URX-MT: Metabolic Intervals and Circuits

URX-MT stands for Urban Rebounding Extreme Metabolic Training. I actually bought the entire series as a program. The program is made up of 13 workouts but you can buy each workout individually on the Urban Rebounder site, so that is how I will be reviewing them. The program apparently originally came with more than just the rebounder and the workouts. It also came with sandbag hand weights that you can no longer purchase. I think all of the workouts in the program use the sandbags. They range from 1-3 pounds. I actually own a set of 1 pound sandbag hand weights that I have no clue when I got or why. I don’t think I have ever used them before so maybe they came with some other program I purchased a million years ago. I used those for this workout. I did not purchase an Urban Rebounder. My rebounder is a different brand. I also did not buy the DVD program from the Urban Rebounder website. I found it much cheaper on Ebay.

Metabolic Intervals and Circuit is a tough workout led by trainer Gregg Cook. It was my intro to rebounding and I will not lie, it was not the best choice for an intro workout. It wasn’t fun and it really wasn’t what I was looking for when I decided I wanted to do rebounder workouts. I really wanted fun cardio workouts done on the rebounder. I was not looking for easy workouts. I was/am looking for intense, fun workouts that are easy on the joints. And the cardio portions of this workout really aren’t bad at all. I did enjoy them. It was the bodyweight strength work that was super tough and there was a lot of it. In addition, I bought the rebounder and rebounder workouts with the understanding that these were supposed to be easy on the joints–no impact but you are actually jumping, right? And I did find that to be true for the cardio segments done on the rebounder. But then Gregg has you do burpees off the rebounder (only your hands are on the rebounder) with a tuck jump on the floor. What is the point of doing a rebounder workout if you are doing tuck jumps on the floor? BTW–in the intro to the entire program, the creator JB Berns states specifically that he created this program to be easy on the joints. In fact, if you go to the Urban Rebounder site’s FAQ, it says “the Urban Rebounder was designed as a low-impact workout that is easy on your joints, so rather than running and jumping on hard surfaces that causes trauma to your body, the Urban Rebounder absorbs the weight and impact for a more gentle workout. So, whether you have an injury or want to avoid one, the Urban Rebounder is one of the most low impact workouts for your body.” So… why are floor tuck jumps in the very first workout in the program? I do need to add that I do not have joint problems. I do have plates and screws in my heels but 90% of the time, I have no problems with impact. I just really enjoy intense low impact workouts.

With all that said, I have previewed a few of the other workouts in the program and they look like they are more of what I was wanting in rebounder workouts. So those reviews will be posting in the coming weeks. I do plan to try all of the workouts in the program, in spite of the fact I am not thrilled with this one. There has to be at least a few workouts out of 13 that I love and will come back to, right?

A couple things I learned about rebounders doing this workout. First, the canvas trampoline portion of the rebounder is not soft. I had to grab a yoga mat for the forearm/elbow planks because it hurt my skin. My rebounder has a bar in front of it for balance (the rebounder used in the workout doesn’t). It does get in the way for some of the arm movements so I had to turn to the side to do those–not a big deal since I can still see the TV. And finally, the rebounder is an unstable surface, even as tight as the canvas is pulled so, for me, the bar is necessary to be able to grab for balance (those plates and screws in my heels again) and this workout at least had a few balance moves.

Workout #1 Metabolic Intervals and Circuit is 49 minutes; no warm up and 1:30 minute stretch. This is an interval workout. The workout starts just doing one 30 second interval at a time but then Gregg starts stacking intervals back to back. You do get plenty of active recoveries. Equipment: rebounder and sandbag hand weights (or very light DBs–1-3 pounds). The core work done at the end is high rep–you’ve been warned!

1. Forearm plank hold with forearms on rebounder; add alternating arm punches straight in front of you
2. Side plank hold with elbow/forearm on rebounder and other arm reaching toward ceiling; add raising and lowering top leg
3. Reverse plank with hands on edge of rebounder; add alternating leg raises
4. Repeat #2 on other side of body
5. Stationary lunge hold with front leg/foot on rebounder, one fist is pressed into other palm in front of chest; add rotating torso/arms toward front leg
6. Repeat #5 on other side of body
7. Stand on rebounder with legs wide and bounce; add pulling arms down from overhead and bringing elbows down to sides; changes to punching arms up/out to side with fist/palms facing the ceiling
8. With feet together, hop side to side, pulling arms down from overhead
9. Hop with legs wide while cross punching arms in front of you
10. Repeat #8
11. Interval: hop with legs wide and do a grapple throw (hands clasped, reach overhead then bring hands down hip to overhead to other hip)
12. Repeat #7 but add directional changes
13. Repeat #8-11 but don’t do #11 as an interval (so it is done slower)
14. Jacks while chopping clasped hands down from overhead
15. Hop while doing a cross chop with clasped hands
16. High knee jog; changes to slow high knee jog (holding knee raise briefly)
17. Interval: high knee sprint
18. Hop on rebounder doing double jabs to side, alternate sides with directional changes; changes to alternating single-single-double punch combo
19. Repeat #13-16
20. Repeat #18
21. (grab sandbag weights) Repeat #14 holding sandbag weights
22. Interval: Continue #21 but fast; changes to high knee sprint
23. Wide leg forearm plank with forearms on rebounder, still holding sandbags; add alternating front punches
24. Repeat #21-22
25. (set sandbags aside) Repeat #19 & 20
26. Interval: (step off rebounder) Squat thrust into tuck jump (hands on edge of rebounder when doing squat thrust, tuck jump is done on floor)
27. Interval: Plyo push ups with hands on rebounder
28. Repeat #3
29. Repeat #26
30. Interval: side to side plyo push ups, one hand is on the floor and one is on the rebounder, bounce to change sides
31. Repeat #25
32. (grab sandbag weights) Repeat #11 with sandbag weights
33. Stationary lunges with back leg on rebounder behind you, push arms/sandbags overhead as you lunge
34. Side forearm plank hold with forearm on rebounder, other arm (holding both sandbags) is extended straight overhead; add raising and lowering top leg while also raising and lowering arm holding sandbags in front of you
35. Repeat #32
36. Repeat #33 on other side of body
37. Repeat #25
38. Repeat #18 but fast while holding sandbags (Interval)
39. Spiderman push ups with feet on rebounder (bring elbow to same side knee when lowering, alternate legs) (2 of the background exercisers are just doing regular push ups with feet elevated on rebounder)
40. Repeat #34 on other side of body
41. Repeat #38
42. Push ups with hands on rebounder
43. Repeat #25
44. Repeat #15 but fast holding sandbags (Interval)
45. Repeat #8 but fast holding sandbags (Interval)
46. Stationary lunge hold with front leg/foot on rebounder, sandbags held together in front of chest w/ elbows out to side
47. Repeat #46 on other side of body
48. Repeat #44 chopping to other side of body
49. Repeat #45
50. Repeat #25 holding sandbags
51. Lay on rebounder with head/shoulders raised, sandbags held between feet, legs extended straight, hands behind head, raise and lower straight legs in this position
52. Cannon ball crunch (still laying on rebounder, a sandbag in each hand, do a full crunch bringing knees into chest while also bringing sandbags together over knees then pushing legs out straight while also extending arms out to sides in a T)
53. Kneel on rebounder, one knee on rebounder, other leg extended straight, one hand on floor and other hand holding both sandbags, in this position, raise and lower straight arm holding sandbags
54. Repeat #53 on other side of body
55. Lay on back on rebounder, knees bent and feet on floor, sandbags held together over head, do sit ups while also lifting one leg and reaching sandbags toward foot, alternate legs with each sit up
56. Sit on rebounder, heels on floor, spine straight and torso leaned back slightly, extend arms holding sandbags to side, open and close arms in front of you, passing sandbags from hand to hand