Tony Horton’s voice is probably burned into your brain if you spent any time in a living room during the mid-2000s. You remember the "German Potato Soup" joke. You remember the "I hate it, but I love it" mantra. But mostly, you remember the searing, borderline offensive burn in your hip flexors halfway through the ab ripper x exercise list. It wasn't just a workout; it was a cultural reset for home fitness. Before P90X, ab routines were mostly about mindless crunches or those weird vibrating belts from late-night infomercials. Then came this 15-minute gauntlet that promised—and delivered—a core of literal granite.
It's 2026, and the fitness world is obsessed with "functional core stability" and "posterior pelvic tilts." That’s all fine. It’s great, actually. But there is something raw and undeniably effective about the sheer volume of this old-school routine. It’s 349 reps. It’s relentless. Honestly, most people who try it today still can’t finish the whole thing without pausing the video at least twice.
The Moves That Make Up the Ab Ripper X Exercise List
We need to talk about the sequence because the order isn't accidental. It’s a ladder of suffering. You start seated on the floor. No equipment. Just you and your mounting regret.
Seated In and Outs
You’re sitting there, hands on the floor by your hips for balance, and you’re just tucking your knees in and out. Sounds easy? Do 25 of them. By rep 15, your hip flexors are screaming. This is the "warm-up," which is a cruel joke. Tony keeps a fast pace here, and if you lag behind, you’re already in trouble for the rest of the set.
Seated Bicycles
Forward for 25. Backward for 25. Most people cheat here. They make small circles. To get the actual benefit, you have to exaggerate the movement. Big, looping circles. It’s the difference between a mediocre workout and actually seeing your obliques in a month.
Crunchy Frog
This is where the balance gets tricky. You take your hands off the floor. You’re balancing on your sit-bones, arms wide like you’re hugging a giant invisible beach ball, then tucking everything in. It’s a total core stabilizer. If your carpet is thin, your tailbone is going to hate you. Pro tip: grab a thicker yoga mat or double up.
Wide Leged Seated Ab Circles
Think of these as "V-Up" prep. You spread your legs in a "V" while seated and draw circles in the air with your feet. First one way, then the other. It’s awkward. You’ll feel like a flailing beetle. But the way it targets the lower abdominal wall is legendary.
Why Your Hip Flexors Feel Like They’re On Fire
Let’s be real for a second. The biggest complaint about the ab ripper x exercise list is that it hurts your hips more than your stomach. There’s a scientific reason for that, and it isn't necessarily a "bad" thing, though it can be annoying.
The psoas muscle and the iliacus (collectively the iliopsoas) are responsible for hip flexion. Since almost half of the Ab Ripper X moves are performed from a seated, "V-sit" position, these muscles are under constant tension. If your abs are weak, your hips take over the heavy lifting. This is why Tony constantly shouts at the screen to "engage your core."
To fix this, you have to tilt your pelvis. Flatten your back when you’re on the ground. When you're seated, try to pull your belly button toward your spine. It sounds like fitness-instructor-babble, but it’s the only way to shift the load from your hip joints to your rectus abdominis.
The Middle Gauntlet: From Floor to Sky
Once you finish the seated portion, you move to your back. This is where the ab ripper x exercise list gets progressively more "gymnastic."
- Fifer Scissors: This is the most hated move in the program. One leg up, one leg an inch off the ground. Switch on command. It’s slow. It’s methodical. It’s agonizing. If you watch the background actors in the original video, even the "fit" people are shaking like leaves by the end of this set.
- Hip Rock 'N' Raise: You’re on your back, legs straight up. You lift your hips toward the ceiling. No swinging. No momentum. It’s a tiny movement, but it targets the very bottom of the "six-pack" area that is notoriously hard to hit.
- Pulse Ups: Similar to the hip raise, but faster. It’s about burnout at this point.
The "V-Up Roll-Up" Combo
This is a complex move. You lie flat, reach for your toes, then roll back down. It requires a level of spinal mobility that a lot of us lost during the work-from-home era. If you can’t do these, don't beat yourself up. Modify. Reach for your shins instead. The goal is the contraction, not the performance.
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The Oblique Factor
You can’t have a "ripped" midsection if you ignore the sides. Ab Ripper X handles this with Heal Touches and Mason Twists.
The Mason Twist is the grand finale. You’re seated, feet off the ground, hands clasped, twisting side to side. Tony makes you do 40 or 50 of these. Then he adds a "bonus" 10. It’s a psychological test as much as a physical one. By the time you reach this part of the ab ripper x exercise list, your heart rate is actually up. You’re sweating. Your core is vibrating.
Is It Still Relevant in 2026?
We’ve seen a million "Core Crusher" apps and TikTok "7-minute abs" challenges since P90X debuted. Why do people keep coming back to this?
Consistency.
Most modern workouts are too complicated. They require bands, weights, or Bosu balls. Ab Ripper X requires a floor. That’s it. It’s a 15-minute commitment. In the time it takes to scroll through your feed, you could have finished the first four moves.
However, there are limitations.
Modern sports science, like the work from Dr. Stuart McGill (the "back mechanic"), suggests that high-volume flexion (like 349 reps of abs) might not be the best thing for people with pre-existing disc issues. If you have a herniated disc or chronic lower back pain, some of these moves—specifically the full sit-ups—might be too aggressive. In those cases, substituting with planks or "dead bugs" is a smarter move. But for the healthy athlete looking for aesthetic definition and raw endurance, it remains a gold standard.
Surprising Details You Might Have Missed
Did you know the original cast wasn't just random gym-goers? Some were professional athletes and fitness models who still struggled. Watching Eric (the guy who modifies) is actually the most helpful part of the video. He shows that you don't have to be perfect to get the results.
Another detail: the pace. If you try to do these moves at a "normal" gym pace, you’ll finish in 10 minutes. The magic of the ab ripper x exercise list is the controlled tempo. The "V-Up Roll-Ups" are slow for a reason. Eccentric loading (the way down) builds just as much muscle as the way up.
How to Actually Get Results (The Actionable Part)
If you’re going to dive back into this routine, don’t just do it once and quit. That’s the most common mistake.
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- Frequency is King: Do this three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Your abs are muscles like any other; they need 48 hours to recover. Doing it every day is actually counterproductive.
- The "Form Over Reps" Rule: If you can only do 10 Fifer Scissors with perfect form, stop there. Don't do 25 sloppy ones where you’re arching your back. You’ll just end up at the chiropractor.
- Breathe Out on the Exertion: Most people hold their breath during the Mason Twists. That’s a great way to pass out or spike your blood pressure. Exhale every time you twist or lift.
- The Nutrition Elephant in the Room: You’ve heard it a thousand times, but "abs are made in the kitchen." You can do the ab ripper x exercise list twice a day, but if you're in a massive caloric surplus, those muscles will stay hidden under a layer of subcutaneous fat. This routine builds the muscle; your diet reveals it.
Your Next Steps
Ready to feel that specific, 2000s-era burn?
- Audit your space: Clear a spot on the floor and get a mat that doesn't slip.
- Test your baseline: Try to do the first three moves without stopping. If you can, great. If not, that’s your "Max Lap" for today.
- Track the numbers: Keep a notebook. Week 1: 15 reps per move. Week 2: 20 reps.
- Focus on the eccentric: On the "Leg Climbers," take three full seconds to roll your spine back down to the floor.
The beauty of this list isn't that it's the "newest" thing. It's that it works because it's hard. There are no shortcuts in Ab Ripper X. There’s just you, Tony Horton’s jokes, and 15 minutes of work that actually pays off.