The Joel Workout

Joel Quick Navigation Links:
Character Breakdown: Joel
The Joel Workout
The Skills of Joel
The Rebirth of Joel

Joel isn’t a huge guy, but he is pretty muscular for his size.  References early in the story hint at him being a carpenter or construction worker of some sort, which can make a person very, very strong.  This isn’t your typical aesthetically-driven strength, however, more of a real-world, habit-formed strength based around normal everyday labor.  I used to be strong like this when I worked stock in a pet story, huckin’ around 80 lb bags of dog food and unloading thousands of pounds of merchandise off pallets every day.

Of course, we have the twist of Joel maintaining this fitness level, even in the after times.  It’s unlikely he has access to a weight set in this time, so how does he get his workouts in?  We’re going to take a look at minimalist workout techniques, and how little you actually need to get in shape.

Ever emulating our target character, I would strongly advise The Fighter Diet on this one, and stick with basic maintenance level caloric intake.  Food is scarce in the game, so I doubt you’d ever get enough of a caloric surplus to make The Big Guy diet worth it.

As always, I strongly recommend Warming Up before your workout, and Cooling Down properly afterwards.  This will help prevent injury, and keep you nice and limber.

Equipment:
Heavy Rocks/Logs/Books
Pull Up Bar(or tree branch/playground equipment)

Workout A:
5×6/7/8/9/10 Deadlifts (with heavy rock/log/books)
5×6/7/8/9/10 Overhead Press (with heavy rock/log/books)
5×10-20 Pushups (with heavy object on back, if possible)
5×10-20 Crunches
30 Minute walk/run (if you can’t run half an hour yet, walk a bit, and run when you can)

Workout B:
5×6/7/8/9/10 Front Squats (holding heavy rock/log/books)
5×6/7/8/9/10 Pull Ups (chair assisted, if necessary)
5×10 seconds Straight Arm Hang (just hang from the chinup bar with straight arms – try it one handed for an extra challenge!)
5×5-15 Burpees (with pushups and jump at the end)

Notes: If you’re just starting out, feel free to do the “with heavy object” exercises unweighted.  Subsitute good mornings in for deadlifts, then.  For the overhead presses, alternate which side you’re lowering the object on, and bring it all the way down to your shoulder on that side, that way you get full range of motion.

Schedule:
Day 1: Workout A
Day 2: Workout B
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Workout B
Day 5: Workout A
Day 6: Workout B
Day 7: Rest

That’s it for today!  Tomorrow we’ll continue with The Skills of Joel. If you haven’t joined The Champions Guild yet, head on over and sign up now so you can be kept current with what’s going on with the blog!  You’ll also get two free eBooks written by yours truly.  Check it out!

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Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace