Riptensity

Riptensity is a body weight training system put out by Men’s Health. It was created and led by Gideon Akande. He has a very impressive background but I was most excited because he was a crew member in Meta Shred 21! In fact, he was the advanced modifier! His other claims to fame are being a Golden Gloves Champion boxer and former NCAA Division 1 running back. He is also a certified personal trainer and the Men’s Health Next Top Trainer winner. So overall impressive.

When this workout system first came out, I was interested but resistant. I had recently purchased Meta Shred 21 plus a lot of other workouts. I didn’t need anymore workouts. But then a friend’s interest renewed my interest and the price was right ($29.99 + free shipping)–so I ordered it. And I am really glad I did. All of the workouts are approx 30 minutes long and use no equipment except a fitness mat. All of the warm ups are built into the workouts because everything progresses. You start with easy versions of exercises then they progress slowly through the workout. So usually when I started the workouts, I’d think–this is pretty easy–and like the frog in boiling water, he turned up the intensity in such a way that I didn’t realize how hard I was working until I was sucking wind near the end.

There are some similarities to Meta Shred 21. First the crew. There are 3 crew members and each is doing different levels of the exercise: advanced, intermediate and beginner. Gideon always demonstrates the intermediate version. (I stuck with either the intermediate or the advanced versions of the exercises.) And then Gideon–he’s funny and says goofy things, which reminds me a lot of B.J. Gaddour, tho he does not say the same kinds of things. It’s just the fact he makes me laugh when working hard. He brought a lot of energy and personality to the workouts and made the time fly. I really, really enjoyed these workouts.

Since this is a fitness program, how are these workouts supposed to be used? The literature provided recommends doing 4 workouts a week. There are no recommendations on where your rest days should fall. They suggest just fitting them into your schedule. They also recommend doing them in the order they are numbered, so 1-6 then repeat.  A 42 day calendar is provided but it is not a rotation calendar. You just mark an X on the days you worked out and if you do 4 workouts a week as recommended, you will have done each workout 4 times by the end of 42 days. It also comes with a Men’s Health water bottle (I have 3 of those now and I actually use them every time I work out). In the actual workouts, you have the option of playing with or without music. There is a bar timer along the bottom of the screen counting down the total time for the workout and then another small round timer in the lower right hand corner that counts down exercise and recovery times.

Workout #1 Rip & Repeat is 29:30 minutes long w/ a 30 second cool down stretch. The workout is made up of 7 exercises. Each exercise is done for 20 seconds with a 10 seconds recovery, then repeated. Then you move onto the next exercise. So each circuit contains 14 20/10 cycles. You do 4 circuits. Each time you repeat a circuit the exercises gets more advanced. The first circuit is the easiest, so it serves as a sort of warm up. This was a great little cardio workout with some body weight strength mixed in. By the 4th circuit it was pretty intense. Gideon was funny and making me chuckle while working hard. I did not realize how hard this workout worked me until the day started to progress. I did this workout first thing in the morning and my hamstrings and glutes ached all day long. All day long. I did not have DOMS the next day, but nevertheless my glutes and hamstrings never stopped aching. All. Day. Long. And I did not do any other workout afterward except some flexibility yoga. So it was this workout. My husband and I went to a movie that afternoon and I could not get comfortable in that seat–the back of my legs ached so bad. I had to keep shifting around.

Circuit 1 (each exercise is done twice):

1. Sprinter skip
2. Single leg bridge (second time through the circuit it is done on the other leg)
3. Bear plank w/ shoulder tap (on all 4s, except hands and toes, knees off ground)
4. Star tap (like a star jack except you don’t jack, you narrow squat then stand and do jack arms tapping toe out to one side; alternate sides)
5. Caterpillar (walk out to plank, do a push up, walk hands back to feet, stand and jump)
6. Rotating elbows (elbow strikes w/ fist pressed into palm of other hand)
7. Foot fire (fast feet)

20 second recovery

Circuit 2 (each exercise is done twice):

1. Sprinter start (start in lunge w/ one hand on the ground, jump, driving knee up to chest; second time through circuit it is done on other leg)
2. Single leg bridge, alternating legs
3. Bear to push up (start in bear and walk feet out to plank; walk feet in and out)
4. Star jacks (narrow squat to jack)
5. Plank to deep squat (start in plank, walk both feet in to outside of hands so you are in a squat then walk feet back out to plank)
6. Rotating elbows
7. Foot fire w/ hip swivel (fast feet, rotating hips to side when Gideon tells you to)

20 second recovery

Circuit 3 (each exercise is done twice):

1. High knees (5 runs side-to-side–like Heismans)
2. Bridge march to leg extension (alternating single leg bridges, leg straight in air)
3. Bear holds w/ quad taps
4. Squat hold jack (squat jacks–the “hold” means you never come out of squat)
5. Plank hold to deep squat (start in plank and jump both feet in to outside of hands so you are in a squat, then walk feet back to plank)
6. Rotating elbows
7. Wide to narrow foot fire

20 second recovery

Circuit 4 (each exercise is done twice):

1. High knees
2. Single leg plyo bridge (stay on one side for each 20/10 cycle)
3. Bear pogo hop (jump both hands and feet while in bear)
4. Star jump (full star jack–w/ air jack)
5. Squat to push up (2 squats, jump out to plank and do 2 push ups; keep alternating)
6. Rotating elbows
7. Foot fire to burpee (do a burpee when Gideon tells you to)

20 second recovery

Workout #2 Glutes and Gut Gauntlet is 25:30 minutes w/ a 1 minute cool down/stretch. This workout is made up of exercise pairings; a core based cardio move and lower body move. You work for 30 seconds and rest for 10 seconds–and it moves non-stop. No longer rest periods. An excellent and intense little workout. Most of the lower body moves do seem to serve as a recovery move from the cardio–but even some of the lower body moves get pretty intense!

1. Move A: Jumping Spider (wide mountain climber). Move B: Bridge (with alternating) Leg Extension; repeat both moves
2. Move A: Hip Swivel (hopping while twisting hips). Move B: (alternating) Curtsy Lunges
3. Move A: Hip Swivel (hopping while twisting hips). Move B: (alternating) Forward Prisoner Lunges
4. Move A: Scissor Shuffle. Move B: Speed Squats; repeat both moves
5. Move A: Jumping Knee Tuck Plank (in plank, jump feet in and out w/ feet wide). Move B: Bridge March; repeat both moves
6. Move A: Sprinters Start to Stand Right (knee drive). Move B: (alternating) Curtsy Lunge Pulse (pulse for 2 counts)
7. Move A: Sprinters Start to Stand Left (knee drive). Move B: (alternating) Reverse Lunge Pulse (pulse for 2 counts)
8. Move A: Kick Through (start in plank, bring one foot up as if doing a spider then bring the other leg through and kick forward). Move B: Squat Pulse (static squat pulse); repeat both moves
9. Move A: Mountain Climbers. Move B: Plyo Bridges (in bridge, jump both feet); repeat both moves
10. Move A: Side-to-Side 2 on/2 off (lateral fast feet). Move B: Curtsy Lunge Skips (alternating curtsy lunges w/ a skip/hop as you alternate)
11. Move A: Forward-to-Backward 2 on/ 2 off (fast feet forward and back). Move B: Reverse Lunge Skips (alternating reverse lunges w/ a skip/hop as you alternate)
12. Move A: Square Hop (or box jumps–jump in square formation). Move B: Squat Jumps; repeat both moves

Workout #3 Belly Fat Knockout is 29 minutes w/ 45 second cool down. This workout is made up of 12 exercise pairings. Each pairing is repeated once. Everything is done for 20 seconds on w/ 10 seconds of recovery–no longer recoveries until the very end. After you complete the 12 exercise pairings he has a 3 minute finisher in which each exercise is done for 15 seconds–no breaks or recoveries. I really liked this workout a lot. Like all of the other Riptensity workouts I have done so far, it builds. It starts out seeming pretty easy then at some point I realize I am breathing hard and pushing through. I really like the theme of this one as well. The idea is to get rid of belly fat–so he combines boxing drills which work your core with lots of plank based work–which also works your core, and also cardio which burns fat. So the pairings go like this: one boxing drill + one cardio drill, repeat. Pairing 2 is one plyo drill + one plank move, repeat. Then you keep alternating those two pairings. And the finisher alternates boxing drills w/ plank work. Overall effective and fun.

Round #1: Hammer Jack (jumping jacks with palms kept together–so you are “hammering” palms from overhead to in front of legs) + Jab-Cross Combo; repeat

Round #2: Rotating Lunge Pulse (lunge to side and pulse 2x then jump around to other side and lunge pulse 2x) + Hip-Tap Plank (in plank, tap hip w/ opposite side hand; alternate sides); repeat

Round #3: Sprinter Skip Pull Down (high knee skip while pulling arms from overhead down to knee) + Hook-Cross Combo; repeat

Round #4: Seal Squat Jack (plyo jack with straight arms that come out in a T then clap in front of body) + Plank with Knee Tuck (in plank, bring knee to elbow outside of body; alternate sides); repeat

Round #5: Sprinter Skip with Jumping Jack + Hook-Hook Combo; repeat

Round #6: Lunge Jump (alternate) + Hand Tap Plank (in plank, tap the back of your hand w/ opposite hand; alternate sides); repeat

Round #7: Skater Hop (lateral skaters) + Jab-Cross Combo; repeat

Round #8: 180 Degree Squat Jumps + Cross-Body Mountain Climber (knee to opposite elbow); repeat

Round #9: High Knee Run + Hook-Hook Combo; repeat

Round #10: Squat Jump to Lunge Jump (alternate sides) + Plank with Knee to Elbow (in plank bring knee to opposite elbow under body; alternate sides); repeat

Round #11: Skater to High Knees (3 skaters + 6 high knee runs) + Jab-Cross-Hook-Hook Combo; repeat

Round #12: Burpee + Shoulder Tap Plank + Mountain Climbers (6 reps of each; keep alternating); repeat

30 second recovery

Finisher: (each move done for 15 seconds each, no breaks)

1. Jab-Cross Combo
2. Hip-Tap Plank
3. Jab-Cross Combo
4. Plank with Knee Tuck
5. Hook-Cross Combo
6. Hand-Tap Plank
7. Hook-Cross Combo
8. Cross-Body Mountain Climbers
9. Jab-Cross Combo
10. Plank with Knee to Elbow
11. Jab-Cross Combo
12. Shoulder Tap Plank + Mountain Climbers (6 reps of each; keep alternating)

Workout #4 7 Minute Shred Sets is 26:30 minutes w/ 1 minute cool down/stretch. 3 sets of 7 exercises; 60 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Another intense little workout. This one did get geared up quicker than the others. I would say exercises 1 and 2 of Set #1 served as your warm up, then things got more intense–if you are following the advanced modifier, that is, which I was. You don’t just do the inchworm–you do push ups, too. I was breathing very hard by the end of this workout.

Set #1:

1. Squat (30 seconds) and Backward Lunge (30 seconds)
2. Shuffle (30 seconds) and Foot Fire (30 seconds) (start turned to the side, shuffle forward, turn and shuffle back facing the other direction; foot fire is fast feet)
3. Inchworm with Hands (start in plank and walk hands to feet then walk hands back out to plank; do a push up while in plank)
4. Lateral Lunge to Reverse Lunge (side lunge to reverse lunge then do a plyo jump lunge to change legs and repeat on other side of body)
5. Knee Tuck Push Up (bring knee to same side elbow, repeat on other leg, then do push up)
6. Forward Lunge to Squat Jump (forward lunge, squat jump, forward lunge other leg, squat jump, keep alternating)
7. 3 Knee Tuck Burpees (plank moguls–in plank, jump feet up to one hand, back to plank, jump feet up to other hand, back to plank, then jump up to standing)

30 second recovery

Set #2:

1. Squat and Knee Tuck (30 seconds) (squat w/ alternating knee raises or kicks); Lunge and Knee Tuck (30 seconds) (alternating reverse lunges w/ knee raise or kick)
2. Double Foot Fire (fast tiny hops, both feet at same time; after 30 seconds, add 180 jumps or quarter turn jumps)
3. Inchworm with Feet (start in plank, walk feet to hands then walk feet back out to plank; do a push up while in plank)
4. Lateral Lunge to Jump (side lunge, jump in middle, side lunge other side, jump in middle; keep alternating sides)
5. Alligator Push Ups (start in plank, tip-toe feet forward and stagger hands, do a push up, return to plank and repeat on other side; keep alternating sides)
6. Forward Lunge Jump to Squat (do forward lunge, jump back into squat; alternate sides)
7. Plyo Push to Burpee (in plank jump hands and feet lateral to side, jump feet in and stand w/ jump)

30 seconds recovery

Set #3:

1. Squat Pulse and Squat to Reverse Lunge (squat pulse for 30 sec0nds; alternating reverse lunges while remaining in squat for 30 seconds)
2. Straight Leg Skips (30 seconds) and Running Foot Fire (30 seconds) (running foot fire is wide scissors)
3. Double Inchworm (start in plank and walk hands and feet at the same time, then back out to plank at the same time; push up in plank, pike push up when feet and hands are close together)
4. Lateral Squat to High Knees (side lunge, 5 high knee runs, side lunge to other side; keep alternating)
5. Kick Through Push Up (start in plank, kick straight leg out to opposite side of body, return to plank and do push up; alternate sides)
6. Lunge Jump to Squat Jump (alternate sides)
7. Burpee to Hip Swivel (do a burpee and rather than a regular jump at top, swivel hips to side when jumping; alternate sides between burpees)

10 seconds recovery

Workout #5 Total Body Trifecta is 25:30 minutes long w/ 1 minute warm up and 1 minute cool down/stretch. Structure of workout: One Trifecta is 30 seconds of cardio, 15 seconds of recovery, 45 seconds strength, 15 seconds recovery, 30 seconds strength hold. There are 8 “Trifectas.” This workout is different than workouts #1-4. This one is much more strength focused than the others I’ve done so far–and was tough right away, which is probably why Gideon gives you an actual warm up with this one. I didn’t burn nearly as many calories as I did in the first 4 workouts, but in some ways I worked harder. Those isometric strength holds are hard (and painful) after you just burned that muscle group out!

Warm up: Child’s pose to plank; changes to alternating runners lunges w/ arms reached overhead; changes to alternating side lunges.

Trifecta#1:

1. Cardio: Hip Swivel (double hops each direction as you turn hips, side, front, other side while keeping torso facing forward)
2. Strength: Push Up with Leg Lift (in plank, lift each leg once then do a push up)
3. Strength hold: lower halfway in push up and hold

Trifecta #2:

1. Cardio: Side-to-Side 2 on/2 off (fast in-out runs)
2. Strength: Reverse Lunge to Knee Tuck (Right) (reverse lunge to knee raise–all on one side of body)
3. Strength hold: Lunge Left (lower into lunge and hold)

Trifecta #3:

1. Cardio: Forward-to-Back Hop to Burpee (jump 2 times forward, 2 times backward, burpee)
2. Strength: Caterpillar to Deep Squat (start in deep squat, walk hands out to plank, walk hands back in to deep squat)
3. Strength hold: Squat

Trifecta #4:

1. Cardio: Cross-Body Knee Left (knee pulls–stay on same side the whole time)
2. Strength: Single Leg Bridge Right (raise and lower hips in one leg bridge and while you are doing this you will also be raising and lowering straight leg)
3. Strength hold: Hold Single Leg Bridge

Trifecta #5:

1. Cardio: Plank Walk with Mountain Climber (as you do mountain climbers you walk hands from one end of the mat to the other)
2. Strength: Single Leg Bridge Left
3. Strength hold: Hold Single Leg Bridge

Trifecta #6:

1. Cardio: Cross-Body Knee Right (see Trifecta #4)
2. Strength: Plank Hop to Deep Squat (start in plank, jump feet in to outside of hands so you are in deep squat then jump back to plank)
3. Strength Hold: Squat

Trifecta #7:

1. Cardio: Side-to-Side Hop to Burpee (2 jumps to side, 1 burpee)
2. Strength: Reverse Lunge to Knee Tuck (Left) (see Trifecta #2)
3. Strength hold: Lunge Right (see Trifecta #2)

Trifecta #8:

1. Cardio: Forward-and-Backward 2 on/2 off (run forward and back–fast)
2. Strength: Spiderman Push Up (bring knee to outside same side elbow each side then do push up)
3. Strength hold: Push Up (see Trifecta #1)

Finisher #1: Surfer Burpee for 30 seconds

30 second recovery

Finisher #2: Push Up and Squat Combo for 2 minutes (30 seconds of max push ups (as many as you can do, as fast as you can do them), 30 seconds of max squats, 30 second hold push up (halfway lowered), 30 second hold in deep squat)

Workout #6 Sweat Stacks is 29 minutes w/ 1 minute cool down/stretch. Sweat Stacks is the final workout in this program and boy is it tough! The structure of this workout is “stacks.” You do one exercise for 40 seconds. The next round you do two (different) exercises for 40 seconds each. The next round you do 3 (different) exercises for 40 seconds each. And so on until you reach 7 exercises, each done for 40 seconds. Each progression has a theme, too. Exercise 1 is always cardio. Exercise 2 is always some form of plank crawl. Exercise 3 is always a side plank variation. Exercise 4 is always a supine core move. Exercise 5 is always a lunge variation. Exercise 6 is always a bear push up variation. And since you only do exercise 7 once, it is it’s own thing: fire feet + plyo jumps. Each exercise is done for 40 seconds. You get 10 seconds of rest between each exercise and no longer breaks, so it feels like it moves almost non-stop. Tough, tough workout! I tried to stick with the advanced variation of everything but a few times I dropped to the intermediate and once I even dropped to beginner (side plank variations).

Stack 1:

1. Cardio: Jumping Jacks

Stack 2:

1. Cardio: Shoulder Press Scissors (scissor runs while pushing fists overhead)
2. Crawl: Start standing, crawl out to plank, do a push up, walk hands back to feet, come into a squat and jump

Stack 3:

1. Cardio: Hammer Jacks (jumping jacks with palms kept together–so you are “hammering” palms from overhead to in front of legs); at about the 20 second point he adds Seal Jacks and you alternate between Hammer and Seal Jacks
2. Crawl: Start standing, crawl out to plank, do 4 plank jacks, walk hands back to feet and stand
3. Side Plank: Hold in elbow side plank; 40 seconds each side

Stack 4:

1. Cardio: Squat Jacks
2. Crawl: Start standing, walk hands out to plank, do one push up, alternate lifting straight arms to front 4x, walk hands back to feet and stand
3. Side Plank: In elbow side plank w/ top hand behind head, lower elbow toward bottom wrist; 40 seconds each side
4. Supine Core: Knee Tucks (laying on back with head and shoulder raised, press legs out straight then bend and bring them into chest)

Stack 5:

1. Cardio: Pogo Hops (arms straight overhead, jumping side to side); this changes to hopping forward and backwards with arms extended straight in front of you
2. Crawl: Start standing, walk hands out to plank, do one push up, kick straight leg through to side raising arm overhead, repeat on other side, walk hands back to feet and stand
3. Side Plank: In elbow side plank, raise and lower hips; 40 seconds each side
4. Supine Core: Laying on back w/ head and shoulders raised, raise straight legs to ceiling while raising hips then lower straight legs to approx 6 inches off floor
5. Split Squat (Right): Get into an isometric lunge and do runners arms

Stack 6:

1. Cardio: Lateral Hop + Power Skip
2. Crawl: Start standing, walk hands out to plank, one push up, fly straight arms out to side 2x each side, walk hands back to feet and stand
3. Side Plank: In elbow side plank, raise and lower straight leg; 40 seconds each side
4. Supine Core: Bicycle crunch
5. Split Squat (Left): Get into an isometric lunge and do runners arms
6. Bear Plank Push Up: get on all 4s but with knees raised (so on hands and toes); do a push up in this position

Stack 7:

1. Cardio: High Knee Runs
2. Crawl: Start standing, walk hands out to plank, do 4 knee tucks (jump feet in to hands then back out to plank), walk hands back to feet and stand
3. Side Plank: In elbow plank, one hip dip + one leg raise; 40 seconds each side
4. Supine Core: Bicycle Scissors (bicycle maneuver but with straight legs)
5. Split Squat: Get into isometric lunge and do runners arms–20 seconds each leg
6. Bear Plank Push Up: Do one bear push up, walk hands out to full plank and do one push up; keep alternating between the two
7. Foot Fire to Jump: Fast feet and jump on Gideon’s command

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