Learn The All New American Ninja Warrior Training Tips And Techniques

In 2009 the G4 network began airing "American Ninja Warrior," inspired by the Japanese show "Sasuke." The show had a simple premise: make it across a series of athletically challenging obstacles without falling. Each week, viewers were mesmerized by athletes who managed to traverse seemingly impossible obstacles, and were amazed by the imaginative minds who created these structures on some maniacal ninja drawing board. In its third season it became so popular that NBC picked it up to air on primetime TV.

You won't find many American ninja warrior training pumping heavy iron. They prefer bodyweight training and calisthenics. There's one exercise in particular ninjas have in common with the average gym trainer: the pull-up. As one ninja put it, "If you can't easily pull up your own body weight, you have no business on the course."

Ninjas perform endless sets of every variety of pull-up including pronated (overhand), supinated (underhand), neutral (palms facing each other), and vertical grips from cylinders and ropes, as well as fingertip pull-ups from boards and rock wall climbing holds.

One thing you'll never see is a ninja using his wrist straps to aid his grip. Their ability to grab and hold on to various shapes is essential, and diverse forms of bare-handed pull-ups will build that essential dexterity.

American ninja warrior training also like other bodyweight moves like push-ups and dips to round out their upper-body strength. The courses also require ninjas to have plenty of quick leg power to propel them forward and upward. To build this type of explosive strength, most ninjas perform dynamic movements like sprints and squat jumps. Core strength and endurance are also necessary, so exercises like hanging leg raises and all forms of planks are part of a typical trainer's routine. Finally, they need superior balance, so maneuvering across beams, vertical posts, and horizontal straps is a common element in their training.

The average size of a successful American ninja warrior training is about 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds—not large by any means—but there are exceptions. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Rob Moravsky was one of the largest to make it through the qualifying round.

Rob says his height was both a blessing and a curse. "I definitely had a reach advantage, but some of the obstacles hang pretty low, and I remember having to crunch up to keep from touching the water. Even if your shoelace breaks the surface you're disqualified."

Rob is a personal trainer who came from a basic bodybuilding background. He says ANW completely changed his training program. "Once I started focusing on ninja training, I put aside the heavy weights. I started doing tons of calisthenics and monk eying my way across the rafters in an old barn behind my property."