V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program: Is It Legit? (Review)

Reaching “ripped” status means sculpting your body to look muscular and lean without hiding your washboard abs under a fatty layer (a la Ryan Reynolds, Adam Levine, and Gerard Butler).

But beefin’ up and shreddin’ fat requires insane training commitment and a rigid eating plan, which can be tough to juggle for fitness newcomers.

The solution might be sitting in front of your very eyes: the wildly popular V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program.

V Shred co-founder Vince Sant reports selling hundreds of thousands of copies in only a matter of months. But is this program legit for those eyeing Kevin Hart’s absolutely ripped physique?

Let’s find out!

About the Creator – V Shred

V Shred — short for “Vinsanity Shred” — is Vince Sant’s now-global-scale pet project. The fitness model, certified personal trainer (ISSA), and self-proclaimed best-selling author launched the training platform just a few years ago.

By 2021’s definition, V Shred is officially at “viral” status.

The platform’s digital following now includes over 134 million YouTube views, 4.2 million Facebook fans, and over one million Instagram followers (some of which blasted almost three-fold since early 2018).

Almost every cutting-edge program touts the “secret sauce,” but V Shred is one of the rare exceptions: it takes a brand new approach. The company’s three goals are (vaguely):

1. To turn casual fitness hobbyists into proud and successful V Shred participants
2. To return the “fun” to training and nutrition, creating long-lasting lifestyle changes
3. To bring realistic and actionable training advice to the average person

The V Shred mentality is accurately dubbed the “minimum effective” dose. In other words, it’s not the classic training program that cuts your calories in half or leaves you icing joints numb; you’ll do the least amount needed to guarantee maximal results.

Whether it’s truly the “fastest-growing fitness, nutrition, and supplement brand in the world” is still up for debate. That’s a hard fact to argue, given brands like Peloton, Fringesport, and Mirror are soaring in popularity as at-home fitness solutions become the “norm.”

What is the V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program?

The V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program is quite clear about what it promises. No matter how old, fit, or active you currently are, this program guarantees a near-full body transformation (muscle-building and fat-torching, supported by a 30-day money-back guarantee).

This purely digital program is compatible with both your smartphone (Android or Apple) and web browsers, though the mobile version thrives in the traditional gym setting for obvious reasons.

V Shred Ripped is a full cardio, weightlifting, supplement, and diet jumble. But if you want to get a taste for the basics, here’s what to expect:

• A 12-week lifting program
• Fast, 45-minute workouts
• A focus on time under tension (build more muscle with less exercise)
• An ab-shredding focus for symmetrical washboard abs
• A <$50 weekly grocery shopping budget
• Supplement recommendations to press “fast forward” on progress

Is it legit? We’re getting to that!

But based on the before and after snaps on the V Shred site, where guys are slimming down from 173 to 155 pounds (and dropping from 19% to 10% body fat), the answer is a resounding yes.

V Shred Ripped Details & Features

We can’t dispute V Shred’s uber-convenient portal, mobile compatibility, and noticeable physique results (though your mileage may vary). But will this program work for you and fuel those mass gains and fat shredding like you crave?

We’ll leave you with two words: “It’s possible.” Here’s what you need to know:

(Disclaimer: The V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program is largely indistinguishable from the Fat Loss Extreme Program in terms of the portal set-up, private Facebook group, and format. If you’ve attempted a V Shred program previously, the major difference will be the content. Click here to read the full review of Fat Loss Extreme.)

Step 1: Private Facebook Group

Step one might sound purely self-promotional at first glance: join the official V Shred private Facebook group. Now, while we can’t link the group here (think of it as a paid, exclusive club), we can talk about what its 216,000+ active members experience day-to-day.

The V Shred group essentially doubles as your digital support system. As a V Shred customer, you’ll gain access to:

• Five weekly Facebook “Live” sessions hosted by trainers (ask questions!)
• Regular contests, promotional discounts, and exclusive deals
• Thousands of successful V Shred participants willing to share their tips
• The feeling that you’re not on this fitness journey alone

However, this isn’t a Happy Hour type gathering where you can shoot the shit with your fellow group members. Argue politics, try to sell that beat-up bedroom dresser, or post unrelated memes, and the moderators will likely can you.

There’s no pressure to join this Facebook group at all.

For what it’s worth, only about 216,000+ of 4 million confirmed V Shred trainees are current members (some 5.4%). The private group is also for all V Shred users, so you might have to sift through Q&As irrelevant to your training regimen (like the women’s fat loss program).

Step 2: 90 Day Diet Plan

It takes about 66 days (on average) to start or quit a habit. But when it comes to revamping your nutrition and ditching your unhealthy cravings (donuts, beer, what have you), this is where many committed trainees fail miserably.

In the 90 Day Diet Plan section, you’ll find two clickable buttons:

Create Your 90 Day Diet Plan

While V Shred hands you the foundation to your new eating plan, it’s your responsibility to customize and tailor it to your needs. The first step in this guide is calculating how many calories should grace your plate each day.

The “calculation” method is unconventional, to say the least. Just locate your age, weight, and height on the chart (each has a number 0 through 4 next to it), add it up, and scroll to the bottom of the chart to receive your calorie recommendation.

For example, if you’re 30-years-old, weigh 160 pounds, and stand at 5’7”, your score will be three, equating to about 2,200-2,499 calories per day.

Let’s get two things out of the way right now:

1. No, this calorie calculation doesn’t seem to be scientific at all. A tool like the Body Weight Planner at the NIH or the one included with SX12 can help you reach a better exercise and calorie balance.
2. Yes, the rest of the meal plan completely disregards macronutrient intake suggestions (odd given mass building is partially reliant on healthy protein intake). If you want macro guidance and a more accurate calorie recommendation, you’ll have to wait 90 days in the “Advanced Dieting” sections.

What’s In the Diet?

The V Shred Ripped program is somewhat bland and barebones, suggesting five meals per day and offering ten pre-planned dishes for each. Some examples include:

• Breakfast (Almond Cacao Overnight Oats)
• Mid-morning snack (Power Greens Juice)
• Lunch (Turkey Taco Bowl)
• Mid-afternoon snack (Baked Sweet Potato Fries)
• Dinner (Zucchini Beef Burgers)

Just click on the recipes in the chart to learn more details, like how to make it step-by-step, how it fares nutritionally, and what ingredients you’ll need. If looking through 50 recipes isn’t your idea of “fun,” V Shred includes a pre-planned week-long sample schedule that you can try on week one.

Now, there’s also a glaring pitfall here: the calories. Since you’re looking to stay within a tight calorie range, creating a meal plan with the V Shred meals requires a ton of mixing and matching.

It’s not quite clear what to do if you’re below calories by 8 p.m.

Food Substitutions

In a perfect world, you’d chow down on every meal at your own kitchen table and never sway from your V Shred diet. Unfortunately, that’s a pipe dream if you have allergies, a family dinner at your favorite restaurant, or a business trip on the horizon.

Not to worry; V Shred includes a nifty “Food Substitutions” section to help you make near-equal ingredient swaps.

The portal conveniently divides like-foods together (ex: protein, plant-based, healthy fats, vegetables, etc.). For example, if you don’t have a medium apple in the refrigerator, you can replace it with one cup of chopped pineapple or two small tangerines.

There’s some reference to color-coding here, but it’s not quite clear what that means in this scenario (all of the bullet points are blue, which defeats the whole color-coding concept).

Additional Details Worth Discovering

The next few categories detail some “nice to know” things, but you’d likely figure them out yourself within a week or two of making dishes.

There’s a brief list describing the cookware essentials you might find handy, like a saute pan, whisk, and aluminum foil (nothing too extreme). Sant also includes a meal prep section describing which foods you can cook in bulk on Sunday (ex: jasmine rice, chicken breast).

Choosing Your Supplements

Near the bottom of the meal plan guide, there’s a to-the-point supplement section (yes, another one — see below). Vince Sant includes three supplement recommendations: one for fat burning, another for muscle building, and a third for recovery.

There’s a brief paragraph attached to each explaining why you need to click the link to the right to buy this particular SculptNation product (not testosterone boosters as a whole, for example). This can leave a sour taste in your mouth because it does sound like a not-so-subtle sales pitch.

You might scroll past this section, still not knowing why you need to add it to your routine. The testosterone booster targets sore spots that insecure men struggle with (ex: use this product because, if you don’t, you might start balding or see gray patches in your hair).

Our suggestion: research the products on your own, and don’t assume there’s no other place in the world to buy creatine or BCAAs (other than that V Shred link).

Get Your Supplements

When you click on the “Get Your Supplements” tab, it’ll launch a new window called “Supplement Guide For Men.” Vince Sant missed a massive opportunity to link studies, cite research, and offer a “crash course” in supplemental nutrition.

Instead, it leeches off the previous supplement information in the meal plan guide; it’s essentially an all-out ad for particular supplement products again. The good news is that this can take the extra steps out of buying supps if you’re willing to splurge on anything Vince Sant recommends!

This supplement-only guide is well-laid-out given the circumstances.

For each, there’s a short video featuring the face of the brand, Vince Sant, as he touts each product’s supposed benefits. It also includes a black box revealing how to dose this product safely (ex: one scoop vs. 5 grams) and a few paragraphs detailing the perks (if you’re more a reader).

Another beginner-friendly feature is labeling each by what it does before mentioning its official name (ex: “muscle building” above creatine).

To give you a brief glimpse, some featured products include:

• Probiotics
• Muscle building stack
• BCAAs
• Creatine
• HGH boost

Phrasing like “But finally, there’s a way around this frustrating feeling” might leave you feeling like there was some fine print you missed (maybe you inadvertently signed up for advertisements).

The data isn’t wrong; it’s just too much of a sales pitch.

Step 3: Choose Workout

Where the V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program deserves a digital pat on the back is its training convenience; you have the choice between home and gym workouts (and you can alternate between them at your leisure without impacting your progress).

No matter which you choose, clicking the button will lead you to a white page with three blank calendars to represent the 30 days ahead. Both models have a few things in common, like:

• A five-minute or light cardio workout to warm-up
• Walkthrough videos and how-to guides for each exercise (just click on the exercise, and a new window will pop up)
• A “Legacy Workout” option (if you’re a tried-and-true V Shred veteran and crave the old school experience, clicking the red text will automatically switch you to this version)

Now, here’s a look at what each workout method looks like:

Gym Workout

The gym workouts aren’t your run-of-the-mill weightlifting session, but they also don’t sit on some patent-worthy foundation. A sample week might look a little something like this:

• Chest, Back, HIIT
• Legs, Shoulders, Abs
• Biceps, Triceps, HIIT
• Rest
• Chest, Back, HIIT
• Shoulders, Legs, Abs
• Biceps, Triceps, HIIT

Six straight days of tough weightlifting might already be a red flag in and of itself.

But lumping a biceps/triceps workout between a shoulder workout and a chest/back workout is plain silly. There’s almost no time for those upper-body muscles to recover between workouts, meaning you may not be at 100% when you target those glamour muscles.

Most V Shred workouts start with about three supersets, featuring common exercises like heel taps, dumbbell lateral raises, straight-arm push-downs, and barbell squats.

It also takes on a new training approach; instead of standard four sets of 8-12 reps, you’ll use drop sets (15, 12, 8, and 4, closing out your final set at failure). Abs stay in the 12-15 range.

Home Workout

The home-based workouts require minimal if any equipment; you won’t need a leg curl machine or a full power rack, but a bench and dumbbells are certainly on “the list.”

Your average week might look a little like this:

• Legs, Abs, HIIT
• Chest, Abs
• Back, Abs
• Rest
• Shoulders, HIIT
• Abs
• Cardio

Two points stick out like a sore thumb: no triceps or biceps (not too abnormal given the lack of equipment) and a potential for core overload.

This version also includes supersets (like the standard gym one), but since you’re not lifting loaded barbells, it’ll follow a somewhat different pattern.

Expect about four sets of around 10-30 reps apiece for most exercises, though there’s an occasional “until failure” exercise sprinkled in now and then (to spice it up a little). Featured exercises include mountain climbers, ab bicycles, and feet elevated push-ups.

Supplemental Workouts

Since fat-torching is on your to-do list with this program in your toolkit, you’ll be a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) master by the time week one ends. But if the regular ‘ol 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off sprint/jog combo starts getting old, V Shred has a few alternatives.

In the supplemental workout section, you’ll find HIIT swap-ins (all 15 minutes), like:

• Stairmaster
• Jump rope
• High knees to double burpee combo
• Plate push

This feature helps to keep those 2-4 weekly HIIT sessions fresh. It also gives your muscles some extra time to recover; if you’re coming off a tough chest and abs day, choose the Stairmaster instead of the battle ropes.

Most options follow a similar pattern, too: 10-15 reps or 20 seconds of exercise, followed by about 20-40 seconds of rest (it varies).

After 90 Days

Once you finish the complete 90-day program, you have two options: returning to your normal eating and training routine and sacrificing progress or venturing over to the “After 90 Days” tab.

These two included PDFs will keep you on pace in the following months:

Advanced Dieting: Carb Cycling

This 15-page tool discusses carb cycling and how it plays into your “ripped” training.

In simple terms, carb cycling is a strategy where you shift between low, medium, and high carb intake during the week, essentially tricking your body into stimulating metabolism hormones and trying to increase fat-burning.

This short guide also discusses clean carb sources and how to manipulate your macronutrient intake to maximize gains.

Advanced Dieting: Flex Dieting

This slightly longer 17-page guide does what the regular meal plan guide should’ve done: calculates a legitimate caloric goal (based on TDEE and BMR) and macronutrient intake.

Vince Sant bases the plan around the IIFYM mentality (if it fits your macros). But you’ll also learn about everything from adding healthy fats into your diet to how fibrous carbs can torch fat.

Sample Meal Plans

Scroll down to the bottom of the Ripped portal, and you’ll discover six sample meal plans (again, these would’ve been nice during the actual 90-day program). Your options are:

• Carb cycle 1
• Carb cycle 2
• Flexible dieting 1
• Flexible dieting 2
• Vegetarian 1
• Vegetarian 2

These 10-or-so page PDFs map out an entire week’s worth of eating under a more detailed lens. It’s so descriptive that it includes exact ingredient measurements, precise times to eat (ex: dinner at 6 p.m.), and a macronutrient breakdown for every meal and day.

The last few pages offer a meal plan shopping list. Vince Sant goes well-beyond “convenience” at this point, even including which aisle or grocery store section you might find these ingredients in.

There’s also a portion guide that comes in handy if you don’t have a kitchen scale (ex: a hockey puck, poker chip, deck of cards, etc.).

10 Impressive Benefits of This Program

1. For the standard gym training plan, the twice-per-week frequency maximizes hypertrophy (the findings of a 2016 study).
2. The supplemental “Advanced Dieting” guides and sample meal plans are quite educational, helping you settle your ideal macronutrient and caloric intakes.
3. It works well on both smartphones and on the web portal; work out in peace in your living room or fit into the gym crowds seamlessly.
4. There’s a video for almost anything; if you don’t know how to perform an exercise or how to follow the day’s workout, Vince Sant is there to lead you.
5. The entire portal is quite easy to figure out, even if this is your first V Shred program.
6. The option for both home and gym workouts allows you to personalize your routine around your schedule and equipment availability.
7. If you have questions or need a shoulder to lean on, joining the private V Shred Facebook group can handle both.
8. You can add as much variety as you want, whether it’s swapping in a new HIIT style, opting for a home workout tomorrow, or picking one of ten provided meals.
9. The twice-weekly HIIT sessions can potentially trigger a 28.5% greater fat loss reduction than regular cardio, as reported in a 2019 study.
10. Results of some kind are likely.

4 Negatives of V Shred Ripped in 90 Days

1. Every supplement reference is a blatant sales pitch; explaining why creatine or HGH boosters lead to being “ripped” would be better received.
2. There’s no focus on macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbs) until after your 90 days, and the calorie calculator is nowhere near scientific.
3. Planning your weekly meals is like a puzzle since you need to mix and match meals that fit into your caloric guidelines.
4. Three consecutive days of ab work is overkill, can weaken your muscles, and potentially stall gains (according to a 2008 study); the same problem exists with the back-to-back torso, shoulder, and arm workouts.

V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program Review – Conclusion

The V Shred Ripped in 90 Days Program is one of the better fat-torching, mass-building programs out there for a few reasons: its variety, gym and home compatibility, digital support system, and educational foundation (though it does drop the ball quite a few times).

But it does have a few downsides worth pointing out, too, like the sales pitch overload, complete disregard for macronutrients, non-scientific calorie recommendations, and potential for overtraining (which is ironically against V Shred’s own standards).

Overall, you’ll likely lose fat and build muscle with this program, as V Shred intends. Yet, you might also have to do some fine-tuning on your own to perfect it.

Rating: 7.4/10

Here’s an Alternative…

V Shred is one of the biggest names in muscle-building and fat-loss programs right now, but you might find yourself getting subpar results due to the points I just made.

So if you’re looking for an alternative, consider Superhero X12 by FitMole instead.

If you haven’t heard of it, SX12 is also a complete fitness program designed to help you build the best version of yourself without spending hours per day in the gym, or eating foods you don’t like.

So, why would we pick this over Ripped in 90 Days?

First off, Ripped in 90 Days distracts you from what really builds muscle and puts unnecessary emphasis on supplements.

Let me be the first to say, “Yes, supplements have their place and some of them (like creatine) are heavily-researched with lots of evidence of improving muscle gain and fat loss.”

However, supplements like test boosters, HGH boosters, and fat burners have very little evidence of actually changing your body.

The fact that V Shred heavily promotes these products in their program raises a red flag.

On the other hand, Superhero X12 gives you all the information you need to build muscle and lose body fat without any supplements at all.

Yes, there’s still a short supplement guide included just in case you’re curious and want to know how to give yourself a boost in your training and recovery.

That being said, the creator, Keith Lai constantly preaches how supplements are typically unnecessary and you can do just fine without them.

And SX12 shows you how!

Second, V Shred’s program can’t possibly be that effective without setting any guidelines for macronutrients up front, especially protein!

Have you ever heard of a fitness program that didn’t tell you how much protein to consume?

I mean, that should be a sin, right?

Protein is THE MOST IMPORTANT macronutrient necessary for building new muscle tissue and Ripped in 90 Days doesn’t even mention HOW MUCH you should have until AFTER 90 days are up.

Alternatively, Superhero X12 comes with a full calorie and macro breakdown of exactly what you need to eat to build muscle.

It’s all covered. Plus the included calorie calculator does the heavy lifting for you.

And the beauty is… you can really eat whatever you want as long as it fits in your nutrition numbers.

Yea, eat a piece of cake every single day if you want! You can still gain muscle!

Crazy, right?!

Finally, the programming in Ripped in 90 Days is set up in a way that could lead to overtraining and stalling your muscle gains.

Here’s the deal…

When you’re a noob, a well-designed workout program does 2 things:

1. Stimulates each muscle group at least 2x per week
2. Gives enough time for each muscle group to recover

This is typically done by working a muscle group on one day and then waiting at least 48 hours before working it again.

For example, here’s what your week might look like on an upper/lower split:

• Sunday – Rest
• Monday – Upper body
• Tuesday – Lower body
• Wednesday – Rest
• Thursday – Upper body
• Friday – Lower body
• Saturday – Rest

This kind of schedule satisfies the “2 things” of a well-designed program.

But this isn’t what Ripped in 90 Days does.

V Shred’s program is setup without enough time for recovery by doing things like:

• Ab workouts 3 days in a row
• Back to back shoulder workouts
• Back to back arm workouts

I mean, yeah… you’ll make some progress.

But wouldn’t you rather use a workout program that allows plenty of time for recovery so you don’t burn out and feel like crap each time you leave the gym?

Unlike V Shred, Superhero X12 gives you a complete blueprint to build muscle and lose body fat in only 3 evenly-spaced workouts per week.

That’s right.

If you can commit to 3 workouts, with a full day of rest in between, you can change your body.

You’ll go into each workout feeling well-rested, and clock out ready to take on the rest of your day instead of collapsing on the floor.

These are the reasons we think Superhero X12 might be a better fit compared to V Shred’s Ripped in 90 Days.

• Save money on unnecessary supplements by focusing on good training and proper nutrition
• Remove all the guesswork by knowing exactly what you need to eat to shred fat (plus eat your favorites!)
• Save time and energy by working out only 3 days per week

See for yourself by checking out Superhero X12 below.