Today, fat is typically associated with poverty, being uneducated on nutrition, unable to afford gym membership and being located in a socio-economic area where health care and health food are scarce.

In fact one of the concerns with the obesity epidemic, especially in every other country than the United States, is the impact that it will have on our health care systems, and the economic damage it can do.

Like you the part of me that is libertarian doesn’t want my insurance company or government telling me what when and how to eat and exercise.

The social-democrat in me will defend universal health care to the death.

The Hegalian “all four granparents & one parent diagnosed with cancer” self-interested part of me wants to know that when (and I do think that it is a when with me) I am diagnosed that I will not be bankrupted by medical bills if I am not able to afford top rate insurance.

The socialist in me (or perhaps neo-conservative) wants to preserve and protect our health care system by treating it as a valued resource and at the same time minimize the tax impacts, so I do want to see public education & awareness campaigns promoting healthy living.

Oh, the mixed identity dilemma of living with universal health care.

I think I am nationalistically pre-disposed to think insurance companies are inherently evil.

I need to know where you are starting from because the people that have won this thing are freaks.

With no info, I would suggest:

Buy an ab wheel and keep working it until you can go from a standing pos’n to all the way extended and back to starting

I would work on 1 leg squats

I would start doing hill sprints – short duration 10 yards to max 40 yards

Chin-ups galore

Start working a diet to get reeeeallly lean.

Go to http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/ironmind/Main/captainsofcrush1.html and start working the grip

Start working on flexibility and joint mobility

I can lay something out for you, but I really need to know height, weight, injuries, strengths, weaknesses

I would definitely split things up.

Some things can handle high volume – grip, flexibility/mobility

The sprints will really drain your neuro-muscular system at the beginning

If I was starting tomorrow, I would do sprints 3 x a week, 1 leg squats 3 x a week, chins 2x a week, grip work as much as you can, stretch every day, ab wheel as often as you can (your abs will hurt, but your back shouldn’t)

I know that I seem to be confusing the issue, but if I know a little bit, I can clear it right up

I will hit you back when I have some spare time and answer the questions when I can.

I did my homework and here is my basic outline for a ninja warrior training program.

Overall Goals

Increase strength to bodyweight ratio
Increase agility – neuro-muscular co-ordination
Bulletproof your ankles/hands/wrists/shoulders/feet/core-lower back
Maximize Quickness/Acceleration (whole body)
Maximize explosive power through lower body
Develop technical skills particular to the contest

To do this, we need to:

Reduce body-fat as low as possible
All training should focus on speed, power,endurance – never, never train for hypertrophy
Lots of agility drills – start easy, move on to the circus tricks
Joint work
Develop lower body quickness through sprints & plyos – hills, xvest/resisted band sprints/overspeed work
Explosive Power – olympic lifts / kettlebell/throws/jumps/bounding/plyos/unilateral – all designed to perfect the stretch shortening cycle
Dore strength – want to train the core to resist all deformation – thunder ball/olympic lifts / sledge hammer / various partner assisted drills
Grip strength – grip/pinch/finger grip – rope work / fat bar / screwdriver

You probably know more about the show than I do – what particular skills are you most concerned with?

Where are you starting from? – body-fat? injuries? – athletic background? strengths/weaknesses?

Yup, that is my goal. I would like to head over there next summer. I am still in training of course. And since I can’t afford a trainer I’ve mostly be grasping in the dark trying to figure out how to get ready.

I wish I was like those handy guys who can put together a course in their own backyard. Sadly, I can barely nail two pieces of wood together.

I freaking love that show!

Are you saying you’re thinking of going to Japan to compete??

Did you see the latest American Ninja Warrior Challenge? I was impressed!

I must know details…

I don’t know what I did, but I’ll take that. Thanks. By the way DR, in the mood to give out some free advice?

I am training for Ninja Warrior and would love to see if you have any recommendations as far as traditional or nontraditional training methods/exercises I could use to improve my abilities to handle the strange and difficult obstacles in the course.

There are tons of clips of the course on Youtube if you haven’t seen the show before. If not, G4 shows Ninja Warrior like 4 times a day.