Rushfit vs. TapouT XT - My review/opinion/observation.

contingencyplan

Did Day 1 of GSP Rushfit today. Comparing it to Day 1 of TapouT XT, here are my conclusions:

Here are the similarities:

1. Both workouts emphasize core strength & stability over everything else, as is common with the current trend of "functional fitness." You can expect your abs to be feeling more sore than any other body part after each workout.

2. Both workouts are MMA-themed, with many moves inspired by MMA fighting techniques (although Rushfit less so).

3. Both workouts require a very low investment in equipment because the only things you will need for TapouT XT are resistance bands and the only things you will need for Rushfit are relatively lightweight dumbbells (you'll never see GSP himself use more than 25 lb DBs in the videos).

4. Both workouts are hosted by instructors who are "all business" keeping things on the subject at hand with little to no witty banter.

That's where the similarities end. Now for the differences:

1. TapouT XT borrows a little bit of its format from P90X, incorporating one day a week of Yoga and one day a week of dedicated Plyometric training. This is not surprising as the guy behind it is a former BeachBody employee who is one of the brains responsible for P90X, Insanity, and RevAbs. Rushfit, on the other hand, follows a totally original format that doesn't appear to "borrow" anything from anyone else.

2. TapouT XT is all inclusive, meaning it was not designed to be complemented by any other program. If you're a runner or a swimmer and you insist on keeping your running or swimming going while doing TapouT XT, you will more than likely hit over training which could lead to serious injury as well as stunt your results. Rushfit, on the other hand, was designed to allow you to supplement your own cardio in lieu of theirs. 2-3 days a week, the calendar just reads "cardio" which means you can do either one of the two cardio workouts included with the program OR you can go for a run, a swim, or whatever else. The only portion that is structured is the resistance/circuit training portion.

3. TapouT XT requires a lot of explosive movements while Rushfit doesn't. This means that TapouT XT is definitely more cardio oriented but also higher impact.

4. Duration! The TapouT XT workouts range from 45 minutes to an hour long, and a few days a week you are asked to do an additional 15 minute ab workout on top of the resistance/cardio workout, the same way you would incorporate Ab Ripper X in P90X on resistance days. What this means is that, if you follow the schedule, there are some days where you could be spending nearly an hour and a half on your workout. Rushfit, on the other hand, won't ask more than 45 minutes of your time ever.

Now, onto my personal opinions:

I think that TapouT XT is definitely the more fun and more enjoyable of the workout programs. It is a lot longer, but it doesn't really feel like it because it's just plain more fun. And although it is higher impact, it's not to the degree where I feel you are risking injury (like you would be with Insanity). I do have one very big problem with it, however, and that is the addition of the 15 minute ab workout (their version of P90X's Ab Ripper X) on top of normal training sessions. Why? The style of training you do every day here in TapouT XT is already extremely core intensive. This makes doing a dedicated ab workout after your regular workout seem redundant and pointless since by that time your abs have already been royally destroyed. This little oversight makes me question the logic behind the program in general. The overall format borrows a lot from P90X and I do not feel that format is appropriate for this style of training. Definitely toss the ab workout out the window when doing this program. Rushfit, on the other hand, is definitely more logical in its overall makeup and definitely a lot less time consuming. The fact that you can supplement in your own cardio without compromising the integrity of the program is definitely a plus, as is the fact that 90% of what you will do is low impact. You'll burn more calories doing TapouT XT simply due to the more cardio-oriented nature as well as the duration, but there's more to quality fitness than simply calorie burn. I think that, as far as structure and effectiveness goes, Rushfit is the superior of the two programs. TapouT is still the more fun of the two, though, despite the fact that it doesn't seem as well thought out.

If you are either a) in a hurry or b) are concerned with more aspects of your workout than simply the number of calories burned on your HRM, you'll choose Rushfit. But if you're looking to have a good time you'll likely choose TapouT XT.

Seriously, what is the point of a following up a circuit training session that focuses heavily on core training with a dedicated ab video? It's redundant...

jfan175

Thanks for taking the time to post this. You've answered a lot of my questions.

spartacus69

Good comparison; thanks!

contingencyplan

No problem

contingencyplan

This is just my opinion--

Rushfit does seem like it has a lot more science behind it than TapouT XT. I think that the problem with TapouT XT is that, rather than putting a new program together from scratch, they simply built onto the framework established by P90X. And as I said above, that overall format simply doesn't work with a more functional fitness-oriented workout program that features core integration so heavily. Something about the fact that they opted to follow P90X's example here when it's a totally different style of workout that totally eliminates the need for it makes the whole program seem like it was just thrown together.

Rushfit seems more... I guess you could say "professional." It doesn't borrow any cues from any other workout program you've seen and it seems like it was built from the ground up on something backed heavily by a lot of real science.

An addendum to my original review: If your goal is simply to look good in a bikini, I don't think either of these programs are ideal. The way you train here emphasizes real athletic training rather than just "fat burning and toning." They will get you to your goals if your voals are mainly vanity-oriented, but the road is a lot harder because they're built more on the premise of showing you gains in your overall fitness level and athletic performance capabilities. There's a difference between the type of training that will leave you LOOKING better and the type of training that will have you actually BEING better. If you want to BE better and are willing to put in the work, either of these programs will work for you (but I do think Rushfit is the better of the two). But if your only concern is LOOKING better, there's always Jillian...

SPNLuver83

THANKS!!

Debby0904

Thanks for this Sean. Though I almost wish I read this before I just ordered my TapouT XT. I've done P90X, P90X2 and Asylum. I was looking to mix it up further with all around fitness. At this point, I am looking to put together my own hybrid again that still incorporates heavy weight lifting 3 to 4 days a week yet hard core cardio that is more intense than Asylum. Any suggestions?

contingencyplan

Thanks for this Sean. Though I almost wish I read this before I just ordered my TapouT XT. I've done P90X, P90X2 and Asylum. I was looking to mix it up further with all around fitness. At this point, I am looking to put together my own hybrid again that still incorporates heavy weight lifting 3 to 4 days a week yet hard core cardio that is more intense than Asylum. Any suggestions?

The individual workouts of TapouT XT are absolutely amazing. The problem is with the schedule. Rather than putting one together that made sense they simply borrowed it from P90X. I think that you can get what you want by combining some of the more cardio-oriented workouts from TapouT XT (Such as Cross Core Combat) with a conventional heavy lifting schedule. You won't find any video cardio programs that are more intense than Asylum, but if you're going to be combining it with lifting you're going to want to tone it down a bit anyway. One of what makes Insanity and Asylum as heavy duty as it is is the high impact nature brought on by Plyometrics. You don't want to do stuff like that often when you're combining it with a heavy lifting program or else you will lead to overtaining. More is not always better. You really will want to go down to a lower impact (and possibly lower intensity) form of cardio when working it in with lifting. You'll notice P90X only has one Plyo day a week while the rest of the cardio workouts you will do are relatively low impact/ow intensity. The reason for this is becuuse doing higher intensity cardio more often when doing lifting like that will lead to injury and overtraining.

If you want to do TapouT XT then you should. I strongly suggest however that you put together your own schedule rather than follow the one they laid out for you, one that makes sense based on your goals. And chuck the 15 minute abs DVD in the trash unless you plan on using it to supplement your workouts on days when you are doing something like running instead of a TapouT XT video.

Debby0904

Thanks so much again. I really appreciate you taking the time to write that. I did do the Asylum/P90X hybrid. Was supposed to be 30 days but I made it 90. I also used Beachbodys schedule the first month and it became less and less lifting. I lost some strength. BUT I did get good at doing Speed and Agility 2 times in a row (back to back) as Shaun T challenges. lol The next 60 days I made it less Asylum and more weights.

I was thinking this might be more difficult than Asylum. Though I used to crack up laughing when I first started the routines as my heart rate got above 170.

Also made note of the ab dvd. Though I'll play it to see if I think it's worthy. Sometimes on rest days, if my abs are not fried, I will pop in specific ab dvds and work them hard.

You're very informative. Thanks!

Altruista75

Agree about TapouT Xt being a complete core program! My abs were on fire the 1st few days and that was after 2 straight rounds of Insanity. I'm getting ready to end my 2nd week of TapouT and so far have stuck to the schedule that they provided except that I will do the ab workout on days with the shorter workout instead of the longer ones (not sure why they put it with the longest workout of the entire program SFAU). I don't mind doing it as much as you seem to but that may be b/c I need some serious core building and since it's only 15 minutes, I just add it to the rotation when I feel like it!

I've never looked into Rushfit but thanks for all of the info. Maybe I'll check that one out after TapouT.

contingencyplan

Thanks so much again. I really appreciate you taking the time to write that. I did do the Asylum/P90X hybrid. Was supposed to be 30 days but I made it 90. I also used Beachbodys schedule the first month and it became less and less lifting. I lost some strength. BUT I did get good at doing Speed and Agility 2 times in a row (back to back) as Shaun T challenges. lol The next 60 days I made it less Asylum and more weights.

I was thinking this might be more difficult than Asylum. Though I used to crack up laughing when I first started the routines as my heart rate got above 170.

Also made note of the ab dvd. Though I'll play it to see if I think it's worthy. Sometimes on rest days, if my abs are not fried, I will pop in specific ab dvds and work them hard.

You're very informative. Thanks!

Being informative and detailed is my nature as an aspie Thanks.

contingencyplan

UPDATE: I wanted to compare these two workouts with Rip: 60, a suspension trainer based workout program that also features GSP, but the program requires use of a kettlebell as additional equipment and I do not have one at this time. I'll review that one at a later date and I am going to spend this week doing week 1 of Rushfit.

Debby0904

UPDATE: I wanted to compare these two workouts with Rip: 60, a suspension trainer based workout program that also features GSP, but the program requires use of a kettlebell as additional equipment and I do not have one at this time. I'll review that one at a later date and I am going to spend this week doing week 1 of Rushfit.

Well good or bad, the makers of TapouT XT screwed up my order twice. They keep a pending on my credit card and say it won't go through. Even when I called and they said yes it did, they keep sending me notices. Ummmm I told them that they are morons and just cancel my order. Omen? lol Still sitting on my card and have a feeling I'll have to dispute. NOT impressed. Though I've read other issues with them too.

Anyway, hurry up and compare! lol So I can order then one that I'll get the most results with. You're the best Sean!

contingencyplan

UPDATE: I wanted to compare these two workouts with Rip: 60, a suspension trainer based workout program that also features GSP, but the program requires use of a kettlebell as additional equipment and I do not have one at this time. I'll review that one at a later date and I am going to spend this week doing week 1 of Rushfit.

Well good or bad, the makers of TapouT XT screwed up my order twice. They keep a pending on my credit card and say it won't go through. Even when I called and they said yes it did, they keep sending me notices. Ummmm I told them that they are morons and just cancel my order. Omen? lol Still sitting on my card and have a feeling I'll have to dispute. NOT impressed. Though I've read other issues with them too.

Anyway, hurry up and compare! lol So I can order then one that I'll get the most results with. You're the best Sean!

I think I'll spend the rest of this week doing week 1 of Rip 60 instead of GSP Rushfit to give you the comparison. It looks like you don't need the kettlebell until week 5 anyway.

Regarding TapouT XT vs. Rushfit, I can tell you right now that if your goal is primarily weight loss/fat burning you're better off with TapouT XT because it's a lot more cardio intensive than Rushfit and cardio is key for fat burning. Rushfit is more for people whose bodyfat levels are more or less already "within the ballpark" of where they want it to be and are just looking to improve functional strength/flexibility/fitness levels and add some muscle toning/shape.

I still think TapouT XT is great as a collection of individual workouts. I just think that the schedule they have you follow is retarded and that you should make your own. But from a purely "science behind the workouts" standpoint Rushfit wins hands down.

I know that Rip 60 is probably going to be my choice because it revolves around use of a suspension trainer which is my preferred method of training as it is very autism-friendly, so I will try to approach the review unbiased.

Debby0904

Wow you are great. I really appreciate that. I do own, 3 kettlebells (10, 15 and 25 pound).
Let me tell you where I'm at since you are the one actually doing these and would be a much better judge. As I said, I've done P90X, P90X2 (which for me was just ok) and Asylum (LOVED IT though lost some strength doing it but got more defined). I'm almost 45 and just below 20% bodyfat (goal is 15%). I'd like to lose another 10 while building muscle. Anyway, my heart has always been lifting and lifting heavy though I really like martial arts moves as well.

Hope this help and let me know your thoughts.

contingencyplan

I did Rip: 60 Day 1 today and I have to say it is very similar to the suspension training workout I put together for myself to do on my own. In fact I'm going to say that the suspension trainer portion of it (which isn't all of it) is virtually identical. The difference is that they also have you doing exercises that don't use the straps, such as conventional floor pushups, burpees, mountain climbers, and jumping jacks. I have to say I like it a lot because, well, it's MY workout, just with added high intensity cardio stuff thrown in.

The format seems weird. Based on the schedule, it seems as though each week you do a different workout. For example mon-fri on week 1 you do the workout done today, which more or less is meant to get your body used to the idea of doing full body calisthenics training everyday. You work out mon-fri every week doing the same exact workout every day of the week until week 4 which is when they start changing things up. In week 5 they throw in kettlebell training which is a nice progression because anyone who is a fan of suspension trainers (myself included) will agree that although they're all you NEED, ideally you want weights too.

Each week is assigned a different DVD with one workout on it, and you repeat that DVD for every workout of that week. It seems monotonous to repeat the same workout every day of the week, but remember that next week is a whole new workout.

There are three "optional" DVDs you can supplement anywhere into the schedule beginning with week 8. One features a workout being led by Jillian Michaels that is aimed at fat burning, one is an MMA themed workout led by Georges St. Pierre, and one is a workout meant to teach you training techniques utilizing the straps aimed specifically at runners.

I don't feel that I am qualified to give an unbiased review of this workout because it was designed largely around use of a training tool that is probably the single best way to train for people with motor control problems and autism disorders (which I have) so for me it would be the best hands down. But I can not say how much of that is coming from personal bias or someone in my position who I feel can benefit even more from this workout than other people could. It's definitely fun and it has good science behind it.

contingencyplan

Wow you are great. I really appreciate that. I do own, 3 kettlebells (10, 15 and 25 pound).
Let me tell you where I'm at since you are the one actually doing these and would be a much better judge. As I said, I've done P90X, P90X2 (which for me was just ok) and Asylum (LOVED IT though lost some strength doing it but got more defined). I'm almost 45 and just below 20% bodyfat (goal is 15%). I'd like to lose another 10 while building muscle. Anyway, my heart has always been lifting and lifting heavy though I really like martial arts moves as well.

Hope this help and let me know your thoughts.

It sounds to me like you would have more fun doing TapouT XT but see better results from either Rushfit or Rip 60. I agree about P90X2. I like the ideas behind it, but a lot of the workout just seemed like they were designed as an excuse to sell you to buy products they were pushing, such as a bunch of their medicine balls or a rumble roller. There were times when I couldn't tell whether I was watching an actual workout video or an infomercial for the products they were using.

There is one flaw with Rip 60 that may or may not apply to you:

The actual straps can be mounted one of two ways: You can either throw them over a closed door (easiest way) or you can mount them to an overhead hanging structure such as a pullup bar. Here is what they don't tell you:

There are no real modifications needed to do any of the exercises in Rip 60 regardless of your fitness level because what determines the level of resistance you're using is the angle you stand at when performing the exercises with the straps. If you want less resistance, stand more upright, and if you want more resistance, get more horizontal in your angle. However when you're using the door hook option, this limits your angles to lighter/more moderate resistance levels only. If you're strong, which I'm sure you are since you completed those programs, the level of resistance you may need to challenge you will require going at an angle much deeper than what the door anchor option will allow. This limits you to using an overhead structure to mount the straps to, such as a pullup bar, or purchasing the optional ceiling mount which requires mounting to your ceiling studs (this was the option I chose because it allows for the widest variety of ROM exercises).

eam531

I'm on week 2 of Rushfit. I like it a whole lot. I'm 56, female, with truly craptacular knees, and even I can do this program. I just modify when I need to. I'm already strong and flexible (thank you, P90 Masters and yoga!) and what attracted me to Rushfit were the functional fitness elements--the core, balance and stability work--and that you only need a couple of dumbbells. I also like it that I can do my own cardio. And the fact that I'm done in 45 minutes is a real plus. GSP is amazing, and I like Erik Owings' businesslike demeanor. My only criticism is that modifications should be shown before the exercise begins; sometimes modifications aren't shown until halfway thru an exercise. (I'm a veteran exerciser and know how to modify on my own.) Other than that, I think it's a really solid program and almost anyone would be challenged by it.

I'm already thinking about what to do next, and that's how I found this thread. I'm thinking about getting Tapout XT after I finish Rushfit. I agree with the OP that the ab routine in Tapout XT sounds like it is overkill in a program that is already so core intensive, and I don't see myself doing plyo, but the variety of workouts is very tempting.

Thanks very much for posting.

Betsy (aka eam531)

contingencyplan

I'm on week 2 of Rushfit. I like it a whole lot. I'm 56, female, with truly craptacular knees, and even I can do this program. I just modify when I need to. I'm already strong and flexible (thank you, P90 Masters and yoga!) and what attracted me to Rushfit were the functional fitness elements--the core, balance and stability work--and that you only need a couple of dumbbells. I also like it that I can do my own cardio. And the fact that I'm done in 45 minutes is a real plus. GSP is amazing, and I like Erik Owings' businesslike demeanor. My only criticism is that modifications should be shown before the exercise begins; sometimes modifications aren't shown until halfway thru an exercise. (I'm a veteran exerciser and know how to modify on my own.) Other than that, I think it's a really solid program and almost anyone would be challenged by it.

I'm already thinking about what to do next, and that's how I found this thread. I'm thinking about getting Tapout XT after I finish Rushfit. I agree with the OP that the ab routine in Tapout XT sounds like it is overkill in a program that is already so core intensive, and I don't see myself doing plyo, but the variety of workouts is very tempting.

Thanks very much for posting.

Betsy (aka eam531)

I think that you will like TapouT XT a lot. I just strongly urge you to put together your own schedule rather than follow the "thrown-together" one they ask you to do.

I also very much like Eric's businesslike demeanor. It gives the whole video a more "professional" feel, like it was put together by someone who really knows his stuff.

I also agree that they shouldn't wait until you're halfway done with a set to show you modifications. TapouT XT has this problem as well. But it's a minor one.

One thing I REALLY like about Rushfit is that you get to see as you progress through these programs that there are a few areas where GSP has a particularly hard time, even more than you probably do at home. And it's a nice confidence booster to see that there are some things you can do better than him. The isometric squats, for instance. He's all explaining the modifications and stuff and talking in a way that kind of makes it sound like he's half-jokingly making excuses for himself while you're sitting there thinking "yeaaaah right Georges, just suck it up and do it" lol. I like that.

Debby0904

Ohhhhh I am so glad you said that Sean about them struggling. They do that on Asylum and THAT'S when you feel like you're part of it. Even Shaun T was mumbling at one point how he kicked his own backside. lol I really like that!
Sounds like they are both something I should invest in.

I should also ask if you found any people in these programs 'annoying'. I don't do well with that.

auroranflash

This is all really great info. Thank you for your in-depth review. Very helpful.