Focus T25 was the first Beachbody program I tried way back before streaming workouts were a thing and you got the workout program shipped to you in a DVD set. After two pregnancies and gaining A LOT of weight with each one (because everyone told you to eat for two), I was VERY out of shape. My sister did T25, loved it, and recommended it to me.
The appeal of Focus T25 was that I only had to commit to working out for 25 minutes a day. I could manage 25 minutes to do something good for myself, right?!
Before I go any further, let me just say that I wholeheartedly love Shaun T and his energy! So doing Focus T25 meant Shaun T every day, which is a win in my book.
Now, with that said, despite owning the DVDs and starting the fitness program several times over the years, I never finished it. I never even got past the first set of workouts. Life was crazy, my business was booming, and with two little kids underfoot, my own health wasn’t exactly a priority.
I started and stopped and started and stopped. The workouts were hard and I barely got through them, so didn’t exactly follow the program. I rotated through the initial Alpha Round workouts, but often skipped the Ab Intervals and Lower Focus workouts and I was way too intimidated to try any of the Beta workouts.
With all the craziness that has been 2020, I made a commitment: This was going to be the year I tackled Focus T25 and Nailed It. And, because the popular fitness program is included in a Beachbody On Demand (BOD) subscription, it was easy to access the workouts without worrying about switching the DVDs each day!
What Is Focus T25?
Focus T25 is a 10-week workout program by Shaun T, the Beachbody super trainer who created the Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, and Cize workout programs. It’s mostly a cardio program with some strength training, that features short, intense workouts that “give you ridiculous results” by exhausting one muscle group at a time.
The premise of the program, which is based on high-intensity interval training (HIIT), is to fit an hour’s worth of exercise into only 25 minutes. The big difference between the Focus T25 workouts and typical HIIT workouts is that there are no breaks during the T25 workouts.
Yikes! This Sounds Hard! Talk To Me About A Modifier…
T25 has a low-impact modifier in case you need to dial it back a bit. When I was just getting started, I had to modify the modifier.
- Even when I had to dial back the modified exercises, I was still proud of myself for getting it done and sticking with it.
- It felt great to finally finish a T25 workout following the modifier all the way through.
- It felt even better to get through a workout only modifying some of the exercises.
- When I finally could go through an entire workout without modifying any of the exercises, I celebrated BIG TIME!
How Does Focus T25 Work
With T25, you workout six days a week for 10 weeks. Throughout the program, you’ll do one workout per day Monday-Thursday, two workouts on Fridays, and a stretching workout on Sundays. Saturdays are rest days. What’s great is that you don’t need any special equipment. A nice, thick fitness mat (like this one I snagged on Amazon) will help during core work and you can add some weights to a few of the workouts in the Beta Round… but that’s optional.
FOCUS T25 ALPHA ROUND
The Alpha Phase makes up the first five weeks of the program. There are five workouts and a lower-key T25 Stretch workout that you repeat each week in a different order.
- Cardio: Holy Moly. All the sweat pours during this workout.
- Speed 1.0: This fast-paced workout focuses on speed and stamina.
- Total Body Circuit: A butt-kicking strength and resistance interval workout.
- Ab Intervals: All the abs — upper, lower, and obliques — for 25 minutes straight.
- Lower Focus: Squats, lunges, and everything that gives you jello legs.
Because I had to modify the Alpha workouts so much at first, I kept repeating those first five workouts (minus the Ab Intervals and Lower Focus workouts at first) for quite a bit longer than five weeks! Instead of doubling up workouts on Friday, I also split them into one on Friday and one on Saturday to start.
When I could get through the Cardio, Speed 1.0, and Total Body Circuit following the modifier, I added in Ab Intervals and Lower Focus and repeated the workouts until I could get through them without modifying. Then I moved onto the Beta Round.
FOCUS T25 BETA ROUND
The more intense Beta Phase makes up the second five weeks of the program, which includes a new batch of five workouts you repeat each week, again changing up the order.
- Core Cardio: This extra fast cardio workout once again brings on all the sweat.
- Speed 2.0: Three interval rounds packed with fast cardio and jumping moves organized in blocks that are done three times each.
- Rip’t Circuit: Work your upper body, lower body, and abs, add weights, and build muscle.
- Dynamic Core: All the ab work done with non-traditional moves that work your core.
- Upper Focus: Cardio and strength training focused on your back, chest, and shoulders.
FOCUS T25 GAMMA ROUND
The more even more intense Gamma Phase takes Focus T25 one step further, but it’s a separate deal. It introduces four more advanced workouts that require weights:
- Rip’t Up: Upper body intervals
- Extreme Body Circuit
- The Pyramid: Cardio and Strength Endurance
- Speed 3.0
I haven’t done the Focus T25 Gamma Phase yet! I was a bit intimidated by that phase of the program because it’s supposed to be even harder so I put off tackling it. But I did try two of the workouts — Extreme Body Circuit and The Pyramid: Cardio and Strength Endurance — and while they definitely kicked my butt, they were doable.
I’m excited to make the T25 Gamma Round a part of my 2021 exercise plan.
The Good And The Bad Of T25
The cons of T25 — there are three things about T25 that could be considered negative:
- There isn’t a single break from the moment the workouts start to the moment they end. As someone with asthma, my chest hurts and my breathing struggles before my body does and it’s soooo frustrating.
- Because the workouts are only 25 minutes long, there really isn’t any excuse to skip it and not get it done. EVERYONE has 25 minutes.
- T25 uses the old school filming approach: A small set of workouts that are repeated over and over. By the end of the program, you’ll be saying Shaun T’s words and phrases right along with him. While Shaun T is entertaining and motivating, it’s definitely not as engaging as other Beachbody programs that are filmed in real-time like 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme, MBF (Muscle Burns Fat) and MBFA (Muscle Burns Fat Advanced), Barre Blend, 10 Rounds, and LIIFT4.
Now, the pros of T25 — there are five things that make this program awesome:
- 25 minutes goes by so fast! Just when I was hitting the point of feeling exhausted and totally dead, the workouts were over.
- No extra equipment is required.
- So much sweat! So far, this fitness program delivers the biggest impact in the least amount of time. The workouts are short and effective.
- Shaun T! He’s dynamic, fun, motivating, and full of energy — and he knows how to get you to push yourself harder, dig deeper, and get it done.
- Alpha and Beta workout calendars to track your progress and stamina and a nutrition guide are included, along with a 15lb B-LINES Resistance Band that you can use in place of weights during the Beta round if you want to add difficulty.
Should You Try Focus T25?
Hell yeah! I LOVE Shaun T and I LOVE Focus T25.
This program holds a special place in my heart. It’s my favorite and my go-to when I want a serious workout that will leave me exhausted and sweaty but don’t have a lot of time. Along with T25, I follow Ultimate Portion Fix off and on and drink Shakeology (with added veggies) nearly every day — I want to make sure my nutrition is on point so I see the fastest and best results from my effort!
Interested in trying Focus T25? Go for it! All you need is a Beachbody On Demand (BOD) streaming subscription. That’s it. The best thing is that access to the entire Beachbody library of workout programs is included in the subscription.
If you’re curious about Shakeology, Focus T25, what program would be best to get started with, how the nutrition programs work, or anything else, I’m happy to have a quick chat or answer questions with zero pressure, zeros sales pitch, and no obligations — I just do this for fun!
