The Samus Aran Workout

Sorry for the two-day break, guys, my father-in-laws funeral proceedings kind of took up my time.  To make up for it, I'm posting this today, Saturday, and you'll get another post tomorrow, Sunday(weekend updates, whee!).  Also, our current quest, Activate the Book of Faces, has stalled at 36 likes!  We're sooo, close!  Consider sharing the Facebook page or one of the blog post with your friends, so we can hit fifty, and get weekend updates next week, too!

Okay, so let's start with admitting something to ourselves here.  Samus Aran is infused with both Chozo AND Metroid DNA.  She is not completely human, and as such, she is capable of doing things that no human would be capable of, such as jumping twice her own height(without her power suit, as shown in Zero Mission), and other assorted physical feats.  She does, however, still work off of a basic blueprint we can go with!  Samus is 6'3", 198 lbs (1.9m, 90 kg for our metric friends), and is described as being in peak physical condition, with a somewhat slender, but well-muscled body.  From his we can see she is not a bodybuilder, but rather focused on "functional" strength.

Samus had two different phases to her physical training in life.  Her younger years(4-15 years old), she was raised and trained by the Chozo.  They gave her Chozo DNA to boost her physical capabilities, but besides this, much of her training appeared to be gymnastic in nature.  She was also taught physical combat moves, and acquainted with power suit mechanics.  After this, she entered training in the Galactic Federation police branch, where she honed her shooting and combat skills.  We're going to take the approach of practical, physical strength, which means maintaining a good power-to-weight ratio, as well as the cardiovascular health necessary to sustain prolonged combat.

Equipment Needed:
Chinup Bar(seriously, if you don't have one yet, get one)
Rings for Chinup Bar(I just got some heavy rope from the hardware store, looped it through two short lengths of PVC pipe, and hung it from the bar.

Strength Training
Level 1: Beginner
3x10 Chair-Assisted Pullups
3x10 Chair Dips
3x10 Hanging Ring Rows(resting butt on ground if needed)
3x10 Knee Pushups
3x20 Crunches

Level 2: Intermediate
3x10 Pullups
3x10 Chair-Assisted Ring Dips
3x10 Hanging Ring Rows (no butt)
3x10 Pushups
3x20 Twist Crunches

Level 3: Advanced
5x10 Pullups
5x10 Ring Dips
5x10 Hanging Ring Rows
5x10 Pushups
5x20 Bicycle Crunches

Level 4: Bounty Hunter
5x20 Pullups
5x20 Ring Dips
5x20 Hanging Ring Rows
5x20 Pushups
5x20 Leg-lift Twist Crunches

Cardio Training
Level 1: Beginner
30 Minutes Brisk Walking/Jogging

Level 2: Intermediate
A:
30 Minutes Running
B:
5x10 Burpees(no pushup)

Level 3: Advanced
A:
30 Minutes Running with 20 Second Sprints Every 4 Minutes
B:
5x10 Burpees(with pushup)

Level 4: Bounty Hunter
A:
30 Minutes Running with 30 Second Sprints Every 3 Minutes
5 Minutes Hill Sprints
B:
5x10 Burpees, with Pushup and Tuck Jump at the end.  Do 40 jumping jacks in between each set(this is your rest period, you should have no break between jumping jacks and burpees)


Notes:
If you want to spice up the strength workout, you can try adding some weight to the exercises.  Make sure you don't cheat on form or number of reps/sets to do so, though(start with a low weight).  Strength training is every other day.  Cardio is every day, but alternate between A/B workouts.  I'd recommend the A workouts on the day you do strength training.  Remember to always have at least one day of full rest between each strength workout, and have at least one day of complete rest(no cardio or strength) at least once a week, maybe twice if your body needs it(especially when first starting the program).  If you get stuck between workout levels, go check out my recent write-up on clearing the workout plateau.

That's it for now!  We have another post coming tomorrow, on the skills of Samus Aran, so make sure to check back then!  Until then, keep being awesome!

Dan "DaRatmastah" Wallace