Tapout XT 2

Tapout XT 2 is Tapout XT 1 kicked up a notch. They are both similar–same concept, same trainer (Mike Karpenko)–so for more information on the Tapout XT workouts in general, see Tapout XT 1’s review (or at least the first part, before the workout breakdowns). As mentioned in that review, I have been wanting these workouts for a long time, but did not purchase them because of how expensive they were. Then I found them super cheap (used) on ebay and snatched them up. I was actually more attracted to Tapout XT 2 than to the original but I wanted them both. First, I am going to paste what the website says you get with your Tapout XT 2 kit:

10 Brand New XT2 Workouts, XT Training Ball, XT Jump Rope, New XT Pro-Grade Resistance Band, XT2 Food and Nutrition Guide, 60-Day XT2 Workout Calendar, 90-Day XT and XT2 Hybrid Workout Calendar, and XT2 Welcome Packet.

I didn’t get all of that. I got the workouts and the calendars. That’s it. I have plenty of resistance bands so no big deal, I have a jump rope (as it turns out, a jump rope is not really needed) and my daughter gave me a handled 6 pound medicine ball as a Christmas gift. So I already have all the equipment necessary.

The website says that Tapout XT 2 is Tapout XT “reinvented.” What that translates to is that it is even harder than the original. And from the trailers it looked harder. They also state that you should not attempt XT2 until you have done the original which I basically did. I did mix them up a bit when I did them, but for the most part I did the original workouts before most of the XT 2 workouts. Also, according to the website, it is now only currently available online as a download. So you either have to get it used like I did or download it. (The website has a big red “Sold Out” stamp graphic on it.) Also, in the workouts Mike frequently directs you to the website to purchase things–the medicine balls in various weights, weighted gloves, different levels of resistance bands and there is an infomercial after some of the workouts selling protein powder. Well, the online Tapout XT store is gone. You cannot buy anything on the Tapout XT website anymore except the workouts.

One thing that varies throughout these workouts (and in Tapout XT 1 as well) is crew member participation. Sometimes they are working hard and sometimes they barely put forth any effort. And everyone is almost always doing exercises at their own speed/tempo/rhythm. Yes, it is irritating to go into an “advanced” workout and see the crew members barely exerting themselves. However, you are not them and that is important to keep in mind. Do the exercises at the most advanced level that you are able and at the fastest tempo you can with good form, and you will get a very good workout. This, unfortunately, is a drawback to any workout. We purchase these DVDs not only for the instruction, but for the motivation. We want the trainer and crew to motivate us to work hard. And lots of trainers and their crews do just that (Shaun T is one who pushes you, himself and his crew, which is very motivating)–but not all. Unfortunately that is one of the things that is lacking in many of the Tapout XT 1 & 2 workouts–a motivating trainer and crew. In those cases you just have to motivate and pace yourself.

As for equipment, a handled medicine ball is necessary. One without handles will not suffice. You cannot do most of the moves without the handles. I used a 6 pound medicine ball and when I did pay attention and try to see the numbers on the sides of the crew’s medicine balls, I saw that they had 4 pound medicine balls. And that includes Mike the trainer’s medicine ball as well.

Summary: Overall, I give this program higher marks than Tapout XT 1. These are all very tough, advanced workouts. For the most part they are put together better than the Tapout XT 1 workouts and the use of the medicine ball really kicks things up a notch, making most of the moves much more challenging. The workouts are longer and you do many of the exercises longer. I would actually put these workouts at Insanity level. Now, nothing any other trainer does compares to Shaun T‘s Insanity workouts–including Tapout XT 1 or 2–however, Tapout XT 2 comes closer than just about anything else out there that I have done (intensity-wise). Unlike Tapout XT 1, I will return to most of the Tapout XT 2 workouts again. In Tapout XT 1 I will only do 5 out of 13 of the workouts again (and one of those 5 is the short ab workout). But Tapout XT 2 I will probably return to all of them except Drench XT. I won’t be able to stand doing several Tapout XT workouts close together due to Mike’s obnoxious behavior, but spaced  apart with sufficient time between them he will probably be bearable in order to get an intense and advanced workout. As you have surmised, Mike continues to be unpleasant in Tapout XT 2–perhaps even worse. He has a lot of irritating little phrases he repeats ad nauseam in both programs but one of them was during the water breaks: “It’s a water break, not a water stoppage.” Really? I’m not sure what repeatedly prompted him to say that over and over and over and over and over again. Often only seconds after he gave the break! While there was still 20+ seconds of it left. WTF? By the last few workouts I did in Tapout XT2 I was talking to the TV, saying things such as “Oh God. Shut the @#$%*& up!”

1. Cross Core Combat 2 is 66 minutes long with a 6:30 minute warm up and 3:30 minute cool down. It is definitely harder than Cross Core Combat 1! And Cross Core Combat 1 was not easy. Not only is the workout longer, but you do the exercises for longer. He uses the medicine ball or a resistance band for almost every exercise in the workout. This was the first workout I did in Tapout XT 2 and even tho I found it very challenging and a great, advanced workout, I didn’t like Mike or his crew members anymore than I did in Tapout XT 1. Maybe I liked them even less. Especially the crew members. I think the back row of exercisers is the actual MMA fighters and they were half a$$ing the entire workout. It was embarrassing really. I’m not sure what the point of even including them is. They were standing around doing nothing half the time when Mike and the other crew members (regular people, not MMA fighters) were working hard and when they actually did an exercise they put very little effort into it. I mean it was obvious they weren’t even trying. Now, the workout was very hard and many of the crew members who were actually doing all the exercises and trying hard were maxing out, having to take personal breaks to carry on (Insanity style), but that’s not what was going on with the MMA fighters (or the back row at least). They just weren’t doing $hit. Mike was as irritating as he always is. But the workout itself was solid and challenging–I maxed out several times and had to pause and regroup.

For this workout you will need a resistance band, your medicine ball and he says gloves are optional but I didn’t see the point of weighted gloves. Any punch you do is with a resistance band under your feet and for all of the impact/cardio moves you used the medicine ball. You will need a mat for a lot of the core and plank moves. You will need the medicine ball for the warm up.

Exercises:

1. 3 direction kick and tap (Front, side and back kicks; you tap the floor with the medicine ball between each kick).

2. Side punch press (in straight arm side plank push medicine ball from shoulder to ceiling).

3. Kick ball crunches (from standing, walk out to plank, grab ball and tap it to opposite toe 5 times).

4. Lateral lunge upper cut (grab resistance band and put under feet, holding handles at shoulders; side lunge, go back to standing and upper cut).

5. GFOs with ball (lay on back with knees bent and holding medicine ball, reach over shoulder then come up on the ball and one knee, and do a knee strike with the other knee; alternate sides).

6. High knee ball squats (holding ball in front of you do high knee sprints; when he tells you to, you will do two ball squats, which is jumping down into a squat and touching the ball to the ground).

7. 3 level squat punches

8. Reach and punch (get into plank, but you are holding ball with one hand; reach ball underneath you then go into side plank and raise ball toward ceiling).

9. Slam n’ sprawl (while standing with ball overhead, bring the ball down in front of you fast, but bring it to an abrupt stop around the waist/thigh area (like you are slamming it on something), then drop down and do a burpee).

10. Jack uppercuts (put resistance band under feet and hold handles at shoulders; do two jacks, two upper cuts, then press both hands overhead).

11. XT bananas (with medicine ball in one hand, lay on back with legs and arms held about 6 inches off the floor, open arms and legs wide (so you look like an X), then close arms and legs, now holding ball in both hands and come up in V-sit bringing the ball to touch feet; when you lower back down, the ball is now in your other hand and you will alternate hands each time you do the move).

12. Floor punches (skaters but punching medicine ball down to ground, so you will be changing hands in the middle of the move).

Water break

13. Jab cross (place band under back foot and hold both handles in back hand; jab and cross).

14. XT V-ups (holding medicine ball in one hand, do a V-up, but only lift one leg and touch ball to opposite foot, do same thing on other side, then hold ball in both hands and do V up with both legs, touching ball to feet).

15. Sphinx fighter (no equipment; lay on stomach with elbows on floor; pop up into plank, then jump feet in so you’re in a deep squat and do two elbow strikes).

16. Jab cross jump switch (same as #13, but you alternate sides after each jab cross by doing a “jump-switch,” or 180 jump, switching sides).

17. Superman plank punch (get into plank holding ball in one hand and out straight (like a superman arm), lift opposite leg and bring ball to knee).

18. Ball burpee press (burpee while holding the ball in both hands and jumping at the top of the move while pressing ball overhead).

Water break.

19. Jab cross duck knee check (same starting position as #13, do the jab cross then squat and as you stand, bring front knee up).

20. V-sit press (sit in V-sit but with knees bent and hold medicine ball under bent knees; straighten legs while bring arms out straight to sides, holding the ball in one hand; switch hands when it is back under your bent knees).

21. Same side freaks (no equipment; get into plank and do a push up; at the top raise the arm and leg on the same side of the body; alternate sides).

22. Crazy run (high knee, wide leg run bringing ball over head to touch knees). I must comment on this one; tho it started out as a run, by the end of this move everyone was only raising their knees. It is hard to continue running the full minute while rotating a medicine ball over your head and knee to knee.

23. XT back slap (stand on bands with handles crossed; step back with one foot while bringing same side arm straight back as if back fisting someone; alternate sides).

24. Punch cycles (get into V-sit with ball in one hand; bicycle legs while punching ball under opposite leg (when that leg comes in) and to the side of the same side leg when that one comes in).

25. Up down knee strikes (get on knees and hold medicine ball overhead with both hands; stand up then do knee strikes, bringing ball to opposite knees then hold ball overhead again and lower back to knees).

Water break

26. Crazy cats (put medicine ball between knees and get into plank, then push back so knees are bent and body weight loaded to feet, then push forward, twisting knees so hip nearly touches the ground).

27. Mountain climber sprints (with both hands on the ball alternate mountain climbers with jumping feet (while pressed together) side to side).

28. Back knee front kick (holding medicine ball in both hands, bringing in back knee, touching it to medicine ball then do a front jump kick with other leg).

29. XT extensions (basically a superman with the ball; get on stomach and hold ball in both hands in front of you, raise both legs and as you raise the legs bring elbows back and to sides, the ball in one hand; lower legs and bring ball back to front and passing it to the other hand).

30. Side kick/jumping front snap kick (while holding medicine ball).

31. Hook hook punch punch (do these punches while in plank–no equipment).

32. In & Out tuck planks (one rep of regular mountain climbers, one rep of wide mountain climbers (outside of hands) then “set” or come back to plank).

Water break

33. Killer Move: Grave digger (8 high to low planks, 1 push up, 7 high to low planks, 2 push ups–and so on until you are at 1 high to low plank and 8 push ups).

2. Total Body XR is 61 minutes long with a 5:30 minute warm up and a 3 minute cool down/stretch. When this workout is finished it goes directly into 8 Pack Abs XT (#3 below), which btw, also has it’s own disk. You will need the handled medicine ball and some resistance bands of varying strengths. The exercisers in this workout (MMA fighters included) all put forth lots of effort in this workout. Everyone was engaged and working hard. And this is a very hard workout. It is total body strength but it will also get your heart rate up. I was struggling with a lot of the moves in this workout. My shoulders and upper back started aching as the day progressed as well.

Exercises:

1. Chest scoop fly (stand on band, bring band up, out to a T, back in front of you, then back down).

2. One arm ball push ups (side to side push ups but on hand is always on the ball).

3.  Sinister circles (both hands on ball on the ground and run from side to side of the ball, never taking hands off ball).

4. XT Tire flips (deep squats; touch the ball to the ground when squatting and raise overhead at the top of the move).

5. Alternating ball burpees (touch floor with ball, jump pushing ball overhead, do a burpee with both hands on the ball, leave the ball on the ground when you come up, jump, come back down and do a burpee on the ball and keep alternating, bringing the ball up with you ever other time).

6. Wide narrow bicep curls (stand on band and alternate doing wide and narrow bicep curls).

7. Uppercut press (still standing on band, do uppercuts then overhead press).

8. Pulse pops (in push up position, lower yourself halfway down and pulse 5 times, then “pop” (plyo) up).

9. KT train cables (stand on band and alternate punching upward; shorten your cable by standing on more of it and do lawnmower back rows; alternate between these two moves for 2:30 minutes, doing each one for approx 30 seconds each time).

Water break

10. XT Arnolds (stand on band and cross handles; raise arms into goal-post arms, bring arms in so elbows and knuckles meet, bring back out to goal post arms then do overhead press).

11. Delts of fire (bands still crossed but bend over and do a rear delt raise then stand and continue raising arms overhead into a Y).

12. Push Pull knee strike (grab ball and get on knees; push ball in front of you, the put on ground and do 2 knee strikes (or angled mountain climbers)).

13. High knee springs/overhead knee strikes (high knee run while holding ball; alternate with twisting knee raises, bringing ball overhead as you bring the ball from side to side).

14. Leg drop ball punch (lay on back holding ball one hand; bring leg on same side as ball across body, bring leg back and raise other leg while lifting the and ball touching foot with ball).

15. Running chops (with ball held in both hands do plyo jump lunges while wood chopping ball side to side).

16. Ground & pound (get into high plank and bring one elbow to ground, then come up into side plank bringing top elbow to top knee).

17. Row & press (stand on band and cross handles; row into overhead press).

18. Back punch uppercut (still standing on band with handles crossed; step back with one foot and back fist band, step back up and upper cut with other hand).

19. Punch press (still standing on band, but handles no longer crossed; alternate overhead presses).

20. Lock squats (still standing on band, hold handles at shoulders and squat).

21. Squat press (same as #20, but do an overhead press at top of move).

Water break

22. Holding the band you will do some back stretches.

23. Ski abs/tuck ins (hands on the ball).

24. Alternating extensions (lay on belly in superman position; raise opposite hand/leg and alternate, then raise both hands/legs).

25. 360 push ups (rotating torso in a circle as you do push ups).

26. Leaning shoulder presses (get into a low deep lunge, chest to thigh with band under back leg; do overhead press (but your head is facing the wall not the ceiling)).

27. New Mexico bad boy bombers (dive bomber, plyo push up, tuck in).

28. Plyo spiders (two versions: version 1 you do uneven plyo push ups, so each time you do a plyo push up you alternate which hand is in front, changing hands as you plyo; for version 2 you do the same thing as version 1 but add spider legs–so legs are plyo/alternating as you hands are).

Water break

29. Single leg reverse lunges (grab ball and hold in both hands; this move lasts about 1:40 and has several levels; first do reverse lunges on same leg, the do the other leg, then do alternating reverse lunges while holding ball overhead, then do plyo jump lunges).

30. Plank punches (no equipment; get in plank and alternate punches).

31. Weighted crunches (lay on back with legs bent and off ground; crunch up, touching ball to shins).

32. Low squat swings (get into deep sumo squat and hold; alternate swinging ball from between legs to over shoulders (alternate shoulders)).

33. Reach N’ Punch (stand with band under back leg and both handles in one hand; punch hand holding band overhead, then squat and touch the foot using the other hand).

34. In and Out curls (standing on band, do wide and narrow bicep curls, changing from wide to narrow at the top of the curl).

35. 180 hops (get into hover plank and hop hands and feet at same time turning body from side to side 180 degrees).

36. Killer Move: Total Body 10 (10 exercise each done for 10 reps, you need at least a medium band (or whatever you normally use for bicep exercises). This is not total body btw–he does lower body and biceps and he only uses the band for the bicep exercises, not the lower body moves, however, for the first lower body move (squats) you could just hold the bands at you shoulders–the others however you will have to step off the band like he does. Here are the exercises: 1. bicep curls, 2. squats, 3. right arm bicep curls while left hand stays static, 4. alternating front lunge, 5. left arm bicep curls while right arm stays static, 6. alternating reverse lunges, 7. alternating bicep curls, 8. lateral lunges, 9. wide bicep curls, 10. plyo jump squats.

3. 8 Pack Abs XT is 24 minutes with 1:30 minute stretch. All you need for this workout is the medicine ball which you will use for every move. The workout starts with standing core work which I really liked. The workout overall is a tough workout, especially if you use the ball for every move. And I did use it for almost every move, but near the end I did a few of the moves sans medicine ball.

1. Small ball circles (hold ball with both hands straight in front of you and do small circles).

2. Medium ball circles (same as #1, just larger circles).

3. Large ball circles (same as 1 & 2, just large circles–overhead with straight arms, to the side and down).

4. XT twisters (hold the ball in front of you with arms bent and twist body side to side, keeping ball stationary and feet stationary; so your hips/torso are what rotate).

5. Diagonal squat raises (wood choppers–alternate sides).

6. Center squat raises (squat and touch ball to ground then stand, raising ball overhead).

Get on ground.

7. Oblique twisters (Russian twists with feet raised, except you alternate twisting with ball then leaving ball on ground by hips and twisting with just hands),

8. XT jack knife (lay on back and hold ball in one hand; raise straight leg and shoulders touching foot with opposite hand (that is holding ball), do the same on the other side, then come up in V-sit holding ball with both hands and touching feet).

9. XT sit ups (hold ball under chin and against neck; do slow sit ups).

10. Single leg crunches (holding ball in both hands while laying on back, bring in one knee and raise shoulders touching shin with ball).

11. Three way ab crunches (lay on back with knees bent and holding ball in one hand; sit up and touch ball to foot on same side of body, lay back down and hold ball in both hands, when you sit up touch ball to round between feet, lay back down transferring ball other hand and sit up touching ball to foot on same side of body).

12. XT renegade rows (get into straight arm side plank holding ball with top arm; do renegade rows with ball and at the same time raise and lower top leg).

13. Lift n’ press (lay on back with shoulder raised and holding ball in both hands; raise and lower straight legs twice, then hold straight legs top (toes pointed to ceiling) and press ball toward feet twice).

14. XT champions (hold ball in one hand overhead and lower body slowly to the count of three then power back up–keeping ball overhead the entire time).

15. Side plank crunches (get into side elbow plank holding ball in top arm; bring elbow and knee of top limbs together and hold for 3, then bring arm overhead and leg straight. I did not use the ball for this one).

16. Snow angel tuck ins (lay on back with feet lifted 6 inches off ground and shoulders raised; open arms and legs so body is an X and ball is held in hand, bring arms and legs in so arms are overhead and you are holding ball in both hands then bring body up and knees in touching ball to knees–I did not use the ball for this exercise either).

17: Killer Move: The Carver (lay on back with legs straight and raise to ceiling, and holding ball on both hands also with arms straight and raised to ceiling; do windshield wipers but ball twists to side in opposite direction of legs; then bring body up and knees in touching ball to knees twice).

4. Fight Night XT is 54:30 minutes long with a 7:30 minute warm up and a 3 minute cool down. When this workout is over it goes directly into 8 Pack Abs XT (#3 above). For this workout you need a jump rope and weighted gloves. Both are optional and the jump rope, IMHO, is not even needed. I used weighted gloves to increase intensity. You hardly use the jump rope at all so you can easily do a “fake” jump rope during the few times you actually need it. And if you jump rope anything like Mike, you’re better off w/out it. His jump rope spent more time tangled around his feet than actually moving. I have a few notes about this workout but first I want to say it is a very good workout. I like it and it is a huge improvement over Tapout XT 1’s martial arts based cardio workouts. Enormous improvement. I don’t love it, but I do like it and think it is a solid return-to workout. It wasn’t advanced or super intense, but it did get my heart rate up there. However, this workout suffered from the same lack of enthusiasm in the back row as Cross Core Combat 2. They were totally half-a$$ing the exercises. Also, although Mike did do some form correction in this workout, it was done in a very confusing manner. Exercise #4 is a “back lunge front push kick”; when he demonstrated this move he was doing more of a curtsey lunge than a reverse/back lunge, and he demonstrated several reps. So that’s what everyone in his crew is doing. But then he goes and tries to correct one woman who is doing exactly what he demonstrated! She doesn’t “fix” it because, well, she is doing what she was shown. Then, when we change to work the other side of the body, he demonstrates the exercise again, except this time correctly, actually doing a reverse lunge. Since I was also doing what he demonstrated the first time, I just did a curtsey lunge for both sides of the body so that at least I was working each side evenly.

Exercises:

1. Jump rope squats
2. Front jab body shot (come down into front lunge for body shot)
3. Alt single leg hop (in plank, hop in with one leg the jack out with both legs)
4. Back lunge front push kick
5. Squat triple knee (squat and touch finger tips to floor then knee strikes in 3 directions–side, front, other side)
6. Mountain climbers/reverse lunge knee (5 mountain climbers, jump feet in, back lunge w/ knee strike)
7. 60 second jump rope
8. Overhead punch/hook (come into front lunge when hook punching)
9. Knee strike plank hops (in plank, jump in with one leg then do two knee strikes, one diagonal under body and one to outside of body)
10. Jack whacks (2 jacks, 2 side punches)
11. Hook uppercut knee (back hook, front upper cut, back knee)
12. Back kick/lunge/check kick (back kick, reverse lunge, knee raise, jump kick)
13. High knee jump rope
Water break
14. Capoeira slide (like a skater but stepping back into a shallow reverse lunge)
15. Skater uppercuts (do skaters but on one side touch the ground and on the other side uppercut)
16. Three directional knee strikes (in plank, bring one knee in diagonal under body, directly under body then to the outside of the body)
17. Shuffle hook upper (shuffle-scissor legs 4 times, then hook and uppercut)
18. 2x knee/2x over the top (alternate knees, the alternate over the top elbow strikes)
19. Flying knee/2x uppercut (reverse lunge while touching the floor to the side, come up and jump into knee strike, 2 upper cuts)
20. One legged burpee flying knee (one leg burpee into jumping knee strike)
21. Jab jab hook drop kick (2 jabs, hook punch, squat touching fingertips to floor then front kick)
22. Toe touch elbow strikes (in plank, twist body bringing knee under/across body and touching the toe (do both sides) then front elbow strikes while still in plank)
23. Duck n’ Hook (alternate sides)
24. XT climbers (alternate standing mountain climbers with floor mountain climbers)
25. The Benson (lay on back and kick one foot into air while pushing off with other foot)
26. Shuffle drop n’ pop (shuffle 2x to the side while punching 2x, then drop into plank and do 2 plank knee strikes)
27. Sinister circles (in plank, run feet to the right in a half circle to hands, then to the left, then back to plank and front punch)
28. Knee strike side kick
29. XT hop lunges (4 lateral hops and 4 alternating jump lunges)
Water break
30. Killer Move: XT sprawls (jab cross, sprawl, 2 knees strikes, sprawl, 2 front kicks, sprawl, 2 knee strikes in plank, sprawl)

5. Sprawl & Brawl 2 is 60 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and a 2:30 minute cool down/stretch. For this workout you need your medicine ball and weighted gloves. I actually did like Sprawl & Brawl 1 and Sprawl & Brawl 2 is even better. Same concept–you are going between upper body cardio/core/MMA moves and floor-based plank and core moves. You use your medicine ball a lot. It is a tough, challenging workout and this is another one in which, for the most part, the crew is giving the workout their best effort. Mike is even pointing out form (or even correcting form) and in this workout he is using good examples. Their are some females in this workout who are working hard and have excellent form–he frequently uses them as examples. Just like all Tapout XT 1 & 2 workouts, it still contains Mike running his mouth excessively, but otherwise it is a great workout.

Exercises:

1. Jab/cross jump-switch (you use the ball in one hand to punch with)

2. Punch and sprawl (holding the ball in one hand, punch with the ball, then do a burpee)

3. Reverse lunge/twist/knee strike (holding the ball in both hands, do a reverse lunge, twist ball to side, stand and do knee strike, again twisting ball and torso toward knee)

4. Twist & kick (get into C sit holding ball in both hands and feet raised off ground; twist ball to side then bring it back in to center of body and push legs out straight; alternate sides)

5. Burpee/alternate knee strike (holding ball in both hands, do a burpee and alternate knee strikes at the top, twisting ball/torso toward knee)

6. Twisting push kick (get into plank and twist, bringing one leg under body and kicking to opposite side; I did something similar to these in PiYo–they were called Beast/kick throughs)

7. Hook-hook/upper-upper

8. Upper to wide spider push ups (one leg push ups on which you move one arm in front of you to do a push up, the to the side and do a wide push up)

9. Fast feet burpee (fast feet w/ burpees on Mike’s command)

10. Hip rock knee strike (start in plank and roll hips to side and raise knee to elbow)

11. Switch jump burpee (switch feet (like scissor) 3 times then do a burpee)

Water break

12. High punch/knee strike (hold ball in hand and do a high upper cut (with ball) followed by a knee strike)

13. In & out plyo push ups (tricep to regular push ups, jumping hands to change positions (Mike also jumps feet in and out))

14. Front/reverse lunge press (pendulum lunges pressing the ball in front of you each time you lunge)

15. Pease roll (start in elbow plank; “pop” up to hands twice, then grab the ball, punch it underneath you then rotate into side plank punching ball to ceiling)

16. Burpee upper cut (holding ball in both hands do a burpee; when you come up you will alternate doing upper cuts with the ball–so burpee, upper cut, burpee upper cut–just change sides each uppercut)

17. Bob/weave/side kick/front kick (all moves done while holding ball in both hands)

18. Pop up oblique crunch (start in elbow plank and “pop” up to hands then alternate bringing knee to elbow on outside of body)

19. Triple squat/alternate flying knee (holding ball in both hands, squat 3 times then jump into knee strike)

20. Crunch & punch (lay on back with knees bent; sit up and straighten on leg, punch with the ball toward that same leg, then open straight leg to side)

21. Fast feet slow hook (while doing fast feet you will do super slow hook punches and upper cuts (holding ball in hand that is doing punches), end with slowly pushing ball in front of you, holding it with both hands now)

Water break

22. Knee strike/jump switch (holding ball in both hands, alternate knee strikes and jump switch feet to change lead)

23. Sucker punch (holding ball behind back do front lunges and as you do them, alternate bringing ball in front of you in a punch)

24. V sit circles (get in V sit, feet off ground, and halo ball around head then push feet out)

25. Mountain climber cobras (do mountain climbers and on Mike’s command drop onto belly holding arms and feet off ground)

26. Is, Ys and Ts (stretches, except they are not Is Ys and Ts–more like Ts, Ms and Ws)

27. Elbow knee switch (front elbow strike, back knee strike, jump switch feet–alternate sides)

28. Dive bomber plyo (diver bomber push up, plyo pop hands, turn to side plank and bring elbow to knee)

29. Lateral knee strike (get into wide squat, then lateral lunge side to side twice then knee strike)

30. Figure four press (lay on back with hands behind head, shoulders raised and legs 6 inches off ground; bring legs up and press them toward ceiling, then bend one foot over other knee and crunch)

31. Wide spider oblique crunch (get into wide plank–both arms and legs wide; do a push up, then bring knee to elbow; alternate sides)

Water break

32. High punch/push kick (high punch to side and two front kicks; alternate sides)

33. Push up punch up (get into plank, ball in one hand; do one push up then side plank, punching ball to ceiling)

34. Burpee tuck ins (holding ball in both hands, do a burpee, jump feet in and out at bottom of burpee, then at top of burpee jump, pushing ball overhead)

35. Squat punches (starting with ball behind back, squat, bringing ball forward with one hand into a punch)

Water break

36. Killer Move: 10 squats 10 planks (10 squat jacks touching ball to ground at bottom of squat and overhead when jacking up then get into plank and do 10 hook punches; repeat this series 4 times)

6. Legs Xtreme is 57 minutes long with a 4:30 minute warm up and a 4 minute cool down. For this workout all you need is your weighted medicine ball. He also has a jump rope but it is only used 3 times (twice during the warm up) and for nothing more than to jump rope. You can easily “jump rope” sans jump rope. So it is not needed at all. This is a tough workout. In fact, it is basically Tapout XT 1’s Plyo XT (which is a lower body workout) with a medicine ball. The moves are different, but it works the lower body just as hard. I wanted to like it more than I did. I did like it and I did get a great workout. But Mike was being a major creeper in this workout. He focused a lot on the backside–and I am not talking merely exercises. There are several very built and attractive women crew members and he constantly illustrated “form” on their backsides. He did this with frequent touching. Of the bum. Not his own. Yeah. This wasn’t a few occasions either. It went on nonstop, throughout the entire workout. Even after the last move before the stretch when one of the females was on the floor, he made her roll over so he could touch her butt. WTF? So, basically, he reached a new level of irritating in this workout. Xtreme Mike XT 2. I also noticed something else in this workout. I was finally able to see the number on the side of some of the medicine balls. The ones I saw, including Mike’s, were 4 pound medicine balls. That surprised me. I am using a 6 pound medicine ball and I assumed the men were using heavier ones than me.

Exercises:

1. Squat push (squat while pressing ball straight in front of you)
2. Bootie press (squat while holding ball straight overhead, never lowering it)
3. Groiner extension (get into plank while holding ball; bring one foot up beside hand (same side of body) and twist body, extending ball to ceiling)
4. XT bowling (front lunges with uppercuts using the ball–so as if you were bowling with the ball)
5. Squat lateral kick (while holding ball in both hands, high knee run, jack/squat then side kick)
6. Step cross punch (get on knees while holding ball in both hands; step forward with one leg and twist ball toward knee; about halfway through, after you twist, come up into a lunge (so raise back knee off ground) then back down onto knee)
7. Reverse lunge knee strike (while holding ball overhead with both hands, reverse lunge then knee strike with each leg, bringing ball to knees)
8. 3x lat lunge pivot (get into low wide squat; side lunge 3 times side-to-side then pivot into regular lunge)
Water break
9. Bootie Busters (put ball on floor underneath you and do deep air squats; the object is to tap your bottom to the ball)
10. Groiner tuck ins (no ball; get into plank and bring foot to hand on each side, then two tuck ins)
11. Jump rope XT (jump rope)
12. Fire lunge (holding ball, reverse lunge and knee strike, twisting ball to knee at top)
13. Lateral lunge/jump knee (reverse lunge, knee raise and jump lunge)
14. Later hop/hook (lateral hop, hold (balance) and hook punch)
15. Burpee tuck jump
Water break
16. XT pistol squat (hold ball in one hand; lean over, raising one leg straight behind you and touching floor with ball, come back up and pistol squat/single leg squat)
17. 3x lunge/elbow strike (holding ball in both hands do 3 jump lunges then elbow strike to side)
18. XT skaters (skaters with the ball)
19. 4x hop/knee strikes (hop forward and backward 4 times then knee strike each leg)
20. XT statue of liberty (hold ball overhead in one hand; reverse lunge, knee raise, jump kick–never lowering ball)
21. Jon Jones 180 elbows (180 jump squats while doing elbow strikes while holding ball in both hands)
Water break
22. Sumo squat chop (get into sumo squat and chop the ball side to side)
23. XT shuffle (get into lunge, holding ball in both hands; hop forward 3 times while pushing ball forward then hop backward 3 times will pulling the ball back toward you, remaining in lunge the entire time)
24. Crack the boss (180 jump squats while punching down with the ball)
25. Rock n’ pop (get into low wide squat; lateral lunge to side, then “pop” up with bent leg; alternate sides)
26. Triple squat (holding ball in both hands squat front, to one side, front, to other side)
27. Low skaters (holding ball, do skaters while trying to touch ball to ground)
28. Toy soldier lunges (hold ball overhead with both hands; do a front lunge then with other leg do a reverse lunge)
29. XT jumps (deep squat to air jacks)
30. 3/2/burn (hold ball in both hands; 3 jump lunges, hold and pulse 2 times, then 3 jump lunges, hold and pulse 2 times, and so on)
Water break
31. Killer Move: 10 windmill 10 fast feet (holding ball in both hands, do 10 jacks while circling the ball from floor to overhead then do 10 fast feet; repeat 4 times)

7. Recovery & Mobility is 52 minutes long. This workout was something of a surprise for me. I hated Tapout XT 1‘s Yoga XT so I was dreading this one. However, it is an excellent dynamic stretching workout. It is not free from Mike’s irritating behavior, excessive loud breathing and noise making, but it is a very good flexibility workout. It is a huge improvement over Yoga XT. All you need for this workout is a yoga mat and a resistance band. The resistance band is used for stretching. This workout not only stretched me out really well, but I even began to perspire mildly. Because it is a flexibility workout I am not going to break it down move by move, but I will give an overview of what to expect. No details and I am leaving things out, so keep that in mind. There is no “official” warm up or cool down, however, he does start the workout with bending at the waist and straightening, extending arms behind you and overhead to start warming the joints and muscles for stretching.  He does a lot of “groiners” which have appeared in other workouts. This is just starting in plank and bringing one foot up to the hand on the same side of the body. He does a lot of different arm movements while in groiner. There are standing stretches where you rotate from wide leg stance to lunge, reaching arms overhead to stretch spine. Circling the torso. Plank based stretches where you go from cobra to pushing back while in plank and stretching the feet. Scorpion stretches. Various leg stretches while laying on back. Supermans. About 20 minutes into the workout you grab your resistance band. The majority of the time you use it, it will be wrapped around your hands and held with tension. You will stretch your arms, back and chest by bringing arms/band in front of you, overhead, behind you, while pulling on the band. These are alternated with lots of neck stretches. You will continue with the arm, chest and back stretches using the band, but add lunges while doing them (front, reverse and lateral–but at different times, not all in one exercise!). You do a really cool stretch with the band he calls a “figure 8” in which you rotate the band in a circle (while keeping tension on the band). When there is about 17 minutes of the workout left, you set the band aside; you’re done with it for the rest of the workout. You will do some mildly uncomfortable (but effective!) inner thigh stretches on your knees. He does another exercise I really like where you roll back into plow and when you come back to sitting, you do a figure 4 hamstring stretch. Runners lunges. Plie/hip stretches. Pigeons. Lunge/hip flexor stretches. It ends with a nice quad and spine stretch.

8. Drench XT is 62 minutes long with a 6:30 minute warm up and a 3 minute cool down. Wow. I almost stopped this workout during the warm up. Mike hit new heights of irritating during this workout. I just felt like I couldn’t bear to listen to him this morning. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and most of it makes no sense. He loved using the word “drench” and acting like this workout was so tough. Lots of his “sayings” were more nonsensical than usual. It’s like he has tourettes–blurting out whatever comes into his head. In addition to hating the workout due to Mike leading it, I didn’t care for it as a workout either. It was an intense cardio workout. I will give it that. But the moves were repetitive, boring and some were awkward. He liked talking about and checking out the sweat of the crew members (it went with his drench theme). On one of the very fit females he checked out her sweat by running a finger down her belly. For this workout you need a jump rope and weighted gloves. Both are optional. I used weighted gloves and, as usual, the jump rope is not even necessary. Those doing the alternative move to jumping with a rope were getting a more intense drill than the people with the ropes since theirs was either tangled around their feet or they were leisurely skipping rope. The alternative move is high knee run while punching in front of you.

Exercises:

1. Sprint jab cross (fast run and jab cross on Mike’s command)
2. Extend explode (superman to plyo push up)
3. Ankle touch hooks (jog while tapping opposite ankles; stop and hook punch on Mike’s command)
4. Squat and reach (squat jacks, touching the ground at bottom and reaching overhead at top)
5. Mountain climber hooks (standing mountain climbers; stop and hook punch on Mike’s command)
6. Squat 90s (squat jack with T arms then turn 90 degrees and lunge punch; alternate these two moves)
7. XT jacks/jab cross (one air jack, jab cross; alternate)
8. Spring & bob (sprint and on Mike’s command bob side to side)
9. Alternate knee sprawl (raise front knee, then back knee, burpee, then jump switch and lead on the other side)
10. Mountain climber plank punches (mountain climber to count of 10 then 4 plank punches)
Water break
11. Arch run hooks (jog while tapping opposite ankles; stop and hook punch on Mike’s command)
12. Running man tuck ins (4 jump lunges, 4 plank tuck ins)
13. Lateral touch umps (jump squat side to side; each time you touch the ground with fingertips)
14. Jump rope
15. Plank punches (get in plank and alternate punches in front of you)
16. Slam & sprawl (pretend to have heavy ropes; slam them on the ground while jumping 5 times then burpee)
17. Donkey kick tuck ins (get in plank and donkey kick run your feet side to side, then tuck in twice)
Water break
18. Rope n’ sprawl (similar to #16 except get in a side lunge and hold (no jumping) while slamming 5 times, then when you jump back in from the burpee/sprawl, you jump back into side lunge)
19. Bear crawl ski jump (get on all 4s but raise knees off ground; crawl forward then jump feet side to side, then crawl back and jump feet side to side)
20. Lateral rope sprawls (while pretending to slam heavy ropes, fast feet to the side then burpee)
21. Bear crawl oblique crunches (same bear crawl as #19 but instead of ski jumps bring knees to elbows)
22. Rope slam mountain climbers (pretend to have heavy ropes; slam them on the ground 5 times then jump back to plank and do mountain climbers)
Water break
23. Plank up & backs (get into plank and run feet up to hands then back out)
24. Single leg rope hops (get into lunge and pretend to slam ropes while hopping in lunge position)
25. Crab walk kicks (get into crab position and walk forward 3, kick 3, walk back 3, kick 3)
26. Low lateral rope swings (get into deep side lunge and just pretend to slam ropes with arms for 30 seconds each side)
27. XT hooks (alternating hook punches)
28. Pound & sprawl (back hook, front hook, back fist and burpee)
29. Drive & sprawl (wide fast feet forward, squat touching fingertips to ground, fast feet backward, burpee)
30. XT shuffle (shuffle forward 3 times while punching 3 times, 180 jump back 3 times, then burpee)
31. Knee strikes (alternating knee strikes)
Water break
32. jump rope (high knee jump rope)
33. XT jack sprints (air jack and 4 high knees)
34. T squat sprints (same as #33 except instead of air jacks you do a narrow squat jump with arms at T)
35. Jump switch knee strikes (alternate knee strikes, then do 3 scissor jumps)
36. XT up backs (wide fast feet forward while punching, 4 180 jumps back)
37. Power knee jump switch (one knee strike, jump switch lead leg, knee strike with other knee, jump switch lead leg)
Water break
38. Killer Move: The Bad Boys (4 tuck jumps, 4 plank tuck ins, 4 plank knee strikes)
Water break
Cool down

9. Hurl XT is 56 minutes long with a 7 minute warm up and 2 minute cool down. This was a tough workout! Primarily cardio, it also had some push ups, but they were mostly at the beginning. Mike was irritating as usual, but he did keep a brisk pace in this workout. I was wiped out by the end–tho not even close to hurling. It wasn’t a ton of fun, but intense and a better and more enjoyable workout than Drench XT (#8 above). Mike made a lot of his “This is not a water stoppage” comments in this workout. A lot. For this workout you need the medicine ball. Jump rope and weighted gloves are optional. As usual, when “jumping rope”–you can just fake it. Most of the crew cannot jump rope even when they have a rope. The warm up starts with jump roping, then you use the ball for the rest of the warm up. For the first series of exercises in the actual workout you will be alternating between different variations of soccer ball drills and push ups. For the first part at least (#1-12), the ball will always be on the ground. Each exercise of #1-12 lasts about 10-20 seconds. All of the exercises after that last considerably longer.

Exercises:

1. Toe taps on the ball

2. Wide push ups

3. Toe tap punches (tapping the ball)

4. Tricep push ups

5. Lateral hops (tapping the ball)

6. One hand ball push ups (one hand on the ball)

7. Hope hooks (lateral hops, tapping the ball, with alternating hook punches)

8. One hand ball push ups (one hand on the ball)

9. Toe tap jab cross

10. Plyo ball push ups (plyo push ups but when you jump your hands up, they land on the ball, then jump them off the ball to the floor)

11. Lateral upper cuts (lateral skaters with upper cuts; no one is actually tapping the ball anymore)

12. In & Out push ups (side to side one hand push up; alternate which hand is on the ball for each push up)

13. Single leg hop floor touch (holding ball now; hop on one leg 3 times, then touch the ball to the floor)

14. Ball squats (fast squats while holding the ball)

15. Squat jacks (touch the ball to the floor at the bottom; halfway through he also has you raise the ball overhead at the top of the move)

16. Squat hops (still holding the ball)

17. XT knee strikes (holding the ball in both hands, bring it in and out as knee comes in and out; do knee strikes all on one side before changing to the other side)

18. Circle knee strikes (knees raises to the side while circling ball overhead and tapping it to thigh when knee comes up)

Water Break

19. High knee jump rope

20. Three shuffle press (shuffle 3 times to each side while pressing ball in front of you)

21. Punch n’ pop (turn to side and lunge, punching ball in front of you, come to center and jump, pressing ball overhead; alternate sides)

22. XT sprints (different arm variations with ball while high knee running)

23. Incline stability push ups (push ups with both feet on ball)

24. Mountain climber sprints (mountain climbers alternated with knee strikes to outside of body–bringing knees to outside elbows)

25. Bear crawl one arm crunches (bear crawl forward 3 times; while in plank punch twice then bear crawl back and while in plank punch twice)

26. Mother tuckers (groiner to each side (while in plank, bring same side foot to outside of hand) and one tuck in)

Water break

27. Single leg jump rope (not sure how this is single leg as everyone was jumping in their own way)

28. Waist high jacks (start with squat jacks holding ball in both hands and touching it to the ground; then change to holding ball in one hand, then change to touching ball to ground then bringing over head–doing squat jacks the whole time)

29. Broad jump ball swings (holding ball in one hand, broad jump forward while swinging ball between legs like a kettlebell then hold ball in both hands and jump back 3 times while pressing ball forward)

30. Side to side jump rope

31. High knee ball strikes (high knee runs while tapping ball on knees)

32. Sinister circle kicks (get into plank and kick/run feet side to side in a half circle)

33. Fast fee hook (fast feet to the side 3 times then “hook” holding ball in both hands; alternate sides)

Water break

34. Ginga Capoeira (step back then to the side, back then to the side)

35. Lunge n’ punch (holding ball in one hand, jump lunge while punching ball to ground)

36. Skater presses (4 skaters, punching the ball to the side and 4 jacks pressing ball overhead)

37. Goblet squat hops (get down into deep sumo squat; jump forward 3 times then back 3 times while pressing the ball in front of you and never coming out of deep squat)

38. Mountain climber sprawls (8 mountain climbers alternated with 1 sprawl)

39. Lateral hop burpees (4 side-to-side hops, one burpee)

40. Side to side hop presses (jump squats, touching ball to floor on outside of feet at bottom and bringing overhead on top; alternate sides)

Water break

41. Fast feet ball squats (fast feet 3 times to side while pressing ball in front of you, squat and touch ball to ground)

42. Side squat press (side to side squat while pressing ball overhead at top of move)

43. Squat hop drills (3 jump squats forward while pressing ball forward, 3 180 jumps back)

44. Fighter burpees (start in fighter stance (on foot in front of the other but wide stance) two punches, then drop into burpee; alternate sides)

45. In & Out squats (start in plank, tuck jump feet in and out, then jump feet in wide and come up into squat)

Water break

46. Killer Move: The Mendes Hop (lateral tuck jump into burpee; alternate sides)

10. Buns & Guns 2 XT is 65 minutes with a 6 minute warm and a 5 minute cool down. For this workout all you need is a band. You might need more than one, but I used a medium band throughout and it was appropriate (for me) for all of the exercises. This was a good workout. It didn’t have the crazy intensity level of most of the other Tapout XT 2 workouts but that’s because this is primarily a strength workout. He does burn out the legs and the arms, and there are some plyometric exercises thrown in there to really burn out the legs, but overall, the intensity level is lower than the other workouts. I did like the workout. It worked my lower body differently than I am used to working it (for strength training that is) and though most of the bicep and tricep exercises were traditional, he used the band to burn the arms out which did make it different for me since I rarely use bands. So, tho this isn’t a workout I will return to frequently, it is one I will come back to to mix things up. The band is used primarily for the arm exercises, but it is sometimes used for the lower body and he also uses it for some compound moves that work both the arms and the legs. I also wore weighted gloves because there is punching in this workout and since it is a “guns” workout, I wanted to work my arms even on the punches.

Exercises:

1. Step out upper cuts (stand on the band and hold the handles near your face; step back with one foot then back in, step back with other foot then back in and upper cuts)

2. XT pulse curls (still standing on band you will do bicep curl variations that include pulsing several times)

3. Tricep presses (still standing on the band, bring the handles up behind head and do tricep overhead extensions)

4. Booty lifters (side lunge, knee raise, reverse lunge, knee raise with a jump)

5. Glute crescent knee strike (get into elbow plank; raise one leg straight up, move to other side of body (over other leg) until you are in side plank, then bring elbow to knee)

6. Squat knee strike (front curtsey lunge, knee strike, squat, knee strike)

7. Speed curls (stand on band and do fast bicep curls)

8. Speed extensions (still standing on the band, bring the handles up behind head and do fast tricep overhead extensions)

9. Squat jab cross (no band)

10. Low jab cross (hold in low static lunge while jab/crossing)

11. Pop jab cross (squat jump, jab cross)

12. Lift swing crunch (get into elbow plank; raise one leg two times, then to the side two times, then knee strike underneath you twice)

Water break

13. Lunge punch (static lunge with a punch at bottom of lunge)

14. Squat pop (just a squat–no jumping)

15. Repeat #13

16. Repeat #14

17. Repeat #13  but on other side of body

18. Repeat #14

19. Repeat #17

20. Repeat #14

21. Lift & curl (sit on ground and wrap band around one foot and hold handles in hand on same side of body; lay on back with other leg bent; raise hips into bridge while raising leg with band wrapped around foot to ceiling; raise and lower leg; when leg is at top of move do a bicep curl)

22. Curls/tricep extensions (stand on band with one foot while holding a handle in each hand; lean forward and do a tricep kick back then stand and do a bicep curl; keep alternating)

23. Triple squat knee strikes (no band; squat and pulse 3 times then come up and knee strike; alternate knees when doing knee strikes)

24. Drop n’ pop (squat then jump up into knee strike)

25. Raise n’ reach (lay on back and raise hips into bridge; raise one leg to ceiling and put arms behind head; reach arm on same side of body to touch foot of bent leg that is still on floor, the entire time remaining in bridge with leg raised)

26. Reach lift hop (get into narrow squat with feet together; take one leg out to side till straight (while remaining in squat with other leg) and raise, bring back in to squat, repeat on other leg, then jump squat)

27. Bridge spins (lay on back and raise hips into bridge with one foot crossed over the other knee; using your elbows and your foot that is on the ground, spin over until you are in one leg plank (foot still crossed over opposite knee), then spin back until in bridge on back again)

Water break

28. Tricep extensions (he actually calls these “warrior extensions” because you are kind of in warrior pose; the band is under the back foot and one handle is in your hand; bringing it up over your head and do overhead tricep extensions while leaning forward in a sort of warrior pose)

29. Tricep push ups (supermans to tricep push ups)

30. Wide curls (stand on band and do wide bicep curls)

31. Lunge squats (squat, jump lunge, jump lunge, jump squat)

32. Abductor curls (sit on ground and wrap band around one foot and get into V sit with both feet off ground; open leg with band on it out to side while keeping other leg stationary, bring leg back in then do bicep curl)

33. Press squats (stand on band with legs wide and hold band handles under chin; drop into deep sumo squat then stand and press arms/band overhead)

34. Guns superset (stand on band alternate bicep curls with bringing  handles up behind head and doing tricep overhead extensions; you will change exercises on Mike’s command)

Water break

35. Killer Move: Booty blaster (get into pike position; bring one leg out further to side and lift and lower 8 times, do a pike push up, do the same thing on the other side. Now, this is how Mike demonstrated the exercise; however, all of his crew members did regular plank push ups for the push up, and by the time the exercise was over, they were also doing the leg raises while in plank–raising the leg straight out behind them rather than to the side. The interesting thing is, that other than demonstrating the exercise before the timer started, Mike never did another rep–and yet he went around the room encouraging and demonstrating form–never once correcting the form so that his crew members were doing the exercise the same way he actually demonstrated it. What is up with that? Makes you wonder if he actually knows what he is doing.)