Workouts
The Connor Kenway Workout
Ever wanted to Fight Like Connor/Ratonhnhaké:ton? Now you can, with the Connor Kenway Fighting Style Combat Guide
Connor Kenway Quick Navigation Links:
Character Breakdown: Connor Kenway
The Connor Kenway Workout
The Skills of Connor Kenway
The Dichotomy of Connor Kenway
Connor/Ratonhnhaké:ton is a pretty good sized dude. It’s been stated and observed multiple times that he’s both bigger and stronger than his compatriots Ezio and Altair. He’s still very fast, and acrobatic, though, which means we’re going to need a pretty well rounded workout to fill him out and still keep him agile.
If we had to compare them to animals, Ezio and Altair are more like wolves, wild dogs, or other canines, focusing on running down their victims and/or traversing large distances. Ratonhnhaké:ton is more like a tiger or a leopard, stalking his prey slowly and lying in wait before using an explosive burst of speed and brutality to finish his opponents.
As always, please remember to Warm Up Properly before any exercise session, and then Cool Down afterwards as well, to help prevent injury and preserve range of motion/flexibility. I would recommend The Big Guy diet for this plan, although if you find yourself putting on too much weight you might want to lower your caloric intake a bit.
Note: This workout is split up into four levels to easily plug into the RPG Fitness leveling system!
Equipment Needed:
Chinup Bar
3 Chairs
Towel
Sturdy Backpack(I use this army surplus bag[referral link]) or Weighted Vest
Weighted Sand Bag(you can learn how I make my sand bags in the Kratos workout)
Schedule:
Day 1: Strength Set A
Day 2: Cardio Set A
Day 3: Rest(or Active Rest)
Day 4: Strength Set B
Day 5: Strength Set A
Day 6: Cardio Set B
Day 7: Rest(or Active Rest)
Strength Workouts
For all pushup variations in this workout, as well as how to work up to doing a full pushup, check out this video.
Strength Set A:
For an added degree of difficulty, and to build hand strength, drape a towel over your pull up bar and hold onto THAT for all of your pull ups, instead of the bar itself.
Level 1(beginner):
3×5-10 Kneeling Pushups
3×5-10 Chair-Assisted Pull Ups(overhand grip)
3×5-10 Seated Bodyweight Rows
3×5-10 Pike Pushups or Leaning Pushups
Level 2(intermediate):
5×5-10 Pushups or Suspended Pushups
5×5-10 Pullups(overhand grip)
5×5-10 Inverted Bodyweight Rows
5×5-10 Pike Pushups or Handstand Pushups
Level 3(advanced):
5×5-10 Suspended Pushups(with 10-40 lb weighted backpack/vest)
5×5-10 Pullups(with 10-40 lb weighted backpack/vest)
5×5-10 Inverted Rows(with 10-40 lb weighted backpack/vest)
5×5-10 Handstand Pushups(with 10-40 lb weighted backpack/vest)
Level 4(assassin):
5×10-25 Suspended Pushups(with 40-100 lb weighted backpack/vest)
5×5-10 Muscle-ups(with weighted backpack/vest if necessary)
5×5-10 One-Armed Pullups(with weight if you’re crazy)
5×10-25 Inverted Rows(with 40-100 lb weighted backpack/vest)
5×10-25 Handstand Pushups(with 40-100 lb weighted backpack/vest)
Strength Set B:
Note: On all of these exercises that require a sandbag, I’ve intentionally left a recommended weight out. Every person is different. You should start with a lower weight, and add more as you feel more comfortable with the exercises. You want to be lifting weight equal to about 75-80% of the maximum amount of weight you can lift in one repetition(your one rep max).
Level 1(beginner):
3×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
3×5-10 Straight-leg Deadlifts With Sandbag
3×5-10 Calf Raises
3×10-25 Bicycle Crunches
Level 2(intermediate):
5×5-10 Front Squats with Sandbag
5×5-10 Straight Leg Deadlifts with Sandbag
5×5-10 One-Legged Calf Raises
5×10-25 Bicycle Crunches
5×5-10 Hanging Pike Leg Raises
Level 3(advanced):
5×5-10 Front Squats with Sandbag
5×5-10 Straight Leg Deadlifts with Sandbag
5-10 One-Legged Calf Raises with Sandbag
5×10-25 Bicycle Crunches(holding 10-40 lb sandbag on chest)
5×10-25 Hanging Pike Leg Raises
Level 4(assassin):
5×5-10 One-Legged Squats with Sandbag(you’re going to need to seriously decrease the weight from what you were lifting before since you’re on one leg now. Remember to watch your form!)
5×5-10 Straight-Legged Deadlifts with Sandbag
5×10-25 One-Legged Calf Raises with Sandbag
5×25-50 Bicycle Crunches(holding 10-40 lb sandbag on chest)
5×10-25 Hanging Pike Leg Raises(with 10-40 lbs hooked onto feet)
Cardio Workouts
Cardio Set A:
Level 1(beginner):
30 Minutes Brisk Walking
5×10 Seconds Sprint on Flat Ground
Level 2(intermediate):
30 Minutes Jogging
5×10 Seconds Sprint on Flat Ground
Level 3(advanced):
30 Minutes Jogging, sprinting for twenty seconds at every five minute mark
Level 4(assassin):
30 Minutes Jogging, sprinting for twenty seconds at every five minute mark
Hill Sprints(as many as you can, it depends on the length/incline of the hill)
Cardio Set B:
Level 1(beginner):
5×15 Jumping Jacks
5×1 Burpees(no pushup, no jump at the end)
No rest between sets on these. Do one set of jumping jacks, followed immediately by a burpee, and then right into jumping jacks again)
Level 2(intermediate):
5×20 Jumping Jacks
5×1-2-3-4-5 Burpees(no pushup, no jump at the end)
Same as before, no rest between sets. On every set, do one more burpee than the last set(so first set is one burpee, second set is two, etc.)
Level 3(advanced):
5×25 Jumping Jacks
5×1-2-3-4-5 Burpees(pushup when you go down, perform a tuck jump when you come up)
Same as before, no rest, but this time we’ve also added in a pushup and a tuck jump on every burpee!
Level 4(assassin):
?x25 Jumping Jacks
?x1-2-3-4-? Burpees
Same as before, no upward limit on sets. See how many you can do! For a different variation, pick a high number to start with, and count down the number of burpees each set instead of up!
Active Rest
Up above in the workout schedule you’ll see entries on rest days for “Active Rest.” Basically, once you’ve moved beyond level one in your cardio workouts, feel free to go back to the next lowest level cardio workout of your choice, and do it on your “rest” days. So, if you’re on level two, and you feel like remaining active on your “rest” day, you can perform cardio level one (either set A or B) on that day. This isn’t necessary, but if you feel up for it it can help keep your muscles from stiffening up too much on an off day, and also keep your metabolic rate up!
Whew that’s a serious workout regimen. Please remember to take things slow, and start on level 1, people. If you need an extra day of rest, that’s fine, take it. It’s better to take a day or two off because of fatigue, than to take a month or five off because of injury.
That’s all for today. Tomorrow we move on to The Skills of Connor Kenway. Please don’t forget to like the blog on Facebook, and follow on Twitter and Tumblr. While you’re at it, if you enjoyed this post, please share/retweet it to your friends! We’ll see you on Sunday!. Until then, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome.
Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace
Pingback: Character Breakdown: Connor Kenway AKA Ratonhnhaké:ton » Be a Game Character
Hey Dan me again. Thanks for doing him man! I’ve been waiting for this one lol. Again great job with the site. This really has potential. Never give up! Keep up the good work.
Hey Hector! Thanks for the vote of confidence, and for continuing to be a fan! =D Glad you enjoyed the workout, check back tomorrow for some cool skills and stuff!
Hey Dan!
I really want to try this workout cause frankly I’m tired of being tired,tired of not having energy to do anything,tried of not feeling 23 but rather 32 so I really want to get in shape not just for me but my husband as well. I know if I get my butt in gear then he will shape up too. I’m going to try my best to follow all you’re instruction to the teeth even the nutrition but I was wondering if you could in you’re busy time include some pictures of you’re work outs,it would really help someone like me who doesn’t understand whats what,I tried to google them but I’m sure which ones right,if you can do this it would great! thanks for all you’re hard work! its not in vain.
Hi! First off, way to go on taking your first step towards a healthier life. It will be worth it. You’re probably right about your husband, as well, it’s been shown repeatedly that one person getting in shape can have a “ripple effect” on the people around them(just make sure you give him a little time to catch up, hahaha).
In regards to the exercises, yes, I want to do you one better on the picture idea, and instead develop a video library. Unfortunately, this is one of the areas of my plans that has fallen woefully behind 🙁 I am planning on catching up on this soon, but until I do, are there any specific exercises you’re unsure of? I’d be happy to find you video or photo tutorials online somewhere to help you with exactly what I meant, until I develop my own.
Thanks again for reading, and for giving some feedback, too! I love hearing from people =)
Dan
Hey thanks for getting back to me, I really appreciate it. I know it’s hard when you want to tons of things to help people but there’s only so much of you that you alone can to do so what you can do is fine. as for the exercises,the Chair-Assisted Pull Ups(overhand grip) and Seated Bodyweight Rows were the ones that I was not too sure about, tried google got different things so if can show me a video that would be great when you have time,of course I’m starting with Level 1 lol gotta earned that Assassin title! Take care!
Alrighty! Well, if you can manage to wait, I’m actually going to be recording and posting a pull-up progression video next week so if you can last until then, I’ll have some video instruction for you. =)
Hey, just wanted to let you know I finished that pull up progression video I was talking about, and it demonstrates the exercises you had questions about! You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ1LTBOtaM8
Hi there! Great job with this site – it’s amazingly helpful and also just impressive in how you put the regiments together. I was wondering though – what, if any, variations would you suggest for a woman and this workout?
Thank you! I’m glad you find the site useful, I do put a lot of work into it, so I’m really happy when I can help people with it! Okay, so for a woman attempting this workout, you’re going to have some initial challenges, the biggest of which is going to be a lower base upper body strength level. Most females, for various reasons, have a lower base upper body strength level. That means you’re probably going to have a difficult time with Strength Set A, at least starting out.
This doesn’t mean change the workout, really, it just means be a bit patient with yourself and take it slowly with Strength A. I’ve seen a female firefighter who stood a mean 5’3″ tall do a pull up with 90 pounds on her back, so it’s totally possible to get just as strong, you just need to give yourself a little more time and patience than a guy would. The upside of this is I’ve actually found it to be the case that girls have just as much – if not more – natural LOWER body strength than men, so you should have an easier time with Strength Set B than most guys will starting out.
Above all, be patient with yourself, and take it slowly. You can totally do this workout with patience and effort, so don’t let your gender get in your way.
Thanks for reading, and for asking a great question!
Dan
Hi Dan,
I’m getting started on doing this workout but I’m just curious about how to handle the sets in the Strength exercises. For example should I do one set of pushups, followed by one set of pullups etc and then come back and repeat or should I do one set of pushups, break, then perform the next set.
Thanks for the workout!
Good question! Do one set of the first exercise, followed immediately by one set of the next exercise. After you’ve done one set of every exercise (one “circuit”), take a break for 1-2 minutes, and then head into the circuit again. So, each exercise consecutively, no pause between sets, rest after the cycle is completed. If you need to, you can rest between exercises, but I would try not to if I could avoid it =)
Pingback: The Skills of Connor Kenway AKA Ratonhnhaké:ton » Be a Game Character
Hey Dan,
Love the site, hope it motivates more of my man-boobed gamer comrades to get into fitness. I’ve always preferred calisthenics as a conditioning tool but have been recently having problems transitioning to unilateral moves, adding resistance such as a weighted vest or sturdy bag would help a lot. However, no (affordable) weight vest manufacturers ship to my country, neither does the army surplus bag. I was hoping you could suggest an international brand from whom I could order a sturdy backpack (<100$, cause it'd probably take another 100 to ship to India) to fill with weights. Thanks.
Honestly, if you’re just starting out, you don’t need that sturdy a backpack. Your average school bag can hold 30-40 lbs no problem. I’m not sure what you have available over there in india, but my most lightweight bag is an old, beat-up bookbag I used in school, it’s what I started training with, and it can handle 30-40 lbs no problem, which should keep you set for a while.
I’ve been meaning to start this for a while now but I continuously put it off because of my laziness but for some reason today was the day to start. I was wondering if there are chin up bar replacements I could use in the meanwhile, also thanks a whole lot for this. I’ve been feeling extremely weak the past year due to medication side effects and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. The reason why I came upon this website was because I was going to cosplay as Connor for Anime Boston and wanted to be able to embody his personality as well as his strength to make the entire thing come to life. I’m actually looking into learning parkour too but I would rather wait a month after using these exercises before I even attempt to do that. I have about seven months to get into peak physical condition and I would like to thank you for making it easier and accessible.
Awesome! Glad I could help push you over the threshold! I definitely would look into parkour as well, as it’s nice to have a hobby that gives you a reason to stay in shape, besides just looking good and being healthy. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey there!
Huge fan with what you’re doing with the site. I absolutely love your philosophy behind this, and it gives great motivation for working out. I’ve enjoyed reading through your posts on each character, but I am rather biased towards the assassin’s creed series. It’s too bad you left out an Altaïr breakdown, but I am hoping you plan to touch on the upcoming addition Edward Kenway. Out of all the characters, this one hits home the most for me; mostly because of my own family’s background and history. I look forward to reading more from you, keep up the great work!
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoy the site! I am actually REALLY psyched for the new Assassin’s Creed, and they always lend themselves to good breakdowns, so I would say you have pretty favorable chances of seeing Edward sometime soon…
Im am pretty fit for my age, would I be able to start on higher difficulty levels when first attempting this workout regimen?
Sure! Just remember to take it slowly at first so you don’t injure yourself, but definitely start at the level where you feel challenged!
Hello there. I was wondering what you had meant by 5×3-10? Do you mean it as a math equation or something more?
Excellent question! Sorry if it wasn’t explained properly in the writeup. That means five sets, with three to ten repetitions in each set. So basically, do three pushups (just an example), move on to your next exercise, do that exercise’s number of reps, so on and so forth until you finish the exercises, then you repeat the circuit 4 more times.
Oh! Thanks! When I saw this, I thought , “Well, 5×3 is 15. -10 is 5. What does he mean? But thank you. Oh, and how did you find out Connor’s workout schedule? How did you know he did this kind of stuff?
Haha, no, I’m awful at math, I’d probably screw that up royally. XD
How did you get Connor’s workout?
I came up with it myself. All the workouts here are hand crafted by yours truly.
Thanks. And so a lot of his fighting techniques are martial arts?
Yup. I’ve been doing various martial arts since I was three, with a third degree black belt in karate and a brown belt in judo. =)
Pingback: The Dichotomy of Connor Kenway AKA Ratonhnhaké:ton | Be a Game Character
Pingback: The Desmond Miles Workout | Be a Game Character
Hey Dan!I really enjoy your site so far, primarily for the assassins creed workouts. I am also a martial artist first and foremost,practicing koga ha ninjutsu/kosho shorei ryu kempo. Now my main question for you sir, I am getting into parkour and the assassins creed workouts for the ninjutsu portion as well as for explosiveness and endurance, and I’d like your honest opinion on whether the Connor kenway workout or the ezio workout would benefit best? I’ve studied both closely and I don’t care for massive bulk but I like the idea of Connors speed and power in relation to his predecessors, but I also really like the endurance and simplicity of the ezio workout… I’m torn and would appreciate your input! 🙂
Hey Keiran! Well, there’s a couple ways to help decide this.
One is to play to your own strengths. I don’t know what height/build/body type you are right now, but if you’re built a little heavier/broader, maybe the Connor workout would suit you better. On the flipside, if you’re a little smaller/slimmer, Ezio may be a better fit.
The other way is to just give one a shot, and try it for eight weeks or so and see how you enjoy it by the end. Regardless of which you pick, rest assured that you won’t gain serious bulk without really working for it. Lifting heavy is definitely required, but if you aren’t eating for it, your actual size gains will be minimal (though your strength gains can still be quite high).
And hey, I’m glad you enjoy the site! Thanks for taking the time to say hey =D
Ahh I suppose I should have specified height and weight xD my bad, I’m 5’9 and about 175, with approximately another 10~15 pounds of overall body fat to lose with somewhat broad shoulders. Thanks for speedy response btw 🙂
Also, would it be feasible/beneficial to add a yoga session here and there on a strength or cardio day for balance and flexibility? Or would that be overkill?
Cool! Honestly with your size you could go either way, but if I were in your position I’d probably go with Ezio. In the end though, it’s about who inspires and motivates you more. In regards to yoga, I personally think yoga is always beneficial, so yeah, throw it on there if you have the time! Just don’t burn yourself out. =D
Hey again Dan, one last question lol(sorry for asking so many xD), the ezio workout has a LOT of cardio, and I read everywhere that too much cardio can result in muscular atrophy and chronic pain. Would that be the case with this workout in an extreme case? I’m not sure how much is “too much” you know?
Hey Dan, I was wondering if I should do the ezio or Connor workout. I’m 6 ft. 180 lbs. with about a medium build. So I can’t decide
Honestly, either could work well for you. Connor’s going to be a bit stronger, with a bit less long-distance cardio capabilities. Ezio’s going to be a bit lighter, and better at going faster, longer.
Hey there ,friend. Huge fan of your site here(Since an year). I was wondering which workout will help gain more explosiveness. Also, which would suit me more. Lemme be honest, I was a pretty fat guy till 15 year old but after training heavily and dieting(starving,actually XP) intensely, I stand at 6 ft and 75 kg (17 yrs old now).My shoulders are broader than all of my friends. Currently, Im able to perform all connor workout on level 2.
Im from India (no kanienkehaka relation;). I live in the state of Bihar. Badlands of India (look it up on google if u have doubts)
And a well built body will really help here since the government officials are lax (The police rarely take actions on any crime below murder).
Hope you understand and sorry for turning a fitness site into a political issue-raising one.
Dude, awesome, well done! I understand what you’re talking about with fitness as a way of self defense. Sometimes just being the biggest person in the room is enough to keep you out of trouble. Stay safe, and stay strong!
hello there! I’m having some trouble with the pullup section. I know I can achieve the other requirements but pullups are the only one I seem to have trouble with. Any tips on how to improve?
Hey! Thanks for asking, pull ups can be tricky to master! If you haven’t seen it yet, check out my pull up progression video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ1LTBOtaM8 If you’ve already watched that and you’re still stuck, can you maybe narrow down the parts of the pull up that you’re having a hard time with?
This training routine is absolutely garbage. It’s not specific to the physique of Connor and is completely random. Maybe hire a proper strength coach to write articles instead of throwing together a shitty routine with no barbells of progression scheme.
Hello Dalton! Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate the feedback. Part of what I was looking to do when I wrote this workout up was develop a routine one could do with a budget of <$40 for their equipment (hence the sandbag and bodyweight based exercises.) Obviously a full barbell routine would be a more complete regimen. Now, may I ask what your qualifications are to level such venomous critique at this piece? Thanks! Dan
Hey Dan I just wanted to know if this would be a great workout for MMA because I’m thinking of joining an MMA gym soon but I want a good amount of strength