Workouts
The Kratos Workout (Updated!)
Jul
Video Walkthrough:
Kratos Quick Navigation Links:
Character Breakdown: Kratos
The Kratos Workout
The Skills of Kratos
The Mind of Kratos
Kratos exudes power. Every move he makes emphasizes machismo and rage-fueled strength. In combat, he wrestles with beasts and monsters twice his size and dominates them. As such, we’re going to focus on brute strength with a preference towards controlling unwieldy forces. Additionally, Kratos moves rapidly from battle to battle, often performing strenuous physical feats in between. For this aspect, we’re going to look at anaerobic conditioning and quick recovery times, rather than the long-distance stamina of Link or Ezio. With this workout I’d recommend the Fighter Diet, although you may want to up your caloric and protein intake a bit with larger servings of protein sources. This workout setup is designed to be rotational. You perform strength workout A one day, then cardio workout A the next day, and so on and so forth for six days. On the seventh day, you rest. Remember, start slow and low, at your own pace, and increase incrementally as you go. There’s info on the equipment and workout style choices at the bottom of the post.
Note: This workout, like all others on this site, plugs into the RPG Fitness leveling system. Use the weights recommended in the Juggernaut workout as benchmarks to calculate your workout tier.
Also, make sure you always warm up before exercising! I did a video tutorial on how to warm up properly, so check it out!
Equipment Needed:
Sandbag(instructions on sandbag construction below)
Backpack or Weight Belt (for weighted pull ups)
Bench (Can use a couple cinderblocks if necessary. An incline bench is better, if you have one.)
Sledgehammer
Wall or Boxes to Jump Onto
Strength Workouts
Style: Circuit – Perform all repetitions of one set, then move onto a set of the next exercise with no break in between. When one set of all exercises has been completed, rest for 1-3 minutes, then repeat.
Strength Workout A:
3×8-12 Sandbag Deadlifts
3×8-12 Sandbag Shoulders
3×8-12 Sandbag Lunges
3×8-12 Sandbag Hang Clean and Presses
3×8-12 Russian Twists (hug sandbag when these get easy)
Strength Workout B:
3×8-12 Sandbag Front Squats
3×8-12 Sandbag Bench Presses (Do these on an incline bench if you’ve got access to one, otherwise on the floor or on cinderblocks is fine)
3×8-12 Hammer Grip Pull Ups (add weight when these get easy)
3×8-12 Uneven Push Ups
Strength Workout C:
3×8-12 Clapping Push Ups (start with kneeling if you need to)
3×8-12 Sandbag Power Cleans
3×8-12 Box Jumps
3×1 20 second sprints
Cardio Workouts
Cardio Workout A:
20-30 minute Run
Cardio Workout B:
4×5 minute Sledgehammer Slams
Schedule:
Day 1: Strength Workout A
Day 2: Cardio Workout A
Day 3: Strength Workout B
Day 4: Cardio Workout B
Day 5: Strength Workout C
Day 6: Cardio Workout A
Day 7: Rest
Sandbag Construction:
Why Sand?
First of all, it’s cheap. Totaled up, you can get away with a nice weight set for under $50(minus the cost of the chinup bar, which you should already have). Additionally, sandbags promote large amounts of hand strength, which normal lifing bars do not, since you really need to grapple with the bag to make it happen. Also, the sand has a tendency to shift and be uneven as you lift it, which forces more total body fitness and core strength. Because of this, if you have experience lifting, you should probably start at lower weight than you’re typically used to.
What’s with the cardio workouts?
We’re promoting full-body anaerobic combat conditioning here. The idea that, in combat, your muscles need a lot of energy over a short period of time, rather than a steady amount of energy over a long period of time. However, these workouts will also promote quick recovery times, due to the interval training, so now you have quick recovery BETWEEN your short bursts of strength, which is basically the Kratos mode. The sledgehammer slams need to be done on an object that can take lots and lots of slams without damaging. This is typically an old car tire(you can usually get these for free or cheap from a mechanic). When swinging the sledgehammer, alternate sides so you get a whole body workout.
Next time(hopefully tomorrow), we’ll be looking at the skills of Kratos. Until then, make sure to follow me on Twitter, like the blog page on Facebook, and continue to be awesome.
Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace
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I’m using a short log for my deadlifts, as it was the only thing round the house and it seems to work pretty well. Quite difficult to grip, and I can use it on the two-handed exercises. Is there a substitute for sledgehammer strikes? I don’t have a sledgehammer at home, but I have a lot of different heavy things. Thanks
The log sounds good, I definitely approve of the substitution, haha. If you can’t do the sledgehammer slams, I’d recommend grabbing the same log and doing russian twists with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkD8rjkodUI It’s not quite the same muscle groups, but it’s still solid core and upper body work.
I’ve had the Majin Buu body for too long and given my limited income, I’ll definitely be starting the Kratos workout as soon as I buy the sand. Thanks for spreading the knowledge in a way that appeals to us gamer/nerd folk!
Awesome, good luck! Let me know if I can help in any way!
Do you have a suggestion for a replacement for the sledgehammer
A sturdy stick can substitute in a pinch. Grab a hammer when you can, though, there honestly isn’t a GREAT substitute.
I’m starting the Kratos workout but I was wondering can you use a normal tire or does it have to be a big tractor looking tire.
A regular tire works. You just want something relatively sturdy to hit with your hammer =)
Thanks
If the sandbag has handles, do you use them or focus on gripping the bag itself?
Gripping the bag itself.
Gotcha! Thanks Dan 🙂
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