Doubters will say you can’t get ripped in 30 days without a legit gym membership. But we’d have to disagree. (Although it really depends on a few separate factors.)

Do you want to build (or at least maintain) muscle and burn fat in 30 days without leaving your basement or garage gym? Look no further.

This is our 30-day, home-gym-friendly version of Alex Savva’s Ripped Freak Training Program.

About the Creator – Alex Savva

Ripped Freak creator Alex Savva is a strength and conditioning expert with a degree in Health & Physical Education (woo!), a former bodybuilder, and a member of the fitness community for the last decade or so.

We don’t know much else about Savva. But we do know he likes to get freaky.

Really, on top of this program, he’s also published articles called “6 Freaky Exercises You’ve Never Done Before” and “12 Delicious FreakMode Recipes.”

What is the Ripped Freak Training Program?

Alex Savva’s Ripped Freak Training Program is a 12-week plan designed to maximize muscle growth and shred body fat through four types of training:

1. Traditional superset workouts — Chest & Back, Legs, Arms & Shoulders — to build muscle with 6–15 reps per set without wasting an hour in the gym
2. 5-Minute Ripped Solution, a scientifically proven method to boost the body’s anabolic (tissue-building) responses with just two minutes of all-out cardio per day (4×30 seconds)
3. Core work to chisel away at a six-pack and a more aesthetic physique
4. Cardio or cross-training to burn extra calories, land you in a caloric deficit, and uncover muscle definition

If you shrink this 5–7-day-a-week program to 30 days and pair it with a clean, high-protein, caloric-deficit diet, you should drop 1–2% body fat and build some muscle (getting you closer to that lean ripped body type).

And unlike a traditional gym workout, you can do this bad boy from home.

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Ripped Freak Training Program Details

The original Ripped Freak program is actually 12 weeks long and requires standard gym equipment — like a cable machine and leg press.

All we did was drop this freaky beast down to 30 days and swap in a few exercise alternatives to make it home-gym-compatible.

Here’s our complete breakdown of the Ripped Freak Training Program:

Equipment

Our tweaked version of the program requires a basic home gym set-up, including:

• Adjustable bench
• Adjustable dumbbell set (or old-school dumbbells)
• Pull-up bar
• Squat rack
• Resistance bands
• Barbell
• Weight plates
• Dip station (or flat bench)

If you don’t have dumbbells or resistance bands or barbells, you’re free to adapt the exercises to your equipment.

Schedule

Over the next 30 days, you’ll crank out three superset resistance workouts, two cardio or cross-training sessions, and another four 4-Minute Ripped Solution workouts per week.

Let’s take a closer look at your weekly training schedule on Ripped Freak:

1. Chest & Back Day and 5-Minute Ripped Solution
2. Cardio or Cross-Training
3. Leg Day
4. Rest or Cardio or Cross-Training*
5. Arm & Shoulder Day and 5-Minute Ripped Solution
6. 5-Minute Ripped Solution + Core Work
7. Rest or 5-Minute Ripped Solution + Core Work*

* Since we’re cramming this 12-weeker into a much-tighter 30 days, we recommend capping your weekly rest days at one to break up the week without slowing results.

Resistance Training Workouts

The Ripped Freak resistance workouts are strictly supersets with a random tri-set on leg day. The only rest periods are a quick 30–60 seconds between supersets — not exercises.

Savva breaks Ripped Freak up into three resistance-training workouts:

Chest & Back Day

• Superset 1: Incline dumbbell press – 3–4 sets x 6–8 reps
• Superset 1: Chin-up – 3–4 sets x 6–8 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

• Superset 2: Flat dumbbell fly – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Superset 2: Resistance band lat pulldown – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

• Superset 3: Bent-over barbell row – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Superset 3: Push-up – 1 set x AMRAP
• 30–60 seconds of rest

Leg Day

• Superset 1: Barbell squat – 3–4 sets x 6–8 reps
• Superset 1: Dumbbell lunge – 3–4 sets x 6–8 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

• Superset 2: Lying dumbbell hamstring curl – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Superset 2: Dumbbell goblet squat – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Superset 2: Standing calf raise – 2–3 sets x 12–15 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

Arm & Shoulder Day

• Superset 1: Dumbbell shoulder press – 3–4 sets x 6–8 reps
• Superset 1: Lateral dumbbell raise – 3–4 sets x 6–8 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

• Superset 2: Triceps resistance band pushdown – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Superset 2: Barbell curl – 2–3 sets x 10–12 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

• Superset 3: Dip – 2–3 sets x 10–15 reps
• Superset 3: Alternating dumbbell curl – 2–3 sets x 10–15 reps
• 30–60 seconds of rest

5-Minute Ripped Solution

The outright bizarre 5-Minute Ripped Solution leans on a clinical trial published in Hormone and Metabolic Research in 2013.

Researchers concluded that 4×30 all-out exercise maximizes cortisol, human growth hormone, metabolic stress, and testosterone.

All that, compared to 130 minutes of steady-state cardio and 4×4-minute at 95% maximum power output.

A higher anabolic response indicates greater cell and tissue growth, as opposed to a catabolic response that breaks cells and tissue down.

Savva lumps this theory into a five-minute HIIT-style workout alternating between 30-second full-force sets and 60 seconds of low-intensity rest (or walking around).

Here’s a look at the science-backed 5-Minute Ripped Solution:

• Jump squat – 30 seconds (10 exertion level)
• Recovery – 60 seconds (2–3 exertion levels)
• Burpee – 30 seconds (10 exertion levels)
• Recovery – 60 seconds (2–3 exertion levels)
• Mountain climber – 30 seconds (10 exertion levels)
• Recovery – 60 seconds (2-3 exertion levels)
• Jumping lunge – 30 seconds (10 exertion level)

If cardio is your weakest link, don’t limit yourself to just 60 seconds of “rest.” Instead, start with 120 seconds of rest and work your way down to 60 seconds by the end of the 30 days.

Recommended Core Work

Savva conveniently left out core exercises.

But a Muscle & Strength team member responded in the comments by pointing readers to an article called “Understanding Core Training: Maximizing Results With Minimal Risk.”

When the schedule lists “Core Work,” try this ab workout:

• Half kneeling Pallof press – 4 sets x 5–8 reps (per side)
• Kettlebell crossover walk – 2–3 sets per side for time
• RKC plank – 3–4 sets x 15–25 seconds
• Side plank with row – 3–4 sets x 8–10 reps (per side)

Or try Brad Borland’s 8-Pack Abs Workout, the Perfect Athlean-X Core Workout, or even the vintage P90X Ab Ripper X.

Cardio & Cross-Training

Savva doesn’t go into any detail explaining your cardio or cross-training days. But if you want to maximize the fat burn, we’d suggest 30–60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic training.

Hiking, treadmill running, cycling (upright or real), speed-walking, rowing, or even a high-intensity pick-up game are all realistic options.

Is It Realistic To Get Ripped in 30 Days From Home?

Yes and no.

The home factor isn’t the problem. As long as you have dumbbells, barbells, a bench, a squat rack, and space for cardio, there aren’t any excuses for not getting more ripped.

If any enemy is standing in your way, it’s time.

Thirty days is more than enough time to drop you down to <10% body fat for a vascular, defined, ripped physique if you’re already muscular and at <11–12% body fat.

But if you’re zero-bits muscular or well-above 15% body fat, a single month is far too short to sculpt a ripped physique. It’s more realistic to aim for a ripped body in 90 days or more.

Ripped Freak Pros

1. Ripped Freak is one of the most time-efficient programs we’ve seen. Packing cardio into five-minute sessions and pressing through supersets during all resistance training exercises will save you precious time while maximizing your results.
2. The resistance training programs align with scientifically backed hypertrophy strategies like 3–4 sets per exercise and 6–15 reps per set.
3. HIIT-style training (like the 5-Minute Ripped Solution) can and will burn fat. Studies — like this one published in the International Journal of Exercise Science — link HIIT and resistance training to greater energy expenditure 14 hours post-exercise. But it’s worth mentioning this amped-up calorie-burn amounts to only a few extra calories per hour.
4. If you’re already almost ripped, 30 days and this program are more than enough to get you to your goal.
5. There’s not a lot of information about the core work or cardio/cross-training exercises.

Ripped Freak Cons

1. The 5-Minute Ripped Solution maximizes testosterone, cortisol, human growth hormone (HGH), and metabolic stress. But with just two minutes of actual training per day (four times per week), the physical effects probably won’t be too dramatic.
2. For most folks, 12 weeks isn’t enough to get ripped, let alone 30 days.
3. If you also need to bulk up, this routine’s once-a-week frequency and the low-volume trend won’t be enough. But it’s decently realistic if you need to build a little extra mass (or maintain it) as you torch fat.

Ripped Freak Training Program Conclusion

The Ripped Freak Training Program wasn’t originally a 30-day at-home program to help you get ripped, but with a few modifications, it’s possible if you’re already close to ripped territory.

Even if you don’t get ripped in 30 days, this program is enough to break up the monotony of other routines, break through plateaus, and keep the next month (or two or three) exciting.

Plus, it’s free.

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