The Talion Workout

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We’re building the body of a ranger of Gondor today!  That means we want enough strength to swing a two-handed sword or wrestle with an orc, while also remaining agile enough to sprint, hurdle, and climb your way through a battlefield.  We’re going to stay away from traditional weights to stick with the thematic idea of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, and instead employ things like sandbags and pull up bars to develop strength.

For nutrition purposes, check out Macros and You!  Also, please remember to Warm Up Properly before any exercise session, and then Cool Down afterwards as well, to help prevent injury and preserve range of motion/flexibility.

Note: This workout is split up into four levels to easily plug into the RPG Fitness leveling system!

Style: Station: Perform all sets of the prescribed exercise before moving on to the next one, resting 1-3 minutes between sets.

Equipment Needed:

Chinup Bar
3 Chairs
Towel
Weighted Sand Bag(you can learn how I make my sand bags in the Kratos workout)

Strength

Strength A:

Level 1(beginner):
3×5-10 Kneeling Pushups
3×5-10 Chair-Assisted Pull Ups(overhand grip)
3×5-10 One Armed Sandbag Rows
3×5-10 Sandbag Overhead Press
3×5-10 second Planks

Level 2(intermediate):
5×5-10 Pushups
5×3-5 Pull Ups (overhand grip)
5×5-10 One Armed Sandbag Rows
5×5-10 Sandbag Overhead Press
5×5-10 second Planks

Level 3(advanced):
5×10-20 Uneven Pushups (One hand higher than the other)
5×5-10 Pull Ups (overhand grip)
5×5-10 One Armed Sandbag Rows
5×5-10 Sandbag One Armed Overhead Press
5×15-20 second Planks

Level 4(Ranger):
5×10-20 One Armed Pushups (One hand higher than the other)
5×10-15 Pull Ups (overhand grip)
5×8-12 One Armed Sandbag Rows
5×8-12 Sandbag One Armed Overhead Press
5×20-30 second Planks

Strength Set B:

Level 1(beginner):
3×5-10 Bodyweight Squats
3×5-10 Sandbag Shoulders
3×5-10 Bodyweight Lunges
3×5-10 Calf Raises
3×5-10 Russian Twists

Level 2(intermediate):
5×3-5 Sandbag Front Squats
5×5-10 Sandbag Shoulders
5×5-10 Sandbag Lunges
5×5-10 Weighted Calf Raises (hug your sandbag)
5×5-10 Weighted Russian Twists (hug your sandbag…again)

Level 3(advanced):
5×5-8 Sandbag Front Squats
5×5-10 Sandbag Shoulders
5×5-10 Sandbag Lunges
5×5-10 Weighted Calf Raises (hug your sandbag)
5×5-10 Weighted Russian Twists (hug your sandbag)

Level 4(Ranger):
5×5-8 Sandbag Front Squats
5×5-10 Sandbag Shoulders
5×5-10 Sandbag Lunges
5×5-10 Weighted Calf Raises (hug your sandbag)
5×5-10 Weighted Russian Twists (hug your sandbag)

Strength Notes:
For basically any exercise that involves a sandbag, shoot to just gradually increase your weight that you’re lifting over time.  You’ll notice barely anything changes for Strength B, in fact, the only real difference between those tiers is just the weight that you’re lifting.

Cardio

Level 1 (beginner):
30 Minutes Brisk Walking

Level 2 (intermediate):
30 Minutes Jogging
4×10 second Sprints (rest 20 seconds between each sprint)

Level 3 (advanced):
30 Minutes Jogging
3×10 Tuck Jumps
4×10 second Sprints (rest 10 seconds between each sprint)

Level 4 (Ranger):
30 Minutes Jogging
3×10 Tuck Jumps
4×20 second Sprints (rest 10 seconds between each sprint)

Cardio Notes:

We’re building solid aerobic and anaerobic conditioning here, with some added plyometrics just to help with jumping and whatnot while freerunning.  Take it slow and work your way up, you want to make sure your knees and ankles are comfy with this level of intensity and build them up over time.

Schedule

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

Schedule Notes:

You want to give your legs time to recover between Strength B and your Cardio Work.  If you’d like to add an extra cardio day in, then add it on day 7, but I’d recommend going down a level (so if you’re on level 3, then on day 7 do level 2.)  That should keep your body from getting too taxed and give it some time to recover.

That’s it for The Talion Workout!  I’ll see you again on Monday with The Skills of a Dark Ranger!  Until then, live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace