Congratulations. If you’re reading this article, it means you’ve started the first step to becoming a kick-ass ninja, like Naruto, or the villains of Samurai X. No, seriously.
You might have been wondering if all those moves in the Matrix or Kick-Ass or Karate Kid were all special effects. With all the new technologies developed in the past several years, computers can sure make people believe anything can happen. But what you should know is that these actors and actresses had actual martial arts training before and during the times they were filming the movies. They spent months and months trying to perfect the moves that will lead to the collective jaws of the audience dropping.
And if they can do it, so can you! Fortunately, you don’t have to train in the wilderness of Mt. Fuji to learn all those skills. All you need to have is a membership in a gym, like 24 Hour Fitness, and a park where you can test your other abilities, and you’re all set.
START WITH THE BASIC STUFF
If you’re overweight, or too skinny, or simply out of shape, then you’d need to fix that first. Most people may want to start with the ninja training already, but you won’t want to do it the right way. Even Po from Kung Fu Panda had to start with the simple things.
So, here’s what you should do: exercise. Whether you’re underweight or overweight, you’ll have to get those muscles working. And for faster results, do compound movements at the gym, as they are proven to focus on building the right muscle groups and save you wasted hours from working out. The good thing about it is that you will be able to master your weight, which will make it easy for your to maneuver your body when the time comes that you’ll have to take a jump or climb a wall.
These are some of the exercises you can perform:
- Bench press. This is the king of strength training for your upper body. This develops your arms, chest, shoulder muscles, and triceps.
- It works on various groups, such as the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps, and adductor magnus, as well as individual muscles, like front and back torso, legs, hips, and forearms.
- Barbell squat. With barbell squat, you’re working out your whole body. You’re able to toughen your abs, lower back muscles, upper back, shoulders and arms, and you also improve your balance.
- This is a great exercise for your arms, chest, and shoulders. You could do a variety of dips and add weights, when needed.
These are the other important things you can do:
- Swimming. Swim for about half a mile. This will teach you to hold your breath, strengthen your lungs, and develop fluid movements. You can do this once or twice a week.
- Running. Don’t run on the treadmill while watching your favorite movie. Run on tracks, up on the hills or mountains. Develop top speed as much as you can.
- Jumping over obstacles. Don’t be afraid of heights, but be safe as well.
Once you’re already fit, you’ll realize that you are ready to face more challenges. This will not come easy, however. After a long day’s work, you may find it uninspiring to go to the gym, and that you’d rather sleep. Develop a good schedule, wherein you could regularly have time for training; and don’t forget, eat healthy food with lots of proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals to get you going through the day.
HERE COMES THE FUN PART
Now you can proceed to the American Ninja Warrior part. Here you will appreciate why you had to go through those trainings to strengthen your upper body, legs, and all your muscle groups, your flexibility, agility, and balance. This is the reason you had to achieve that ideal body weight that will affect every climb and fall.
These are the challenges you can take:
- Rock climbing. By now, you may have noticed that ninja training is not for the weak of heart. Test your focus and strength by navigating those stone walls by the mountains. Invite your family or friends to go with you to the Grand Canyon and see how well you could climb those rocks.
- Parkour. This is a training discipline using programs that were developed from the obstacle course trainings in the military. It involves vaulting, jumping, running, climbing, rolling, quadrupedal movement, swinging, and other movements necessary to face the situation. Check YouTube videos to see how cool they can be.
- Martial arts training. There are many studios in the U.S. that offer classes in mixed martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Kickboxing. Enroll in those classes to learn offensive and defensive moves. The ninja training won’t be complete without combat knowledge, right?