasn’t so bad that I had to skip a workout…I was able to give my all every day. And I even made it out for two runs (albeit short ones!). Also, Shaun T. recommends doing two back to back workouts on Friday for maximum results. When I first looked at the calendar, I thought he was crazy. My original plan was to do Cardio on Friday and Lower Focus on Saturday, but after completing one workout on Friday, I just went for the second one. The key is to act first and think later (or not at all)!
Overall, I really am liking the set up of the workouts and Shaun T’s style. He’s encouraging without being annoying. And the people in the videos with him are actually working out and look like they too are going to pass out at the end! I like that. Haha.
Accountability buddies
I mentioned that my coworker Erin was also doing the program with me. She’s rocking it by the way. In fact, she’s doing week two in Paris! Well, my friend Robin and my cousin Bijal are also doing T25 “with me.” Now I have three people to talk to about all the craziness!
Tracking progress
And finally, I decided to track my progress with a few key measurements. This is my first time doing it this way, as I’ve usually gone with the scale or the way my clothes fit in the past. I figured since tightening and toning is my goal, this would be a good way to see if the program delivers for me. We’ll seeee…
What’s your current fitness routine look like?
Oh wow, I didn’t know the phases were separated by body parts! That’s different to other programs which tend to focus on parts per day!
Glad to hear the instructor isn’t annoying…that’s a rarity with fitness videos….especially the stupid jillian michaels. 🙂
So while the Alpha phases definitely works your legs like woah, it also works your upper body but not in a focused way. The total body and abs workouts are the only ones where there is a more intentional focus on other muscles. Other than that, you are getting some upper body work from things like a set of burpees, jumping jacks, jabs, etc. From what I have read, the beta phase brings everything else into focus in a major way. A little nervous!
Haha – loved this line: “The key is to act first and think later (or not at all)”!!! I will have to keep that in mind the next time a piece of chocolate crosses my path 😉
I have been wondering about T25 vs P90X3 – thanks for breaking down the first week and sharing your take. Seeing I tend to sit on the fence a long while before making a purchase (I am bad at “acting first, thinking later” when money is involved) I will wait to see your take of the whole program.
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I do that all the time with chocolate! 🙂
And I will give you my honest opinion at the end. I think because you are a P90x person you may not find it as difficult as others who are not used to such intense workouts. Let’s talk in 9 weeks!
Woot woot way to kill your first week! I am getting so tempted to try out t25 myself! I’m loving these high-intensity, body weight workouts. Lately my workouts have been a mix of running, swimming and bootcamp- love being outdoors!
Thanks, K! I think you’d really like it. It’s a great way to change up your routine, which is exactly what I was looking for.
This looks fun and I haven’t heard about it before. I think what is appealing is the fact that they’re only 25 minutes. Can’t wait to read your review at the end of the challenge!
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I finished day 1 yesterday and when I woke up my body was so sore I cant even sit or walk properly. I skipped day 2 today and did some stretching to prevent danger. And also, I might skip the day 3 also and will continue on Monday. Should I start all over again from day 1 or continue the day 2?
Personally, I would just start with day one again. But it’s totally up to you! Good luck!