The Akuma Workout

Discuss this post in The Guild Hall!

As I outlined in How to Become Akuma, we’re looking to accomplish several things with this workout.  First, we want to build some mass.  Akuma’s not a small fighter, he’s got shoulders like boulders and a back as wide as two men.  Sure, he’s no Zangief, but he’d still probably be the biggest dude you’d see in a day if you randomly passed him on the street (assuming you don’t hang out with bodybuilders.)  In addition to building size, we also want to build power, and what some people refer to as “functional” strength.  Remember, Akuma chucks around dudes twice his size, and breaks islands with his fists.

As if all that were not enough, we also need to consider the face that he’s a fighter.  Big and strong is no good if we’re not agile on top of all that.  So, we’re going to be adding in some conditioning and agility drills to help us stay at the top of our game.

For nutrition, it’s going to depend on where you’re coming from.  If you’re skinny and you need to bulk up, you’re going to need to eat at a caloric surplus.  If you’re overweight and you need to cut your body fat, but still maintain some size, then you’re going to need to eat at a caloric deficit.  In either case, you want to get a boatload of protein.  Take a look at Macros and You for a crash course in laying out a basic nutritional plan.

Remember to Warm Up before every workout, and Cool Down afterwards!

Note: This workout was designed to easily plug into the RPG Fitness workout system!

Equipment Required:

Sandbags (Click here to see how I make my workout sandbags)
Pull Up Bar
Jump Rope

Style: Station – Perform all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next exercise.  Rest 1-3 minutes between sets.

Strength:

Level 1 (beginner):

A:
3×5-10 Sandbag Deadlifts (50-100 lbs)
3×5-10 Kneeling Push Ups
3×5-10 Chair-Assisted Pull Ups
3×5-10 Sandbag Overhead Press (10-20 lbs)

B:

3×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
3×5-10 Bodyweight Lunges
3×5-10 Calf Raises
3×5-10 Twist Crunches

Level 2 (intermediate):

A:
5×5-10 Sandbag Deadlifts (100-150 lbs)
5×5-10 Push Ups
5×5-10 Pull Ups
5×5-10 Sandbag Overhead Press (20-40 lbs)

B:

5×5-10 Sandbag Front Squats (40-80 lbs)
5×5-10 Sandbag Lunges (10-40 lbs)
5×5-10 One-legged Calf Raises
5×5-10 Weighted Twist Crunches (5-15 lbs)

Level 3 (advanced):

A:
5×5-10 Sandbag Deadlifts (150-250 lbs)
5×5-10 Uneven Push Ups (put one hand up on a block, switch which hand is on block on each set)
5×5-10 Uneven Pull Ups (hang a towel or rope from your pull up bar for one hand, switch hands between each set)
5×5-10 Sandbag Overhead Press (40-80 lbs)

B:

5×5-10 Sandbag Front Squats (80-150 lbs)
5×5-10 Sandbag Lunges (40-70 lbs)
5×10-15 One-legged Calf Raises
5×5-10 Weighted Twist Crunches (15-30 lbs)

Level 4 (Raging Demon):

A:
5×5-10 Sandbag Deadlifts (250+ lbs)
5×5-10 One Armed Push Ups
5×5-10 One Armed Pull Ups
5×5-10 Sandbag Overhead Press (80+ lbs)

B:

5×5-10 Sandbag Front Squats (150+ lbs)
5×5-10 Sandbag Lunges (70+ lbs)
5×15-25 One-legged Calf Raises
5×5-10 Weighted Twist Crunches (30+ lbs)

Strength Notes:

So we’ve got a combination of sandbag lifts and bodyweight lifts, here.  The weights for the sandbags are general guidelines, just stick to the range as best you can.  Why sandbags instead of barbells/dumbbells?  Good question!  Because:

1. You build hella strong hands.
2. They better simulate the shifting weight of grappling with a person.
3. Sandbags are cheaper than a full weight set.

We’re also getting solid core work in on workout B with our twist crunches and front squats, which is going to lead to more upper body striking power (master of the fist, right?)

Cardio:

Cardio A:

10 minutes jumping rope
4 minutes Mountain Climber Intervals (20 seconds on, 20 seconds off)
10 minutes punching bag work (or shadow boxing if you don’t have access to a bag)
4 minutes Burpee Intervals (20 seconds on, 20 seconds off)

Cardio B:

20-30 minute jog

Cardio Notes:

Both cardio workouts are a “go at your own pace” thing.  Jumping rope takes practice, believe it or not, so you’re going to need to get used to it.  For the mountain climbers and burpees, just do as many as you can in each “on” interval (and if that’s ONE burpee or ONE mountain climber, that’s fine!)  For cardio B, if you need to start with a 20-30 minute walk, that’s fine too!  Accelerate at your own pace, that’s how it was designed.

Schedule:

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

Schedule Notes:

Business as usual, here.  Remember, take an extra rest day if you need to.  Better to rest for one or two days more than to be out for a month because you injured yourself from overworking.

That’s it for the Akuma Workout!  I’ll see you again on Thursday with Master of the Fist!  Until then, as always, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace