FITNESS ZONE
Review: WEIDER RUTHLESS
The world of video workouts is multiplying faster than a field of bunnies. In that rapid explosion of options I have seen some spectacular things, and some duds that have left me wishing I never got out of bed in the morning. So it was with cautious trepidation that I acquired WEIDER RUTHLESS with Steve Uria.
My reservation was due to the low price. It comes relatively cheap, which meant the production had to be cheap too right? Hold on kids, this one will surprise us both.
What you get:
10 DVD’s containing 20 workouts at 20 minutes a pop, a calendar and nutrition guide. The price? $49, but I’ve found it for significantly less on Amazon. You read that right…20 workouts, and all for a beer-can-refund attainable sum. For that low price you would expect your trainer to be Boxcar Willie armed with cheap tequila and an 8mm camera. Nope, it’s a shockingly well assembled product shot in HD with Steve Uria as your chiseled trainer.
Alright kids, there’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get to it. Keep in mind, the schedule does not have the workouts in order of their number, so some you will do more than others. It’s a long way home with 20 workouts, so I’m going to cover them quick.
01 – Hardcore Circuit
3 minute intervals for lower/upper/core. It’s primarily a core workout with 3 circuits, each done twice.
02 – Lunatic Intervals
45 seconds on, 15 seconds recovery while going after the total body. This felt like a T25 Alpha level workout.
03 – Killer 100’s
100 repetitions of each workout. Squats, burpees, jacks, knee push ups, and planks. This is probably my least favorite of the batch as boredom will kick in quick. Thankfully, this is done only once during the entire 60 day schedule so think of it as an endurance test.
04 – Wicked Lower Body
The moves are not complex, but highly effective. Makes T25 Alpha Legs look like a walk in the park.
05 – Fast/Slow Burn Circuit
One minute fast, one minute slow and focused with some running in between. Plyo, core leg lifts, ski abs and burpee jumps make this a cardio core attack.
06 – Ruthless Ringside
Sorry, but unless a reanimated Bruce Lee is going to teach me Kung-Fu I simply will never be a fan of MMA style workouts. Still, for those of you who are deluded and think you’re training to be Batman/girl, this will be great.
07 – Tabata Sweat
It’s all men on deck as the ladies take a day off. 8 rounds of cardio. Not sure what makes this “tabata”, but then again Dr. Dre isn’t a real doctor either.
08 – Core + Flex
Standing core, followed by standard abdominal crunches. It all ends with a wonderful 5 minute stretch.
09 – Ruthless Give Back
Eight cast members show up for a full set. I thought this might be a back routine, but no. Instead, each cast member says a favorite move and off you go. It’s a neat concept that goes after the total body.
10 – Pure Will Power
Well, maybe not “pure” willpower. The problem with this workout is that you repeat the same darn move so many times it bores you as fast as you wear out. There’s maybe six moves tops. Made me long for Max 30.
11 – Super Strength and Power
One circuit repeated for two rounds with moves lasting a minute. There’s some push ups, but it’s mostly leg training. Tough too, as Steve mixes in some negative pulses half way through each move.
12 – Horizontal Circuits
On the floor the whole time for planks, crunches and obliques.
13 – Nitro Burn
It must be tax season for Steve as he’s screaming like a banshee. Jumping, running, high knees and squats sums this one up.
14 – Hardcore Arms and Abs
Push-ups of various types, punch combos and core abs. Is it hardcore abs? Hell yes! Hardcore arms? Hell no. Weights would have really been the way to go with this.
15 – DRIP
One cardio circuit consisting of ten moves done 3x. This workout feels original and will drop you to the floor when its over. Top points!
16 – Rip 10’s
Sorry, but Rip 100 sucked. This is a more accessible 10 reps. The moves build on the previous one so it goes up like a pyramid. For example, you do 1+2, then 1+2+3…etc until the end. Total body circuit trainer.
17 – Speed, Power, Sweat
Another swing at cardio that does very well. As with most cardio, it’s primarily lower body moves.
18 – Performance Stretch/Yoga
Steve is once again our host for…wait…Steve? Uh, Steve?
Looks like Lorainne is going to be the host for Yoga as Steve is probably late for a dentist appointment or something. She does well, and is very skilled. There’s not much to say, if you’ve seen one yoga video you’ve kind of seen them all.
19 – Total Body Circuit
No muscle left behind. Unless you’re a bicep. Push-ups, squats, dips and abs.
20 – Training
Nabbed Mrs. Parrot for this one. There’s lots of using the other person as resistance. Pushing, pulling, and sweaty legs will be in the air.
Conclusion
If any comparisons can be made to Beachbody ( because wow, that’s all people want to know these days! ), it might be to Insanity. The thing is, Insanity is actually starting to look darn old with non-HD video filmed in a boring gym. Plus Insanity is murder on the joints. Ruthless in many ways takes care of both those problems…better video and much lower impact without sacrificing intensity. True, the cardio is easier with Ruthless, but it’s a reasonable trade-off.
My main gripe is that out of 20 workouts, none use weights. I think that is a lost opportunity to make this cross over multiple barriers. It would also add variety where some would be appreciated as many of the 20 workouts do seem to feel a lot alike and often ignore the same body parts. Arms in particular frequently get the short end of the stick.
But how is Steve as a trainer? Pretty good, although you don’t get much out of him besides repeating “This is Ruthless people! Yeahhhhhh!” Still, the man has put together one hell of a package and does his best to motivate. Very little in the way of humor besides some gentle poking at his cast.
Weider Ruthless is probably worth almost twice as much as they are charging given the vast amount of workouts. Sure, some workouts are kind of duds but you’re still left with many that are more than good enough. Steve Uria is a pleasant chap who I think is going to grow into the role of video fitness instructor very nicely as time rolls along and I will certainly be keeping an eye on future projects.
Review: WEIDER RUTHLESS
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Trainer - 70%
70%
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Production Values - 70%
70%
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Strength - 70%
70%
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Cardio - 80%
80%
Summary
Twenty workouts for $49? Weider Ruthless makes a significant impact on the home fitness video market with this very affordable product that appeals to the intermediate to advanced enthusiast.
33 Comments
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I have the first Insanity which I like because it is very intense for under an hour. Wondering if I should get the Ruthless or the Max30? I am 56 female,
but have been working out since I was a fetus. Find that Insanity is a lot of “up and down” to floor . Thoughts?
If you’re fit and ready to rock, Max 30 would be a good way to go for sure. Although if you just finished Ruthless, give Stronger by Nicky Hollander a try. It’s even free!
The nice thing about Max 30 over Insanity is that it is much easier on the joints. The original Insanity is just too harsh to go beyond 60 days unless you have adamantium cartilage. Max 30 also has less up and downs and seems to be a cleaner, more thought out program over its predecessor.
I am trying to decide if I should get this program or 22-min hard corps. If you had to get one, which one would you buy?
I might lean towards 22Min HC but that’s a personal preference. Ruthless doesn’t have resistance training.
I’m a male ectomorph with very little time to do workouts. This would fit the bill as far as time is concerned, but I’m afraid it will make me even skinnier. Could I gain muscle with this ? If so, I’m sold.
You would likely not gain the beefy mass you are thinking about. This would serve to make you lean, mean and fast for that body type. If you’re looking to pack on the slabs, a dedicated weight routine like Body Beast might be more your speed, or P90X2 for full functional fitness.
I do the Ruthless Ringside with weights. The first 15 minutes are all arms and adding some lady weights takes it to a whole new level.
How would this compare to RIPT 90?
Reading a lot of great reviews on RIPT 90, but as always yours is the most important and honest one when it comes to fitness DVDS.
Have not had a chance to do RipT 90…yet.
How would this be for getting back in shape after a baby? I’m in fairly good shape but not bouncing back as quickly with this one. I also have t25 so not sure which one would be better.
Given a choice, I would give the edge to T25 for someone jumping back in. Still, if you have Ruthless handy then you can certainly do no wrong by doing it as well.
I have both so it’s fine. More intense the better. Or if you have another suggestion. I have 6 weeks until I go back to work.
Definitely not enough back work for me. Why are so many trainers scared of some time efficient barbell back work?
Excellent review. Thanks!!
Ordered this after reading the review. I’ll probably add it in to what I’m currently doing on cardio days.
Hi Mr.parrot, i am 26 year old Male who is 165 pounds and my height in 5.7. I am total beginner to workouts. i’d like to lose some weight in the mid-section and thighs. Could i start with this workout as a beginner?
if not what do you suggest?
i am confused and have no idea what do i start with?
Could you kindly help?
This program is easily modifiable to accommodate the beginner. Another program I like is T25 and the new P90 which should also suit your criteria.
I figure once I can do that rip 10 routine all the way through without stopping (hasn’t happened yet!) I will be a terrifying specimen. It’s awful. Awful challenging. The amazing thing is there’s no hype in the whole thing, Uria doesn’t spend idle time selling “supplements” or a “new” system every 3 months. Dirt cheap compared to the Beachbody busybodies.
Thank for your review, this workout is great which is a good replacement of insanity , let me no worry about hurting my knee!!
I’m training for my half marathon. I found the insanity asylum is too much for my joints for daily cross-training. Is the ruthless workout good for my strength, speed workout? I run 4 times per week.
Yes, Insanity would not be a good idea for marathon training exactly for the reasons you mentioned. Running is already hard enough without doing power-plyo.
I would think Ruthless would be a good choice as it is low impact/high intensity training. Shaun T also has Max 30 which is much easier on the joints than the original Insanity.
Of all the workouts I’ve done, Insanity is probably the worst on the knees. Not sure if I can recommend it anymore given the sheer number of options now available to do instead.
My package did not come with the calender or nutrition guide. Was your packaged with the following items?
As I recall, no. They were downloadable items. Kind of a bait and switch as the ad does indeed clearly show a physical copy. They should be more clear on that.
They should be on Disc 1. You need to put it into your computer to see the pdfs.
Dude tou gave up on CLX or are we gonna read your review? :]
It’s coming! Life is just throwing me a few curveballs at the moment but I’m hoping to get back to reviews very soon.
Finally here!
https://dysfunctionalparrot.com/health-and-fitness/chalean-extreme/
If you want the P90X of Yoga, you should check out “The Ultimate Yogi”. I picked it up recently and the yoga is good. Quality is excellent. Check it out.
now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how’s the music in this? i’ve been spoiled by shaun t’s soundtracks
The music is decent for a canned soundtrack. My main gripe is that it is simply too quiet. Shaun has heavy beats and a good volume. There’s no rhythm here at all and it only serves to break the silence.
At this point in time, I would say Shaun T remains the undefeated champion of fitness music tracks.
“1000 reps of each workout”? that’s ruthless, alright……
That seems like an important typo I better fix… :)
This is not a muscle building type program.
That being said, could I do these 20 minute workouts in the morning say, 3 days per week while following a muscle program like Body Beast?
It’s either that or, I will just do the MMX workout from P90X 3, 3 mornings per week as I go through the BB program.
What I am trying to do is maintain some Martial Arts skills with a minimal 30 minute practice 3 days as I complete Body Beast.
Parrot, can you offer any suggestions on how to do that effectively?
If you’re into MMA style workouts, the ones that come to mind are RushFit, UFC Fit and Tapout XT ( all reviewed on this site ). Then you would substitute the punches and kicks with REAL punches and kicks to suit your martial arts style.
I agree with keeping Body Beast or something like it. As a fifteen year martial arts veteran, I can say most dojo’s do not have good muscle training. I recall back in the day adding P90X to my regimen and my training results exploded.
Another option is T25/Body Beast, but then you would still need to leave time for dojo training. Time management skills will become an important asset!