The Riku Workout

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Riku’s not huge.  Bigger than Sora and Kairi, sure, but he’s not going to be beating The Beast in a powerlifting competition anytime soon.  He definitely follows the Final Fantasy tendency to have somewhat androgynous build/look (I mean, he’s no Ike).  As such, we’re going to be looking at mostly bodyweight exercises (which are good because you can do them just about anywhere), and cardio/agility drills as well.

As usual, I recommend checking out Macros and You! first, and then The Fighter Diet.  Remember, body size and shape is determined more by what you eat than anything else!  Additionally, before each workout you should remember to warm up, and also remember to cool down afterwards!  I made videos to help you out with this, check them out here:

How to Warm Up for Your Workout

How to Cool Down and Stretch Properly After Your Workout

So, without further ado, let’s jump into the workouts!

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

Required Equipment
(images will link to Amazon for ease of use in buying, and supporting the blog!)
Weighted BackpackbackpackYou can use sandbags, heavy books, or weight plates to add weight to your backpack.

Pull Up Barpullupbar

Yep, the old standby.  Accept no substitute!

Strength:

Level 1 (beginner):
3×5-10 Kneeling push ups
3×5-10 Chair-assisted pull ups
3×5-10 Bodyweight squats
3×5-10 second Front Planks
3×5-10 Calf Raises

Level 2 (intermediate):
5×5-10 Push ups
5×5-10 Pull ups
5×5-10 Bodyweight squats
5×5-10 second Front Planks
5×5-10 Calf Raises
3×5-10 second Side Planks (each side)

Level 3 (advanced):
5×5-10 Push ups (alternate putting a hand up on a cinderblock for each set, to start working towards one-armed)
5×5-10 Pull ups (with weighted backpack, start at 5 lbs and work your way up)
5×5-10 Pike push ups
5×5-10 Chair-assisted one-armed pull ups
5×5-10 Bodyweight squats OR Tuck Jumps
5×5-10 second Planks with weighted backpack
5×5-10 One-legged Calf Raises OR two legged Calf Bounces
3×5-10 second Side Planks (each side) with weighted backpack

Level 4 (Keyblade Master):
5×5-10 One-armed push ups OR standard pushups with weighted backpack
5×5-10 One-armed pull ups OR standard pull ups with weighted backpack
5×5-10 Handstand pushups
5×5-10 Pistol squats OR tuck jumps
5×5-10 second Planks with weighted backpack
5×15-20 One-legged Calf Raises OR two legged Calf Bounces
3×5-10 second Side Planks (each side) with weighted backpack

Notes:

First off, some of the exercises have alternative modes.  This is either because one exercise is plyometric (explosive/jumping) and you may want to alternate to reduce wear and tear on your body, OR because one exercise requires more equipment than you may have (weighted backpack/vest).  For the upper body, we’re building solid core strength with our planks, and getting those cut muscles with a focus on compound exercises that require us to recruit multiple muscles groups.  On the lower body, we’re building explosive movement for our Combat Glide we talked about on Wednesday, as well as to give us a strong base for our keyblade swings.

Cardio:

Level 1 (beginner):
30 minute brisk walk/jog (jog when you can, walk when you can’t)
OR
The Sheik Agility Workout

Level 2 (intermediate):
30 minute jog
5-10 sprints
OR
The Sheik Agility Workout

Level 3 (advanced):
30 minute jog (try to increase how far you go in those 30 minutes, now!)
5-10 hill sprints
OR
The Sheik Agility Workout

Level 4 (Edge Master):
3-5 sprints
30 minute jog
5-10 hill sprints
OR
The Sheik Agility Workout

Notes: 

So!  First option is pretty straightforward.  Running is always good!  If you aren’t able to run for health reasons, you can sub in bicycle (stationary or road), elliptical or swimming, as well.  If biking or elliptical, add another 15 minutes to the workout.  If swimming, take 10-15 minutes off (especially when starting out.)  HOWEVER, as Kingdom Hearts characters are all about the mobility, AND Sheik is one of the most mobile characters I’ve covered thus far, when why reinvent the horse?  The Sheik Agility workout is almost perfectly designed for Riku, as well, so feel free to sub it in on any day you don’t feel like hitting the road!

Schedule:

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

Remember, when first starting out, it’s okay to throw in an extra rest day if you need to.  I’d recommend on day 6, instead of your third strength workout.  If you’re having an issue with soreness at first, make sure you’re warming up and cooling down properly, as well as getting AT LEAST 6-8 hours of sleep a night.  Icing down the muscles helps as well.

I hope you enjoyed our time with Riku!  I know I sure did!  I’ll see you again tomorrow on The Youtube Channel for our video of the week, which maaaaay or may not have something to do with Riku…  Until then, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace

3 thoughts on “The Riku Workout

  1. Jimmy says:

    Hello

    I love the website, my request for you if you ever want too, would be my ultimate badass soap mactavish theme workout. maybe similar to solid snake. i would comment here but i do not know of Riku!

  2. Gatsu says:

    Hello, Rat. In the Riku Workout we train the biceps and triceps too? I don’t see any exercise for bíceps and triceps.
    Can you do a Guts (Berserk) Workout too?

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