British steeplechase competitor Mila Stanzani recently returned from Hungary, where she represented the UK at the European Championships. This elite athlete, who also appeared in the UK edition of Ninja Warrior, does stunts and has a rapidly growing following on social media thanks to her incredible speed and strength, she is a guru when it comes to grappling. Stanzani even has plans to set a new world record for two-finger pullups, so who better to partner with M&F Hers to bring you a ninja workout routine suitable for obstacle course enthusiasts of all skill levels?
Luckily, you don’t need to have a local ninja-style gym to try it out for yourself. To improve your grip strength and hang time, chances are you have everything you need at your local gym.
I was always very active as a child, but when I was 16 I started to have a very bad relationship with food and ended up in the hospital as a result, shares Stanzani. That was my turning point. I started watching fitness influencers on YouTube enjoying their food and working out, then slowly but surely started focusing on my fitness journey and fell in love with it! Now I hope to pass on my knowledge and love of fitness and prove that the gym doesn’t have to be boring! Anything but boring, Stanzani regularly amazes her TikTok and Instagram followers with his crazy skills. Hanging from a bar with one arm while doing dumbbell shoulder presses doesn’t break a sweat. How about just hanging two fingers on each hand? Keep his protein shake!
@milastanzani As close to flying as possible #flyingbars #flyingbar #ninjawarrior #ninjasport #obsticlecourse
Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya) The Chainsmokers
The moment I stepped foot into my first ninja gym, I just knew this was the route I wanted to go down, says Stanzani, who regularly attends the True Function ninja-style gym in Swindon, England. And the ninja sport completely took over my training. I like explosive moves like salmon ladders and flying bars and challenge myself with new obstacles or variations.
Of course, for us mere mortals, the superhero feats Stanzani displays may be off the charts, but that doesn’t mean us gym regulars shouldn’t implement obstacle course-style training into our routines.
It doesn’t matter what level or how good you get, he says. Ninja training is so versatile, it can be anything from balance, to climbing, to pull-ups, to rings, anything really. It’s always nice to try new things, otherwise you never know if you’ll like it or not!
To get the most out of obstacle course competition or any type of fitness routine, you’ll benefit greatly from working on your grip and pull-up strength. This type of activity improves strength and range of motion in the arms, back, shoulders and core making it a worthy pastime for any athlete, so why not give it a try?
To build strength for tasks like pull-ups and monkey bars, Stanzani says you should incorporate a combination of exercises that will target the muscles involved in those activities. For best results, he aims to perform the workout session in a row two to three times a week. You may find in the beginning that you can’t complete the entire workout, if so break it up into different days until you feel able to tackle it in one session.
As you progress through the full workout, you can gradually increase the resistance, number of sets, or difficulty of the exercises by reducing the assist or increasing the weight. Consistency, progressive overload and correct form are the keys to success. You may feel the need to allow at least one day of rest between each training session so that your muscles recover and adapt.
Recovery is as essential as the training session itself. Whether you test your new grip and strength on a ninja-style obstacle course is up to you, but either way, following this routine is sure to improve your hang time.
Mila Stanzanis Workout for Grip and Pullup Strength Warmup: Start with 5-10 minutes of light cardio, such as jogging, to get your blood circulation going, warming up your muscles. Perform a few wrist and ankle rotations, suggests Stanzani, noting that you’ll be relying on them to hang and land. Assisted Pullups: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
Start with assisted pull-ups using a resistance band or assisted pull-up machine. This helps develop the pulling force needed for full pull-ups. As with all of these exercises, focus on maintaining proper form and control throughout each rep. Lat Pulldown: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
The latissimus dorsi, the largest muscles in the upper back, are essential for pullups, hanging, or lifting to a high bar. Next, use a lat pulldown machine and gradually increase the weight/resistance as you progress and feel comfortable doing so. Reversed Rows: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
Lie on the floor or on a bench, set a barbell on a squat rack or smith machine, and make sure the bar is positioned above your waist. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and pull your chest towards the bar, keeping your body straight and engaging your back muscles. The inverted row will work all types of back muscles, including the lats, trapezius and rhomboids. This exercise will also improve biceps strength which is essential for lifting and controlling body movements when performing pull-ups or moving along monkey bars.
Ninja Workout Routine by Mila Stanzani
In the beginning, don’t try to compete with anyone else but yourself. The most important part is to have fun and have fun! says Stanzani that he is now training even harder for the upcoming world steeplechase tournament in Belgium.
Hanging leg raises: These target your core muscles and this is vital for stability. Hang on a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and lift your legs while keeping them straight.
Scapula Pullup: Improve shoulder extension with scapular pull-ups. With a shoulder-width grip on the bar, start by hanging, then activate your lats by pulling down on the bar to lift your body. As you do this, roll your shoulders outward, then as you lower yourself, roll them back toward your ears.
Farmers Walk: This exercise is fantastic for improving hand grip, forearm strength, and overall upper body conditioning. If your gym doesn’t have a trap bar, keep a pair of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides.
Want to see more of this warrior’s epic skills? Follow Mila Stanzani’s journey to the top of the obstacle course on InstagramTikTok
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