The Beta phase of Focus T25 is a welcome change! Not only are most of the workouts a little more challenging, but I finally get to use my dumbbells.
Here is an outline of what the Beta workouts entail:
Cardio core – I would venture to say that this is the most exhausting of the five workouts in this phase. Everything you do somehow engages the core. Lots of jumping and twisting which means lots and lots of sweat!
Speed 2.0 – Like in the alpha phase, the focus of this workout is still speed and agility with everything being 2x faster. I like how he breaks the workout up into different levels that progress in speed (a little hard to explain). This is one of my favorites!
Rip’t Circuit – I was expecting this workout to be hell, but it’s easier than the Total Body Circuit workout from the Alpha phase. It’s a mix of bodyweight and dumbbell moves that work the entire body. A little disappointed by this one to be honest.
Dynamic Core – Again, this workout includes lots of jumping and twisting to engage the core. For the first half of the workout, you do a bunch of standing exercises, and for the second half, you move down to the floor. What makes this go by quickly is the bursts of cardio in between the various moves.
Upper Focus – This workout also uses dumbbells, which I love! There’s a little bit of everything – jabs, punches, raises, curls, presses, and even some core work towards the end. And of course, there’s a little bit of cardio to keep things interesting!
What week one looked like for me:
Monday – Core cardio
Tuesday – Speed 2.0
Wednesday – Rip’t Circuit
Thursday – Dynamic Core + 2.0 mile run
Friday – Upper Focus + 2.0 mile run
Saturday – Core cardio
Sunday – REST!
My initial thoughts on Beta:
I like all of the workouts except for Rip’t Circuit (and only because it’s not as hard as I think it should have been). Perhaps upping the amount of weight I’m lifting will change my mind…we’ll see! Overall, I’m still working up a good amount of sweat after each and feeling really good. I think I’ll be able to fit in more runs during the week, especially since most of the workouts aren’t heavily focused on the bottom half of the body. Woo hoo!
Shaun T. and his crew are still great. I love his style and how he coaches and motivates you through the workouts. And just like in the Alpha phase, you can really tell that everyone finds the workouts to be challenging. There are literally little pools of sweat by most of the people – intense I tell you!
Progress:
I was talking to Vishnu about the program over the weekend and telling him that I definitely feel stronger than I did six weeks ago, especially in my legs. And even though my core looks nothing like I want it to, it also feels a lot stronger than before. And I’m able to do the majority of the core moves without modifying which is a huge win for me.
As far as inches lost, I am yet again hesitant to say anything. What I can tell you is that I think I’ve lost a tiny bit from everywhere I measured. Hey, I’ll take it! We’ll see what the final count is at the end of this phase.
Here’s to an even better week 2!
What did your week of workouts look like?
And just in case you’re interested in my weekly recaps…
Alpha Week 1
Alpha Week 2
Alpha Week 3
Alpha Week 4
Alpha Week 5
Hey P, curious to know, is Vishnu doing this too?
Glad to hear you feel stronger- remember our eyes can be so damn deceiving!
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Vishnu isn’t doing T25 with me but he did do the Alpha phase a couple of months ago. He loved it!
I was waiting for your review of this phase!!! Glad you are basing your evaluation on how strong you are feeling! Bummed to hear about Rip’t Circuit though – do you use wrist weights with dumbbells?
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I do not use wrist weights…I’ll look into it though. I think my problem is that I’m not lifting heavy enough. Will report back on how that goes!
Oh my week of work outs. I am a cardio FIEND!!!! I just can’t stop & I won’t stop! I need to up my weight lifting anti! I am starting to get more into the groove, but I need to be far more consistent!!!!! Oh and of course, I do PILATES TOO 😀
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I can’t wait to lift heavier weights after this is done! I miss it so much.
[…] *For a more detailed explanation of what each workout entails, please read my week one beta post. […]
[…] *For a more detailed explanation of what each workout entails, please read my week one Beta post. […]
[…] *For a more detailed explanation of what each workout entails, please read my week one beta post. […]
[…] *For a more detailed explanation of what each workout entails, please read my week one beta post. […]
Compared to Alpha Phase, how hard is Beta Phase. Can you explain this to me in details. I need to make a decision if I would want to repeat Alpha Phase before transitioning into Beta Phase or am good to go, because I usually need modifiers for 1-2 mins of every workout and a bit more in Total Body workout.
So, I didn’t find Beta any harder than Alpha. The cardio workout is probably the toughest but still doable. To be honest, I modified some moves too (especially some of the jumping ones) because I was scared they would hurt my knee. And I think most people modify at some point during TB! I would say try week 1 of Beta and see how you feel. If it feels harder to you, then go back to week 4 and 5 of Alpha.
Okay, Followup Question. Is core cardio the hardest one of all Alpha + Beta? And thanks for your answer. It really helped a lot. Really looking forward to my first day of beta tomorrow.
You’re so welcome! And I would say Total Body was the hardest for me.