Work it Out: Focus T25

There is one big part of my life that I rarely discuss on the blog, and I am not really sure why that is. It is something I do almost every day and have done for over 10 years. It is a more consistent part of my life than baking, shopping, wedding planning, or anything else I discuss on this blog. It's exercise!

I may or may not have mentioned before that I used to be a huge gym rat. I attribute part of that to the sports that I played in high school. To stay in shape for basketball I would do a lot of weight training and running.

During college, my main form of exercise was the elliptical. I loved it because I could workout and study (or read a magazine) at the same time. After college I found spinning and was totally obsessed with it. In grad school, however, looking to cut back on some expenses, I dropped my gym membership, which meant no fancy weight training machines, no elliptical, and definitely no classes.

For the first time in 10 years I was on my own for my workouts. But as much as I enjoyed working out, I was just not motivated enough to make myself jump rope or do squats for an hour. I needed some help, which is how I got into workout videos! And trust me, I have tried just about all the main ones - P90X, Insanity, Zumba, TurboFire to name a few. Some did not last very long, but some have become regulars in my workout rotation.

Today, I wanted to share my thoughts on one of one of the newer workout programs to pop up, Focus T25. The T25 workout is the latest brain child of Shaun T, the creator of Hip Hop Abs and Insanity.

Basically, the idea behind T25 is that they are 25 minute workouts, broken out into 3 phases: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Each phase get progressively harder and within each phase there are about 5 workouts that basically cover cardio, circuit training, resistance, and abs. Simple enough, right?

The T25 workout is great for people who are trying to transition to a higher intensity workout. If you are just starting a workout program, one great thing is that they do offer a lower intensity modifier. It is also good for people that are short on time and looking for something that will still break a sweat. But if you are just looking for a quick high intensity workout, skip the Alpha phase.

 

I think what I like the most about this workout is that it is customizable. If I only have time for 1 workout, I can do that. Or, if I want to do a longer, full body workout, I can mix and match.

However, if you are in tip-top shape and looking for a workout that is so heart-poundingly intense that you can't get through the whole thing, this might not be the one for you. Or at least not your every day workout. I didn't find this workout to be nearly as hard as Insanity, which I consider to be a really tough workout. But like I said above, if you are looking for a transition from your current moderately intense workout to one like Insanity, this will be great!

Have you tried T25? Do you like it? Any other workout programs you think I should try?

Also, Happy Halloween!!!