The Anarchy Workout

If you'd like to know more about Andy Speer, the setting, and music, please see my previous review for Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Phase 2 Endurance (27:46)

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Background Exercisers: Andy is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt and Christina is wearing layered bra tops and athletic leggings. She modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout or is asked by Andy to show the advanced version of the move too.

Equipment: One dumbbell is optional. Graham uses the weight for some exercises to show an advanced version. Andy and Christina use bodyweight only. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch.

Warm Up (2:30): arm circles forward & back, skips, switch runners, switch runner skips, hamstring stretch.

Main Workout (23:11)

Half Get Up series : forearm half get-up left, straight arm half get-up left, half get-up to bridge left, hip bridge, forearm half get-up right, straight arm half get-up right, half get-up to bridge right.

Split Squat & Spider series : 1 min. defensive shuffle reach cardio burst, split squat right (last 20 seconds is iso hold w/ jump), split squat plyo right, 30 sec. defensive bound cardio burst, spider walk, spider walk push-up, double spider walk push-up, 40 sec. seal jack cardio burst, split squat left (last 20 seconds is iso hold w/jump), split squat plyo left, 40 sec. defensive bound shuffle.

Crab series : crab bridge, swipers, crab swipers burpee.

Pyramid finisher : 1 push-up, 1 squat jump, 2 push-ups, 2 squat jumps,….10 push-ups, 10 squat jumps.

Cool down/stretch (2:05): chest stretch, seated twist, mountain pose.

Overall Impressions: This workout is a little bit of everything. Usually in workouts like these I tend to think that in the effort to cover everything, nothing really gets accomplished. Not so with this workout. In Endurance 2 you get bodyweight strength work and core/ab work, all with a strong cardio component. I was a totally sweaty mess at the end and felt terrific. Another enthusiastic thumbs up for me.

If you'd like to know more about Andy Speer, the setting, and music, please see my previous review for Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Strength (28:03)

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Background Exercisers: Andy is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and Christina is wearing a bra type top with a tank top over it and leggings. She modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout or is asked by Andy to show the advanced version of the move too.

Equipment: It says you'll need one set of dumbbells for the workout. Depending on your strength you may want a couple of sets to use with the different exercises. Graham uses 20s, I used 10's. It's unclear what poundage Christina is using. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch. In phase 2 the work periods are longer with shorter rest/transition and some explosive moves are included. In round one there are 9 exercises. In round 2 some of the moves from round 1 are combined for a total of 6 exercises. The final round is an interesting and intense wave format with all the moves performed with a dumbbell in the right hand before doing them in the left hand. The work to rest ratio changes with each round and will be detailed below.

Warm Up (2:45): skips, reverse lunge w/ chest stretch, down dog to diver bomber push up, prisoner squats (hops added last 20 seconds). 30 seconds rest.

Main Workout (24:00)

Round 1 (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest or transition): split squat curl, split squat overhead press, dumbbell front squat, dumbbell bent over row, split stance overhead press, renegade row, close grip push-ups (using dumbbells as handles), floor angels, sumo high pull (right, then left). The one minute cardio move is single leg skips (30 seconds each leg). 20 seconds rest.

Round 2 (45 seconds work/15 seconds rest or transition): dumbbell squat thrust, bent over batwing row, renegade row w/ push-up, push-up hold, chest peel, dumbbell snatch (right, then left). The one minute cardio move is split switches. 10 second rest.

Round 3 (20-25 seconds work/no rest or transition): sprints, right hand snatch, right hand dumbbell thrust, right arm bent over row, right arm plank row, close grip push-ups (right hand on dumbbell), close grip push-ups (left hand on dumbbell), left arm plank row, left arm bent over row, left hand dumbbell thrust, left hand snatch, sprints. 30 seconds rest.

Cool down/stretch (1:18): all 4s chest stretch, forward fold, ragdoll up.

Overall Impressions: This was a pretty comprehensive strength workout. It covered all the bases and included plank variations and back extensions to cover the core. While there aren't as many isolation exercises for the arms, all the muscles in the arms get covered with the compound and explosive moves. As demonstrated by Andy I'd rate this workout as a high intermediate/low advanced workout. It can be made easier by following the modifier who does a pretty good job showing options, or harder by using heavy weights and really pushing the explosive moves. The last round with the wave format was intense and fun!!!!! I really felt it by the end. My one criticism is the same one I've had with all the workouts and that is the lack of cool down/stretch. Overall, I really liked the workout quite a bit and give it an enthusiastic A rating.

For a description about the Anarchy Workout set and information on Andy Speer, please read my earlier review of Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Phase 2 Cardio (27:00)

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Setting, Music, & Background Exercisers: The setting reminds me of a cross between a loft and a gym. There are brick looking walls with large windows in the background. On the floor is a very large black mat. Around the edge of the set are various pieces of fitness equipment (bench, locker, weights, etc.). The music is instrumental with a rock/techno vibe. It gets louder and more pumped during the work periods and backs off in the rest periods. It didn't really register for me which means that it's probably fairly benign and unobtrusive. Andy is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and Christina is athletic leggings and a t-shirt. She shows modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout or is asked by Andy to take it up to the main move.

Equipment: There is no equipment needed for this workout. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch. The main body of the workout consists of 8 exercises that make up a round. These exercises progress in intensity for two more rounds for a total for 3 rounds. The work to rest ratio changes with each round and will be detailed below.

Warm Up (2:30): skips, fast feet, down dog w/ peddle feet, jumping spider lunge, jumping squat w/floor touch.

Main Workout (23:30)

Round 1 (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest or transition): hollow hops, squat jumps, plank walk fly spider, single leg swing on Andy's count (left, then right), bird dog crunch, uppercut squat, suitcase squeeze abs, single arm burpee.

30 second rest break

Round 2 (50 seconds work/10 seconds rest or transition): hollow jumps, squat jumps w/ direction, plank walk w/ push up fly spider, single leg swing drive max reps (left, then right) 1-2 jab/pogo jump, sprint start (right leg, then left) max reps, bird dog crunch w/ push up, double uppercut, ab runners, single arm burpee w/ fly.

40 second rest break

Round 3 (30 seconds work/no rest): hollow hops, plank walk push-up, single leg swing drive max reps (left, then right), single arm burpee, lateral squat jump.

Cool down/stretch (1:00): after a 30 second rest you go into forward fold then a calf stretch.

Overall Impressions: This workout starts out with a bang and is definitely more challenging than Phase 1 Cardio. The work periods are longer, the rests are shorter, and the choice of moves are more advanced. While there was plenty of cardio, I liked the addition the plank variations to work the core. The exercises were really varied and some of them were just downright fun! For me this workout is a winner! As done by Andy I would rate this workout as low advanced. You'll get a thorough workout and will only mildly destroyed. You can make it more advanced by going faster and making the plyo moves really explosive. Even modified, I think this workout may be too much for beginners and is more low intermediate when done modified. If I have one criticism, it is the lack of cool down and stretch at the end. The workout ends at 27 minutes. It would have been easy to add on an additional 3 minutes of stretches and still come in at around the 30 minute mark.

If you'd like to know more about Andy Speer, please see my previous review for Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Endurance (29:43).

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Setting, Music, & Background Exercisers: The setting reminds me of a cross between a loft and a gym. There are brick looking walls with large windows in the background. On the floor is a very large black mat. Around the edge of the set are various pieces of fitness equipment (bench, locker, weights, etc.). The music is instrumental with a rock/techno vibe. It gets louder and more pumped during the work periods and backs off in the rest periods. It didn't really register for me which means that it's probably fairly benign and unobtrusive. Andy is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt and Christina is wearing a t-shirt and fitness shorts. She modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout or is asked by Andy to show the advanced version of the move too.

Equipment: No equipment is needed. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch.

Warm Up (6:00): hip bridge, hip bridge reach & roll, hip bridge march, spider t-rotation, goddess squat to forward fold, forward fold/goddess squat/squat jump.

Main Workout (22:00)

Exercises (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest or transition): sprint balance hold, sprint build up, sprint and hold, pulldown to push up, down dog to push up or diver bomber push up, rockstar sweep, lateral lunge w/ balance, plyo lateral lunge, bear crawl, bear crawl to bird dog reach, sit throughs, hollow knee kicks, hollow hold, hollow rocks, punch jacks, bunny jacks, squat jacks.

Burn out Round: (30 seconds work/no rest or transition): hollow rocks, push-ups, plyo lateral lunge, squat jacks, sprint.

Cool down/stretch (1:43): standing quad stretch, stand knee hug/figure 4.

Overall Impressions: This workout is a little bit of everything. Usually in workouts like these I tend to think that in the effort to cover everything, nothing really gets accomplished. Not so with this workout. In Endurance you get balance and coordination work, bodyweight strength work, core/ab work, cardio, and hip mobility work. I was a totally sweaty mess at the end and felt terrific. Even Graham had to modify some of the time towards the end of the workout as he was gassed! Another enthusiastic thumbs up for me.

If you'd like to know more about Andy Speer, please see my previous review for Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Bonus Workouts Anarchy Abs & Free Flow.

Main Menu: Anarchy Abs, Free Flow, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Setting, Music, & Background Exercisers: The setting reminds me of a cross between a loft and a gym. There are brick looking walls with large windows in the background. On the floor is a very large black mat. Around the edge of the set are various pieces of fitness equipment (bench, locker, weights, etc.). The music is instrumental with a rock/techno vibe. It didn't really register for me which means that it's probably fairly benign and unobtrusive. Andy is wearing longer shorts and no shirt. Unlike the other Anarchy workouts, Andy does these workouts solo.

Anarchy Abs (15:00)

The set-up of this workout is that you do each exercise for a minute. However, Andy is often still demoing the move when the minute starts so I would say it's more like 50 seconds work per exercise. There is no real warm up or cool down/stretch for these workouts.

Equipment: No equipment is needed. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby.

Exercises: cardio skip, resisted knee drive (30 seconds each leg), ab tuck, hollow hold, spider lunge hop switch, side plank progression (right, then left), single leg hollow runner (30 seconds each leg), push plank, superman fly pulse progression, Russian twist/tap, 3 way climbers, hollow rock/superman pyramid (10, 8, 6, 4, 2 reps), feet to hands (done at super slow pace).

Overall Impressions: This workout does a great job of hitting all the core muscles, not just the abs. Andy shows impeccable form and has a great set of abs that you get to see the whole time as he's not wearing a shirt. Some of the moves do have a cardio factor, although this workout is really targeted towards the core and should not be considered a cardio workout or a circuit workout. Andy often shows modifications for the exercises after starting the set which means beginners will miss some time waiting to see what they should be doing. It would have been better if Andy had one background exerciser showing the modifications. That critique aside, this is a really good core workout that has a lot of variety. I liked it!

Free Flow (15:00)

This workout is not so much a stretching workout as it is a dynamic movement workout that promotes flexibility and loosening of the muscles and joints. You won't find many static holds here as Andy has you constantly flowing through the movements. It's an interesting way to work on flexibility other than traditional yoga poses or athletic stretches.

Equipment: No equipment is needed. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby.

Exercises: leg crossover, thoracic windmill, spider lunge/hip hike w/rotation, hip lunge w/reach, lateral lunge to drop lunge, windmill progression, quad stretch to standing bow, plank walkout to kickover, crab bridge, crab bridge w/ single arm reach, pigeon sequence, child's pose.

Overall Impressions: This workout was a lot more active than I thought it would be. Once I got over being surprised, I found that the constant movement does do a nice job of opening up the joints and promoting flexibility. I did find that this workout was light on exercises that stretched/opened up the upper body and focused more on the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. If you're sick of doing yoga or static stretches to increase your flexibility, this workout may be just what you're looking for.

If you'd like to know more about Andy Speer, please see my previous review for Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Cardio.

Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Strength (27:19)

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Setting, Music, & Background Exercisers: The setting reminds me of a cross between a loft and a gym. There are brick looking walls with large windows in the background. On the floor is a very large black mat. Around the edge of the set are various pieces of fitness equipment (bench, locker, weights, etc.). The music is instrumental with a rock/techno vibe. It gets louder and more pumped during the work periods and backs off in the rest periods. It didn't really register for me which means that it's probably fairly benign and unobtrusive. Andy is wearing longer shorts and a t-shirt. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and Christina is wearing a bra type top and leggings. She modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout or is asked by Andy to show the advanced version of the move too.

Equipment: It says you'll need one set of dumbbells for the workout. Depending on your strength you may want a couple of sets to use with the different exercises. Graham uses 20s, I used 12's and 10's. It's unclear what poundage Christina is using. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch. The main body of the workout consists of 6 exercises and a cardio move that make up a round. These exercises progress in intensity for two more rounds for a total for 3 rounds. The work to rest ratio changes with each round and will be detailed below.

Warm Up (3:00): skips, spider walk outs, walk out w/ shoulder fly, hip swivels, walk out to squat, floor touch squats (optional hop for last 15 seconds). 30 seconds rest.

Main Workout (23:00)

Round 1 (30 seconds work/15 seconds rest or transition): goblet squat, lawnmower row, split stance overhead press, reverse deadlift (RDL), skull crushers, close grip chest press. The one minute cardio move is split switch reverse fly. 30 seconds rest.

Round 2 (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest or transition): goblet squat crush curl, lawnmower iso row, split stance push press, kickstand deadlifts, hollow skull crusher, chest press hold. The one minute cardio move is one legged skips (left, 30 seconds, right, 30 seconds). 30 second rest.

Round 3 (30 seconds work/no rest or transition): curls, RDL, double arm split stance push press, double arm split stance lawnmower row, goblet squat hold w/curls, goblet squats, goblet jump squat. 30 seconds rest.

Cool down/stretch (1:19): spider lunge to triangle, forward fold, chest stretch.

Overall Impressions: This was a very comprehensive strength workout. It covered all the bases and some of the later variations made sure to include a core element even though there were no designated ab/core exercises. As demonstrated by Andy I'd rate this workout as a high intermediate/low advanced workout. It can be made easier by following the modifier who does a better job than the cardio workout of showing options, or harder by using heavy weights and really pushing the plyo moves. If I had a criticism it is again the lack of cool down and stretches at the end. The last round with 3 goblet squat variations in a row was KILLER!!! My thighs were on fire at the end. I really liked it and give it an enthusiastic A rating.

What follows is a brief description about The Anarchy Workout put out by Men's Health/Rodale, information about the program lead, Andy Speer, and a breakdown of the phase 1 Cardio workout.

The Anarchy Workout is the latest offering from Men's Health/Rodale. The workouts are led by Andy Speer who was the winner of the Men's Health America's Next Top Trainer contest/TV show. The set consists of 2 DVDs that are divided into Phase 1 and Phase 2. In each phase there are 3 workouts titled cardio, strength, and endurance. All workouts clock in at around 30 minutes so they are great for people with time constraints on their workout time. There is also a bonus DVD which has a 15 minute ab routine and a 15 minute flow routine. The program is 6 weeks long with 3 weeks spent doing phase 1 workouts 3x per week and another 3 weeks doing phase 2 workouts 3x per week.

Who is Andy Speer? Andy Speer is a certified strength and conditioning specialist who has spent the past 25 years in the fitness industry. He was a tier 3 trainer at the renowned Equinox gym in New York before opening up his own facility, SoHo Strength Lab. He participated in and won the Men's Health America's Next Top Trainer contest which led to him putting out this DVD workout system. He's not a stranger to fitness DVDs as he has been a background exerciser in both Beachbody's Focus T25 and Insanity Asylum. He's also a fitness model and can be found in the pages of most fitness magazines (he's hot!). Good looks aside, he's a man who knows what he's talking about and is a great lead for these workouts.

Now it's on to the review of Anarchy Workout Phase 1 Cardio (27:08).

Main Menu: Cardio, Strength, Endurance, How Anarchy Works. Once you select your workout you're sent to a sub-menu which lets you know what equipment you'll need and you can select music on or off.

Setting, Music, & Background Exercisers: The setting reminds me of a cross between a loft and a gym. There are brick looking walls with large windows in the background. On the floor is a very large black mat. Around the edge of the set are various pieces of fitness equipment (bench, locker, weights, etc.). The music is instrumental with a rock/techno vibe. It gets louder and more pumped during the work periods and backs off in the rest periods. It didn't really register for me which means that it's probably fairly benign and unobtrusive. Andy is wearing longer shorts and a tank top. He does the workout with two background exercisers, one male (Graham) and one female (Christina) who is the modifier for the workout. Graham is wearing shorts and a tee shirt and Christina is wearing shorts, a sports bra, and another top over that. She shows modifications for most of the moves and sometimes forgets that she is the designated modifier for the workout.

Equipment: There is no equipment needed for this workout. I would suggest having a towel and water nearby as you will sweat during this workout.

The workout consists of a brief warm up, the body of the workout, and a VERY brief cool down/stretch. The main body of the workout consists of 6 exercises that make up a round. These exercises progress in intensity for two more rounds for a total for 3 rounds. The work to rest ratio changes with each round and will be detailed below.

Warm Up (3:00): twisting reverse lunges, front lunges with Y arms, caterpillar to plank/knee tucks, run in place.

Main Workout (23:00)

Round 1 (30 seconds work/10 seconds rest or transition): 1-2 jab w/ fast feet, sprint starter drill (right leg, then left) on Andy's count, plank w/ shoulder fly, lateral fast feet, t-stand (right, then left), rotational slam, plank to burpee on Andy's count. 40 second rest break.

Round 2 (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest or transition): 1-2 jab/pogo jump, sprint start (right leg, then left) max reps, plank up w/ shoulder fly, pogo jump w/ split lunge, alternating t-stand, rotational slam w/ split squat, donkey switch. 20 second rest break.

Round 3 (40 or 45 seconds work/15 seconds rest or transition): 1-2 jab/upper cut, sprint start w/ a jump (right leg, then left) max reps, plank up w/ shoulder fly + spider knee, pogo jump w/ a sprawl, alternating push up/t-stand with knee drive, rotational slam w/ plyo split squat, donkey switch w/ one legged burpee. 30 second rest.

Cool down/stretch (1:08): hip flexor/groin stretch.

Overall Impressions: Because of the progressive format of this workout, it started out a little slow and really built to a great end. While there was plenty of cardio, I liked the addition of the plank variations to work the core. The exercises were really varied and some of them were just downright fun! For me this workout is a winner! As done by Andy I would rate this workout as high intermediate. You'll get a thorough workout and you won't feel destroyed. You can make it more advanced by going faster and adding in the plyo elements in earlier rounds. Beginners can stick with the variations shown in the first round or follow the modifier although, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes she forgets she's the modifier and is going all out. If I have one criticism, it is the lack of cool down and stretch at the end. The workout ends at just over 27 minutes. It would have been easy to add on an additional 3 minutes of stretches and still come in at around the 30 minute mark.