Category: Chris Downing

Shift Shop Speed :25 Review!

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Sorry I’ve been MIA during this program!

I’m actually in my final week of Shift Shop!  My intention to write daily has failed, but I’m going to bring you my reviews anyway!  NO SPOILERS… I promise!  🙂

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are cardio/speed days!  And the very first workout that you do during Shift Shop is this little 25-minute cardio workout, known as Speed :25.  Speed :25 is described as a way to “jumpstart your cardio with 1-minute intervals designed to work your entire body and make you break a sweat.”

Equipment:  Two agility markers.  The agility markers are a unique way to challenge yourself in the Shift Shop. They help you develop agility and coordination as you navigate around them, reacting to color “callouts” from trainer Chris Downing. As you improve throughout the program, the markers can be spaced farther apart to add new levels of intensity—meaning that anyone can be appropriately challenged regardless of fitness level.

Length:  30 minutes.  It’s a little deceptive because it’s called “Speed :25” so the “25” makes you think it’s only going to be 25 minutes.  But it’s really only 25 minutes of WORK, with a 3-minute cooldown, and some set-up discussion in between.

Music:  Meh.  I don’t need the music.  Honestly, I’d rather play my own playlist.  However, I stream my Shift Shop workouts on Beachbody on Demand, and there’s no music-free option for these workouts yet.  If you’re not familiar with Beachbody on Demand, you need to GET familiar with it.  It’s like the Netflix of fitness.  I pay $99.95 for a full YEAR of access to every single Beachbody program ever created and that WILL be released within the year I’m a member, so it’s a pretty insane deal.  I mean, you could buy the Shift Shop DVDs for $60 PLUS shipping PLUS tax…. OR you could get EVERYTHING for only around $40 more.  Pretty easy choice if you ask me!  Anyway…

Format of Speed :25:  NO WARM-UP.  Umm… yeah.  So, you might want to do a little warm-up on your own before you get started.  I was a little surprised there was no formal warm-up; however, you progress easily through the movements, so you’re not really shocking your body right out of the gate.   After Chris explains how to set up your agility markers (easy… you have two, they’re 2-3 paces apart), you jump right on into the agility drills.   Then you move into the 15 speed drills, each performed for one minute.  Finally, you end with a short (3 minute) cool down.  Here are the 15 moves, followed by a short video of each performed for a couple of seconds, time-lapsed and with NO music and fun transitions!

  1. Jump rope – kind of like a warm-up!
  2. Skip combo
  3. Ali shuffle
  4. Quick jack taps
  5. High knee run
  6. Bear crawl
  7. Lateral slide
  8. Mountain climbers
  9. Butt kicks
  10. Shop hops – My FAVORITE move from this workout!
  11. Fence jumps
  12. Burpees
  13. Swing jumps
  14. Catcher’s crawl – LEG BURNER!!!
  15. Crab creeper

Here’s a short video of this broken down:

The verdict?!

Honestly, for a cardio junkie like me, this workout was a little easy.  BUT that’s why it’s your Day 1 workout!  The moves are all pretty simple and straightforward, so they’re great for people of all fitness levels.  Chris showed modifications for every move, so you can take out some of the impact for your joints or decrease the range of motion.

I am a big fan of agility drills, so I’m looking forward to seeing how these moves evolve, as we add more agility markers.  My favorite moves in this workout were the reaction drills, like the fast jack taps and OMG the shop hops were so fun!  While the moves are simple, they are effective, as I could definitely feel the burn in my legs in many of these moves (catcher’s crawl, anyone?!).

Interested in Shift Shop? You have a couple of options to buy it. You can get a discounted bundle that comes with Shakeology and the Shift Shop DVDs, or you can get it as part of Beachbody on Demand, so you can access not just Shift Shop but hundreds of other workouts too! You can also check out the base kit or deluxe kit.

Need support? It just so happens that I coach people through at-home fitness programs, like Shift Shop! So, if you order the program through one of the links on this site, I’ll be happy to work with you to help you stay on track and plug you into one of my online accountability groups!

Have questions? Comment below or send me an email at distilledjill@gmail.com!

Shift Shop Strength :25 Review

distilledjill2 Comments

So far, so good!

I’m on Day 2 of 21 of Shift Shop!  Day 1 was a 25-minute cardio workout, which I’ll review later in this week.  Today was Strength :25, which was an easy-to-learn workout with 1-minute intervals of 15 resistance movements.

Equipment:  Weights.  It’s recommended that women use 5-10 lb. weights, and men use 10-20 lb. weights.  I used 12 lbs. for all exercise but the bicep curls because, let’s face it, one minute of bicep curbs with 12 lbs. is still pretty rough for me!  Next time I do this workout, I’ll probably increase the weights for most moves.

Length:  29 minutes.  It’s a little deceptive because it’s called “Strength :25” so the “25” makes you think it’s only going to be 25 minutes.  But it’s really 25 minutes of WORK, and it ends with a 4-minute cooldown.  The workout FLIES BY though!

Music:  Meh.  I don’t need the music.  Honestly, I’d rather play my own playlist.  However, I stream my Shift Shop workouts on Beachbody on Demand, and there’s no music-free option for these workouts yet.  If you’re not familiar with Beachbody on Demand, you need to GET familiar with it.  It’s like the Netflix of fitness.  I pay $99.95 for a full YEAR of access to every single Beachbody program ever created and that WILL be released within the year I’m a member, so it’s a pretty insane deal.  I mean, you could buy the Shift Shop DVDs for $60 PLUS shipping PLUS tax…. OR you could get EVERYTHING for only around $40 more.  Pretty easy choice if you ask me!  Anyway…

Format of Strength :25:  The workout starts with a short warm-up, as all workouts should!  Then you move into 15 resistance moves, each performed for one minute.  The warm-up + 15 moves = 25 minutes.  Finally, you end with a short (4 minute) cool down.  Here are the 15 moves, followed by a short video of each performed for a couple of seconds, time-lapsed and with NO music and fun transitions!

  1. Squat
  2. Shoulder press
  3. Reverse lunge
  4. Plank walk
  5. Bicep curls
  6. Side lunges (alternating sides)
  7. Push-up
  8. Shift lunge – for some reason, I always lose my balance on these a little!
  9. Renegade row
  10. Bridge – with a weight resting on your hips, you can REALLY feel this one!
  11. Upright row raise
  12. Piston plank
  13. Kickbacks (alternating sides)
  14. Bear kicks
  15. Sumo squat

Here’s a short video of this broken down:

The verdict?!

Well, the moves are all simple and easy to learn.  So, that’s a plus because it’s great for beginners.  Chris also showed modifications for every move, so you can take out some of the impact for your joints or decrease the range of motion.  You can also use lighter, or even no, weights to modify the moves.

I will need to increase the weights next time I do this.  At 12 lbs., I could have done heavier, especially for the legs moves.  I appreciated the no-nonsense approach – no complicated, difficult moves, just tried-and-true, effective resistance training.  I was worried that I’d get bored, as one minute seems like a long time to do some of these moves, but Chris keeps it interesting by utilizing isometric holds and playing with the tempo and range of motion.

Interested in Shift Shop? You have a couple of options to buy it. You can get a discounted bundle that comes with Shakeology and the Shift Shop DVDs, or you can get it as part of Beachbody on Demand, so you can access not just Shift Shop but hundreds of other workouts too! You can also check out the base kit or deluxe kit.

Need support? It just so happens that I coach people through at-home fitness programs, like Shift Shop! So, if you order the program through one of the links on this site, I’ll be happy to work with you to help you stay on track and plug you into one of my online accountability groups!

Have questions? Comment below or send me an email at distilledjill@gmail.com!