Jari Love: Get RIPPED! 1000 (Review)

A video that I own and love is Jari Love's Get Ripped! 1000 (2006).  I loved her Slim and Lean video but wanted the addition of cardio.  This has it!  Just to prove how much I love this workout: I do it once a week and have been for over a year.

The format of this workout is simple.  You do a compound strength segment (3-4 minutes) and then a short cardio segment (about a minute); strength and then cardio etc, etc (for 9 of each).  This formats ensures that your heart rate only ever gets a slight recovery before it goes up again.  Nice!  Included in the workout is a warm-up and then an ab section at the end.  You will need weights for this workout.

One note.  Jari and most of her crew (one is usually excluded) use a step.  I don't own a step and have never used a step for this workout.  You don't need it.  You can modify all the moves.

The strength moves are similar to the Slim and Lean video with a few changes.  Instead of straight squats, you do a squat and lunge back with front raise (weights).  Instead of straight lunges you do squat pulses to lunge back pulses (OUCH!).  There are also dead lifts with flies, pliés (wide squats) with bicep curls, clean and presses, push-ups, leg abductions and triceps, chest presses and flies, etc.  You do a high number of reps in a format similar to Slim and Lean: 2-2 count, 3-1 count, 4-4 count, singles.  

The cardio moves are fairly simple and easily modified if they're too intense or if you don't own a step.  Sometimes, I'll do my own move instead of Jari's, just to change it up a bit.  

I love Jari's attitude: here it is, let's get it done.  She's not pushy or annoying like Jillian Michaels (most annoying trainer EVER!).  She's motivating but not in an overt, in-you-face way.  "Push through it," she says, or "good on you."  But mostly she just does what you need to do to get results.  I like this no-nonsense approach.  And I always like seeing Laurie in the back.  For a clip, go here.

One thing people complain about is the music.  Really?  Quite frankly, If music turns you off a workout, then you don't have your head in the right place.  In a workout, I'm generally focused on working out, instead of the music.  All I need is a good beat.  So, people, stop complaining and just work.  If all you can do is complain about distractions, then there's no hope for you.

My one complaint: how Jari stretches.  After a strength segment, she'll stretch out the primary muscle you just worked.  This I understand.  But I don't understand stretching after every single one-minute cardio segment.  Usually, I'll keep up the cardio through her stretch.

Bottom Line:  This is a great video to do after Jari's Slim and Lean.  It will build upon that video and challenge you in new ways.  This workout will test you while strengthening your muscles.  I highly recommend it.