Why does T25 say it's equivalent to a 60 minute workout?

I am 5'1.5" and 119 pounds. I finally invested in a heart rate monitor a few days ago, a Polar FT4 to be exact. I first used it when I did my c25k. Week 6, day 2 was the circuit I was on. I burned 249 calories on that! I was pleased with that because there's like 13 minutes of walking in that. Well, yesterday I did T25, speed 1.0 and I burned 195 calories. And on lower focus I burned 180 calories. What!? I was so disappointed. My heart rate is constantly high in these workouts and I'm drenched in sweat when I'm finished with it! That's me being drenched in sweat while working out in a cool air conditioned area. So I understand, the smaller the person you are, the less calories you burn in a workout...but, I'm sure I would burn more in an hours worth of taebo. So, how does T25 equal an hours worth if you're burning so few calories? I am almost finished with week 3 of it at this point and I'm not wanting to give it up just yet. Just want to see if anyone can share their insight on this. I had a feeling from the start that 25 minutes was NOT enough to get me to my goal weight of 110. (I'm quite a small framed person and that weight suits my body best) luckily, I have still been incorporating other workouts like Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Taebo into the mix to give me more. But, doesn't that defeat the purpose of T25 and it's awesome claims of only having to commit 25 minutes for a workout that supposedly delivers the results of a 60 minute workout? The fact that I burned more in c25k and that is extremely easier than T25 doesn't sit well with me.

Replies

  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
    I am 5'1.5" and 119 pounds. I finally invested in a heart rate monitor a few days ago, a Polar FT4 to be exact. I first used it when I did my c25k. Week 6, day 2 was the circuit I was on. I burned 249 calories on that! I was pleased with that because there's like 13 minutes of walking in that. Well, yesterday I did T25, speed 1.0 and I burned 195 calories. And on lower focus I burned 180 calories. What!? I was so disappointed. My heart rate is constantly high in these workouts and I'm drenched in sweat when I'm finished with it! That's me being drenched in sweat while working out in a cool air conditioned area. So I understand, the smaller the person you are, the less calories you burn in a workout...but, I'm sure I would burn more in an hours worth of taebo. So, how does T25 equal an hours worth if you're burning so few calories? I am almost finished with week 3 of it at this point and I'm not wanting to give it up just yet. Just want to see if anyone can share their insight on this. I had a feeling from the start that 25 minutes was NOT enough to get me to my goal weight of 110. (I'm quite a small framed person and that weight suits my body best) luckily, I have still been incorporating other workouts like Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Taebo into the mix to give me more. But, doesn't that defeat the purpose of T25 and it's awesome claims of only having to commit 25 minutes for a workout that supposedly delivers the results of a 60 minute workout? The fact that I burned more in c25k and that is extremely easier than T25 doesn't sit well with me.
    I'm not exactly sure what T25 is or how it works, but if it is a HIIT workout then there will be some more calories burned as and afterburner effect; however, a couple hundred calories in 25 minutes isn't too shabby. If I ran two miles, in about the same amount of time I'd burn 200 cals and if I lifted weights for that amount of time I'd burn even less. I think maybe the focus should be more on intensity then on calories burned and what it does for your body in making you stronger or leaner.
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
    And also since you don't have a ton of weight to lose you may want to start lifting , because you may find as I have that I really don't need to lose much, but gain muscle to recomp my body a little. The cardio is great for fat loss, but it will only take you so far and you may lose muscle in the process.
  • The workout is indeed a form of HIIT. It's by Shaun t, that guy that did the insanity workouts a lot of people did. I guess my reason for putting so much emphasis on calories burned is because I gave birth 5 months ago and still am trying to lose that lower belly bulge area. And I know I'm going to have to lose fat to get that flat again. I have been doing strength training, but I only do 5 lb weights. Bob Harper includes a lot of weights in his exercises and I also do Gilad total body sculpt and Turbo Jam Sculpt to aid in toning.
  • Bump :)
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    i don't know the answer and in fact the whole HIIT thing puzzles me entirely. I wear HRM doing insanity and T25, I only burn around 300 per insanity session and 200 per T25. I burn more when running 5 miles in 50 minutes...

    I find T25 less stressful than insanity becaud of the shorter time spent on each session.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    T25 doesn't equal 60 minutes of exercise, it equals 25 minutes. They just market it that way to make people buy it.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    T25 doesn't equal 60 minutes of exercise, it equals 25 minutes. They just market it that way to make people buy it.

    Pretty much this...


    The thought process is HIIT will burn as many calories in 30 minutes as the average steady state cardio or elliptical for 60 minutes. But keep in mind the HRM's are inaccurate for anything other than SS cardio. =

    Also, I agree that it's time to get a program that incorporates more resistance training. Much greater impacts on body composition.
  • eomuno215in541
    eomuno215in541 Posts: 201 Member
    I do T-25 3 days a week (if you can believe it), VERY modified (you can believe that), but I can tell you I'm STILL sweating/burning 20-30 mins after the workout. It's the best one I've tried. Shaun T keeps you motivated and focused but he's not naggy, and it's 28 mins w the cooldown, which also makes me sweat :huh: each disc is varied, and then the 10 diff discs. I switch between alpha and beta depending my mood and condition that day. I haven't done the stretch yet.

    do you have a device that shows it's a 60 min burn? I didn't know he claimed it, but I'd believe it's equal to a little more than 25 mins.

    if it's working for you, keep doing it. I find the longer I do it the more I can begin to match them. Shaun and gang are animals!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    So, how does T25 equal an hours worth if you're burning so few calories?

    It's called marketing.

    60 minutes of exercise = 60 minutes.
    25 minutes = 25 minutes
    and so on.

    ETA - Is this some sort of new style aerobics video?
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    T25 doesn't equal 60 minutes of exercise, it equals 25 minutes. They just market it that way to make people buy it.

    Pretty much this...


    The thought process is HIIT will burn as many calories in 30 minutes as the average steady state cardio or elliptical for 60 minutes. But keep in mind the HRM's are inaccurate for anything other than SS cardio. =

    Also, I agree that it's time to get a program that incorporates more resistance training. Much greater impacts on body composition.

    So the whole HIIT is just another FAD trend? If it's true, I wonder the "steady cardio" means more like walking 60 minutes...I run 60 minutes and burn around 500 calories. 30 min HIIT in my case is around 300 or less if I don't push myself to death...
  • How do you gauge how many calories you should burn a day in exercise to aid in weight loss? Keeping in mind, I eat 1350 calories a day, well, that's my goal. Sometimes I zig zag and have a bit more one day and less the next. I'll definitely I corporate more resistance training. Any good workout DVD recommendations on that? I don't do the gym. I've always had my best success with workout DVDs. When I was discharged from the hospital after giving birth I weighed 155 and being at 118.6, 5 months later is a great achievement in my eyes seeing as I've relied solely on workout DVDs, eating healthy with a calorie deficit and by recently incorporating c25k into the mix.

    I can't really say what kind of results I'm seeing yet from this T25 as I'm only 3 weeks Into it and that doesn't seem enough time for my body to really show the true results of a 10 week work out challenge. Although, my results won't be true to just T25, because I do all those other ones I named throughout the week as well in conjunction with T25.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Those videos should be fine with you if you don't want any resistance training, or the long term benefits of it.