Completing the Focus T25 Workout Program

A little more than a year ago I made the decision that it was time for me to lose some weight. I didn’t want to be a fat dad that couldn’t run and play with my daughter without regular breaks to catch my breath.

I began a running routine followed by time in the gym. Slowly but surely the weight was coming off and I felt great. Over a series of months I dropped nearly 40 pounds and was eager to lose more.

When Fall set in, my motivation began to deteriorate. I kept at my routines as best I could but by Winter I wasn’t doing much at all. I stopped weighing myself regularly and wasn’t as concerned about what I was eating.

The next time I hopped on the scale, several months later, I had gained back nearly 20 pounds. I was crushed. So much time and effort wasted. I could have allowed myself to be depressed and simply give up but I didn’t want to do that.

Previousely, I had some success with the Insanity program by Beach Body. I liked Shaun T and the routines but they were hell on my body. All of the jumping and high impact moves left me hurting all of the time. The muscle soreness I could deal with but limping around for days due to pain in my feet and shins, I could not.

Focus T25, with its low impact modifiers, seemed like it might just be the perfect fit for me and my situation. I didn’t think I would develop the injuries I faced with Insanity and the time demand was low enough that I could fit it into my busy schedule.

A little more than three months ago, I stood in front of a little console television in my basement and pressed play. After only 25 minutes I was an exhausted, hot, sweaty mess. I woke up sore the next morning but continued to press on.

Over time my endurance increased and it no longer felt like an impossibility to keep pace with the video. I still needed the occasional break to catch my breath but felt good about how I was progressing.

Five weeks after I started the program it was time for Beta Round. Here we were introduced to bigger movements that were taxing on the muscles. I struggled to keep up with the video but felt as though Alpha Round did a good job of preparing me for what was to come in Beta.

Beta Round was where I began to get annoyed. I can remember sitting on the floor, doing ab exercises, listening to Shaun T talk about pushing yourself to get rid of that last little bit of fat in your mid-section. In the middle of the workout I yelled out to my TV “Oh yeah, what about those of us that have more than a little to lose? I can’t physically do this because my gut is in the way. Even if the modifier worked for me, I can’t see Tanya because the camera won’t pan over to her!”

Despite my feelings towards bits and pieces of the program, I continued on. Another five weeks passed and it was time to come down the home stretch with Gamma Round. If I weren’t so determined to see the program through, this is where it may have lost me.

The jump from Alpha to Beta was hard but managable. The jump from Beta to Gamma was extreme. I felt completely unprepared and struggled a great deal. I found the Speed 3.0 workut to be especially difficult (Was I working out in my basement or trying out for a spot in a Britney Spears video?)

Night after night I went into my basement and pushed to complete the Gamma Workouts. After about a week and a half things got a little easier and before I knew it, I came to really enjoy them. I can honestly say that despite how difficult it was, Gamma was my favorite portion of the program.

Last Friday I completed my last Gamma workout. I hopped on the scale the following morning and was down a total of 8 pounds. I suspect it will be closer to 10 pounds by the end of the weekend, when my muscle soreness subsides.

At this point you are probably thinking “Seriousely, after 14 weeks you’re only down 8 to 10 pounds?!” I can see where this might sound bad. Perhaps if all I cared about were numbers on the scale, I might see this as a failure too. In addition to those 8 to 10 pounds, my clothes fit a lot better and I feel good.

I didn’t follow the food guidelines of the program. Personally, I felt the caloric intake was too low for me. I set my own at 2,000 calories per day. Some days I was over, some days I was under. With a wife that is a full time student, we eat what is on sale at the grocery store. Had I followed the dietary program, I’m sure I would have seen better results.

The biggest regret I have is not doing before and after photos or taking measurements along the way. The biggest complimet I recieved came from my wife. One day she put her arms around me and said “The program is working for you, there is a lot less to hold on to!”

Now that I’m finished with the program, I find myself at a crossroad. Beach Body has a new Insanity Max 30 program coming out in December. I’ve seen the teaser videos and it looks amazing.

I don’t know if I want to fill the time between now and then with another round and a half of T25 (there is a Gamma Beta Hybrid Round that I can do) or if I want to start and finish the original Insanity workout (which I’m determined to complete)

If I start Insanity on Monday it means that I won’t be ready for Insanity Max 30 until close to January. The plus side to that is that it could wind up being a pretty awesome Christmas gift.