The Sheik Workout

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The Sheik Workout
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So!  Sheik is not the bulkiest character in the world.  As a tribe of rogues, the Sheikah initially seem ill-suited for guardians of the crown.  But, by remaining stealthy, illusive, and quick, the Sheikah are able to anticipate and react to threats more nimbly and with greater precision than, say, an army of knights.  Knights have their place on the battlefield, but as bodyguards of the royal family, the Sheikah have no peer.

Note: This workout is split into four tiers in order to easily plug into the RPG Fitness workout system.

Strength

Level 1 (beginner):
3×5-10 Kneeling pushups
3×5-10 Chair-assisted pullups
3×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
3×5-10 Crunches 3×5-10 Second Planks

Level 2 (intermediate:
3×5-10 Pushups
3×5-10 Pullups
3×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
3×5-10 Second Handstands (against wall)
3×5-10 Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollouts
3×10-20 Second Planks
3×10 Second Front Lever

Level 3 (advanced):
5×5-10 Spiderman Pushups
5×5-10 Pullup/Chinup Swaps
5×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
5×5-10 Second Handstands (against wall)
5×5-10 Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollouts
5×20-30 Second Planks
5×10 Second Front Lever

Level 4 (Sheikah):
5×10-25 Spiderman Pushups
5×10-25 Pullup/Chinup Swaps
5×5-10 One-Legged Squats
5×10-20 Second Handstands (freestanding)
5×5-10 Standing Ab Wheel Rollouts
5×20-30 Second Planks
5×10 Second Front Lever

Cardio

Level 1 (beginner):
3×5-10 Jumping Jacks
3×5-10 Criss-Cross Jumping Jacks
3×5-10 Paddle Jumping Jacks
3×10 second sprints

Level 2 (intermediate):
5×5-10 Jumping Jacks
5×5-10 Criss-Cross Jumping Jacks
5×5-10 Paddle Jumping Jacks
5×10 Second Sprints

Level 3 (advanced):
5×10-20 Jumping Jacks
5×10-20 Criss-Cross Jumping Jacks
5×10-20 Paddle Jumping Jacks
5×15 Second Sprints

Level 4 (Sheikah):
5×25-50 Jumping Jacks
5×25-50 Criss-Cross Jumping Jacks
5×25-50 Paddle Jumping Jacks
5×25-50 Second Sprints

Strength Notes:Shiek’s abilities, like needle and manriki weaponry, as well as her high levels of agility, and lightning-fast martial arts, all require serious body management skills.  This comes down to, above all else, a solid core.  In the strength workout we advocate lots of core work, as well as sticking to strictly bodyweight-related exercises to minimize hypertrophy (which triggers more bulky muscle grown), and increase awareness and ability at moving one’s own body.  On the “Front Lever” sections here, just follow the progressions in the article linked, and perform whatever level you’re at. Cardio Notes:In keeping with the fast and nimble theme, we’re going to be sticking mostly with plyometric-based cardio movements here.  Jumping rope can be substituted in for the jumping jacks, however I personally prefer jumping jacks, especially the different styles listed here, to emphasize a focus on fast, sure footwork.  The Sheikah are supposed to be quick and precise, darting from threat to threat and eliminating them quickly and precisely.

The Schedule

Day 1: Strength
Day 2: Cardio OR Agility Drills
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Strength
Day 5: Cardio OR Agility Drills
Day 6: Strength
Day 7: Rest

Schedule Notes:
Pretty straight forward here.  As usual, take an extra day of rest when you’re starting out if you need to.  At advanced levels, feel free to throw in some low-impact activity on your rest days like a light jog or a hike.  If you have martial arts practice (and you should), just practice as usual.  You might have an easier time scheduling things so that you don’t have a strength day on a day of martial arts practice, but then again it might not bother you (depends on what your school is like)
Whoah whoah whoah!  What’s “Agility Drills,” Dan?  Well, I suppose you’ll just have to tune in on Sunday to see the video posts… (which would normally go up on Saturday but I have a wedding totally crashing my plans tomorrow)

So yeah, there’s the Sheik workout. As always, feel free to pop in on the forums if you’ve got any questions (or ask in the comments below). Normally a video post would be going up tomorrow, but unfortunately, as I mentioned, I’ve got a wedding kind of screwing those plans up, so look forward to a VIDEO BONANZA on Sunday! Until then, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace

15 thoughts on “The Sheik Workout

  1. Pingback: Character Spotlight: Sheik | Be a Game Character

  2. Nate says:

    Hey, I’m real interested in trying this workout, however I can’t find anywhere that knows what a Paddle Jumping Jack is. Could you put a description up somewhere?

  3. Pingback: The Sheik Workout Videos! | Be a Game Character

  4. Kyoko says:

    Thanks for this one. I’ve been doing it for two weeks so far and am loving it. My cardio has improved very quickly, I’ve already moved up a level, and though my strength is coming along a bit slower I can still always feel it the next day, so I assume it must be doing something. Great workout, especially for nights I am to lazy to get to the gym.

    • DaRatmastah says:

      Awesome! Yeah, cardio gains can come incredibly quickly sometimes. I’m glad to hear it’s working so well for you! I encourage you to stop in on the forum and set up a workout log to track your progress! =D

  5. Cailin says:

    Thanks for this website – I’m really enjoying it. I’m a gamer from way back and a fitness enthusiast in the past few years, so it’s really perfect for me. A couple questions:
    – Will you still be updating?
    and
    – Are you giving any consideration to a navigation system for exercises by muscle group (or just some workouts that are muscle group based)? My weight training (and that of many others) is organized by muscle group, so it’d be easier to fit into my existing schedule that way. Just curious – I obviously like what you’ve got 🙂

    Thanks for all this!

    • DaRatmastah says:

      Hey there, welcome, thanks for commenting!

      In answer to your questions, yes, I am still updating! New blog posts every Monday and Thursday! Probably going to return to video at some point in the future, as well. If you join the mailing list, you’ll get the updates and any blog-based news delivered to your inbox whenever they go live!

      A muscle based navigation system would be awesome, unfortunately there’s not much built on the back end for it right now. With that said, I try to make my character workouts relatively complete, so they usually have exercises to hit most muscle groups. If you’re looking for a particular exercise to hit a particular group my favorite resource is http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

      Thanks for visiting the site, I hope you’ll keep coming back! Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help =D

      Dan

  6. Mackenzie S says:

    Whew! Just tried the beginner level (I’m already pretty physically fit) and it kicked my butt. Looking forward to following this regimen, thanks for sharing!

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