Perfect Fitness Rip Deck System

I've been using the Perfect Pushup - Original for years now (well on and off) and wanted something for my fifth wheel while away from the house for work. This seemed like an obvious upgrade from the original, so I went with it. The system is built well (steel and hardened plastic) and will hold up for a long time, assuming the moving parts don't wear out quickly, mainly the stops (not sure how much I will use these yet) and the locks on the bottom of the handle. The clips on the push up handles also may wear or break over time. Other than putting strain on the different plastic parts, I am expecting this system to last many years with plenty of use. The system is easy to use, but does not come with much for instructions. Those can be found online, but I would much rather have a nice laminated poster showing all the workouts, same as the original. Google "Perfect Fitness Rip Deck System instructions" and you'll find the link to Perfect Fitness, the workout is called "Rip Deck" under "Push Workouts" Here is the link to what I found: [...] I have only used mine a few times at this point but it has been a couple months since I let my gym membership expire. I can definitely feel my chest has been through a workout, which I expected because the original worked well. I have only used the ab portion once and it has been way too long since I have done a bicycle ab workout. I didn't want to get up after a few sets of both ab workouts listed by "Perfect Fitness" on their PDF. What I'm saying is this thing works. A great feature of this type of workout equipment is the availability. You don't have to go to the gym! I used mine for about 10 minutes while watching TV last night. Simple to knock out a few sets instead of just sitting on your butt. Pros: - Very effective on both upper body and abs - Strong, well built - Easy to store, mobile - Fairly easy to adjust handle positions - Quick workout Cons: - Barely any instructions included - have to download and watch videos - Difficult to take apart (might just be new) to swap between ab and chest workouts - Handles aren't as nice as the original - The stops and screw on locks for the handles might wear out over time as they are hardened plastic - Handle clips in by force, this might also wear out or even break over time I will update this after a good amount of use (at least 6 months, probably 2-3 good workouts per week) to determine if I expect it to wear quicker or if it will hold up for a long time. I'm confident this system will work (see photo for goal) as far as exercising and improving is concerned. Either way, I am very glad I purchased this item as space is at a premium in my current living situation.

BACKGROUND Having purchased the original Perfect Push-ups several years ago, my old set was starting to wear down / scrape on the floor (an internal plastic part had bent or warped with use). So when I saw the Perfect Rip Deck advertised on TV it wasn't a hard sell. The Perfect Pushup concept does work well if you stick with it. I got into very good upper body shape with that system. This is partly because it's easier to start their daily workout regimen, and partly because it's easier to stick with it (don't have to drive to a gym). And even beyond that, sometimes we all get lazy... and it's still easy to just grab the handles during a commercial break or before you head out for yard work, and knock out a couple sets on a lazy afternoon (iow, doing something is better for staying in shape than doing nothing -- it pays over time). Takes 5 minutes max on those lazy days, and on the real workout days you can be done in 45 minutes. THE GOOD When I got the Perfect Rip Deck out of the box it seemed very solid / well-built. The track is made of steel AFAICT, and the hardened plastic handles with rubber grips have a more unified construction (grips don't slide on the "handle bar" after several uses, like my older model). I do wonder if the "stops" they include will wear out over time, as you have to bend and twist them to move or remove them. That might be equally true for the piece of plastic that holds the push-up platform to the track. But in general the operation in my first workout was sturdy and smooth when gliding on the track. I'll come back in 6 or 8 months and post an update to let you know how it's holding up. Knowing me I'll probably do about 3 workouts a week on average so I should be a good "test case". THE BAD What I was less impressed by was the fact that the excellent laminated workout card that came with the original Perfect Pushup, was nowhere to be found in Rip Deck land. I don't get it, Perfect Fitness... why would you leave this out? I thought at first it might be a mistake but then reading the instructions it was clear they want everyone to go to their web site and facebook page to get tips and see videos. But that doesn't cut it for me; that's a bonus, not what the main process should be. This is a more complex workout device than the perfect push-up, requiring more information to explain to the user when and how to use the handles and stops, which exercises work which muscle groups, etc. But instead of a nice laminated placard (which I used all the time when starting out), there's a flimsy 3 page paper document with a basic setup instruction and basic push-up instruction. You have to go online and download their PDF to get the actual workout, and even that is missing information about which exercises are best for your abs, back muscles, etc. I feel this is a substantial oversight, as people will not intuit the best way to do all the exercises just by looking at it. Also someone paying $60 for a push-up and fly system, should not have to download and print basic workout documents. Don't make us take extra steps just to learn the basics of how to use the workout device (whether an experienced push-up user or not). THE UNDETERMINED My last comment is that I'm not sure, but I wonder if the fly exercises (the real differentiator here) will turn out to be more hype than help. They're very cautious in explaining that you should start slow and use the stoppers to get used to the new motion (and that's good). But even being slightly out of shape (I could probably knock out 35 standard pushups on the device and do about 12 standard pull-ups right now -- so neither "bad shape" nor "really strong" relative to the average Joe), testing the waters on the fly movement suggests to me it won't build a lot of strength for the average man. There's not enough range of motion IMO, especially if you have longer arms as I do. For women or men with shorter arms, a full extension might be possible on the Rip Deck. Hard to say. Again I'll report back later and adjust my rating accordingly, but my sense is the main value of this device is still the push-ups, and maybe the mountain-climbers is a nice add-on to move the workout beyond the upper chest. UPDATE 1: After using the chest fly technique a few times, I have been able to get some benefit from it. It does work some muscles that the other exercises do not albeit modestly IMO. But it's not a total wash as far as this feature is concerned. I do think it will help people. Particularly people with shorter "wing spans".

Fantastic device. I can normally knock out 50 pushups as a quick exercise, but with this machine I'm done at 30, even sooner if I do a fly with twist. I honestly end every use of this product slightly out of breath and with a quick "whoo!" Was easy to set up out of the box and didn't even need instructions. Nice feature with this product is that you can easily disconnect it by removing a pin in the center to do wide fly's or mountain climbers. I have no idea why people wouldn't just do normal mountain climbers, but might as well get the most out of the product I suppose. Really enjoyed the ability to just keep the grip close and do pushups with rotation since the handles rotate. Concerning longevity, I've no doubts that this product will hold up long-term. You could aggressively slide the handles and it will keep on going. Even the rubber stoppers you can apply to the tracks to restrict the slides are built well. The ability to perform slide pushups is a joy now and I look forward to using this device everyday. This was a steal for $32. There's no reason to pay more than that with someone else's brand. This will get the job done for your chest.

I am a fan of the Perfect Fitness lineup with a few exceptions (Core Ball and Perfect Sit Up are my least favorites) and this may now become another product that may look good on paper but stumbles some in executing the concept. It is well built as is all of the Perfect Fitness equipment I own. Its just that some accomplish the exercise objective better than others in the lineup. Chest flys and rotation workouts with this are not fluid as the handles tend to drag...release...drag...release across the track. To say the handles "slide" along the track is being generous. It works a bit better when you do a "modified forearm fly" which doesn't use the handles - you do chest flys using your forearms instead. The slide motion is a bit more fluid doing fly movements that way. I like using the Rip Deck for leg thrust exercises which are accomplished by separating the track and using them as foot platforms to perform squat thrusts and mountain climbers. I think this is a good piece of equipment if you don't have any of the Perfect Pushup series (there are several). If you do, then this won't be much of an addition, given how difficult it is to perform an efficient chest fly. It would make a good push up station since you can set the handles to various widths and lock them in. If you do get go ahead and get one, the Rip Deck is best utilized when you travel and its limitations aren't so much of an issue. I have gym equipment at home (dumbbells, Total Gym, Body Solid multi-station, etc) and this unit can't compete with those. So unless you don't have the space or budget, an investment in good quality home gym equipment would be a superior choice. The Rip Deck folds up easy and fits in a duffel bag so taking it on the road is easy.

Background: Male 31, Eurasian Singaporean. 70kgs Been doing Insanity(Shaun T) wanted something more for my chest and arms. Saw this through a FB post and must say, good advertising. But even better was that it isn't another gym equipment gimmick (not some vibrating horse riding seat thingamajig) it really gives you a good workout in your chest and arms. Very sturdy! Love that it folds away easily. Easy to use. Only one bad thing. I Should've bought the carrying bag :( Will this replace your gym? Depends. Cause the gym is pretty far for me, so it helps having something at home for me to workout on whenever I get the mood to. You may love the gym but I'm an introvert who believes in working smart but hard at the right times and this fits the bill. No regrets :)

The good: I was getting pain in my shoulder using the peck deck on my smith machine, so i decided to try this gadget out. MAN am i impressed! this is a great alternative and really works the outer part of my chest while also working the core. the different positions and variations of push ups are nice. it is vary well made. The Not So Good: The little rubber stops are pretty useless. The slides actually could be a little longer for better range of motion.

It's a good idea, could've been designed better. 1) Tracker is flimsly. Should be more heavy duty. 2) Increase range of motion, by increasing length of tracker. I use original perfect push ups and will stick to them for now. Will look out for more improved version of Rip Deck System.

The Rip Deck is a terrific piece of equipment for those who want to perform flys at home. I attempted a full set of rotating pushup / chest fly combos in, but my asessment is that if you want to get a good pushup workout just stick with the Perfect Pushup V2s. The machine does have locking capability so you can use it in much the same way, but if you're looking just to use something primarily for pushups save the money and just grab V2s. BUT, if you're interested in chest flys this thing is awesome! Many would call it clunky, especially at first until you develop the strength to control your motion properly, but by removing the grips and resting your forearms on the pads you can get a really great full motion set of reps. Later it is possible to wear a weight vest once you've progressed beyond using your own body weight. All in all, I love the Rip Deck and will add it to my program, but mainly just for the flys.