Tony Horton
The workout itself:
11 exercises--25 reps of each exercise in this order:
In and Outs (picture being in boat pose and moving your legs in and out)
Bicycle-Same as in and outs but with a bicyle movement
Bicycle in reverse
Crunchy Frog- In and outs with your hands out at your sides bringing them in and wrapping your legs close to your chest
Fifer Scissors-lying on your back one leg hovering over the floor, one up and a 90degree angle both feet flexed and changing them scissor style
Hip Rock and Raise-sort of reverse crunches
Pulse-ups/Heels to Heaven-Reverse crunches with straight legs
V-up roll ups-Similar to a teaser
Obliques-side lying lifting legs and shoulder up at same time, kind of an oblique crunch
Leg climbs-lying on back one leg bent, one leg extended rolling up to top
Mason twist-Oblique twists done VERY quickly with legs raised up off the floor
This is a great ab routine. It isn't shockingly hard the way Cathe's Intensity Series core routines were when they came out, but it's tough and the better your form, the tougher it seems it would be. I can see where this would be near impossible for folks who have never done any yoga, pilates or specific core work, but if you have some experience with those types of exercises and are in the mood for a gym style ab workout with good rock music, this is for you.
I give it a solid A. :)
Instructor comments:
It's Tony-You either love him or hate him. I find him subdued in this one and like him just fine. There are options to cut out extra chatter, so if you are a Tony-hater there are ways around it.:)
Janet Frost (frostyjan)
4-14-04
11 exercises. 25 reps.
These are killer. If you want a super-duper-unbelieveably tough ab workout, this is it.
The last exercise has 40 reps (I think even 50, for bonus.) It is really really challenging, and I really feel it (i.e. it hurts to laugh the next day, which for me, means I'm hurting)
Instructor comments:
Tony is Tony!
Leela
5/14/04
This workout features 11 exercises done for about 25 reps each. The first half are seated exercises for example, seated and bringing your knees in and out, seated bicycle, seated crunch. The latter half are more traditional crunch/reverse crunch/roll-up variations.
This was not a good workout for me. I have a really tight back and hip flexors, and this can impede my abilities with this sort of workout, where flexibility can come into play as much as core strength can. I also found that in a few cases Tony was trying so hard for a creative and innovative new impressive thing that he forces us to needlessly twist into some really odd and uncomfortable positions. I much prefer the more traditional moves in the original Power 90 Ab Ripper.
Tony is not the best cuer in the world, and tends to favor the ‘watch me’ style of instruction. Some extra form pointers might have been nice, and I have yet to meet an ab workout that shows modifications not only for core strength but for flexibility too. That was needed in this routine. I just couldn’t figure out how or if some of this could be modified. I will likely not do this workout again, and I would not recommend it for anyone who has flexibility problems.
Joanna
9/3/04
I am a big fan of ab workouts, and have lots of them. Ab Ripper X is one of my favorites. Over the past year, I've done Ab Ripper X more than any other ab workout. I know it by heart so I often do it on my own after cardio. What I like about it is the fact that you get a lot done in a short amount of time. You have to have a good base of core strength to execute the exercises using proper form. The first group of exercises where you are seated and do various in and out leg motions and bicycles, use a lot of hip flexor and quad, so you will need a good base of strength in those areas, or if you take your time and work up to doing all the reps, you will build your strength in those areas.
There are a lot of roll-up type exercises, some of which are very tough. It's great (and rare) to find an ab workout that challenges the advanced exerciser, but this one does. I find that it is very hard to do some of the roll-ups in this workout, especially since the abs are so fatigued already, so I modify them by holding a small medicine ball, which keeps the exercises effective, but helps you to get your torso all the way up.
I like the fact that you work every part of the abs thoroughly with this workout. If you want a tough abdominal workout, buy this one. Grade A
Instructor comments:
If you've never seen Tony Horton, you would probably notice that he is a ham and a goof. He was initially annoying to me, but he's grown on me. In this workout, he is easy to tolerate because he moves quickly from one exercise to the next, and it's all over in about 15 minutes.
Abbe
January 2, 2008
