Focus T25: Alpha Cardio

It’s here, it’s here! Yesterday evening, the lovely mailman delivered Shaun T’s Focus T25 that I ordered last week. I had been tracking the shipment like a hawk and it was actually delivered on a Saturday!

You can tell who else was excited. :) Or maybe she thinks all presents are for her. Toddler mentality. That’s fine I have it too.

Aside from the Alpha and Beta workout DVDs it came with:

Quick-Start Guide
Get It Done Nutrition Guide (clever because the meals are 5 ingredients and have 5 minute prep time)
ALPHA-BETA Workout Calendars
Stretch Workout (considered a ‘free’ workout and falls on the 7th day)
5-Day Fast Track (instructions for eating to lose the pounds in the first 5 days - I shall not follow)
B-LINES® Resistance Band (15 lb.)
Core Speed (another 'free’ workout)

You can purchase the Gamma package as well (which I figured out after receiving this) which is the third phase of the program and the hardest. SNEAKY selling, right? I promise - I will review this.

I cannot keep a certain little someone out of my photos. She sees my camera and poses. :)

I laughed when I saw the calendar. You have the choice to check mark 'NAILED IT’ (which the shirt says on the back when you earn it) or 'BARELY MADE IT’ for each day’s workout.

Cute Shaun T.

Just in case you need the schedule somewhere else or to travel with - it is in the middle of the Alpha and Beta DVDs (notice you flip the box over to get to the next 'cycle’).

Let’s hop to it! For a 25 minute cardio workout this is the longest review I have done (as far as moves and photos)! Stay with me! For the quick version - scroll down to the 'Final Thoughts’.

Focus T25: Alpha Cardio.

Length: 25 minutes unless you count the Shakeology commercial and Shaun T kablam intro at the beginning and cool down at the end and it is really 30 minutes. Either way - you got time for dis!
Equipment needed: 'Nada’

This is 25 minutes of cardio. Or, as Shaun T says,

'You’re gonna work the heart rate and you’re gonna get extremely fit’.

Tania is the 'modifier’ and if you want to take it a little slower/less impact you should mimic her moves. It has two burnouts that last about 2 minutes each in which you move faster, push harder, and curse Shaun T out.

Warm Up/Run progression:

Alternating knee lift (knee above waist)

Lift on toes (heels off floor)

Slow control jog (this is hard because it is a slow motion run)

High knee jog (faster jog)

23:07 minute mark: Jacks

Jack feet (hands together)

Double jack feet

Double jack + arms
Basic jacks

HOW HAVE WE ONLY DONE FOUR MINUTES?!

21:04 minute mark: Lunges

Pivot lunge step-in (to build the quads)

Pivot lunge + hop (land softly)
Pivot lunge + touch knee (a little lower and chest high)
Pivot lunge + touch floor (back flat and core tight)

19:05 minute mark: Heel taps/Lateral moves

Heel tap up + back (L)

Also known as 'mom, mom, mom’.

Heel tap up + back
Lateral sprint (left to right)

Lateral mountain climbers (left to right)

17:08 minute marker: Jumps

Jump rope
Jump rope up + back (push balls of feet into the floor)

Up + back slow

Half-tuck jump

Shaun quotes/suggestions/pep talks:

'You go at your own pace. You do the best that you can do. Like I said, this is your foundation. As you start to get a little stronger you’re gonna go a little faster and you’re gonna be able to pick it up a little more.’

Then… this happens:

Burnout 1: 15 minute mark ('I ask you to push a little harder, a little faster, and focus a little more’)

Basic jack
Pivot lunge + touch floor

Lateral mountain climber
Half-tuck jump (small hops off the ground and touch your thighs)

13:00 minute mark: Hops

Control squat

Hop squat (an inch off the floor)
Hop hop up + back

Hop hop squat

11:00 minute mark: Sprints

On your mark + sprint (L)
On your mark + up down (L)
On your mark + sprint

On your mark + up down

'Don’t run from the work, FEEL the work’.

He says this is to 'test your explosion’. This is one of the few times my hand(s) touched the ground - strange when I am accustomed to INSANITY.

9:00 minute mark: Kicks

Low kick (focus on your core, elbows into side)

I finally get to catch my breath from doing this spaz tap dance and Shaun says,

'It’s not a break. This is still hard work because this is going to progress…’

My daughter is doing cobra on the floor.

Low kick on toes
Low switch kick
High switch kick

7:00 minute mark: Speed & Agility

Running lunge
Split lunge agility
Jack feet out + in
Speed + agility (putting the last two together)

'Nothing moves until Shaun T tells it to move’.

This portion reminded me of Asylum.

Burnout 2: 5:00 minute mark

Hop hop squat

On your mark + up down (L)
On your mark + up down

High switch kick
Speed + agility

3:00 minute mark: Power moves/End of cardio test

Hop up + back

Hop side + side (dancy dancy move!)
Alternating speed knee slow

Alternating speed knee fast
High knee jog
Slow control jog (left to right)

'This is your foundation, you will get better, everybody will improve.’

When it is over Shaun T says:

'TIME. Congratulations for completing Alpha Cardio.’ Then you see DIS:

I have a feeling I am going to love the 'TIME’ at the end of each workout.

Active Stretch/Cool Down (2:25 minutes):

Alternating knee grabs
Holding knees (into chest)

Alternating quad stretch (heel to glute)
Standing quad stretch hold (hold several seconds on each leg)
Leg crossed over glute stretch - both sides repeating and then hold

Hands to knees - round and release the back
Hands to ground - roll up slowly

Everyone should cool down - especially when your heart rate is super high (mine was around 171 most of the time) for at least several minutes. Towards the end of the 25 minutes I was frantically worrying that there would be no cool down and I would pass out.

Final Thoughts:

Since I am still doing Body Beast, I started this morning with Body Beast: Bulk: Chest and burned around 300 calories. Afterwards, I burned 373 calories in the 30 minutes that Alpha Cardio took!

This workout was like a giant tap dance of craziness. There was not a break/pause for water. You do not do any floor work (aside from touching the ground on the side lunges) which was different but good since I just strength trained chest.
For the record: nailed it!
The music is not obnoxious and mainly - you hear the people in the video cheering, wooing, laughing, etc.
When I was done, I went upstairs and looked like I had just stepped out of a pool.
I love that Scott (Shaun T’s hubby) is in the video. :) He also touches his back and talks to him throughout the video (to do better form, of course).

Here is a picture of my back so I could see my progress from Body Beast and set a marker for the start of Focus T25. Do you see my daughter posing?

This is a great workout for those that want a quick BURST of cardio. However, be careful, it will keep your heart rate high the entire time which means you need to give it time to come down and cool down properly. I did the entire workout only stopping once for a couple seconds to catch my breath. I have an advantage because I have done a few rounds of INSANITY. If you are a beginner - do not be afraid to modify or take breaks.
There is a hilarious Shakeology 'commercial’ at the very end with Tony Horton (guy from P90X) that threw me off guard!