Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit – DVD Workout

Get an hour’s results in just 25 minutes a day with  Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit. The only thing standing between you and the results you want is time. That’s why trainer Shaun T experimented for the last year to design a program that delivers the same kind of results you’d expect from an hour-long program, in under 30 minutes. The result is FOCUS T25—and the name implies the intent: If you focus your intensity for 25 minutes and you do it 5 days a week, you will get results.

The  Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit includes 11 workouts on 9 DVDs, Quick-Start Guide, Nutrition Guide, ALPHA-BETA Workout Calendars, 5-Day Fast Track, and a B-LINES Resistance Band (15 lbs.).

NOTE: Quick-Start Guide, Nutrition Guide, Workout Calendars, and 5-Day Fast Track are located inside the shrink-wrapped DVD wallet. Remove the plastic shrink-wrap to locate these materials.

The Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit consists of the first two of three T25 cycles: ALPHA and BETA

*The third cycle of T25, GAMMA, is available separately.

ALPHA: 5 weeks focused on building the foundation of total-body fitness

• Cardio – 25 minutes of calorie-burning, sweat-drenching cardio.
• Speed 1.0 – Ignite your quickness. Burn the fat. Fast-paced for fast results.
• Total Body Circuit – Focus on strength and resistance-without lifting a single weight.
• Ab Intervals – Cardio and ab intervals that shred the fat from your midsection.
• Lower Focus – Focus on your lower-body muscles-the key to burning fat and kicking up your metabolism.

BETA: 5 weeks designed to take your body to a whole new level by focusing on the core

• Core Cardio – Get your sweat on. This progressive cardio-core workout is about you getting shredded fast.
• Speed 2.0 – Rev it up with Shaun’s calorie-scorching, core-focused speed drills.
• Rip’t Circuit – Cardio…upper body…legs…abs…repeat. This is how you get ripped in 25 minutes.
• Dynamic Core – You’ll go from vertical to horizontal and back again in this dynamic, crazy core routine.
• Upper Focus – Shaun will help you develop the upper body of your dreams. All you have to do is FOCUS.

BONUS Workout

• Stretch – After 5 days of hard work, stretch it out-and enjoy this one. You deserve it.

NOTE: FOCUS T25 CORE SPEED is available separately.

Helpful tools to make every minute count

• B-LINES Resistance Band (15 lbs.)*
• Quick-Start Guide to help you hit the ground running so you can achieve your best results
• Get It Done Nutrition Guide
• ALPHA-BETA Workout Calendars
• 5-Day Fast Track
• 24/7 Online Support

*Resistance band contains latex

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Reviews of Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit – DVD Workout

Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit – DVD Workout Review 1: You can do this!

Yes, this works. I started T25 in August of 2015 and it was hard. I was too fat. Too out of shape. I couldn’t do it. I quit. And so I stayed fat and out of shape. I got fatter. I ended up around 225 at 5’8. Fast forward to February. The DVDs are sitting in the box still. I decided to try again. t was still hard.

I modified with Tania everyday during Alpha. I still couldn’t get through Total Body Circuit the first time. I had to turn it off after like 18 minutes (hello oblique knee pushups!) But this time I still hit play the next day. And the next. Soon I was doing the regular moves with everyone else. At the end of Alpha my legs were in pain, but I was down a good 20 pounds (yes in 5 weeks! Yes I cleaned up my diet too!) Then I moved onto Beta, ad it was like day 1 all over.

Hello Tania, let’s do this again! Again, in about a week I’m hitting it with the rest of the crew again. And then I started noticing something. Abs! Not a six pack, but definition I’d never seen before. After nailing Beta, I got a copy of Gamma and if you don’t think Speed 3.0 is a challenge you’re crazy and/or Batman. After finishing all three rounds, I was down 60 pounds and ready for new challenges. I’ll mix some T25 in again though. I wish I could meet Shaun T and give him a hug.

Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit – DVD Workout Reviews 2: Don’t let the 25 minutes fool you, you will work in this program

This is a good, fun workout program with the production quality you would expect from a Beachbody product (note: I am NOT a BB coach, so have nothing to sell you, I’m just giving my opinion).

This program is neither Insanity nor Asylum. It’s about as intense as Insanity without all of the crazy plyometrics but with a little of the additional strength and agility from Asylum, but I wouldn’t say it has the same focus as Asylum. Asylum is really geared more toward the very serious athlete, while T25 is more geared toward the very serious fitness enthusiast.

To be honest, most of us aren’t training for a professional level sport, so this is not a problem and you get an amazing workout in just 25 minutes. And it doesn’t require all of the equipment of an Asylum-type workout, just a mat and the included band or some weights if you have them.

There’s a Shakeology commercial before each workout, which is really annoying, but the discs are programmed so that you can fast forward through them.

BOTTOM LINE

Good, quick workout. You get a lot of workout in a little time with less impact than Insanity. If you want to shape up but don’t have hours a day, this is an excellent choice. It’s not a fitness program for a professional athlete. If that’s what you are looking for, maybe Asylum 1 and 2 might work for you, but most professionals really need personal professional coaching and much more than 25 minutes a day, not a mass-market DVD program.

LATEX WARNING

My box contained a strength band. The band is made of latex and is NOT wrapped separately, so if you have a bad latex allergy, you need to be aware of this.

MODIFICATIONS

Each workout has a modified option. If you have done other Shaun T workouts, you’ll remember Tanya. Tanya shows the modifications in these videos (she’s not as obnoxious as in Insanity, and actually does a very nice job as the modifying fitness model). The modifications are mostly low-impact choices, which are nice if you have any joint issues.

Although I didn’t get injured doing Insanity or Asylum, I did have some pretty bad knee pain by the end of each program and had to take a break from working out. You can still get a pretty intense workout doing the modifications if you really put effort into it.

I like this addition because it allows for more people to do this workout if they are at different levels, or it allows for me to take do a week of lower impact in the middle if I want to give my joints a break without having to take a whole week off. The modifier is also nice for people who want to easy into a program or have joint issues or other problems. It allows more people to have access to a great workout program. I really commend BB for putting this in and hope they include it in all of their future programs.

HOW THE PROGRAM IS ORGANIZED

T25 has you working out five days a week, with a double workout on the fifth day. Then you rest completely for a day, and stretch the second “off” day (there’s a stretch DVD). Like the title implies, each workout is 25 minutes.

Another reviewer said she didn’t think this program was as intense as other Shaun T programs, but I think that if you want to push yourself, you can certainly get a great workout. If you are already in great shape, you may want to jump right to the Beta phase for the harder workouts.

There are virtually no breaks in these workouts. There may be “rest” exercises, but you will be working the whole 25 minutes, not even a water break. Warmups are short, and the cooldowns are an extra 2-3 minutes after your 25 minute workout.

The workouts have what Shaun T calls “progressions.” Most exercises start with a piece of the final exercise, and you build on that first movement until you have the whole final movement. Please don’t think that means you will work any less. The first move of a progression is still quite a workout and the closes thing you will get to a break in your 25 minutes. You can take it easy, or really keep pushing. Then there are periodic “burnouts” where you do the final movement hard and fast.

Separated into two segments: Alpha and Beta. You can turn off the music, or have it play normally or, if you already know the workout, you can set it to play loud but still hear Shaun T a little through the music.

Each exercise is noted on the screen, with a countdown timer for the whole workout. There’s also a moving thermometer-type bar to let you know how much of each exercise you’ve done and how much is left. The next exercise will start to flash five seconds before so you know it’s time to switch.

ALPHA (month 1)

This is a month of foundational fitness. If you already have excellent base fitness, you may want to think about moving straight to Beta, or just doing a week of Alpha before moving to Beta. It’s relatively analogous to the first month of Insanity.

• Cardio. Typical Shaun T cardio, but not as high impact as some of the Insanity workouts. That doesn’t mean an easy workout, just one that is easier on your joints.
• Speed 1.0. A faster-paced cardio work out that I would consider to be more “traditional” Shaun T. Lots of fun with really upbeat music.
• Total Body Circuit. Some cardio with lots of bodyweight exercises. If you’ve done insanity, you will recognize a lot of these, but some are new.
• Ab intervals. Lots of abs work, usually on the floor. Don’t laugh much the next day, you will feel it.
• Lower Focus. Bodyweight exercises for the lower body. Of course, it’s serious cardio, too. Killer.
• Stretch. Lots of stretching in lunge position. Not my favorite. Some of these stretches seem to stress my knees. I think there are better stretching routines, and I think a light yoga workout might have been a nice alternative. For some reason there’s a wrinkle cream commercial at the end of this one. Of all the DVDs in the set, this is my least favorite.

BETA (month 2)

Beta steps it up a level, with lots more core work. If you are coming off of Insanity, Asylum, P90X or other similar programs, you may want to jump right to Beta and just do this for two months instead of Alpha 1 month and Beta for another month.

• Core Cardio. Fast cardio workout, your “rest” is often in plank position, not an easy workout.
• Speed 2.0. Very fast, intense cardio workout. Probably my favorite in the set, but I really like hard cardio.
• Rip’T Circuit. Cardio plus upper and lower body strength, so lots of body weight exercises while doing cardio plus lots of core work. You will need dumbbells or a strength band for many of the exercises. I much prefer the dumbbells.
• Dynamic Core. Crazy core work, both standing and on the floor.
• Upper Focus. Pretty intense upper body workout. You’ll need dumbbells or the stretch band for this.
• Core Speed. This is a fast agility workout. Lots of fun if you like speed work.

The program comes with a workout calendar, and you check off the box for the workout and you can even note if you did well that day or not. I like this for extra motivation and accountability to myself.

Shaun T’s FOCUS T25 Base Kit – DVD Workout Review 3: Never Buying a Gym Membership Again

This is probably the best product I’ve ever purchased and has changed my life. It’s like having an on-demand personal trainer at your home. I lost 30 pounds and have six-pack abs. The best part for me is I was able to do it all while having my wife by my side also participating. No more going to gym and having us part ways for 2 hours.

The workouts are challenging for both males and females and can be modified for various ability levels. I come from an athletic background with years of team sports and working out at a gym. At the end of each T25 workout, I’m pouring sweat and breathing harder than most any workout I’ve had in a gym, and it only cost me 30 minutes. I also purchased the Gamma DVDs which are extra challenging, but loads of fun.

Dieting is always tough. To make things easier, I modified the diet to introduce things I like to eat (heart healthy Mediterranean diet with lots of veggies, fruits, fish/seafood) while maintaining the T25 calorie levels. I cut out carbs for breakfast and dinner and I will eat pork, red meat, and sugar on very very rare occasions. For supplements, I use some whey protein powder and green tea extract. This was very helpful during the Beta set where weights are introduced.