American Ninja Warrior Training

In case you have never heard of American Ninja Warrior, it's a show on NBC.  People run through an obstacle course that is intense on Grip and Core Strength.  This year the show has seen the first women and the first 50 year old make it to the finals.  It's a pretty fun watch in my opinion.  There are also a lot of people doing hanging challenges, so I thought I'd put some thoughts to this.

What I've taken away is the type of training that you must do to be successful.  What got me really thinking was a Bobsledder I know competed and while he put up a nice effort, didn't make it very far.   At 220lb I don't care how much you climb your grip isn't lasting that long.  So first thought, no more then 185lbs.  You are just working against yourself if your are heavier.  I'd say 165 is more the ideal.   So weight loss equals instants strength endurance gain.

Must be able to hang in the 1/2 lockout position for 3 minutes.  That would be elbows at 90 degrees.  Simple, but not easy at all.

Must be able to hang in the full lockout position for 3 minutes.  That is arms fully extended.

2 minutes of back and forth on the monkey bars.  Not only does this get used to the pattern of alternating arms, it's dynamic and endurance at the same time.

Be able to swing from a bar and try to reach out and land in front of of you with your feet.  8-10 feet is a good goal.  (I was surprised at actually how hard this was for me when I first tried)  It looks easy on TV.

Not many people will have a warp wall, but if you can run up to a 12 foot wall and propel yourself up, there is a good chance the warp wall won't stop you.

Run quickly over a balance beam or something narrow slightly off the ground.  The cement stand alone curbs work well.

PREVENTATIVE

Your forearm muscles will take abuse.  Make a peanut with some lacrosse balls and tape and roll those muscles for at least 5 minutes each, every day.

Bear Crawls will help to stabilize the shoulder girdle and get those muscles stronger to allow more intense training sessions.  They also act as a dynamic forearm flexor stretch.  Incorporate these into all your training sessions.

Kids parks make great training places.  Pull ups, monkey bars, dips.  Climb trees.  Ledges off buildings will hold new meaning.  Join a rock climbing gym if there is one in your area.