Am I right?
Let’s face it – working out and eating right aren’t easy on
so many levels. If they were, the obesity crisis that faces our country wouldn’t
exist. But speaking from personal experience as someone who has in the past struggled
with body image, food and anxiety – fitness has been a great outlet and “therapy”
of sorts to help me work through these issues.
A couple a days ago I finished Transform 20, celebrity
fitness trainer Shaun T’s most recent addition to the Beachbody fitness library
- a 6-week high-intensity step workout program designed to help transform your
body and mind in 20 minutes a day. Yep.
Twenty. Mintues. Not 21. Twenty. Two-zero. I must admit that while I was skeptical, I was more intrigued and excited. I hadn't done a step workout since The FIRM series I had done many years before in college.
Who is this workout program
for?
Like most other Beachbody programs, no matter what your
fitness level, so long as cleared by a doctor of course, you can tackle this
program and do so starting right where you are in terms of your fitness level. But from the minute you hear "Go" you better be ready to work. In the first couple minutes, you will be breathing heavy and breaking a sweat no matter how fit you are. You don’t have to be in peak physical condition to get started and there is a modifier who doesn’t even use a step, so even if you don’t have one this program is still completely doable.
Some of the moves with a step are easier than without and the opposite is true
as well.
What are the workouts
like?
The workouts are 20 minutes long which includes your warm-up (doesn’t include your cool down - typically a few minutes) and while an aerobic
step is not REQUIRED, it is recommended for increased results.
Fitness Trainer Shaun T leads you through each full-body workout,
breaking down the complete 6-week program into 2-week chunks that increase in difficulty and intricacy of moves. You'll see push-ups, squats, planks, moving planks, crunches, burpees, lunges and moves that don't even have a name. Ha!
Your 6 workouts a week are:
BURN
FASTER
STRONGER
POWERFUL
CUT
BALANCED
(You can check out some videos of me doing the workouts on my Instagram Story Highlights under Fitness.)
COMMIT For Weeks
1 and 2, it’s all about just showing up and putting in the work. These first 2
weeks are intended to build your foundation, get used to the step, get your mind right and your body
moving and sweating.
CLIMB In Weeks 3
and 4, the intensity is dialed up and new moves are added in playing on the
idea that the harder you work, the better your results, which will motivate you
to work even harder.
CONQUER For the
final 2 weeks, Shaun T really drives home the point of seeing just what you’re
made of and what you can achieve. This phase is all about the mind-body
connection and how they work together to really help you transform. (WARNING:
there is a 60 minute workout on your last Friday workout of the program called
Shaun-A-Thon. It’ll kick your butt and definitely challenge your mind in the
best way!!)
Each workout in each phase contains three transformers.
Transformers are 1-minute moves where you count your reps. You record each of
these day-to-day and week-to-week in essence competing with yourself to keep pushing
and improving your number of reps on each move. And when you purchase the program you have access to download
and print ALL your tracker sheets and other materials. I really like this
aspect of the program being a competitive person!
Another challenge that I
loved was the “Silent Workout.” The only words you’ll hear from Shaun T during
this workout is the word “next” which cues you to the next move. You’ll really
have to dig deep into positive self-talk without Shaun’s motivational words in
your ear – a true test of your mental toughness. If you’re like me and LOVE
working out 😉20 minutes a day just doesn’t do it for me. So
take advantage of the bonus weight workouts and shorter 10-minute ab, butt,
cardio and recovery workouts that are available for days you’re feeling strong and
wanting a longer sweat sesh.
After completing each phase, you can add a sticker to your
step to celebrate your accomplishments. Young or old, I getting stickers is
always fun 😊
Is there a nutrition component/meal
plan?
Among the other materials are your nutrition guides and recipes.
On-point nutrition is key to success in any fitness program and this program includes
tools to help you determine the calorie bracket you should be eating in, a guide
to help you track your food and even includes food lists and recipes that you
can incorporate into the 6 weeks and beyond. I found it incredibly helpful to
have pre-made worksheets I could journal my food and workouts on to help hold
me accountable to what I was putting in my body. Writing it down and literally
facing it made is very real!
What kind of results
can I expect?
This may sound like a cop-out, but it really depends on you.
And mostly how closely you follow the nutrition plan. You can’t overcompensate
for eating crap especially when your workouts are only 20 minutes a day. Stick to
the plan. Results will vary from one person to the next. But the program aims
to sculpt your glutes, chisel your abs,
strengthen and define your upper body, and burn fat all over. While I did lose a few pounds, my ultimate goal wasn’t to lose weight. I know I got stronger, though! My transformer numbers spoke for themselves.
What else can I
expect with this program?
A deep dive into how to overcome mental obstacles. As I
mentioned, this program is all about the mind-body connection. And each week,
you’ll get to walk alongside the cast, including Shaun T himself, as they all
work to overcome challenges in their own lives. One of the most moving episodes
is when Shaun T shares a photo of himself when he was overweight and the struggles
he still has to this day when it comes to his health and fitness and looking in
a mirror. It’s not a picture perfect, toned, happy cast. It’s raw and real and
relatable and a totally welcome addition to this program. It really helped me
to gain perspective and set a focus before each week.
Fitness is not a one size fits all and you know your body, fitness level and likes/dislikes best. However 20 minutes a day is doable for EVERYONE.
And if this program speaks to you, take the short quiz below to pick a path that's right for YOU.
Which challenge pack is right for you? If you have any questions, I'm happy to help! Just shoot me a direct message on Instagram or email me at coach.alicia83@gmail.com
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| My basement is my gym. |
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| I stream my workouts on a Roku on our basement TV. |
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