Customer Reviews

The Pit Workout

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I rented this 2 dvd set. John Hackelman says this isn't the usual "follow the leader" workout. It's divided into upper body & lower body 45 min workouts on 1 disk & on Disk 2 is 1 hour full body, a couple of minutes of stretching, quick single teaching on hand wrapping & quick teaching of straight punches, hooks, front kicks, roundhouses & knee kicking.
It's John with 3 guys & 2 women all with good/great form, power in a gym. There is only 3 heavy bags to show you how you can kick & punch w/o a heavy bag.

Disk 1:
There are warm ups for both that have light punching, head rolls, jumping jacks, etc for 5-7 min.
Upper body - has a lot of push ups... in different hand positions, levels, speeds & even clapping in between. The punching time is only 5 min since thats how long the average fight lasts. So you alternative between the 2 for almost all of the workout. The punching is done at each person's pace & he gives no pointers. He only does the push ups, otherwise walks around & talks or is totally off camera & silent. There are some kicking & some jump rope here as well.
Lower body - has squat w/kicks, punching air, kicking, standing fwd bend/squats up/down, semi fast paced standing to squat thrusts & jump rope on 1 leg only.

Disk 2:
Workout 1 Hour - starts with jumping jacks, etc. aerobic warm up, then knee kicks for a while & shadow boxing for a while for a total of 30 min about. Next is push ups with squat thrusts for a long time, laying down & touching toes, bicycle crunches, simulated rowing, simulated rowing position w/torso twists, double leg lifts & jump rope for a very long time & couple more aerobics I might have forgotten.
John actually does almost all the workout with the other fighters which makes the workout much better, he's dripping w/sweat, his voice gets hoarse & even he struggles to go on which is great to see.
Teaching - it was shown very fast of punches & kicks. About 2 min spent on each with him alone. I did learn more about the intention of the move & on the roundhouse to use the calf more then the top of the foot. I was surprised when teaching a straight punch he never mentioned the wrist alignment or not to lock the elbow.
Stretching - starts with a basic Russian split, then a sitting split forward bend, then holding the split & fwd bending over each leg, butterfly & ends with reclined butterfly. John walks around here & doesn't do the stretching.
Hand Wraping - he uses a basic stretch wrap with a thumb hole & velcro on the other end & says to wrap it like you would a sprained wrist & shows it once quick.

As other reviewers said, this looks damn hard, you better have great form already & not need any pointers with great killer endurance & strength.

I enjoy the no frills, real honest workout, w/o the fancy camera angles, no extra makeup/hairstyle worries & lame script. I was just looking for a straight forward teaching of proper form fighting practice with just aerobics as only as a warm up & cool down.
Add 2 stars if you like honest, real boot camp workouts.

You can see a preview at his site thepitworkout com

I train in martial arts and have been looking for ways to improve my cardio. I started with running and biking but that got boring quick. I then looked for exercise videos and yes (I am ashamed to say) I even tried Tae Bo. However, even with weights on all four of my extremities I still had no problem doing the entire Tae Bo cardio workout. Then I found The Pit Workout by John Hackelman (the trainer of Chuck Liddell - UFC light heavyweight champion).
This is a Killer workout series consisting of three workouts. One upper body workout, one lower body workout and one full body workout. Each lasts about an hour. Although you don't have to own a heavy bag/wavemaster to do the upper and lower body workouts you would probably benefit more by having one.
At one point of the workout (when I was about to puke) he actually says, "This isn't Tae Bo... This is the Pit" - LOL. I can see where Liddell gets his knockout power if he does these workouts.

The Pit Workout DVD consists of three hour-long workouts. The first is upper body, the second lower body, and the third both upper and lower. No equipment is needed (a punchbag is optional), so it can be performed anywhere.

This will get you into shape! Anyone who says it's easy is not doing it right..it's as simple as that! And simplicity is the key to The Pit. The exercises are tough and are broken up with hiting or kicking the bag (or shadow boxing if you don't have a bag handy).

Although Chuck Lidell's name is used to sell the DVD, the workout is taught by John Hackelman (Lidell's teacher). Hackelman is a great teacher.

Bottom line: If you buy this DVD and follow the workouts three times a week, you will get into great shape!

I ordered this DVD to supplement my gym workouts. At 29 and a former infantry Marine, I thought I could take it all. Boy was I surprised. I completely underestimated the intensity of this video. It made me sweat and at times I felt a little queasy. I loved it!!

I think the workouts are very effective for getting in shape for martial arts or for general fitness. JH is a bad dude and I respect his qualifications as a trainer, but there is a lack of motivation to follow his lead. He is very likeable and works his ass off, but he lacks enthusiasm or something..anyways, just my opinion. Bottom line is the workouts are really good if you need a change from your regular program. It includes lots of pushups, body weight exercises, and shadow boxing; So if you don't integrate fighting style training in your workout routine, then I recommend it as a supplement to other workout programs. Even though I rate this program as just ok I would like to purchase Crosspit and give it a chance. In conclusion, if you want to take fitness to another level, do this with Bas Ruttens workout cds and p90x and you won't be disappointed.

Most serious martial artists and combat athletes understand the importance of physical conditioning. While there are numerous methods to improve physical fitness, such as weight training and long distance running, one thing to take into consideration is the fact that self defense and combat sports are more anaerobic than aerobic. Rather than spending a small amount of energy over a long period of time, martial arts instead requires multiple short burst of maximum exertion.

In The PIT Workout DVD, trainer John Hackelman clearly understands the physical demands placed on the combat athlete. As the trainer of former UFC champ Chuck Liddell, his results speak for themselves. Hackelman gives shows three workouts in his two set DVD; one for the upper body, another for the lower body, and then a killer full body workout. Each workout incudes a good mix of calisthenics and plyometrics. The upper body workout focuses on several variations of hand and elbow strikes and different methods of push ups. The lower body workout of course has a lot of focus on kicks and knee strikes, and the full body workout mixed the two.

While perhaps not completely necessary, you will need a few pieces of equipment in order to get the maximum benefit out of The Pit Workout. Luckily, most martial artists will already have most of these items. If you can, pick up a jump rope, bag or mma gloves, and a heavy bag. The striking combinations may be done in the air, but it would be much more beneficial to have something to actually strike to help build power.

This is a fantastic workout, and if you don't have access to a gym, this will get you in shape. If you already have an established conditioning program, then this is an awesome way to supplement that program. Highly recommended!

I like it somewhat. But it just seems so poorly done. The guy doesn't seem to put much effort into the whole thing and does nothing to push you. Everyone is doing some random deal so you could do better not watching the video since that would just distract you. Compared to the "Bas Rutten workout" which I recieved recently for my birthday, this just doesn't cut it.

If you can provide your own motivation and see pass the faults then go ahead and knock yourself out. I enjoy the "BR Workout" much more and get a better work out to boot.

Great workout video.. and I've tried a few. This is *exactly* what I've been looking for. A MMA/Kickboxing/MA workout--and not the "marie" ones that punch & kick the air and have all these complicated 8+ count flailing around moves that do nothing more than hypnotize your potential opponent--as long as you don't get tied up in a pretzel knot first. These old-school workouts will inspire you and kick your a**.

I also love John "The Pitmaster" Hackleman's style of leading the workout. Very realistic, well thought out, well put together, executed, etc. He's also got a wicked sense of humour. I kept laughing at his comments; "Okay almost done.. only 19 more sets to go.." and "oops, I lost count again. I always do that..", "19..19..19..19.." Seriously cracked me up. And John, no, burpees aren't *my* favorite. :-D

He's also the "real deal" advanced martial artist (10 Dan) as well--which is a huge plus for me. There's so many clowns out there that try to teach [M]MA and generally their techniques not only suck, but will injure you as well. I also respect his association with Chuck Liddell and the other MMA fighters from his "Pit". Def a genuine group of guys (and gals).

Yes it's sure not a TKD or Tai-Chi workout. Can't say I've ever done Tae Bo, so I can't compare. Can't say it appeals to me. Maybe it's the tights. And you know how that eyeliner tends to run when you get all sweaty.. so much hassle.

This workout set is great tho. I'm afraid to even open the crosstraining one. I've been training as a martial artist for almost 10 years now. And this workout laid me out. The last couple years I've been focusing on more/harder impact work Muai Thai, Kickboxing, MMA, and these workouts fit perfectly with those disciplines.

Again, Very very very satisfied with the DVD set. If I had one regret it's not buying the entire boxed set initially. But overall very very happy with this purchase. Best workout DVD I've ever purchased.

Thanks John H. (and others) for producing them.

I have purchased several products on amazon but have rarely been compelled to write a review--the Pit Workout is the most notable exception. First off, I like to work hard at the gym with weight training and cardio four days a week. I really thought I was in shape but the Pit DVD immediately made clear this WAS NOT the case! The first day--the upper body workout--absolutely destroyed me. I was panting, shaking my head in disbelief, vomitted three times, and experienced biting muscle soreness even before the workout was over. The other two workouts were no different. This is a GREAT program that will truly leave you feeling as if you have accomplished something; the thing is just an onslaught that never quits! HIGHLY recommedned!

AWESOME! It made me sweat more than any other workout I've ever done. I used to train for figure competitions, and I wish I had this when I was training. Great for cardio. You end up doing around 200-210 pushups, lots of jumping, good ab workout. All around, I prefer this to any other workouts. I also bought the Special Ops Training and that doesn't work you like this does. If you're choosing between the two, I suggest this one!