StarWarsAcademy

Day 28 Workout #2

Follow the workoutbelow and combine it with aqualitydiet,and soon enough you too will help bringbalance to the Force.

The Star Wars Workout

Workout Summary: Thisworkoutincludes anumber of explosivemovements meant to fire up your nervous system,build explosive muscles,and getyour body to start thinking "power!".

Italso includessome static holds,whole bodymovements, and evengrip strength moves.

Alternate itwith a regular strengthroutine workout(like Beginner Bodyweight,Angry birds,etc., or an Academyworkout), with a dayoff between workouts.

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment needed:

Awallfor handstandpractice A pullup bar Abox/workoutbench/park bench to jump on Aplace to do rows (either Smith Machine ora table) Adumbbellorkettlebell ifyou are doing dumbbell rows.

If you area member ata gym,this equipmentshould be readilyavailable to you. Ifyou are working outat home,each of the abovelinks to things youcan purchase.

ALWAYS: Start with a warm up andend with a cool downstretch.

Part 1: Sky Walker Handstands

Padawan:Five minutesof regularfloor plank work Jedi: 5 minutesofwallplankpractice (explainedin our guide to handstands) Master: 5 minutesofhandstand practice(balancing or against the wall)

Lukegoes fromfarmboyto epic Jedi badass. Who doesn'twant to do that!? One of his most impressive featsof strengthis holding aone hand handstand on Dagobah. Now, we don'texpect you to be able to do 1-handhandstands (not yet,anyway), but we do expect youto workonyour handstands.

LukeHandstands

Set a timer for 5 minutes, and get to work on those handstands!Take as manybreaks as youneed, butworkoncompleting the 5 minuteswith the leastamount of rest. Get better eachtime.

Part 2: Jedi High Jumps

Padawan: 3 setsof15 Squats Jedi: 3 Sets of 10 jump Squats Master: 3 setsof15 box jumps (STEPPING DOWN AFTER JUMP!)

Young Obi-Wan neededto use hisJedihigh jump skills to return to the proper levelto meetup with Qui-Gonn Jinn and Darth Maul.

Obi-Wan Jump

We want youto do the same. Find abox or sturdybench that's 24 inches tall. Think likeObi-Wan,andEXPLODE up withyour jumps onto the box. After landing softlyon the bench (landing on the balls of your feet with bent knees and absorbingthe impact), step down carefully, and repeat. The higher theplatform, the greater the challenge.

If you can't do box jumps,workonyour jump squats instead!

Part 3: Jabba the HutChokes

Padawan: 3 setsof10 dumbbell rows Jedi: 3 setsof10 bodyweightrows Master: 3 setsof10 bodyweightrows with feetonbench

Isthereanything more satisfyingthan watchingLeiatake outJabba the Hutt? I know I let outa cheer when I firstsaw the scene:

Leia ChokesJabba the Hut

Leia is strong,andyouneedto bestrong too. Work onyourpullmuscles by completing either dumbbellrows withthe heaviestweightyou canmanage to complete,or 3 sets of bodyweight rows (with feet elevated)

Part 4: Chewbacca carries

Padawan: Farmercarry(Farmer's Walk)dumbbellsfor60 totalseconds aroundthegym/house Jedi: Firemancarryof sandbag over shoulderfor60 totalseconds Master: Waiter carry of dumbbellfor 60 totalseconds

Chewy is strong. Freakishlystrong. Hehas no problemcarryingrobots,people, ripping people's armsoff,and more:

Chewbacca

We want youto channel your inner Chewbacca by workingon carrying heavier weight! Feel free to try any of the variationsabove. The goalisto pick up the heaviestweightyou canmanage andthen carryit aroundyourhouse or the gymfor the requiredamount of time. Thisbuilds up bone density, tendonstrength, muscular strength, and fires up your body'scentral nervous system.

RRRPRHPPPPPGHGHNG!!

Part 5: Han Solo Shuttle runs

Padawan: Shuttle runjogfor3 minutes (6 sets of 20 seconds on,10 secondsoff) Jedi: Shuttle runfor3 minutes(6 setsof 20 seconds on,10 seconds off) Master: Shuttle run sprint for3 minutes (6 sets of 20 seconds on,10 seconds off)

Ilove Han. He shoots first (literally)and asks questions later. He also runs into situations where he might not have the upper hand.

HanSolo Runs

Time to think like Han andwork on your speed and change of direction. Pick two spotsonyour floor,outside,or in the gym, andwork on jogging/running/sprinting back and forth between the two, touching the floorat both sides. Here's aquick example of whatwe mean:

NFLShuttle Run

Part 6: Force Push Ups

Padawan: 4 sets of 8 Wall/Elevated Plyometric PushUps Jedi: 4 sets of 8 KneePlyometric Push-ups Master: 4 sets of 8 Plyometric Push-ups(clapping optional)

Thisis probablymy favorite Jedi move. Channelthe Force,anduse itto violently PUSH thingsaway? Awesome. Where do I signup?

Force Push

Now, although we can't actually Force Push in real life...yet, it doesn't mean we can't build up our explosiveForce push muscles.

The master level forthisincludes plyometric push-ups, where youforcepush yourself offthe ground. If this istoo difficultfor you, then you can do your plyometric pushups on your knees. Too muchstill? Launch yourself off a benchor evenoff thewallwhilestanding infront of it.

Part 7: Jedi Force Choke Holds

Padawan: Hang frompullup bar while standing on support for 60 seconds of hangtime. Jedi: Hang frompullup bar for 60 secondsof totalhangtime Master: Hang withone hand frompull up bar for 60 secondsofhangtime for each arm.

Vader was aJediwho became asith lord when he turned to the darkside...what a shame....Almost as big of a shamethathe now yells"NOOOO!" Come on George.

Anyways,healso has some incredible powers that we've all imaginedhaving at onepoint, perhaps the most famousbeing the Force Choke:

Darth VaderChoke

While we don't condoneForce Choking your enemies, we are more than okay with you increasingyour grip strength and endurance. Depending onyourweight andyourleveloffitness,select the appropriate level aboveandwork on hanging froma pull up bar. Thegoal is to accumulate 60 seconds of hang time,and you cando it in asmany sets as possible.

Note: thiscan be challengingonyour joints if you'renot used to hanging,so progress slowlyon this one! Start with justa few secondsandwork your wayup!

If you happen to be heavierthanyour average Jedi,feelfree to skip this move until you are at alighterweight,

May the force be with you

Here's a recap!

Proper WarmUp 5 minutesofSkywalker Handstands 3 setsof 10 Jedi High Jumps 3 setsof 10 Jabba the Hut Chokes(rows) 60 secondstotalof Chewbacca Carries HanSolo Shuttle Runs 4setsof 8 Force Push-ups 60 Seconds of Force Choke Holds Proper cooldown.

Complete this workoutwith regularity,and work your wayup to theJediMasterlevels foreach.

Remember, your diet is the most important part ofany equation (insert your own "These are not the donuts you're looking for" joke here).

Eat right, use theForce, and save theGalaxy . It's thatsimple!

Well, maybe notTHAT simple, butit's a goodstart.