Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Chad Howse. For this series on hero training, every other week Chad will give Art of Manliness readers a workout based on building the strength and fitness needed to tackle a heroic task. Even if you never have to step in to save the day, it’s just a fun way to focus on functional fitness and motivate yourself to get in shape.
The “Hero Training” series is about building a well-rounded set of skills that could come in handy if, heaven forbid, you’re ever called upon to spring into action and come to somebody’s aid. The byproduct of the challenges is that you’ll get in better shape as well.
We have gone through everything from sprinting to lifting, from carrying a person to safety, to climbing a rope in order to escape from danger. And for this final installment, we’re going to focus on leaping ability (we’ll end the series with a post on how to put all the workouts together).
Leaping ability is all about power and athleticism. The more athletic you are, the better equipped you are to deal with a dangerous situation. This is where simply lifting, carrying, or chasing won’t do. You need to react, to be quick and explosive. You don’t have to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but you should be able to jump up and over obstacles and gaps.
As soon as this skill came to mind I thought of the opening scene of the James Bond movie, Casino Royale. James Bond–Daniel Craig–is chasing a suspected terrorist. Think of that scene when you’re doing the following workout.
Building Power That Lasts
We’ve really been trying to strike a balance between muscular endurance and power with these workouts, and this workout is no different. The vertical leap is about pure, explosive power. The more power you can generate from a stand still position, the higher, or further you’ll be able to leap.
But like each of the previous skills, one-shot power is useless, so we’ll combine a power exercise–in this case hang cleans–with a challenge workout that will focus on the entire body with a higher rep count and minimal rest periods.
We’re also going to add some sprints in at the end of the workout; going into your jump with a fast sprint can help you leap farther. Sprints are great for building explosive power and improving our lung capacity, which not only comes in handy on a daily basis but also with each task we have completed thus far.
The reason we use a lower rep count and a higher rest period with the Hang Cleans is to allow ourselves to push–or lift–what is close to a maximal weight. We’re really focusing on that explosive power with this exercise. For the rest of the workout we’re focusing on explosiveness, but also muscular endurance.
The Workout
Power Exercise
1. Hang Cleans – 4 sets of 5 reps
120 seconds rest in-between each set.
Challenge Workout
Remember that with the challenge workout there are no scheduled rest periods between the exercises. Only take a rest if you need to, and keep it brief before continuing to the next exercise. And time the workout from when you begin the first exercise until you do the last rep of the last exercise.
1. Dumbbell Snatch – 15 reps each arm
2. Bounding – 10 jumps total
3. Jump Squats – 30 reps
4. Alternating Push-up – 30 reps
5. Box Jumps – 50 reps
6. Inverted Row – 30 reps
Sprints (not shown in the video)
40-meter sprints – 5 sprints, 60 seconds rest in-between each sprint
(run at 85% if you haven’t sprinted in a while to avoid injury)
Extra Tips
With each exercise, focus on speed and power on the concentric phase of the lift (the press in a push-up, or the pull in an inverted row), then a slower pace on the eccentric phase of the exercise (the “release” of the exercise).
1. Hang cleans. Start with a light weight, and perfect your form first. Then add weight as your form becomes better.
2. Box Jumps. Spend as little time as possible on the ground. We’re really focusing on fast twitch muscle fibers here. Also, don’t let your heels touch the ground when performing this exercise.
3. Bounding. Lead the movement with your hips out much like a long jumper would do, bringing your feet back under you as you come back in contact with the ground.
4. Jump Squats. Be very careful with this exercise. If you haven’t already mastered good form with the squat, don’t use any weight when performing the jump squat. Instead use your bodyweight to jump as high as possible, using the same rep count.
5. Dumbbell Snatch. Start off with a light weight. This exercise can be tough on the shoulders but it’s an excellent exercise for improving explosive power. Make sure to get in a lower position, keeping your hips down. The goal is to explode with the legs, get under the weight, then complete the lift.
Hero Training Workout Series:
Chase Down a Purse Snatcher Workout
Pulling to Safety Workout
Carry a Person to Safety Workout
Lift an Object Off Someone in Distress Workout
Leaping Ability Workout
Putting It All Together
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Chad Howse is the founder of Chad Howse Fitness: a community dedicated to helping guys build a strong body and a strong life. The site focuses on building lean, athletic muscle, but also a range of topics including goal-setting, motivation, improving performance, and various other lifestyle and training content dedicated to helping readers build their best body and best life.
