Rippedism Combine

Rippedism Combine is the newest program from Stu Lopoten and Jeff Hirsch. Rippedism is a workout streaming site. The cost is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year. If you sign up, you get a lot more than just this program. They have two earlier programs: the original Rippedism and Rippedism 2, plus Rippedism Raw (the review for that program will post in about a week). They also currently have 11 bonus workouts (more will probably be added in the future). They also have a nutrition plan. The nutrition plan and a few of the bonus workouts are discussed in the original Rippedism review, so if you are interested, check out that review. As already mentioned, these workouts are streamed. Their website has a page with videos that show you how to use the website and how to use their app. I used the app to do these workouts. I have an iPhone and an AppleTV, so I used airplay and did the workouts on my TV. If you visit this link, Jeff & Stu have created a video trailer for this program.

Jeff’s has a background in track and field, and ice hockey. He is also a triathlete, a bootcamp instructor and a personal trainer. Stu is also a personal trainer who teaches bootcamp, cardio sculpting, HIIT and resistance training. Just like in the other programs, Stu and Jeff are very encouraging. They want you to give it your all and do your best. They show modifications to some of the exercises and encourage you to move at your own pace. Something to keep in mind. These workouts are seriously advanced. Jeff and Stu are are in amazing physical shape, yet only doing half of the workout kicks their a$$es–doing the entire workout is guaranteed to kick yours.

And these workouts kicked my butt–big time! Sometimes I even had to do the modifications. They are all metabolic workouts. So you will burn a bunch of calories while also building muscle and conditioning your body. I worked very hard in all of these workouts. I had some serious muscle soreness, too–especially my arms and back. I found these to be excellent additions to Rippedism’s growing library of workouts. Jeff & Stuff present each of their workout programs in the form of rotations to make it easy for you. You do not have to decide which workout to do or what order to do them in. You just decide which program you want to do and follow the rotation they have laid out. They also have hybrid rotations, combining two of their programs together. So lots of variety.

In each workout review below, in addition to giving the workout breakdown, I give my thoughts on the workout, written after completing it, and I also list the weights I used. Always much lighter than what Jeff & Stu are using, but it is a good example of how these workouts are accessible to all fitness levels. Use the the appropriate weight for your strength level and modify any exercise that is too advanced for you. Repetition is the key to increasing your strength and fitness level, so as you work through this (and Rippedism’s other workouts) as programs, you will lift heavier and be able to do the more advanced levels of the exercises.

If you do all of these workouts in a week, you will work your entire body. It contains a workout that focuses on your upper body push muscles (AMRAP), a workout that focuses on your upper body pull muscles (METCON Pyramid), a total body workout (EMOM), a core workout (4×4 Core) and a lower body focused workout (Tabata). There is also a kettlebell workout which is basically total body but only your back, lower body and shoulders get focused work; however, every other muscle group in your body will be engaged at some point as ancillary muscle groups. And you also get a wonderful recovery day workout–Yoga Box, which I loved. Personally, I would structure the rotation a little differently than they did. I would do Tabata, 4×4 Core, Kettlebell or Yoga Box between METCON Pyramid and EMOM. They put them back to back in the rotation but I think your back muscles need more recovery time after METCON Pyramid. Even swapping the order of the two workouts would suffice since METCON Pyramid fries your back but EMOM just works it nicely.

This program is filmed in an empty warehouse. The workouts are all approximately 36 minutes and contain warm ups and stretches. Each workout has a count down clock in the lower right hand corner of the screen, counting down the minutes of the workout. Since all of the workouts are timed in some fashion, there is also an interval timer in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Just like in all of their programs, Jeff and Stu trade off who does the exercises in all of the workouts. While one of them is doing the exercise, the other one is acting as trainer and pointing out proper form.

AMRAP is 35:49 minutes; 1:20 minute intro, 2 minute warm up, 5 minute core bonus and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells (Jeff & Stu are using 30 and 10 pound dumbbells). AMRAP stands for As Many Reps As Possible in a one minute time frame. You have 18 one minute rounds with 20 seconds of rest between each round. It ends with a core bonus. This workout focuses on push muscles (chest, shoulders and triceps). There is a timer in the upper left hand corner, counting down your one minute intervals and 20 second recoveries. Wow! This was a tough workout. Jeff and Stu hit you hard right out of the gate with the single arm jerk press–that burned my shoulder out immediately. One minute felt like a long time for some of these exercises! This works more than chest, shoulders and triceps, though they get lots of excellent work; your core, lower body and biceps will get some work, too. I was working very hard and got an excellent upper body workout. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Single arm jerk press (holding DB racked at shoulder do a single arm push press) (one 18# DB)
2. Repeat #1 with other arm
3. Push up DB pull through (in straight arm plank with one DB behind one hand, do one push up then pull the DB across floor until it is behind other hand) (one 18# DB)
4. Plank tricep kickback (in tripod plank, do a single arm tricep kickback, 30 seconds each arm) (one 10# B)
5. Weighted bear crawl (hold a DB in each hand, lower onto DBs and toes, knees bent and crawl forward about 4 steps and back about 4 steps) (10# DBs)
6. Devil’s press (start standing with legs wide, holding a DB in each hand, squat, placing DBs on floor, jump feet back to plank and lower into a push up, jump feet back in wide and swing DBs overhead) (10# DBs)
7. Bridge narrows press/fly (lay on back, knees bent and feet on ground, raise hips into bridge and hold isometrically, do a narrow chest press and at top of press do a chest fly) (15# DBs)
8. Cobra push up (straight arm plank with hands under shoulders, do a tricep push up but arch chest up like doing a cobra so you are only lowering your hips, but you are using your triceps to power the move)
9. Spider 2x + pike hop (2 spider/wide mountain climbers, step feet back to plank and jump straight legs in under body to hands then jump back to plank)
10. Thrusters (holding DBs at shoulders, squat and at top of squat, thrust DBs overhead) (15# DBs)
11. Squat DB cable cross (hold one DB in one hand at side, squat and at top of squat, raise DB (with straight arm) up and across body toward opposite shoulder (one 8# DB)
12. Repeat #11 on other arm
13. Assisted L-Sit (holding DBs, sit on mat and place DBs on floor on either side of hips, knees are bent and feet on floor, raise glutes/hips off ground and raise one leg, hold this position isometrically, 30 seconds each leg)
14. Switch jump knee drop (hold one DB in both hands, do alternating jump lunges chop DB to hip of front leg, when in lunge, tap back knee to floor) (one 8# DB)
15. Alternating DB snatch (start with legs wide and DB on floor between legs, hinge forward, bending knees slightly, and pick up DB with one hand, swing it overhead with straight arm and hold overhead briefly before lowering it back to floor, alternate arms) (one 15# DB)
16. Catcher burpee double swing (squat thrusts with DB swings–jump feet into wide squat and swing DBs up to eye level) (15# DBs)
17. Side plank curl under press (in straight arm side plank, reach one DB to ceiling with top arm then lower it, curling it under body, 30 seconds each side) (one 8# DB)
18. Clean, press, squat (3 cleans (bicep curl swing, bringing DBs to shoulders), 3 push presses (small squats with explosive overhead presses), 3 front squats (hold DBs at shoulder level) (15# DBs)

Core Bonus (exercises 1-4 are each done for 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest; exercise 5 is done for 60 seconds):

1. Weighted sit up rainbow (lay on back holding one DB in both hands overhead, do a full sit up and at top of sit up (torso still leaned back slightly), arc DB to floor on one side of body, overhead to the floor on the other side of body–like a rainbow) (one 8# DB)
2. Weighted get up (sit on one hip, knees bent, bottom arm is straight with hand on floor, other arm is holding DB raised to ceiling, lower body to mat while keeping top arm straight and DB raised then push back up–elbow back to hand) (Stu did this exercise) (one 8# DB)
3. Repeat #2 on other side of body (Jeff did this exercise and he actually laid back flat on the ground rather than on one hip)
4. 4 bicycles + one V up
5. Weighted side V up (lay on side, bottom arm extended straight on ground in front of you, top arm is holding a DB and raised to ceiling, legs are extended straight, push up with bottom arm onto hip while also raising straight legs into a V, reaching DB to feet, 30 seconds each side) (one 5# DB)

4×4 Core is 36:08 minutes; 1:30 minute intro, 2 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Equipment: 1 or 2 light dumbbells (Jeff & Stu are using 5 and 10 pounds). This workout is made up of 4 rounds. Each round consists of 8 exercises. Each exercise is done for 40 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest. There is a timer in the upper left hand corner, counting down your intervals and recoveries. First let me say that this is an excellent and advanced workout. I was working very hard. However, I did not enjoy this workout. This is a dread-factor workout. So many burpees and mountain climbers. I don’t mind burpees but I am not a fan of mountain climbers. I always do them when they appear in workouts because you usually don’t do 8 sets of them in a single workout–but you do in this workout! Each round has 4 cardio exercises; 2 of those cardio exercises contain burpees and the other 2 contain mountain climbers. And you do the same cardio exercises every round. The only thing that changes is the core exercises. I like the wide/spider mountain climbers much more than regular mountain climbers. Anyway–the point is, this is a very tough workout full of unpleasant exercises. I was working very hard and even started doing some of the modifications Jeff and Stu presented near the end of the workout. The weights listed below are what I used, not Jeff & Stu, though if it says I used a 10 pound dumbbell then that is what they used, too. They did use their 5 pound dumbbell for a few exercises but as often as I did.

Round 1:

1. Broad jump + burpee + 180 jump
2. Overhead sit up (lay on back, knees bent, hold one DB in both hands, do a full sit up keeping arms straight and raising DB overhead to ceiling at top of sit up) (one 10# DB)
3. 2x spider knee + drop jump (2 wide mountain climbers, keep legs in place after second mountain climber, raise torso and arms overhead and do one jump lunge to swap legs)
4. Extension + 4 Russian twists (hold one DB in both hands, extension = banana hold) (one 8# DB)
5. Burpee + side hop (lateral jump + burpee)
6. Knee floor touch hinge (while in kneeling lunge, extend same arm as front leg straight overhead while holding DB, keep arm/DB raised isometrically, other hand reaches to ground and touches floor then straight torso, while keeping other arm raised the entire time) (one 10# DB)
7. 8 mountain climbers + 4 bear shuffles (bear shuffles–in bear/beast (with knees bent, on hands and toes) shuffle feet side to side)
8. Plank row front side (in straight arm/tripod plank, free hand is holding DB, do one row + one front raise + one side raise) (one 5# DB)

30 second recovery

Round 2 (for this round you do the same cardio intervals as Round 1, but the core exercises are different):

1. Broad jump + burpee + 180 jump
2. Knee touch atlas chop (start in kneeling lunge holding one DB in both hands, chop DB from hip to over opposite shoulder then quickly squat leg positions and repeat on other side of body) (one 5# DB)
3. 2x spider knee + drop jump
4. Extension knee to chest curl (hold one DB in both hands, do a banana hold then bend knees and bring them into chest while bringing DB to shins then return to banana) (one 8# DB)
5. Burpee + side hop
6. Side bear crawl shoulder tap drag (in bear pose (with knees bent, on hands and toes) with one DB under chest, drag DB to side then side bear crawl walk so it is under chest again and alternate tapping opposite shoulder) (one 10# DB)
7. 8 mountain climbers + 4 bear shuffles
8. Cross arm/leg scissor reach (lay on back, DB in one hand and arms extended over head, lift one straight leg while reaching DB (which is in opposite hand) toward foot, 20 seconds each side) (one 5# DB)

30 second recovery

Round 3 (for this round you do the same cardio intervals as Round 1, but the core exercises are different):

1. Broad jump + burpee + 180 jump
2. Overhead sit up (same as Round 1 exercise 2) (one 103 DB)
3. 2x spider knee + drop jump
4. Reverse ankle crunch (lay on back, hold a DB between feet, hands are extended along sides on mat, head/shoulders elevated, extend legs/DB then bring knees into chest) (I started with a 5# DB then dropped it about 20 seconds into the move and did the exercise sans dumbbell)
5. Burpee + side hop
6. Straight leg pulse (lay on back, hold a DB between feet, hands are under glutes, head/shoulders elevated, extend legs straight and a few inches off the ground, in this position, pulse straight legs/DB up and down) (I didn’t bother with a DB this time)
7. 8 mountain climbers + 4 bear shuffles
8. 4 seated bicycles + DB switch (in C-sit with hands behind head, do 4 bicycles then pick up DB (which is on the floor beside hip) and while still in C sit with bent legs elevated off floor, arc DB overhead and place on floor beside other hip) (one 8# DB)

30 second recovery

Round 4 (for this round you do the same cardio intervals as Round 1, but the core exercises are different):

1. Broad jump + burpee + 180 jump
2. Flat leg straight arm Russian twist (sit with legs extended straight in front of you, hold one DB in both hands, lean torso back and arc DB with straight arms overhead to floor beside hip) (one 8# DB)
3. 2x spider knee + drop jump
4. Seated bike DB pass under (in C-sit with bent knees elevated, bicycle legs while passing one DB under knee as it raises and passing it to other hand) (one 5# DB)
5. Burpee + side hop
6. V hold pulse (hold one DB in both hands, lay on back with straight legs elevated off floor at approx 45 degrees, raise head/shoulders and pulse upward, reaching DB toward feet) (one 8# DB)
7. 8 mountain climbers + 4 bear shuffles
8. V sit iso arm hold (sit in V sit and hold one DB in arm extended to side–hold this position isometrically, swap hand holding DB halfway through interval) (one 5# DB)

METCON Pyramid is 35:36 minutes; 1:30 minute intro, 2 minute warm up and 3 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells (Stu & Jeff are using 30 and 25 pound dumbbells). This workout consists of 6 timed rounds. “Pyramid” means an exercise is added to the circuit each time you repeat it up to round 4, then you start subtracting exercises. You do 12 reps of each exercise. You do not have to keep pace with Jeff & Stu as long as you complete all of the exercises within the allotted time period. But if you are keeping pace with them then you will finish early. In that case you hold elbow plank until your time is up. There is a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen, counting down the circuit. All of the exercises are also listed at the bottom of the screen so you don’t forget them if you are doing them slower (or faster) than Jeff & Stu. Holy crap, what a workout! I’ll admit, I have a mental problem when I do workouts–I mentally need to keep up with the trainer. So I tried, and was able to keep up with Jeff and Stu some circuits. Other circuits I was lagging behind them but I always finished shortly after they did. And I burned a ton of calories so this workout is definitely metabolic. In fact, according to my FitBit, I was in my peak heart rate zone half the workout! I am listing my weights below but on some of the exercises you will see two weights listed. That is because I was wearing out and had to drop to a lighter weight. So the first weight I used for the early rounds and the lighter weight is what I used for the remaining rounds of the workout when I started gassing out. Also, I held elbow plank with Jeff and Stu the first 3 circuits. The last 3 circuits? I took my recovery. I needed it to be able to start the next round strong.

Round 1 (4 minutes, 12 reps each move):

1. Hammer row (bent over back row) (30# & 25# DBs)
2. Elbow in curl (traditional bicep curls with elbows close to sides) (13# & 12# DBs)
3. Double kettlebell swing (double arm kettlebell swings using DBs) (12# DBs)
4. Wide row (bent over wide row–elbows out to sides) (15# DBs)
5. Narrow wide hammer curl (alternate narrow hammer curls with wide hammer curls) (12# DBs)
6. Donkey kick (get on hands and toes with knees bent, jump kick feet up like a donkey kicking)
7. Elbow plank hold for remaining time

Round 2 (4:30 minutes, 12 reps each move):

1. Repeat #1-6 from Round 1
2. Reverse fly (8# DBs)
3. Elbow plank hold for remaining time

Round 3 (5 minutes, 12 reps each move):

1. Repeat #1 & 2 from Round 2
2. Chair curls (preacher curls while in isometric squat, elbows against knees) (12# DBs)
3. Elbow plank hold for remaining time

Round 4 (5:30 minutes, 12 reps each move):

1. Repeat #1 &2 from Round 3
2. Single arm row (left arm) (one 25# DB)
3. Elbow plank hold for remaining time

Round 5 (5 minutes, 12 reps each move):

1. Repeat #1-6 from Round 1
2. Chair curls (10# DBs)
3. Single arm row (right arm) (one 25# DB)
4. Elbow plank hold for remaining time

Round 6 (4:30 minutes, 12 reps each):

1. Repeat #1-6 from Round 1
2. Single arm row (right arm) (one 25# DB)
3. Single arm row (left arm) (one 25# DB)
4. Elbow plank hold for the remaining time

EMOM is 37:08 minutes; 1:30 minute intro, 2 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells (Jeff & Stu use 30 and 10 pound dumbbells) EMOM stands for Every Minute On the Minute. 6 rounds, 5 exercises per round and each exercise is done for one minute. If you finish your exercise before the end of the minute, the remainder of the round is recovery time. You get a 30 second recovery between rounds. Another tough workout! This one wasn’t as hard as the last two (METCON Pyramid and 4×4 Core) but it still worked me very hard. Again, I could not keep up with Jeff’s & Stu’s rep pace though I tried. I did finish only a few reps behind them on the majority of the exercises, some I even kept time with them. This is a total body metabolic strength workout. I burned as many calories as I did in METCON Pyramid though I did not spend as much time in my peak heart rate zone. Jeff & Stu put together your workout schedule. You just follow it. I mention this because I thought it was odd that METCON Pyramid and EMOM are done on consecutive days. They both work some of the same muscle groups. I felt like my back needed more recovery time after METCON Pyramid–which hits the back muscles hard. EMOM doesn’t hit your back as hard, but there is still back work. The weights listed below are what I used.

Round 1:

1. 20 double kettlebell swings (15# DBs)
2. 12 clean and squats (kettlebell swing between legs, racking DBs at shoulders, squat with DBs at shoulders) (15# DBs)
3. 10 double clean squat presses (same as #2 but add an overhead press after squat) (15# DBs)
4. 8 lateral jumps + burpee (place DBs together on floor, side jump over DBs and do a burpee)
5. 15 piston squats, touch the ground and hop (single leg squat with a knee raise hop, touch the ground when squatting)

Round 2:

1. Repeat Round 1 doing #5 on other leg

Round 3:

1. 20 deficit push ups (push ups with hands gripping DBs)
2. 12 underhand bent over rows (20# DBs)
3. 10 close grip/tricep push ups
4. 8 tuck jumps + renegade row (one 25# DB)
5. 15 speed deadlifts (25# DBs)

Round 4:

1. Repeat Round 3 doing #4 on other arm

Round 5:

1. 20 core twist pivot (pivot lunge side to side while swing DBs from hip to hip) (5# DBs)
2. 12 hanging single arm overhead press (single arm kettlebell swing between legs, racking DB at shoulder and do a single arm push press) (one 15# DB)
3. 10 DB swings + goblet squats (hold DBs together, do a KB swing then rack both DBs at chest and do a goblet squat) (15# DBs)
4. 8 alternating reverse lunges (tap knee to ground when in lunge) (20# DBs)
5. 15 high plank burpee + X jump (X jump is an air jack variation, when you ump, your arms and legs form an X)

Round 6:

1. Repeat Round 5 doing #2 on other arm

Tabata is 37:11 minutes; 1:30 minute intro, 1:45 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and something to elevate your heels (I used 3 pound dumbbells, Stu & Jeff use 10 pound dumbbells). Stu and Jeff use a set of 30 pound dumbbells. This workout is made up of 7 tabata circuits. A tabata circuit is a method of high intensity interval training. You do 20 seconds of all out work followed by 10 seconds of recovery. 8 of these 20/10 intervals equals one tabata circuit. You get a 40 second recovery between tabata circuits. This is a lower body cardio + strength metabolic workout. Many of the exercises are done on one side of the body. When that happens, the next time you do the 20/10 circuit, you do the exercise on your other leg. I was glad to see there was at least one lower body focused workout in this program. I was beginning to feel like my lower body was neglected! This workout fixes that. I burned nearly 300 calories and my lower body was well worked. I was afraid I would gas out early. For some reason the first 2 tabatas worked me harder than I expected them to and I was starting to feel a little shaky, but then I got my second wind and powered through the remainder of the workout fine. And got a great workout! The weights listed below are what I used.

Tabata 1:

1. Front squat (DBs are racked on/at shoulders) (15# DBs)
2. Burpee into deadlift (do a burpee holding heavy DBs and at top of burpee do a deadlift) (20# DBs)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Tabata 2:

1. Heel raise squat (goblet squat with heels elevated) (one 30# DB)
2. Rainbow knee (pivot hop lunge side to side, arcing arms overhead like a rainbow when changing sides, when in lunge, tap hands to floor on either side of front foot and also tap back knee to floor)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Tabata 3:

1. Overhead squat (squats with one arm extended straight overhead isometrically holding a DB) (one 10# DB)
2. Reverse lunge squat jump (alternating reverse lunge with a squat jump between each lunge)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Tabata 4:

1. Split leg deadlift (single leg deadlift with legs in wide split stance) (one 25# DB)
2. Sumo squat calf raise (hold a low/deep/wide sumo squat isometrically while raising and lowering heels)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Tabata 5:

1. Cossack squat (holding one DB in both hands, do side lunges but the straight leg is rotated so heel is on floor and toe is raised to ceiling) (one 20# DB)
2. Burpee 180 jump (180 long jump + full burpee)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Tabata 6:

1. Overhead lunge pulse (stationary lunge pulse while holding one DB in both hands overhead isometrically) (one 15# DB)
2. Split jump squat (2 alternating jump squats + one squat)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Tabata 7:

1. Single leg deadlift (one 25# DB)
2. Chair pose jump (swing arms down when jumping)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 three more times

Kettlebell is 36:34 minutes; 1:40 minute intro, 1:50 minute warm up and 1:30 minute stretch. Equipment: kettlebell(s) or dumbbell(s). Jeff is using a 35 pound kettlebell and Stu is using a 30 and a 35 pound dumbbell. This workout is made up of 4 rounds. Each round consists of 8 exercises. Each exercise is done for 40 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest. I was really excited about this workout. I love kettlebell workouts and I do not do them as often as I’d like. This workout is different from the majority of the other Rippedism workouts because Stu and & Jeff are both doing all of the exercises together. Unlike their other workouts, they both do the entire workout from start to finish. They still trade off who acts as trainer. Since I had shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff back in May, I used a lighter kettlebell for some of the exercises to protect my shoulder. The kettlebell snatch is included in this workout. It is a move that requires more instruction than I can give (or Jeff & Stu give) in the break down or the workout, so I have linked to a short YouTube video tutorial. Kettlebell exercises, when done improperly and with too heavy of a weight, are a recipe for injury, so be absolutely certain you understand the mechanics of the move before doing it and always start with a lighter weight until you are confident that you are doing it properly and can handle something heavier. This is coming from someone who is still dealing with a shoulder injury that feels like it will never completely heal. So be cautious! Any injury can completely derail and undo any strength gains. I also included a video with instruction on how to swing and rack a kettlebell at your shoulder–another recipe for injury when done incorrectly, but this time your wrist. With that said, this is an excellent and fun workout. It didn’t feel as hard as most of the others but that was probably due to the lighter kettlebells I was using. I still got an excellent workout. BTW–all of my talk of form is not indicating that Jeff and Stu are using improper form. Their form is good, but if you are reading this review before doing this workout and you are not familiar with kettlebell moves, then you need to be prepare yourself for racks and snatches before coming to the workout.

Round 1:

1. Single arm swing to clean (swing KB/DB between legs then rack at shoulder) (12# KB)
2. Burpee + single arm upright row (10# KB)
3. Swing with a snatch into a reverse lunge (swing KB/DB into snatch, then hold KB/DB isometrically with straight arm at top of swing, do a reverse lunge then complete the swing) (10# KB)
4. Renegade row (25# KB)
5. Single leg deadlift (20# KB)
6. Cross body snatch (start with KB/DB at opposite side of body, below knee and snatch/swing it across body to overhead on the same side) (10# KB)
7. 8 mountain climbers + burpee hop (squat thrust into mountain climbers with a hop at top of burpee)
8. Cross kettlebell pull plank walk (get into straight arm plank with DB/KB under body close to outside arm, using inside arm, pull KB/DB across/under you, set on ground and plank walk until it is in the same position it was at the start and repeat, do this 2x in each direction–or however far you can plank walk, depending on your floor space) (15# KB)

45 second rest

Round 2:

1. Repeat #1-4 from Round 1 on the other side of the body
2. 4 plank in/out hops + 4 plank kick throughs
3. Repeat #5 & 6 from Round #1 on other side of body
4. 1 arm thruster (start with KB/DB already racked at shoulder, squat into a push press, change arms halfway through interval) (15# KB)

45 second rest

Repeat Rounds 1 & 2

Yoga Box is 35:56 minutes; 1:40 minute intro, 2 minute warm up and 2 minute stretch. Equipment: one set of light dumbbells. Jeff & Stu are using 5 pound dumbbells. I used 3 pound dumbbells. For this workout you will be alternating between weighted kickboxing exercises and yoga moves. Each exercise is done for 40 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest. For the yoga combos you will hold each pose briefly before flowing into another pose on Jeff or Stu’s cue. So, for the majority of the yoga poses you see in the breakdown below, you are flowing between 2 or more poses. This was a seriously cool workout. They said they created this workout because some of their subscribers don’t like/want true recovery days–they prefer to keep working out. This workout is lower intensity than their other workouts, but incorporates dynamic flexibility. I fall into that group that has mental issues with true recovery but I take my recovery days anyway because as I age, I know my body needs it. This however, is an excellent recovery day warm up for me before moving into something slower with deeper stretching. In fact, once I finished this, I did a Classical Stretch workout. Because you are alternating kickboxing with yoga, you will burn some calories, too, which is always a bonus in a recovery workout. According to my FitBit I burned 221 calories doing this workout. And for comparisons sake, I only burned 74 calories in the Classical Stretch workout that followed. So thanks to this fun and feel good workout, I burned nearly 300 calories on my recovery day. Not bad! Again, this is a fun, feel good workout. Enjoy!

1. Jab + cross + hook + upper cut + squat
2. Crescent pose into Warrior 3 pose
3. Jab + cross + front kick
4. Cobra pose into downward facing dog into 3 leg downward facing dog with raised knee bent to open the hip
5. 3 knee pulls (same leg) + one side kick
6. Reverse Warrior into triangle pose
7. Side kick + punch down
8. Right angle pose into reverse right angle pose
9. High punch + lunge with a low punch + back kick
10. Half moon pose into knee curl (knee curl=both hands on floor, bring knee of leg that was raised in half moon into chest, still balanced on other leg)
11. Upper cut 2x + hook 2x + one knee pull
12. Dancer pose (you hold this pose isometrically)
13. 4 alternating upper cuts + 4 alternating cross punches w/ pivot lunges
14. Alternating runners stretch + commando (runners stretch is a deep lunge with hands on ground, they make it “commando” by lowering onto forearms)
15. Reverse lunge pulse 3x + front kick
16. 3 leg downward dog then bring knee under body to opposite elbow
17. 30 second rest
18. Repeat #1-16 on other side of body