Rippedism

Rippedism is an online only, streamed workout program. The program has 3 phases and lasts 60 days total; so the phases (called “Tiers”) are each 20 days long. There are 17 workouts in the actual program. 16 of them are approximately 35 minutes long and one of them is an 11 minute abdominal workout. There is also an “Intro/Bonus” workout that is free. You can go to their website and give it a try right now (It is reviewed at the bottom of this review–so scroll all the way down to the “Bonus Workouts” section if you want to read about it before trying it). However, it is not included in the 60 day rotation calendar. Once you have signed up, you also have access to this workout under “bonus workouts.” There are also two more bonus workouts. So you get a total of 20 workouts in this program, but again, only 17 of them are included in the rotation calendar. The other 3 are just bonuses you can do on your own time (or add on to the existing rotation if you are in the mood for a longer workout; I give suggestions on ways to use them under the bonus workout summary at the bottom of this review). Minimal equipment is required: dumbbells, a fitness mat, a chair and a pull up bar if you have one. If you don’t, they give you dumbbell modification exercises. One of the bonus workouts also uses a barbell.

The program currently costs $39.95 and that gives you access to everything forever. So you can do as many rounds of the program as you want or just return to your favorite workouts. 4/02/19–the pricing structure has changed. Now you have the choice of paying by the year ($49.99) or by the month ($6.99). However, there is a lot more available now than there was 2 years ago. Now there is also a Rippedism 2 (3 more weeks of excellent workouts) plus even more bonus workouts. The review for Rippedism 2 will be posting soon.

I’m not sure how the title of this program should be presented. It is shown different ways on the site. Sometimes Rippedism. On the actual workouts Ripped ism (or RIPPED ISM) as two words, and even as RIPPEDism. But however it’s written, it sounds the same!

The program also contains an online diet guide. The introduction to the diet guide states it is all about reducing belly fat and preventing bloating and inflammation so you can actually see your abs. Because, as everyone who has done any fitness and nutrition reading already knows–abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. The diet guide is broken down into 9 guidelines. You also get a macronutrient section, preferred food list and recipes. I didn’t follow the diet plan; I just looked over it quickly to give readers of this review some basic information. It appears to be a reduced carb/high protein diet. You are eating carbs–so it is not low carb, but compared to how most people eat, it is much more carb-limited. You can eat as many non-starchy veggies as you want, but everything else is limited, including fruit. The macronutrient section is a calculator so I did it just for S&Gs. It said in order for me to lose weight I should eat 1870 calories a day, to maintain 2338 calories and to bulk 2572 calories. It also gives me a macronutrient break down so I know how to structure my meals/day. Interesting, but the way I currently eat works very well for me and is easier to follow. But I’m sure this would work very well for anyone who wants to follow it (and do the macronutrient math).

The two trainers who created this program are Jeff Hirsch, an athlete, trainer and fitness model; and Stu Lopoten who is also a trainer, a former attorney and actor. I really liked them both. They are very encouraging and show modifications for most exercises. They also encourage you to work at your own level but to keep at it so that soon you will be able to do the workouts at the level they are demonstrating. They lead all of the workouts in the same fashion. One of them will actually do the exercise while the other gives form pointers then they swap. Sometimes they swap each exercise and sometimes they swap after a round/circuit. So one of them is always working right along with you throughout the entire workout. And since, individually, they only do half the workout and it still taxes them, you know these aren’t easy workouts! Sometimes there is a third person present who does the entire workout using lighter weights. It is always a female.

I work out twice a day most work days (so Monday through Friday); an hour in the morning and 30 minutes after work. On the weekends I do longer workouts (70-90 minutes). From the length of these workouts (35 minutes), I initially decided these would work well as my doubles workouts (second workout of the day). So I inserted them into my rotation calendar and started creating workout cards for the strength workouts (to track the weight I lift for each exercise).

That changed things.

Actually viewing these workouts to create the workouts cards was a bit humbling. They looked tough. This called for a rotation calendar overhaul. These did not look like doubles or add on workouts–for 35 minute workouts, they actually appeared to stand on their own for strength workouts. Which meant, I did not want burn out my muscles by doing strength work morning and afternoon (muscles need time to recover). And to give these workouts a fair shake, I need to lift as heavy as I can. However, since I workout for an hour in the morning–35 minutes obviously falls short of that. And I want my hour. Short workouts are great, but I value my full hour of fitness in the morning. Enter all of my wonderful add on workouts! So that is how I did these workouts. I did a Rippedism workout then followed it up with an add on. I used All in 18 workouts and Jillian Michaels 10 Minute Transformation as my add ons. And I kept my doubles as cardio workouts. On the weekends I paired two Rippedism workouts together and did them back to back–which worked really well. For instance, during Tier 2 I did a Legs, Back and Core day and the next day I did a Chest, Shoulders, Biceps and Triceps day. I used 4 workouts to do that (2 each day) and each workout time was approx. 70 minutes. I felt well worked both days!

The website has a calendar that you can use. Your workouts are already laid out for you on the calendar. You go to the day you are on and click on your workout. Pretty easy. Or (if you are like me) and you are approaching these workouts differently, go to the overview page and chose whatever workout you want since they are all listed there (except the bonus workouts–they are on the “Bonus Workouts” page).

Here is how this review will be structured. I will give the summary of the entire program below once I have done all of the workouts, then I will review each workout by Tier. There are two workouts that are used throughout the entire 60 day program: Washboard Abs and Equalizer (yoga). Those two are reviewed below all of the Tiers since they are not unique to any of the Tiers (they are included in all 3 Tiers). And finally, the very last workouts I will review are the bonus workouts. They are included in the program cost for you but are not used at all in the 60 day rotation calendar, so they are not part of the actual program/rotation. However, in the summary I will give suggestions of how you can incorporate them if you wish. For each section I will give a summary–sometimes it is a basic summary and sometimes I have more to say. And of course, each workout gets its own summary before the workout break down.

Summary: This is an excellent and comprehensive fitness program. It covers all bases very nicely. The program as a whole is based on the periodization principal. (Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer so my knowledge is from reading about things that interest me (fitness) and doing a lot of fitness programs and workouts.) This program is put together very well and is perfect for the home exerciser. Minimal equipment is needed, the workouts are short but effective and they build you up nicely through the phases. Tier 3 is the most advanced and difficult of the 3 phases, so you need to do Tiers 1 & 2 to prep yourself for it. Rippedism covers 3 training phases that are probably the most relevant to the home exerciser. The endurance phase (Tier 1), hypertrophy phase (muscle building) (Tier 2) and a power/cutting phase (Tier 3). There is no true strength phase. For a true strength phase your aim would be 4-6 reps per set, lifting very heavy and needing significantly longer recoveries between exercises. Most people just want to get ripped–build/define the muscle and make it visible by losing the fat. Your strength will improve as a byproduct of this type of training but Rippedism will not make you into a power lifter. It will get you ripped as the title suggests. Have a look at Stu and Jeff–they are both pretty ripped, so they are a great advertisement for their program. According to them, this is how they workout every day.

In terms of level, I think this program can be used by most people. Stu and Jeff show modifications to many of the exercises, plus throughout they are always encouraging you to do what you can and stop and take a personal break if necessary. You can repeat this program as many times as you want. Each time you do these workouts you will be able to do more. If you can do everything in all of the workouts for the full interval at the most advanced level shown then this is an advanced system. But it doesn’t have to be. If you are not an advanced exerciser, do the modifications Stu and Jeff show you, use lighter dumbbells and take brief rests when you need them. I did that during Tier 3 Last Stand: Legs & Cardio! That is the most advanced workout in the program and it kicked my butt. During the one minute cardio/plyo intervals I had to take my own “personal” breaks a few times in order to keep powering through. They only lasted a few seconds but I had to take them! So you can start this program as a beginner and in time you could be an advanced (and ripped) exerciser.

I like how varied this program is. In Tier 1 you are doing primarily metabolic workouts. So you are building strength and endurance and losing fat. In Tier 2 you start lifting heavier weights to build muscle and more strength. And you need the foundation of these two Tiers to get you through Tier 3 because it is very hard. They also include a yoga workout because flexibility and recovery is so important to fitness. So do not skip that. There are 3 actual pillars of fitness and you need to address them all whether you are doing a program or not–strength, cardio and flexibility. HIIT training is also an important part of fitness and you are getting that in Tiers 1 and 3. This program addresses everything pretty well, so if you follow it, you are covered.

Now that I’ve done all of the workouts, how will I continue to use them in the future? I didn’t do this as a 60 day program. I did follow the Tiers as laid out, but I only did each workout once. Since I liked every single workout in this series, I will probably do it the same way in the future. Each Tier will get a week. Then I’ll do something else and return to this for another 3 weeks. If you’re like me and have a vast library of workouts, you might want to approach them the same way. But if you are limited in workouts, just keep repeating the 60 days. Spend a little longer in a Tier if you like it a lot. Or maybe you want more muscle building? Spend more time in Tier 2. Maybe your goal is to lose weight/fat–spend more time in Tiers 1 and 3 (but don’t skip Tier 2–it is important!). I would suggest finding some additional yoga workouts. Doing the same yoga workout over and over again can get mind numbing fast–even if it is a good workout. So find some yoga workouts to swap out. Element has a lot of excellent 30 minute yoga workouts that would fit nicely. And if you are only streaming your workouts, YouTube has a lot of free yoga workouts.

Tier 1 Workouts: These workouts are cardio and muscular endurance workouts. According to the description, their function is to help you build stamina and prepare you for the next tier.

Upper Deck: Upper Body is 35 long; 2 minute warm up and 2 minute cool down/stretch. Equipment needed is dumbbells and a pull up bar. If you don’t have (or don’t want to use) a pull up bar, they show a dumbbell variation for the exercise. The structure of the workout is 45 seconds of work, 15 second recovery–and you just keep going. This is an excellent little upper body workout. I feel like they did a very good job hitting all of your upper body muscle groups in a short amount of time. Though this is designed to be a high rep/endurance level workout, the beauty of it, is that it is timed. So you you can take your reps as slow or fast as you wish. Use light weights and lift at a brisk pace or lift heavier and really challenge yourself. My goal was to hit burn out by the end of the 45 seconds. I previewed this workout in advance and created my workout card so I could be prepared with dumbbell weights already chosen in advance. I made good choices. Listed below are the weights I used. They show modified versions of many of the exercises. Overall I got a great upper body workout.

1. 3 Position Push Up
2. Double Arm Bent Knee Lat Row (25# DBs)
3. Chair Seated Shoulder Press (8# DBs))
4. Lunge Supination Curl (15# DBs)
5. Bent Knee Tricep Kickback (10# DBs)
6. Bridge Narrow Chest Press (20# DBs)
7. Renegade Row (20# DBs)
8. Upright Row (12# DBs)
9. Sumo Wide Curl (15# DBs)
10. Floor Tricep Dip
11. Plank Walking Push Up
12. Pull Up or Elbow Out Row (20# DBs)
13. Straight Arm Wrist Twist (5# DBs)
14. Chair Sit Narrow Hammer Curl (12# DBs)
15. Overhead Tricep Extension (10# DBs)
16. Bridge Chest Fly (20# DBs)
17. Narrow Pull Up or Narrow Row (12# DBs))
18. Lunging W Delt Raise (7# DBs)
19. Sumo Underhand Cross Punch (10# DBs)
20. Bridge Skull Crusher (12# DBs)
21. Fingers Out Narrow Push Up
22. Chin Up Or Underhand Row (20# DBs)
23. Chair Sit Alt Front Raise (8# DBs)
24. Sumo In/Out Bicep Hold (12# DBs)
25. 3 Level Push Up
26. Push Up 4 Punch
27. Super Hero Pulse (weighted superman) (one 3# DB)
28. W Raise Press / In (8# DBs)
29. Speed Curl (8# DBs)
30. Alt Speed Overhead Extension (8# DBs)

The Surge: Plyo/Cardio is 35 minutes long; 1 minute warm up and 1 minute stretch. This workout is structured in 3 minute rounds; you do 30 seconds of a low intensity move, 30 seconds of a high intensity move, repeat 3 times then you get 20 seconds of recovery. Do this for 10 rounds. Wow! This was tough! Excellent HIIT workout. Plus you get a lot of core work, too. You do five 3 minute rounds, alternating high and low intensity exercises, then you repeat everything. I was really struggling that second time through all of the exercises. Very tough HIIT workout. Jeff and Stu were struggling through the second half, too! They alternate 3 minute sets–so Stu does one 3 minute set while Jeff points out form then after the 20 second recovery, they swap and Jeff does the next 3 minute set while Stu points out form. So if they were struggling, doing only half the workout, you know it’s a tough one!

1. Cross Country Skier Jog
2. Crescent Lunge Jump
3. Plank Step In and Out (step feet to hands then back to plank)
4. Speed Plank In and Out (jump feet to hands and back)
5. Speed Skater Steps
6. Speed Skater Hops
7. 20 second recovery
8. Plank Alternating Arm Raise
9. Plank Alt Arm Jack (add plank jack to #8)
10. Alternating High Knee March
11. Tuck Jumps
12. Plank Alternating Spider Step
13. Plank Alternating Spider Run
14. 20 second recovery
15. Step Back Lunge Left
16. Step Back Lunge Hop Left
17. Plank Alternating Knee In
18. Plank Mountain Climber
19. Step Back Lunge Right
20. Step Back Lunge Hop Right
21. 20 second recovery
22. Plank Slow Cross (knee to opposite elbow)
23. Plank Speed Cross
24. Standing In/Out Hop (jacks)
25. Star Jumps (air jacks)
26. Step Back Stand Up Plank
27. Burpee
28. 20 second recovery
29. Light Ski Hop (lateral hops)
30. Moguls
31. High Plank Side-to-Side Walk
32. Low Plank Side-to-Side Walk
33. Sumo Pulse
34. Sumo Jump (touch finger tips to floor and jump)
35. 20 second recovery

Repeat everything

The Cellar: Legs is 33 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Equipment needed: dumbbells in various weights. The structure of this workout is 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of recovery. You do 5 exercises this way then you get a one minute recovery. This was a good lower body workout for being so short, but not the best lower body workout I’ve ever done. Thorough and solid, but not terribly challenging. They do a nice combination of weighted, isometric and plyo/cardio exercises for some contrast training. I think 30 second recovery would have been better than 60 seconds. For me at least. I didn’t need 60 seconds and that extra time could have been used for additional lower body work. The weights listed below are the weights I used. They show modifications for most of the exercises.

1. Weighted squat (25# DBs)
2. Weighted cross lunge pulse–L (15# DBs)
3. Repeat #2 on R
4. Wall squat
5. Speed skater
6. One minute recovery
7. Weighted bridge up (one 30# DB)
8. Single leg hamstring squat–L (15# DBs)
9. Repeat #8 on R
10. Toes up wall squat
11. Chair pose jump
12. One minute recovery
13. Parallel weighted calf raise (20# DBs)
14. Outward weighted calf raise (20# DBs)
15. Inward weighted calf raise (20# DBs)
16. Sumo squat calf raise (no DBs)
17. Weighted ski toe hop (one 10# DB)
18. One minute recovery
19. Weighted narrow lunge–L (15# DBs)
20. Repeat #19 on R
21. Weighted drop squat calf raise (0ne 20# DBs)
22. Sumo wall squat
23. Sumo chair jack
24. One minute recovery
25. Weighted pigeon heel press–L (one leg hip bridge) (one 30# DB)
26. Repeat #25 on R
27. Weighted jump rope figure 8–L (one 5# DB)
28. Repeat #27 on R
29. Weighted chair pose (one 8# DB)

Cardio Carver: Full Body Cardio & Resistance is 34:30 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. This is an intense metabolic workout. I really liked it. You do 45 seconds of work and get 15 seconds of recovery. And no longer breaks–it is fast paced. Jeff and Stu had 3, 8 and 10 pound dumbbells. I had 3, 5, 8 and 10 pound dumbbells. Listed below are the weights I used for each exercise, but I used the same weight they did for most of the exercises. The only real difference was I used 5 pound dumbbells when they used 3 pounds. Stu and Jeff alternate exercises–so while one of them does the exercise, the other describes it and points out form, and also gives modification suggestions.

1. Hopping kettle swings (do a one arm kettlebell swing as you hop side to side; change arms halfway through) (one 10# DB)
2. Plank 2 punch 2 shoulder tap
3. Squatting weighted windmill hop (remain in a squat and arc DB over head in a circle then hop; alternate sides) (one 10# DB)
4. Squatting alt front kick
5. Bicycle reach through (reach arms overhead and bicycle legs, as you bend leg, bring hands/DBs and tap under hamstring) (5# DBs)
6. Weighted alt crescent step (reverse alternating crescent lunges raising DB overhead) (one 10# DB)
7. Alt lat push up (step hand out to side and do a push up, alternate sides)
8. Weighted hip/hip switch jump (jump lunge arcing DB side to side) (one 8# DB)
9. DB squat to calf raise (one 10# DB; in the future I could use a 15 or 20# DB)
10. Side plank lower knee in (straight arm plank in staggered stance, bring bottom knee to chest)
11. Suicide run (3 hops to each side, touching outside foot w/ opposite hand on 3rd hop)
12. Plank limbo (down dog to up dog)
13. 180 surfer jump (similar to Cathe’s snowboarders)
14. Squat elbow to knee twist (one 10# DB)
15. 3 part V up (one leg, other leg, both legs)
16. Alt warrior 3 (done at a brisk pace, so balance isn’t as much of an issue as it usually is w/ a warrior 3)
17. Laydown superhero push up (similar to release push ups but raise legs, too)
18. Reverse lunge mini hop (rear lunge w/ knee up/hop)
19. Fast running toe tap (get into lunge and bring knee in and out fast)
20. Lying straight leg criss cross (lay on back, head/shoulders raised, legs lifted 6 inches off the floor; scissor legs)
21. Football run to low plank (fast feet until told to drop then drop into low plank)
22. Chair sit alt rear fly (10# DBs)
23. Wide burpee to standing jack
24. Low chair walk (alternating reverse lunges staying low in chair)
25. Sumo alt side crunch (sumo squat, hands behind head, lean to side tapping elbow to thigh)
26. Standing mountain climbers (high knee runs w/ mountain climber arms)
27. Alt lunge lean kickback (forward lunge and hold, pressing DBs overhead then tricep kickbacks; alternate sides) (5# DBs)
28. Wood chop hop (do a swinging woodchop then hop; alternate sides) (one 10# DB)
29. Alt cross curtsy punch (alternating crossback lunges w/ punch) (5# DBs)
30. 8 Russian twists to extension (Russian twists to banana hold) (one 8# DB)

The Cage: Abs/Core is 33:30 minutes long; 1:30 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds then you get 15 seconds of recovery. Equipment needed: one 10 pound dumbbell, two 3 pound dumbbells and a fitness mat. I really liked this workout. I dislike long, painful core workouts but this one is varied and fun. You cycle through three basic types of core moves: supine, plank-based and standing. And since each move is only done for 30 seconds, none of them are over-done. Plus, due to the standing work and the constant position changes, your heart rate is elevated, so you get some fat burn, too. And they hit your core from every angle–front, sides and back. Excellent core workout! I loved it!

1. Lying knee in extension (full crunch)
2. Forearm spider (knees to elbows in elbow plank)
3. Standing high knee twist (high run twisting hands/arms side to side)
4. Scissor cross touch (touch straight arm to opposite straight leg)
5. Pike walk in and out (plank to pike)
6. Standing alt toe touch (while standing raise straight leg and touch w/ fingertips)
7. Lying pulse up/out (reverse crunch then press legs out straight)
8. Forearm walk (walk forward and back in elbow plank)
9. Weighted jump rope (hope side to side while doing small figure 8s w/ 3# DBs)
10. Lying star crunch (lay on back w/ arms and legs spread in an X  and raised of ground; bring elbows to knees then back to X)
11. Low/high plank pulse (low plank to high plank and pulse his 4x in each position)
12. Weighted floor ceiling twist–L (like a woodchop, lower DB to floor by one foot and raise overhead on other side of body) (one 10# DB)
13. Repeat #12 on R
14. C-sit straight arm twist (hands clasped, arms straight, bring arms from ceiling down to floor at side of body, alternate sides)
15. Plank alt hand tap/leg raise (in straight arm plank, tap hands in front of you then raise each leg)
16. 180 jump/4 punch (3# DBs)
17. Alt knee in crunch
18. Plank cross knee in/kickout
19. Bouncing oblique crunch (L) (standing, hop on one leg, one hand behind head and bring knee to elbow)
20. Repeat #19 on R
21. Windshield wipers
22. 3 way plank hop (ski abs in plank)
23. Squat alt side leg raise
24. Lying sit up w/ DB raise (one 10# DB)
25. Standing leg extension rainbow (L) (holding one DB in both hands, arc DB from side to side overhead while standing on one leg) (one 10# DB)
26. Repeat #25 on R
27. Slow bicycle
28. Side plank alt lower toe touch (in straight arm side plank, raise bottom straight leg and touch toe w/ top straight arm; alternate sides)
29. Switch kick DB hold (one 10# DB)
30. V sit hold
31. Superhero thumbs up hold
32. Slow alt standing bicycle
33. Figure 8s (lay on back w/ straight legs raise a few inches off the floor and circle legs in figure 8)
34. Lying pigeon crunch (L) (full crunch w/ legs in figure 4)
35. Repeat #34 on R
36. Side plank curl under (L)
37. Legs up toe touch hold
38. Tabletop speed crunch (fast full crunches–knees to elbows)
39. Legs up speed cross toe touch

Tier 2 Workouts: The object of Tier 2 is strength and muscle building. For the strength work, you lift much slower and heavier. You will strive for 8-12 reps for each exercise, so choose your weights accordingly.

Cardio Carver 2 is 34:30 minutes; 2 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. This workout is very similar to Cardio Carver 1. The set up is the same, it is a metabolic cardio workout, but the exercises are different. I don’t think it is any harder than Cardio Carver 1–just comprised of different exercises (which is good! Variety keeps away boredom!). It is a great workout and I really enjoyed it. Just like Cardio Carver 1 you do each exercise for 45 seconds then get 15 seconds of recovery. No longer breaks. Jeff and Stu had 3 sets of dumbbells handy: 3, 8 and 10s but they only used the 3s and the 10s. That is all I used also. My arms and shoulders are sore from the Tier 2 strength workouts I did the day before, so 3 pounds worked just fine for me!

1. Lunge DB run (running arms while in lunge) (3# DBs)
2. Prisoner jacks (plie squat jacks w/ hands behind head)
3. Sumo upright row hop (10# DBs)
4. High/low plank alt leg raise
5. Diamond pulse up (reverse crunch w/ soles of feet together)
6. Front kick to reverse lunge
7. Weighted burpee push up (overhead) press (10# DBs)
8. Two pulse prisoner switch jump (pulse 2x in lunge then jump lunge; hands behind head throughout)
9. Chair sit heel toe roll
10. Two hop single leg skater
11. High knees to lateral ski hop (8 high knee runs, 2 hops)
12. Lunge squat lunge (pivot between each move)
13. Star jump to 4 punches (air jack + 4 punches)
14. Plank jack
15. V-Up punch (each time you do a V up, you do 2 punches at top–while in V)
16. Side shuffle side kick (alternate sides)
17. Down dog to push up
18. Switch kick
19. Alt side plank
20. Tuck rollback tuck jump (he actually does a star jump)
21. Press jack (jacks w/ overhead DB press) (3# DBs)
22. Sumo jack
23. Broad jump
24. Sumo step punch (sumo step 4x, punch 4x)
25. Alt hand to foot touch (core exercise–on your back)
26. Log hop (lateral high knee jump)
27. Renegade row (10# DBs)
28. Squatting cross reach jack (reach for opposite toe w/ each jack)
29. Alt curtsy lunge upper cut (3# DB)
30. Burpee mountain star jump (Burpee + 8 mountain climbers + air jack)

The Foundation: Legs is 33 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Though this workout is set up in the same fashion as the Tier 1 lower body workout (45 seconds of work, 15 seconds recovery, 4 exercises per round then you get a 60 second break) it is carried out differently. Since The Cellar was an endurance workout, the object was high reps. This is a strength/hypertrophy workout, so you take everything slower and use heavier weights. Though you are working for 45 seconds, the goal is to perform 8-12 reps. I liked this workout a lot more than The Cellar and I also felt it more, too. Though I did lift heavier in this workout, I think, at least in the first round, I could probably lift even heavier in the future. An excellent lower body workout! Again, listed below are the weights I used.

1. Front alt weighted lunge (15# DBs)
2. Weighted sumo squat (one 30# DB)
3. Alt reverse weighted lunge (15# DBs)
4. 2 way calf raise (toes out then in) (20# DBs)
5. 60 second break
6. Repeat #1-5
7. Weighted side-to-side squat (one 30# DB)
8. Weighted squat (25# DBs)
9. Weighted chair step back (15# DBs)
10. Weighted calf raise (20# DBs)
11. 60 second break
12. Repeat #7-11
13. Weighted deadlift (35# DBs)
14. Weighted wall squat (one 20# DB)
15. Weighted lunge pulse (L) (20# DBs)
16. Weighted lunge pulse (R) (20# DBs)
17. 60 second break
18. Repeat #13-17

V6 Back & Abs is 33 minutes long; 2:20 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment needed: dumbbells, a pull bar (optional) and a fitness mat. Like The Foundation, the object of this workout is not endurance but strength/hypertrophy. So even tho you have 45 seconds to complete each move, the idea is to lift heavy and lift slow so that you only complete 8-12 reps in that 45 second interval. Here is the set up for this workout: 45 seconds back move, 15 seconds recovery, 45 seconds core move, 15 seconds recovery, repeat–but different back/core exercises (so a total of 4 different exercises), 60 second break. This was an excellent workout. I did the dumbbell variations rather than the pull ups. I do have a pull up bar in my workout room but I am not that strong. I can only do 2 unassisted pull ups before I have to use an assist (at least that was what I was cranking out the last time I tried–a few months ago), and getting my foot in and out of the assist wastes time that I could be using to work my back (my second favorite muscle group to work). This was an excellent workout. I felt the burn in my back all morning long after I completed this. Below I list the dumbbells I used. I may have to go a little heavier in the future since sometimes I cranked out 13 reps. I have one “issue” with this workout. It has to do with one exercise: the rear back fly. In this workout, Jeff and Stu swapped off after an entire round. For instance, Jeff did exercises 1-4 while Stu pointed out form then when the exercises were repeated, Stu did exercises 1-4 while Jeff pointed out form. So Jeff was the first one to do this exercise (rear back fly). Jeff did not do a rear back fly. Before the exercise started, during the 15 second recovery, Stu demonstrated the fly properly, but Jeff used 30 pound weights for the fly which was clearly too heavy for him to execute a fly with proper form, so he basically did a traditional double arm back row, pulling his arms slightly to the side while rowing. When the circuit was repeated and Stu did the exercise, he lowered the weight and did a proper fly with good form. Even while Jeff was performing the exercise the first time around, Stu did demonstrate proper form with no weights. But he doesn’t say anything. And something form correction needed to be made. If you are new to lifting and don’t know what a back fly is or how it is supposed to be performed–this is very misleading. So for anyone reading this review before doing the workout–Stu is the one to follow to do a back fly properly. Other than that, this was an overall excellent workout. It worked my back and my core excellently.

1. Pull up or bent over row (20# DBs)
2. Basic crunch (one 10# DB)
3. Chin up or reverse grip row (20# DBs)
4. Leg lift pulse (lay on back, legs straight and raised a few inches off ground; pulse legs up and down)
5. 60 second recovery
6. Repeat #1-5
7. One arm lat row (L) (one 30# DB)
8. Legs up toe touch (lay on back, legs straight and raised to ceiling, raise hands to toes)
9. One arm lat row (R) (one 30# DB)
10. Extension hold to V-up
11. 60 second recovery
12. Repeat #7-11
13. Hammer grip 2 arm row (30# DBs)
14. Oblique V crunch (L)
15. Rear back fly (15# DBs)
16. Oblique V crunch (R)
17. 60 second recovery
18. Repeat #13-17

The T-Zone: Chest & Shoulders is 33 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment needed: dumbbells, a chair and a fitness mat. This is yet another excellent strength workout. I am really loving these Tier 2 workouts. I feel them burning in my muscles hours after the workout is over. This workout is set up in a similar fashion as all of the other Tier 2 strength workouts: 45 seconds chest move, 15 seconds recovery, 45 seconds shoulder move, 15 seconds recovery, repeat–but different chest/shoulder exercises (so a total of 4 different exercises), 60 second break. You basically only have three 4 exercise rounds/circuits that you repeat, but when you repeat the three rounds you do different push up variations, so I just broke down all 6 rounds. Just like the other Tier 2 strength workouts, the object is strength/hypertrophy. So even tho you have 45 seconds to complete each move, the idea is to lift heavy and lift slow so that you only complete 8-12 reps in that 45 second interval. The weights listed below are what I used for this workout and they worked pretty well for me. I could probably increase my weight for some of the exercises in the future–chest press, chest fly, shoulder press and overhead lateral raise, specifically.

1. DB chest press (25# DBs)
2. Front shoulder raise (10# DBs)
3. Decline push up (feet on chair)
4. Lateral raise (10# DBs)
5. 60 second recovery
6. DB fly (25# DBs)
7. Shoulder press (15# DBs)
8. Wide push up hold (hold momentarily at bottom of push up)
9. Upright row (12# DBs)
10. 60 second recovery
11. Narrow DB press (20# DBs)
12. Alt underhand front press (15# DBs)
13. Diamond push up (hands in a diamond–so works triceps a lot, too)
14. Overhead lateral raise (8# DBs)
15. 60 second recovery
16. DB chest press (25# DBs)
17. Front shoulder raise (10# DBs)
18. Alt balance push up (soldier push ups)
19. Lateral raise (10# DBs)
20. 60 second recovery
21. DB fly (25# DBs)
22. Shoulder press (15# DBs)
23. Wide push ups fingers in/out (change hand position w/ each push up)
24. Upright row (12# DBs)
25. 60 second recovery
26. Narrow DB press (10# DBs)
27. Alt underhand front press (15# DBs)
28. Alt alligator push up (one hand in front and one hand close to side; alternate each push up)
29. Overhead lateral raise (8# DBs)

The Pipes: Arms is 33 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2:45 minute stretch. Equipment needed: dumbbells, a chair and a fitness mat. I am becoming a bit redundant during Tier 2 but I can’t help it! This is another excellent strength workout. This workout really burned out my biceps and triceps. This workout is set up in a similar fashion as all of the other Tier 2 strength workouts: 45 second bicep move, 15 second recovery, 45 second tricep move, 15 second recovery, repeat–but different bicep/tricep exercises (so a total of 4 different exercises), 60 second break. This workout is a little different than the other Tier 2 strength workouts because you never repeat any exercise. You have 6 unique rounds/circuits. Just like the other Tier 2 strength workouts, the object is strength/hypertrophy. So even tho you have 45 seconds to complete each move, the idea is to lift heavy and lift slow so that you only complete 8-12 reps in that 45 second interval. Again, the weights listed below are what I used and they worked very well for me. I could probably have used 15 pound dumbbells for the overhead tricep extensions, but for everything else I was pretty spot on for my strength level.

1. Alt supination curls (17.5# DBs)
2. Two arm kickback (10# DBs)
3. Two arm wide curl (15# DBs)
4. Overhead tricep extensions (12# DBs)
5. 60 second recovery
6. Two arm narrow curl (15# DBs)
7. Lying skull crusher (15# DBs)
8. Kneeling hammer curl (17.5# DBs)
9. Chair dip
10. 60 second recovery
11. Lower half curl (15# DBs)
12. Alt front tricep extension (12# DBs)
13. Upper half curl (15# DBs)
14. Side lying tricep push up (L)
15. 60 second recovery
16. Two arm curl to punch (12# DBs)
17. Alt narrow tricep press (20# DBs)
18. Wide/narrow bicep hold (12# DBs)
19. Side lying tricep push up (R)
20. 60 second recovery
21. Two arm reverse curl (12# DBs)
22. Bridge dip (tricep dips in one leg bridge)
23. Kneeling wide hammer curl (15# DBs)
24. Slow narrow push up
25. 60 second recovery
26. Static hold and curl (15# DBs)
27. Single DB overhead extension (one 25# DB)
28. Alt chair concentration curl (15# DBs)
29. Straight arm behind back pulse (8# DBs)

Tier 3 Workouts: These are the toughest and most advanced workouts in this program; two in particular are brutal: Last Stand and Back Breaker. Tier 3 workouts are all also my favorite type of workout: cardio + strength. And what is very cool (and unusual) is that they are isolation workouts. It is easy to find cardio + strength total body workouts (lots of trainers) and cardio + strength lower body workouts (Cathe of course!). It’s even  possible (though not easy) to find cardio + strength upper body workouts (Cathe, B.J. Gaddour)–but those work the entire upper body. Rippedism upper body cardio + strength workouts isolate muscle groups! And they are awesome! I loved this tier even tho at times it beat me up! They do structure your Tier 3 rotation to give you some recovery. For instance, the cardio in the Chest, Arms and Shoulders workouts is not as challenging as the cardio in the Legs and Back workouts–so even tho you are doing cardio + strength every day (except your rest day and your yoga day) they aren’t pounding your joints every day. However, in the program rotation they do put Legs and Back on consecutive days. I suggest splitting them up. Swap one of them with your Equalizer day (yoga). They also have yoga one day and rest day the next day. Again–you don’t need two rest days in a row, so mixing your rotation up slightly works better anyway (in my opinion).

The Last Stand: Legs & Cardio is 34:30 minutes long; 2:15 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Right from the beginning of this workout, Stu and Jeff inform you that this is the hardest workout in the entire program. That is no lie. This was brutal. Here is the set up: 30 seconds weighted legs, 30 seconds burnout set, 1 minute cardio, 30 seconds recovery. That is one round. There are 12 rounds; actually 6 but each round is repeated, so 12 total. As in all of their workouts, Jeff and Stu swapped off by rounds, so they each only did half of the workout–and they were both worn out! And I was, too! But I did all 12 rounds! This workout was hard. During a few of the one minute cardio segments I had to stop for a few seconds to regroup–but I jumped right back in. BTW–“jump” is the operative word; all of the one minute cardios are plyometrics and some of the 30 second burnout sets are plyometric, too. The worst part for me was the one leg wall squats–they are near the end of the workout, so your legs are already fried. My working leg was shaking violently during the one leg wall squat. I was clasping my hands together in prayer as I waited for that timer to count down to zero, not knowing if I could stay in that one leg wall squat till it did. I may have stood 1-2 seconds early… Stu and Jeff were very encouraging during this workout. It is advanced and very hard but they suggest you move at your own speed, take breaks when you need to and work your way up to doing the full workout with no personal breaks. Another excellent, tough and effective workout.

1. Weighted squat (25# DBs)
2. Wall squat
3. Crescent squat jump (lunge jumps, w/ arms overhead 30 second each leg)
4. 30 second recovery
5. Repeat 1-4
6. Weighted sumo squat (one 35# DB)
7. Sumo wall squat
8. Plank runner (mountain climber)
9. 30 second recovery
10. Repeat 6-9
11. Side to side squat (one 30# DB)
12. Weighted squat jump (10# DBs)
13. Tuck jump
14. 30 second recovery
15. Repeat 11-14
16. Weighted calf press (heel raises) (20# DBs)
17. Weighted ski hop (lateral jumps) (10# DBs)
18. Cross hop (hop on one foot in a cross pattern)
19. 30 second recovery
20. Repeat 16-19
21. Weighted hamstring squat (one leg squat) (20# DBs)
22. Single leg wall squat
23. In/out plank (jump feet in and out while in plank)
24. 30 second recovery
25. Repeat 21-24
26. Forward lunge (15# DBs)
27. Weighted lunge pulse  (15# DBs)
28. Squat scissor jump (squat jump but scissor feet when jumping)
29. 30 second recovery
30. Repeat 26-29

Thorax Attack: Chest & Cardio is 34:30 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Since Last Stand Legs is the first Tier 3 workout I’ve done and this the second, this one seemed easy in comparison. It’s not easy–it’s a very good workout, but no where near as brutal as Last Stand Legs. The set up is basically the same as Last Stand Legs: 30 seconds chest move, 30 seconds burnout set, 1 minute cardio, 30 seconds recovery. The cardio in this workout is much easier. The chest is my least favorite muscle group to work, but I actually liked this workout, so bonus for me. It was intense and it works your chest well–mostly with lots of push ups. The weights below are what I used and I could probably lift heavier on some of the exercises the next time I do this workout.

1. Alt DB chest press (25# DBs)
2. Standard push up
3. Catcher stance burpee (burpee into squat–so you never stand)
4. 30 second recovery
5. Bottom half DB chest press (20# DBs)
6. Fingers out/in push up (like a plyo push up–change hand position w/ each push up w/ a little hand hop)
7. Standing mountain climber
8. 30 second recovery
9. DB fly leg scissor (20# DBs)
10. Wide push up
11. Shuffle forehand (shuffle side to side and do a tennis arm move)
12. 30 second recovery
13. Alt underhand cross chest press
14. Narrow push up
15. Cross country ski run
16. 30 second recovery
17. Narrow chest press to chest fly (20# DBs)
18. Decline push up (feet on chair or bench)
19. Side to side karate punch (side to side lunge, pivoting fast to each side)
20. 30 second recovery
21. Alt staggered hand push up
22. Commando (high to low plank)
23. High knee football run
24. 30 second recovery
25. Repeat everything

Joints Chiefs: Arms & Cardio is 35 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Another excellent cardio + strength workout. They have all been fast paced, but this one moves so quickly my heart rate was elevated even during the strength portions. The set up for this one is a little different from the last two Tier 3 workouts I’ve done: 30 seconds biceps, 30 seconds bicep burnout, 30 seconds tricep, 30 seconds tricep burnout, 30 seconds cardio, 30 second recovery. So the cardio has been reduced to 30 seconds. But like I said, the strength work is metabolic so my heart rate remained elevated the entire time. Plus, since you flow from one move into another, I had to use my 30 second recovery to set my dumbbells up for the next round. So basically you are moving non-stop–even during the recovery.

1. Two arm DB curl (17.5# DBs)
2. Alt DB supination curl (15# DBs)
3. Overhead tricep extension (15# DBs)
4. Dropset overhead tricep extension (10# DBs)
5. Cardio: Switch jump
6. 30 second recovery
7. Two arm wide DB curl (15# DBs)
8. Dropset two arm wide DB curl (12# DBs)
9. Two arm tricep kickback (12# DBs)
10. Dropset two arm tricep kickback (10# DBs)
11. Cardio: Jump shot
12. 30 second recovery
13. Two arm DB hammer curl (17.5# DBs)
14. Dropset alt DB hammer curl (12# DBs)
15. Tricep dips
16. Straight arm pulse back (8# DBs)
17. Cardio: Speed skater
18. 30 second recovery
19. Two arm narrow DB curl (15# DBs)
20. Dropset two arm narrow DB curl (12# DBs)
21. Skull crusher (15# DBs)
22. Single leg bridge dip
23. Cardio: Mountain climber
24. 30 second recovery
25. Concentration curl (one 17.5# DB)
26. Dropset concentration curl (one 10# DB)
27. Narrow push up
28. Knees down narrow push up
29. Cardio: 4 way skater hop
30. 30 second recovery
31. Repeat all exercises

Back Breaker: Back & Cardio is 35 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. D@mn. This was tough. In fact, I would rate this as the second hardest workout in the entire program after Last Stand: Legs & Cardio. These Tier 3 workouts are killer! The set up for this one is similar to Last Stand: Legs: 30 seconds back move, 30 seconds burn out set, 1 minute cardio, 30 seconds recovery. And it was brutal. Especially those first two circuits and since you repeat them immediately, the first 9 minutes of this workout is killer. The cardio does get easier after those first two circuits, which is the only reason it is a bit easier than Last Stand: Legs. Just like in Tier 2’s V6 workout, I didn’t use a pull up bar. I cannot do a lot of pull ups and the working periods are short and flow one right into the next–so I want to give my back the entire 30 seconds of focused work, so I used dumbbells for everything. Listed below are the dumbbells I used. When I look at them, I feel like I should have been able to lift heavier (since in other workouts I can), but the way this workout is structured, even those weights were wearing me out! However, on the deadlifts, I can probably increase my heavies to 40 pounds the next time. Otherwise, the weights listed definitely burned my back out!

1. Pull up or prone grip row (25# DBs)
2. Bentover front row (15# DBs)
3. Cardio: Starting block (one arm mountain climber)
4. 30 seconds recovery
5. Repeat 1-4
6. Chin up or reverse grip row (20# DBs)
7. Reverse grip row (15# DBs)
8. Cardio: 180 surfer jump
9. 30 second recovery
10. Repeat 6-9
11. Dual grip pull up or hammer row (25# DBs)
12. Hammer grip row (15# DBs)
13. Cardio: High knee to hurdle
14. 30 second recovery
15. Repeat 11-14
16. Weighted renegade row (25# DBs)
17. No weight renegade row
18. Cardio: Grounded field and throw
19. 30 second recovery
20. Repeat 16-19
21. Weighted deadlift (35# DBs)
22. Dropset weighted deadlift (25# DBs)
23. Cardio: Single leg tuck jump
24. 30 second recovery
25. Repeat 21-22
26. Cardio: Pike kick (donkey kicks)
27. 30 second recovery
28. Weighted superhero pulse (3# DBs)
29. No weight superhero pulse
30. Cardio: Floor touch rainbow (wide lateral jumps, reaching overhead and touching toe w/ both hands; alternate sides)
31. 30 second recovery
32. Repeat 28-30

Delta: Shoulders & Cardio is 34:30 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Another tough and excellent Tier 3 workout. Not the hardest of the Tier 3 workouts but it still does a great job working your shoulders and giving you cardio. The set up is: 30 seconds shoulders, 30 second burnout set, 1 minute cardio, 30 second recovery. My shoulders are burning. I feel like they got worked better than any other shoulder workout I’ve ever done. But I have a confession to make. This isn’t the only workout I did. Once I finished it, I followed it immediately with Rippedism’s Bonus Shoulders & Arms (scroll down for that review) so I could get in my morning hour. So between this workout and that one, my shoulders are fried. They have been burning (in a good way!) for hours. There is one thing I didn’t like about this workout but it is easily fixable if you also don’t like it. The first time through, I did everything as presented. A lot of the shoulder exercises are done in chair pose. This not only started hurting my lower back but I also couldn’t lift as heavy. So the second time through the circuit, every time they did an exercise in chair,  I just stood and lifted heavier. Worked much better for me. I also want to note that they have you doing chair pose in other workouts, but it didn’t bother me in those other workouts. Probably because it wasn’t done so consistently. But in this workout, my back just didn’t like it.  The dumbbells listed below are what I lifted the second time through each exercise.

1. Chair sit DB press (15# DBs)
2. Alt DB inward press (overhead press w/palms facing each other) (10# DBs)
3. Cardio: Prisoner jack to squat jump (4 reps of each)
4. 30 second recovery
5. Chair sit front raise (10# DBs)
6. Sumo squat alt punch (5# DBs)
7. Cardio: High knee to lateral hop (4 high knees, 2 hops)
8. 30 seconds recovery
9. Upright row clean and press (15# DBs)
10. Upright row (10# DBs)
11. Cardio: DB kettlebell swing and hop (one 10# DB)
12. 30 seconds recovery
13. Chair sit underhand DB press (12# DBs)
14. Double hammer punch (5# DBs)
15. Cardio: Fast feet forward/back jump (jump forward and back fast)
16. 30 second recovery
17. Pike press (pike push up)
18. Chair sit rear fly (10# DBs)
19. Cardio: DB jack (one 10# DB)
20. 30 second recovery
21. DB shrug (10# DBs)
22. Weighted arm circle (5# DBs)
23. Cardio: Cross knee run (high knee run, but cross knees to opposite side as you run)
24. 30 second recovery
25. Repeat all exercises

Overall Program Workouts: These two workout are used throughout the entire 60 days–they are not unique to any one tier. So I am separating them from the tiers below.

Washboard Abs is 11 minutes w/ a 1 minute stretch (which is just a long cobra hold then a child’s pose). You need light dumbbells for this workout. I used one 5 pound dumbbell. You do each exercise for 30 seconds and get 10 seconds of recovery. It is only Jeff and Stu in this workout and they swap off during this workout–one doing the exercise and one giving form pointers. This is a good core workout, tho not the best I’ve ever done. But I was getting very frustrated (see update at end of this paragraph) because it kept pausing on me to buffer, sometimes throwing me out of the workout entirely. So an 11 minute workout took longer than it should have. The sound also cut out during the second move but returned during the third. Since all of these things happened again as I am writing this review (and referencing the workout as I write–so they are still present), this is apparently a problem with this workout and not my system. The 35 minute workout I did before this one played perfectly with zero problems. (Also, this is the only workout in the entire program I had this problem with–everything else streamed perfectly.) ***Update: They have re-uploaded this workout. I just checked and it plays fine all the way through now.***

1. Weighted crunch (holding one DB in both hands, do a basic crunch w/ feet raised off ground)
2. 3 way windshield wiper
3. Hands back scissors
4. Weighted hip raise (side elbow plank raise and lower w/DB on hip)
5. Legs up toe touch pulse
6. Spread eagle reach through (legs raised and spread in a V, reach hands through legs)
7. 9-3 low plank walk (in elbow plank, walk feet up to hands on one side of body; alternate sides)
8. C-sit alt reach back (one arm chest fly, passing DB from hand to hand while in C sit)
9. Al plank reach out/under (straight arm plank)
10. Lying ball crunch toe touch (crunch knees to elbows then straight legs to ceiling and reach hands to feet)
11. Oblique crunch (straight leg jack knifes)
12. Baby criss cross (get into C sit, then straighten legs in front of you and do small scissors)
13. Bicycle

The Equalizer: Isometrics & Stretch is 33 minutes long. This is an interesting yoga inspired workout. Definitely not traditional yoga even though it is comprised of traditional yoga moves. There are no sun salutations, no flowing movements. You get into a pose and hold it for 40 seconds then you have 20 seconds of recovery before doing the next move. It is exactly what the subtitle says–isometric holds (body weight strength) and stretching. It’s actually a good and effective workout. I frequently used the 20 second recovery between moves for some flowing counter stretches.

1. Warrior 1 (L)
2. Warrior 1 (R)
3. Down dog bent leg raise (L)
4. Down dog bent leg raise (R)
5. Bridge hold (crab)
6. C-sit hold (bent knee boat)
7. Warrior 2 (L)
8. Warrior 2 (R)
9. Low plank hold (elbow plank)
10. Pigeon chair pose (L) (standing figure 4)
11. Pigeon chair pose (R)
12. High plank hold
13. Reverse warrior (L)
14. Reverse warrior (R)
15. Side plank (L) (straight arm)
16. Side plank (R)
17. V-sit hold (full boat pose)
18. Triangle (L)
19. Triangle (R)
20. Warrior 3 (L)
21. Warrior 3 (R)
22. Upward dog
23. Spread leg C-sit (same as # 6 but knees separated/open)
24. Camel
25. Low plank reach (L) (hold one arm elbow plank w/ other arm held straight in front of you)
26. Low plank reach (R)
27. Half moon (L)
28. Half moon (R)
29. 3 level right angle pose (L) (you just progress through 3 levels of right angle pose)
30. 3 level right angle pose (R)
31. Sumo right angle pose (in sumo squat, place one hand on ground and raise the other overhead, twisting spine)
32. Sumo tip toe right angle pose (same as #31 but you are up on your toes)
33. Child’s pose

Bonus Workouts: As I mention in the overview, none of these workouts are included in the rotation calendar. They are just bonuses for you to use whenever and however you want. But I do have some suggestions. Washboard Part 2 is obvious–swap it out for Washboard 1. Use Shoulders & Arms as a finisher to any of the shoulder or arm workouts. Just make sure you aren’t working shoulders or arms the next day (as in, if it was a shoulder day and you add it on, make sure you aren’t working arms the next day). Full Body Intro workout is a little more complicated since this program is made up of muscle spit workouts. It’s a great workout, so I suggest if you want to use it, fit it into Tier 1, but make sure it is not the day before or after either of the strength workouts (The Cellar and Upper Deck). Also, during any of the Tiers, if you are having a week where you cannot get in all of your strength workouts, use this to hit every muscle group and cover your bases so that you haven’t lost as much ground when you return to the program.

Shoulders & Arms is 22 minutes long; 2 minute warm up and 1:20 minute stretch. This is a very fast paced workout. It does a great job working arms and shoulders, but you do have to run through it once to get an idea of what weights to use (and write it down of course!). Then when you return to this workout again, you can use the 20 second recovery to set your weights up. Something different about this workout is that you use a barbell for some of the exercise. There is no time to change plates on your barbell so you will either have to stick with the same weight throughout (which is what Jeff and Stu did) or have several barbells prepared (which is what I did, since I own 3 barbells and lots of plates). Also, if you don’t own a barbell, just substitute dumbbells. Here is the set up: You do 3 moves, one right after the other with no break in between–shoulder exercise, tricep exercise, bicep exercise. 20 seconds of recovery then repeat. Unlike all of the other workouts in this program, they do not give you the workout break down at the beginning and the only timer you get is for the 20 second recovery. However, I timed the intervals myself while writing this review and it appears you do each exercise for 25 seconds. The intervals did seem a significantly shorter than the other workout intervals while I was doing the workout. I probably could have lifted heavier than what is listed below; however, I did this workout immediately after doing Delta: Shoulders & Cardio–so this served as a sort of finisher and my shoulders were already worn out!

1. 3 level shoulder raise (raise arms from side and arc them up so they almost touch directly in front of you–chin level, repeat but a bit higher (eye level), repeat but higher (overhead)) (8# DBs)
2. Tri lunge kickback (tricep kickbacks while in lunge) (10# DBs)
3. Chair seated bicep curls (15# DBs)
4. 20 second recovery
5. Repeat 1-4
6. Arnold press (15# DBs)
7. Tri rear overhead extension (overhead tricep extensions) (12# DBs)
8. Alt front/wide lunge curl (alternate between front bicep curls and wide bicep curls while in lunge) (15# DBs)
9. 20 seconds recovery
10. Repeat 6-9
11. Sumo squat punches (8# DBs)
12. Alt front tricep extensions (10# DBs)
13. Lunge curl to press (15# DBs)
14. 20 second recovery
15. Repeat 11-14
16. Barbell overhead press (30# BB)
17. Tricep dips on floor
18. Standard bicep curls w/ barbell (30# BB)
19. 20 second recovery
20. Repeat 16-19
21. Upright barbell row (30# BB)
22. Straight arm tricep pulse back w/ barbell (20# BB)
23. Barbell reverse curls (20# BB)
24. 20 second recovery
25. Repeat 21-24
26. Underhand barbell overhead press (30# BB)
27. Narrow push up (tricep push up)
28. Elbow back curls w/ barbell (30# BB)
29. 20 second recovery
30. Repeat 26-28

Full Body Intro Workout is 31:30 minutes; 1:45 minute warm up and 2:15 minute cool down/stretch. This is a short but effective total body cardio + strength workout. They hit every muscle group in the body plus you get great cardio. It is just like Tier 3 workouts. And it is tough like Tier 3 workouts, too. The set up is 30 second strength work, 30 seconds burnout, 45 seconds cardio, 30 seconds recovery. No exercise or round is repeated. I really enjoyed this workout. This is the free workout they offer to people to try out and decide if they want to sign up for the full program. It is a very good example of what you get in the program. Lots of variety and it is filled with moves that are throughout the rest of the program. However, it is most representative of Tier 3 workouts, which are the most advanced in the program. So know that you will be working your way up to this level. It moves fast so get your dumbbells ready during your 30 second recovery! Jeff and Stu lead this workout (obviously), but there are also two female exercisers present, one is showing modifications for the majority of the moves. As usual, listed below are the weights I used for this workout.

1. Narrow chest press in bridge (20# DBs)
2. Wide push up
3. Cardio: high knee run
4. 30 second recovery
5. Narrow bridge chest fly (25# DBs)
6. Standard push up
7. Cardio: In/out plank
8. 30 second recovery
9. Reverse grip row (20# DBs)
10. Prone grip row (20# DBs)
11. Cardio: 180 surfer jump (180 jump squats)
12. 30 second recovery
13. Hammer grip row (25# DBs)
14. Superhero pulse (supermans)
15. Cardio: Plank spider run (wide mountain climbers)
16. 30 second recovery
17. Overhead shoulder press (15# DBs)
18. Pike position press (pike push up)
19. Cardio: Basketball shot (squat jumps)
20. 30 second recovery
21. W shoulder fly (bent arm lateral raise) (10# DBs)
22. T static hold (lateral straight arm isometric hold) (8# DBs)
23. Cardio: Mountain climbers
24. 30 second recovery
25. Weighted squats (25# DBs)
26. Weighted chair sit (one 10# DB)
27. Cardio: Crescent lunge jump (alternating plyo jump lunges w/ arms held overhead)
28. 30 second recovery
29. Weighted sumo pulse (one 35# DB)
30. Sumo hold calf raise
31. Cardio: Plank knee to elbow cross run (mountain climbers angling knees to opposite elbow)
32. 30 second recovery
33. Lunge supination curl (17.5# DBs)
34. Lunge reverse curl (12# DBs)
35. Cardio: Forward/back fast hop
36. 30 second recovery
37. Upper half curl (15# DBs)
38. Lunge hammer curl (15# DBs)
39. Cardio: Catcher stance burpee (burpee into a deep squat–so you never stand)
40. 30 second recovery
41. Overhead tricep extension (15# DBs)
42. Floor tricep dips (in crab)
43. Cardio: Floor touch rainbow (wide lateral jumps, reaching overhead and touching toe w/ both hands; alternate sides)
44. 30 second recovery
45. Reverse tricep pulse (arms straight, raise DBs behind you) (10# DBs)
46. Tricep push ups
47. Cardio: Burpee tuck jump

The Washboard–Part 2 is 17:30 minutes long; 1 minute warm up and 1 minute stretch. Washboard Part 2 is a significantly harder core workout than Washboard Part 1. Plus, it had zero buffering problems, so Yay! This was a very challenging core workout. The set up is: 45 second core move and 10 second recovery. You do 17 exercise that way. Your core will be burning! This is a perfect way to continue to progress with this program. Once Washboard Part 1 gets easy–swap out Part 2. It will definitely challenge you. You need a light dumbbell for one exercise.

1. Scissor 1/2 pulse (straight leg reverse lunge then scissor one leg down; alternate legs)
2. Alt table top heel touch (lay on back, knees bent and raise and touch hands to same side heels; alternate sides)
3. Arm pump crunch hold (similar to a pilates hundred but with feet on ground)
4. Low side plank hold (L) (top arm is reached under body and held there in an isometric hold)
5. Repeat #4 on R
6. Alt star crunch (lay on back and touch hand to opposite foot (straight legs); alternate sides)
7. Extended plank hold pulse
8. Slow bicycle w/ leg extension
9. Weighted leg extension (DB between feet, lay on back, head/neck raised and bring knees into chest then press out straight)
10. Legs up alt twist
11. Banana ball crunch (banana hold then crunch into a ball; alternate two moves)
12. Legs up prisoner cross touch (lay on back, straight legs raised to ceiling, hands behind head and head/neck raised; touch one hand to opposite foot; alternate sides)
13. Hands free kneel in (in C sit, bring knees in and out with arms straight at sides)
14. Hands free bicycle (bicycle legs in C sit)
15. Side/side straight leg raise (like windshield wipers, but angle straight legs/feet toward floor diagonally)
16. Extended legs pulse up (similar to boat pose but w/ palms on floor; raise and lower straight legs and torso)
17. Legs up hold to criss cross (lay on back, head/neck raised and straight legs raised a few inches off floor; scissor legs then raise straight legs to ceiling and reach hands toward feet and hold)

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