Tony says: What’s really really amazing about Ab Ripper X is that it gives people the opportunity to get the best, most ripped abdominal area they’ve had in their lives. We’re doing over 300 moves here. But the only way to get results–and get the sculpted abs that you want–is you have to BRING IT.

Ab Ripper X. I hate it – but I love it.

Overview: Ab Ripper X is the toughest part of P90X, despite the fact that it’s only 15 minutes long and you’re sitting on your butt the whole time. The reason is because you truly blast your abs, making those 15 minutes torturous, and that you have to do this workout 3 x week. Which, over the course of 3 months, is 36 total Ab Ripper X’s performed. Not only that, but you’re doing this incredibly intense workout along with a full P90X workout as well; which means if you do them the way you’re supposed to, you finish a killer hour long workout only to segue right into the Ab Ripper. And nothing is more daunting than to be finished with a killer P90X workout, heaving and exhausted and with limbs like jello, and know that you have 15 more minutes of hell to go through.

My advice is simple: do Ab Ripper X first. You’ll be fresh, ready to attack it, and though your core will be blasted by the time you get to the main workout, you’ll find that you have more motivation to do the Ab Ripper’s in the first place, and will be less liable to skip them because you’re exhausted.

Finally, remember what Tony says: don’t do the Ab Ripper every day in the hopes of getting better results. Instead, do them only when told, and give your core a chance to recover. Too much will hurt you more than it will help.

The Workout: The Ab Ripper X workout consists of 11 moves done 25 times each over the course of about 15 minutes. Tony is very business like in this workout; knowing that you’ll be doing it 3 x week, he gets right to work and cuts the chitchat. This means no breaks, no time to catch your breath, just one grueling stretch that seems 5 x longer than it really is.

In & Outs: Sit on your tail bone, place your palms on the ground by your hips, and then extended your legs out, feet off the floor, and then bring your knees to your chest. Flex your legs in and out 25 times, and if you want to make it harder, raise your arms straight into the air.

Bicycles: Remain in the same position, legs extended off the ground before you, and cycle your feet through the air as if peddling. Hands by your hips as before, or raised in the air above you to make it harder. Cycle 25 times one way, and then reverse the direction for another 25 cycles.

Crunchy Frog: Remain seated on your tail bone, and do the same extended contract movement as the In & Out exercise. This time however extend you arms out to the side, and each time you bring your knees to your chest, hug your arms around them. Legs extend, arms go out to the sides.

Cross Leg/Wide Leg Sit-Ups: Sit cross-legged, and then lie back. Place your hands behind your head, and extend your right arm straight up as if reaching for the sky. Follow your hand up into your sit-up, touch the opposite knee, and then lower back down. Switch your arms, reach up with your left arm, and follow it up into the sit-up. Chin stays up, not pressed to your chest, and you don’t tug on your head with your hand either.

Fifer Scissors: Lie on your back, hands on the floor next to your body, leg extended an inch of the ground, other leg extended straight up into the sky. Keeping your legs straight, raise and lower them like a pair of scissor blades. Do so only in time with Tony’s count, which is slow and stead, and don’t let your feet touch the ground. Fight to keep your leg straight, and keep your toes flexed up into a right angle from your shin.

Hip Rock ‘n Raise: Lie on your back, open your knees out to the side and press the soles of your feet together. Raise your feet up to the sky, keeping your knees open, and then raise your hips off the ground for a pulse. Lower back down carefully. Don’t bring your knees to your chest, but rather pulse them up into the sky with your hip raise.

Pulse Ups (Heels to Heaven): Lying down, raise your legs straight into the sky above you, legs straight. Hands down by your sides, pulse your hips up the sky. Don’t let your legs go down or wave about, and fight to get your butt into the air.

V-Up Roll-Ups: Legs extended, lying flat, raise both arms to the sky and do a sit-up, reaching to touch your toes. Then, as you lower back down, raise your extended legs into the sky, and when your back hits the ground, do a pulse so that you reach up a second time to touch your elevated toes. Lower your legs to the ground once more, and then repeated from the beginning.

Oblique V-Ups: Lie on your side, legs extended straight but cocked at the hips so that they are at a 30 degree angle from your torso. The arm whose shoulder is on the ground remains extended on the ground, the other hand is behind your head. Contract your torso and raise your legs so that your elbow comes as close to your knees as you can. Do both sides.

Leg Climbs: Lie on your back, put both heels as close to your butt. The closer your heel is to your butt the harder it is, with extended straight on the floor being the easiest. Raise one leg into the sky, and do a sit-up, using your hands to climb your leg till you touch the toe. The more touches the easier. Switch legs when you’re done.

Mason Twist: Sit up, heels close to your butt, interlace your fingers into a fist, raise your feet off the ground, and then turn so as to touch your fists to the ground on either side of your hips, twisting each time while keeping your feet up.

With that, you’re finished. Spend the last minute doing a series of Upward Dog/Cobra to stretch out your back.

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