Workouts
The Desmond Miles Workout
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Ezio is the penultimate Renaissance man. Ratonhnhaké:ton is a freight train of assassin destruction. Edward is the nimble, brutal pirate. But where does Desmond fall along this impressive line of assassins who course through his blood? Slimmer and more nimble than Connor, more at home in an urban environment than Edward, and more brutal, combatively, than Ezio, we are truly looking for the ideal rogue, here.
Naturally, we’re going to be going with a hybrid of all three for our workout style. We’re not shooting to bulk up, but we do want to get really, really strong. We’re not going to be running super long distances, but we’re also not focusing entirely on explosive movements. We’re going to be going for well-rounded, elite-level fitness, with as best a power to weight ratio as possible. Take a look at Macros and You! and The Fighter Diet for nutritional guidance. Keep in mind we want to keep our body relatively slim, but still very strong, so shoot for a low bodyfat percentage, while keeping that protein intake high!
As always, before every workout I recommend you follow my warm up routine in order to prep your body, and prevent injury. Afterwards, make sure you run through my cool down routine as well, to help prevent soreness and preserve/improve range of motion and flexibility (crucial for all assassins).
Note: This workout, is split into four tiers in order to easily plug into the RPG Fitness workout system.
Required Equipment |
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Pull Up Bar |
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Strength Workout
Level 1 (Beginner):
3×5-10 Chair-assisted pullups
3×5-10 Kneeling Pushups
3×5-10 Wall pushups
3×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
3×5-10 Calf raises
3×5-10 second Front planks
Level 2 (Intermediate):
5×5-10 Pullups
5×5-10 Pushups
5×5-10 Bodyweight Rows
5×5-10 Pike Pushups
5×5-10 Bodyweight Squats (start holding the weighted backpack in your hands if these are getting easy)
5×5-10 One-legged calf raises
5×5-10 second Front planks
5×5-10 second Side planks (both sides)
Level 3 (Advanced):
5×5-10 Pullups w/Weighted Backpack (start at 5 lbs, increase by 5 every week)
5×5-10 One-handed pullup negatives
5×5-10 Pushups w/Weighted Backpack (start at 5 lbs, increase by 5 every week)
5×5-10 Bodyweight Rows w/Weighted Backpack (start at 5 lbs, increase by 5 every week)
5×5-10 Handstand Pushups
5×5-10 One-legged Squats
5×5-10 One-legged calf raises w/Weighted Backpack (start at 5 lbs, increase by 5 every week)
5×5-10 second L-Sits (hanging or pressing on floor)
5×5-10 Hanging serratus crunches (each side)
5×5-10 second Front lever progressions
Level 4 (Assassin):
5×5-10 One armed pullups OR weighted pullups (or both, if you’re crazy)
5×5-10 Pushups w/Weighted Backpack
5×5-10 Bodyweight Rows w/Weighted Backpack
5×5-10 Handstand Pushups w/Weighted Backpack
5×5-10 One-legged Squats w/Weighted Backpack
5×5-10 One-legged calf raises w/Weighted Backpack
5×15-20 second L-Sits (hanging or pressing on floor)
5×15-20 Hanging serratus crunches (each side)
5×15-20 second Front lever
Strength Notes:
Just so you know, this workout is absurd. Seriously. It’s meant to be done in a circuit, so you do one set of one exercise, followed by a set of the next exercise, until you get all the way through one round. Rest for sixty seconds, and then repeat, until you’ve done the required number of sets.
We’re looking to build beastly upper body strength here, as well as explosive lower body power. At the same time, however, we want to build core coordination and stay slim overall, so we’re focusing on augmented bodyweight stuff, with some added weight.
Cardio Workout
Cardio:
Level 1(Beginner):
20-30 minutes brisk walk
Level 2(Intermediate):
20-30 minute jog
3 ten second sprints
Level 3(Advanced):
30 minute run
5 ten second sprints
Level 4(Assassin):
30-45 minutes run
7-10 ten second sprints (up the steepest hill you can find)
Cardio Notes:
When progressing from level 1 to level 2, just start working a little more jogging into your workout, until you’re jogging for the full 30 minutes. When you do your sprints at the end of your sets for level 2 onward, make sure to rest for 10-20 seconds between each sprint (active rest, walking around, not just sitting or lying down).
We’re shooting for really good aerobic cardiovascular fitness here with the long runs. That’s gonna give us the ability to power through hordes of templars without slowing down. At the same time, we want to retain that dangerous-over-short-distances characteristic that assassins have, so we start throwing in some wind sprints to finish us off at the end of every run. This is very similar to Ezio’s cardio setup.
Schedule:
Day 1: Strength
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Strength
Day 5: Cardio
Day 6: Strength
Day 7: Rest
Schedule Notes:
Okay, so this workout is pretty intense, especially at the upper levels. Do not be afraid to throw in an extra rest day, especially when you’re just starting out. I’d recommend nixing day 6 if you had to pick one to drop. Make sure to get plenty of sleep, as well, to help your body recover properly.
So, that’s it for Desmond (at least for now)! Tomorrow is a new video, and then Monday we’ve got a post sort of related to Desmond about surpassing our normal humanity. Until next time, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!
Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace
In the cardio section you from 30 mins jog in level 2 to 30 mins run in level 3. I thought that running and jogging were the same thing. So what is the difference? is it form, speed, mentality?. And what would happen if you did your sprints before your run/jog?
Sorry, should have specified – jogging is a relatively easy, leisurely pace. Running is typically done for time, with the interest of increasing your distance covered within the time spent running.
Sprints before running is going to pretty severely gas your muscles, which could make your long-distance run pretty miserable and non-productive. Flipped around, sprints done at the end are a fantastic way to burn whatever you’ve got “left in the tank,” and also build the mental toughness necessary to get that final burst of speed when fleeing or pursuing someone.
Hello! I’ve been a big fan of the site for almost a solid year now, and I’ve been following Desmond’s workout for the entire time. I’ve moved to a different area and one of the nearby gyms has a rockwall where others can climb. Would you suggest using the wall as cardio, or on my rest days? Oh! And before I forget, a friend of mine wanted to see if you could add The Harlequin or Hellequin from assassins creed to the list. Thanks again Dan!
Hey, thanks for commenting! First off, love the username, second, wow, following for a year? Awesome!
In regards tot he wall, I would say it’s a great rest day activity. It’s not all THAT cardio-focused,but it will build crazy muscular endurance and upper body strength. Definitely say go hit it up on your rest days =D
Awesome! Thanks dude, I really appreciate it. There’s one more thing I want an opinion on, and that’s using a cane as a weapon. My uncle is a retired SEAL and has to use a cane everywhere he goes. A small group had tried to mug him, and he ended up kicking the tar out of’em. I asked if he could teach me, but got denied when he stated it was instinct for him. He did give me a KA-BAR TDI self defense cane, so any suggestions?
Dude, I am so sorry! My little brother got on my computer and asked the question. He’s been nonstop about the cane thing ever since our uncle got him one. Again, I am so so sorry!