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The Kilik Workout

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Kilik is in awesome shape, obviously. He’s got very little body fat, a lean but muscular frame, with lots of speed and power to lend to his staff. For our strength regimen, we’re going to take some inspiration from Shaolin style training, with lots of core work. For diet purposes, I refer you to my macronutrient diet writeup, as well as The Reset Button eBook (you get this for free by joining the mailing list). As with all of the workouts since the relaunch, click any of the exercises to be taken to a video walkthrough!

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 Backpack You can use sandbags, heavy books, or weight plates to add weight to your backpack. Pull Up Bar 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 Crunches

Level 2 (intermediate):

5×5-10 Push ups

5×5-10 Pull ups

5×5-10 Bodyweight squats

5×5-10 Bicycle crunches

5×5-10 Leg Lifts

5×5-10 Second squat holds

Level 3 (advanced):

5×15-20 Push ups

5×10-15 Pull ups

5×5-10 Tuck Jumps

5×15-25 Bicycle crunches

5×10-20 Leg Lifts

5×10-20 Russian twists

5×10-20 Second squat holds

Level 4 (Edge Master):

5×15-20 One-armed push ups

5×10-15 Weighted pull ups (start at 5 lbs, work your way up)

5×5-10 Tuck Jumps

5×10-15 Inverted sit ups

5×10-20 Hanging leg lifts

5×10-20 Russian twists w/weight (start at 10 lbs, work your way up)

5×30-60 Second squat holds

Notes: Why so many core exercises? When working with a staff or polearm-type weapon, most of your force comes from rotational torque. This torque comes mostly from your core (rather than just your arms), so we use lots of twisting, bending motions. The arm exercises are for all of the basic push-pull motions you need to redirect the trajectory of the staff. The leg exercises are to build explosiveness (tuck jumps), and a rock-solid base for the strikes with your upper body (squat holds). Remember: the staff is your force multiplier. You don’t need huge amounts of power behind your strikes, you need SPEED, and a strong base!

Cardio:

For the full cardio set list here, we’re going to be climbing stairs at the prescribed intervals. If you have access to a stairmaster, either at the gym or at home, use that. Otherwise, go find a set of stairs somewhere and climb them! If you absolutely cannot find stairs anywhere, substitute jogging instead. See the “notes” section for advisement on pacing and safety.

Level 1 (beginner):

2×2 minutes, even pace

2×6 minutes, elevated pace

2×2 minutes, even pace

Level 2 (advanced):

2×3 minutes, even pace

2×7 minutes, elevated pace

2×3 minutes, even pace

Level 3 (advanced):

2×3 minutes, even pace

2×1.5 minutes, elevated pace

2×4 minutes, tabata intervals

2×1.5 minutes, elevated pace

2×3 minutes, even pace

Level 4 (Edge Master):

3×3 minutes, even pace

3×1.5 minutes, elevated pace

3×4 minutes, tabata intervals

3×1.5 minutes, elevated pace

3×3 minutes, even pace

Notes: Perform these sets in a circuit, rest 2-3 minutes between sets. So basically, perform every set once in order, then rest, then perform every set again, until you’ve finished the required number of sets. An even pace is going to be walking speed when you first start out. An elevated pace would be the equivalent to a light jog on flat land, and then “tabata” interval is sprinting all-out for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds. Repeat this for the full four minutes recommended. Why are we climbing stairs, you ask? Well, as we said at the outset, Kilik is very similar to disciples of the Shaoling kung fu temple. As such, we’re taking a page out of their cardio book, and climbing stairs every day! (well, not every day). A word of caution: Going down stairs is hard on your body. If you can, slide down a railing, or walk down a gradual incline between sets. If all else fails, just take your descents slowly.

Schedule:

Day 1: Strength

Day 2: Cardio

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Strength

Day 5: Cardio

Day 6: Strength

Day 7: Rest

Whew, sorry, that was a bit wordier than the workout writeups typically are. That’s it for our time with Kilik! I hope this helps you get in Shaolin shape! Tomorrow we’re going to take a look at some cool staff techniques in a new combat tutorial video! Until then, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace