Exercise is something that is necessary not only for weight loss but for general overall health as well. While it is definitely something that most people should do, it is not always something everyone has time for. Long work days, school work, and kids’ activities end up taking priority, leaving little time for anything else. Thanks to Tony Horton, we now have no excuse not to fit exercise into each day, even if it means doing only 10 minutes of it. His workout program, titled 10 Minute Trainer, may be the answer you have been looking for to getting back in shape no matter how busy your life may seem.
How to get the results of an hour long workout in 10 minutes?
Introduction
When most first hear about the 10 Minute Trainer program, the first thing they ask is, “How can working out for only 10 minutes per day really help me lose any weight?” Well, you will have to read on through the rest of this review to get the answer to that question. 10 Minute Trainer is a workout program that Tony Horton launched in 2007. It was his next major workout video release following the release of what today is the most successful workout program on the market, P90X. Most had serious doubts about the success that 10 Minute Trainer would have, but Tony Horton quickly proved them wrong.
Tony Horton created 10 Minute Trainer as an answer to those that were not able to succeed with P90X. P90X is for serious athletes with a fitness background. 10 Minute Trainer is the opposite. It is geared towards beginners and is not meant for those looking for a grueling workout with extreme training and difficult moves. The whole idea behind 10 Minute Trainer is to fit your workout in somewhere within the 24 hour day and do it with as much intensity as you can. Tony Horton fits as much as he can into a 10 minute period in order to give you the best workout he can in the shortest amount of time. You will no longer have the, “I don’t have time to work out” excuse since you can even do this during your lunch break at work.
If you are a new comer to exercise and/or are in poor shape, the 10 Minute Trainer may be the program you have been waiting for. Experts say that one 10 Minute Trainer workout burns as many calories as 30 minutes of running. This series can help you shed weight and maintain a level of fitness with minimal time each day. In 10 Minute Trainer, Tony Horton incorporates aspects of P90X and Shaun T’s Insanity workouts, but in a way that makes it feasible for all to complete. Tony Horton also incorporates “Super Stacking” into the 10 Minute Trainer series. “Super Stacking” means to workout groups of muscles at the same time in order to accomplish more in less time. For example, push-ups workout your entire upper body, including pectoral muscles, shoulders, triceps, biceps, back and your core. Instead of doing 7 different exercises to work out those muscles, you do one to work them all out. Not only does this help you work out more muscle groups, but it also helps you burn more calories in less time.
What’s Included in the 10 Minute Trainer Program
So, what is included when you purchase the 10 Minute Trainer Program? 10 Minute Trainer includes five workouts that come in a set of 5 separate DVDs. Each workout is only 10 minutes long plus an additional 2 minute warm up in the beginning. The individual workouts included in the program are titled Cardio Workout, Lower Body Workout, Yoga Flex Workout, Total Body Workout and Abs Workout. The 10 Minute Trainer also comes with a resistance band kit, a cardio belt, a customized workout calendar, the Rapid Results Guidebook, the 10 Minute Meals Nutritional Guide, a 2 Day jump start plan and a set of 10 minute workout flash cards. Beachbody is also currently offering six additional free gifts when you order 10 Minute Trainer as a special anniversary offer. The offer includes three additional workout DVDs, Beachbody’s 24/7 online support, access to an instant streaming workout and an advanced calendar to help you fit the extra workouts into your busy schedule. Read on for a full description of each of the items you will receive if you decide to give 10 Minute Trainer a try.
10 Minute Trainer Workouts
Although the program is titled 10 Minute Trainer and the core part of the workouts is indeed 10 minutes long, you should allow for approximately 15 minutes to complete each workout in the series. The reason for this is that each workout has a two minute warm up in the beginning. There are also small pauses in between each of the 10 exercises performed in the daily workouts. These small pauses take up time, making the actual length of each workout between 12-15 minutes long. Even at 15 minutes, you will still have plenty of time to bang out this workout either before work, during work on your lunch break or after work before you hit the sack for the night. These short workouts also seem like the ideal length to take on vacation with you so you keep your fitness routine in check while enjoying some downtime. Now, let’s talk about each of the individual components in the 10 Minute Trainer Program.
Cardio Workout
This workout will get your heart racing and you will be sweating before you are half way into it. You will kick, lunge, punch, jump and run to burn hundreds of calories and start the fat burning immediately. The moves in this workout are not difficult or complicated as are those in the Insanity and P90X series. They are simple, yet effective and by the time you are done, you will definitely be feeling a burn.
Total Body Workout
In only 10 minutes, you will get a full body strength workout using every muscle in your body. You will begin with a 2 minute warm up and quickly move into doing moves such as military presses, tricep kickback rows, chuck ups, lunges, crunches and more. You will do a total of 10 moves in 10 minutes in this total body workout.
Lower Body Workout
In the Lower Body Workout DVD, you will do 10 moves to give your legs, hips and glutes the most grueling 10 minutes of your life. Lunges and squats are just a small portion of the moves that Tony Horton puts you through.
Abs Workout
Tony guides you through 10 straight minutes of ab exercises to try and give you the six pack you have been dreaming of. He suggests implementing this workout into your routine three times per week. According to some reviews, you may see results from doing this workout as early as two weeks.
Yoga Flex Workout
As with the rest of the workouts in the program, you will be doing 10 yoga moves in 10 minutes. All you will need to complete the yoga workout is a yoga mat or soft surface. Tony takes some of the yoga moves he uses in the P90X Yoga DVD and incorporates them into a shorter workout. Some of the moves you should expect to see are the side lunge, reverse warrior, wide leg, cobbler and pigeon stretch. If you are already flexible, this will simply be a refresher for you and a way to get a good stretch. If you are not, it will help make you limber and much more flexible while giving you a core workout through basic yoga moves.
Additional Rapid Fire Workouts:
Total Body 2
As an added bonus, Beachbody is currently adding three additional workouts to the 10 Minute Trainer free of charge. The Total Body 2 Workout DVD is intended to speed up weight loss with an intense cardio routine
Core Cardio
This DVD does exactly what its’ title states. It works your core to help your body burn fat make you stronger all around.
Upper Body
A toned upper body is sought after by both men and women and this workout DVD can help deliver that with moves that will tone and trim you. You will work your biceps, triceps, shoulders, back and chest to effectively help burn fat and give you a leaner, meaner upper torso and arms.
Resistance Bands
The resistance bands that come with the program are for beginners. They are good quality but have a low resistance level since the program is intended for those just starting off a workout regimen. Even if you are a beginner, you may want to purchase additional resistance bands to have on hand so that you can increase the difficulty of the workouts after your body gets accustomed to them. You need to continue to challenge your body if you want to see change.
Cardio Belt
The Cardio Belt is a kit that allows you to attach the resistance bands to yourself with a belt in order to add more resistance and give you more options when doing exercises. You can also attach the resistance bands to a wall or other objects in your home to use for additional workouts. With this kit you can do a variety of pulling exercises to work out your entire body and incorporate additional resistance training throughout the day.
Customized Workout Calendar
The workout calendar helps you remember which workout or workouts you need to do each day while also helping track your progress.
Rapid Results Guide Book
The fitness guide that comes with the program is enough to get you started with 10 Minute Trainer right away. It explains the different methods of doing 10 Minute Trainer so that you get the best workout tailored to your specific needs. The most advanced workout plan incorporates “stacking” the workouts so that you do three workouts per day. This means you will essentially be working out approximately 30-40 minutes per day for six days a week, including warm ups and pauses between move transitions. Ideally, it is preferred that you do all three workouts back to back but, if time does not permit, you can separate them throughout the day.
If you prefer to start off slowly, you can do two workouts a day or start slowly at only one workout per day. Regardless of how you begin, the most important part is that you start somewhere. You can always do the workout program again and increase the intensity each time.
10 Minute Meals Nutritional Guide
10 Minute Trainer comes with a nutritional guide, as do the rest of the Beachbody workout programs. This nutritional guide is not as detailed as those that come with Insanity and P90X, but it is still a good tool to have and incorporate into your life when doing the workout program. The guide suggests forgoing the typical 3 meals per day strategy and eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day. It provides suggestions for healthy snack and meal choices and helps give you guidelines if you are new to healthy eating.
The nutritional guide also includes the 10 Day Lean Jean Plan. This is a plan designed to get you results quickly and kick start your weight loss. The downside is that it restricts your daily caloric intake to 1,000 for women and 1,200 for men. Even if you are only working out for 10 minutes per day, you should never fall below the daily 1,200 calorie mark as a male or female. The nutritional guide is a good tool to assist you in making good food choices but the Lean Jean plan seems too restrictive and one that would not be recommended by physicians or nutritionists.
On-the-Go Workout Flash Cards
The flash cards included with the 10 Minute Trainer program are ideal for those that travel for work or like to take their workouts with them on vacation. They are ideal if you do not have access to a DVD player and need to fit a workout in at the last minute. You can also use the flash cards to fit your workout into your 30 minute lunch period. No DVD player needed and you can do it in the comfort of your office.
2 Day Jump Start Plan
If you are looking for immediate results and can take on a challenge, the Jump Start Plan may be the way for you to begin. This option would be for those who have exercised in the past since it includes combining all of the workouts together for one super workout. In the Jump Start Plan, Tony Horton puts all of the workouts together and gives you guidelines for a cleanse to do along with it for quick weight loss.
Tracking Chart and Calendar
For a limited time, you can receive the advanced calendar with the 10 Minute Trainer free of charge. The advanced calendar helps show you how to add the three additional workouts into your 10 Minute Trainer regimen for increased calorie burn.
Free Online Support
As with all Beachbody programs, the 10 Minute Trainer comes with free 24/7 online support via the Beachbody website. You can ask all of the questions you may have on Beachbody’s forum and thousands of coaches and fellow dieters will be on hand to help answer them. This can be a very valuable tool, not only to answer your questions, but also to help encourage you along the way and give you that extra push to finish what you started.
What Can I Expect From the Program?
The program does what it is supposed to and what it promises. It gives you quite a workout in a short amount of time. Essentially, it is up to you to decide how much of a workout you want to get. You have the option of doing only one workout per day, which means you will only workout for 12-15 minutes. If you take this route, you will not see drastic changes in your appearance but you will at least be getting daily physical activity. This is a good option if you are a beginner to exercise and/or out of shape and need to ease into it.
If you are in decent shape and are hoping to see more results, you can take the moderate approach and do three videos a day for up to 45 minutes of exercise. This seems like the more reasonable plan and the one that will bring you the results you are looking for. The best part of the program is that the workouts are split into short segments, giving you the option of splitting up your workout routine and fitting it in when time allows.
If you are new to exercise, you should expect to feel sore in the beginning and definitely out of breath. The workouts are fast paced, but you are encouraged to do them at a pace that is comfortable for you.
10 Minute Trainer Pros vs. Cons
There are many advantages and disadvantages to the 10 Minute Trainer Program and they all really boil down to what your individual fitness needs are.
Pros
- The program provides short workouts that can be done anytime.
- The program is versatile and the workouts can be combined in different ways to give you different workouts each day.
- You can do the 10 Minute Trainer program several times, increasing the length of your workouts and the intensity each time you go through the entire regimen.
- Beachbody gives you a 30 day money back guarantee that allows you to return the program if you are not 100% satisfied.
- The program includes resistance bands that can be used while sitting at your desk at work, watching television or sitting at your child’s activities. It provides you with a way to exercise wherever you are.
- The 10 Minute Trainer is ideal to take with you while traveling so you don’t miss a workout.
Cons
- The workout is designed for beginners and not intense enough for novice athletes.
- The Lean Jean plan is very restrictive and not recommended by physicians or nutritionists.
- The resistance bands that come with the program are of great quality but to not provide a large amount of resistance. After doing the program several times, you will need to purchase additional bands with more resistance.
Conclusion: Should I Do the 10 Minute Trainer Program
Overall, deciding whether you should move forward and purchase 10 Minute Trainer depends on your individual situation. If you are constantly in a time crunch and do not have much time for exercise, this program is definitely for you. This is also the ideal program for those just starting off with exercise and looking to get a good workout quickly. 10 Minute Trainer gives you a better workout than an easy stroll on a treadmill would and it will challenge your whole body. It will help tone you all over since the variety of workouts targets every muscle throughout the week.
If you are a novice when it comes to fitness and are looking to bulk up quickly, this is probably not the program for you. 10 Minute Trainer will not get you in the best shape of your life quickly, as it was designed more for beginners. It is a program that would be more suited for those that do not have a vast knowledge on fitness and want a diverse workout that they cannot get simply by going to the gym or going for a jog.
Testimonials
I am a certified personal trainer and I purchased the program to test it out for a client of mine. Overall, I thought the workouts were very thorough and a great way to introduce someone to fitness.
Jannette Hopkins – Laguna Beach, CA
I decided to purchase the 10 Minute Trainer series since it promised to give me a good workout in only 10 minutes. I’d have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think I could break a sweat in only 10 minutes but I did.
Amanda Murano – Paradise, NV
I saw results almost immediately after starting10 Minute Trainer but I have to add that I took the most intense approach. Overall, I’m pretty happy with it and plan to continue with the program. I recently purchased additional resistance bands to increase the intensity as well.
Rosanna Reddington – Boca Raton, FL
Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer – The Workout Program for the Busiest People!” Get it Here!