Beach season is for mortals. True heroes prepare for Con season.
With the popularity of Wondercon, San Diego Comic Con, E3, and hundreds of other fan fests continuing to grow, you need to make sure your cosplay game steps up, too.
As a personal trainer and fitness coach (and cosplayer!) I’ve gathered here a couple of fun workouts to help get you cosplay ready! This is a 5-day workout. Feel free to give yourself a day of rest in between and stagger them out!
Arms like Thor
Want nice biceps and triceps like the God of Thunder? Well you don’t have to wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir to get there. Try these supersets. Go as heavy as you can to achieve 8-10 repetitions per set.
-Biceps Curls + Tricep Kickbacks
(Do these as a superset: 8-10 Reps each, 4 Sets – 90 Second Rest in between each superset)
-Bench Dips + Hammer Curls
(Do these as a superset: 8-10 Reps, 4 Sets – 90 Second Rest in between each superset)
-Chin Up + Feet Elevated Push-Up
(Do these as a superset: 8-10 Reps, 4 Sets – 90 Second Rest in between each superset)
Chest like The Hulk
For some reason, fellas love chest days. Building pectoral muscles are definitely huge in the radar for male cosplayers. I mean really, which super hero doesn’t have an majestic, defining chest? Well Bruce Banner hulks up into something quite impressive, but you don’t have to turn green to work on your pecs. Take these three workouts and go as heavy as you can. Make sure to rest between sets so you can continue to go strong during the workout.
-Dumbbell Chest Press (8-10 reps 4 Sets -60 Second Rest)
-Incline Barbell Chest Press (8-10 reps 4 Sets -60 Second Rest)
-Incline Dumbbell Fly (8-10 reps 4 Sets -60 Second Rest)
Legs + Glutes like Batman
Bruce Wayne is a magnificent human in or outside the batsuit. Also, he doesn’t have superpowers but he’s still built like a superhero from head to toe. He’s gotta have great muscular legs to run after all those criminals. Here’s what you can do, try this out on your next leg day.
-Pendulum Lunge with weight + Squat Hold
(Do these as a superset: Pendulum Lunge 20 reps x 4 Sets, Squat Hold for 60 seconds x 4 Sets – 30 Second Rest in between each superset)
-Hip Thrusts + Single Leg Split Squat with weights
(20 Reps each x 4 – 30 Second Rest in between)
-Barbell Squat (8-10 Sets x 4 – 60 Seconds in Between)
Back like Aquaman
I’m telling you right now, a nice back is so underrated, but never goes unrecognized. Aquaman’s lats are gorgeous, perhaps because he’s doing a lot of breast strokes in the ocean. This is a great set for you if you want to work on getting a nice and healthy back.
-Pull-Up + Back Extension on Stability Ball
(Reps to fail on Pull-Ups x 4 and 20 Back Extensions x 4 – 90 Second Rest)
-Dumbbell Rows + Lat pull-downs (8-10 Reps x 4 Rows for each – 90 Second Rest)
-Deadlifts (8-10 Reps x 4 -60 Second Rest)
Abs like Superman
Everyone wants abs. Well guess what, you have them already – you just gotta get them to show. A lot of our fat is stored in our midsection so to get the abs popping, cardio and other fat burning programs can help a plenty. Also, muscle burns fat so I’ve gathered an ab routine that can make you stand as tall as the Last Son of Krypton.
-Mountain Climbers + Plank
(30 Mtn Climbers + 60 Second Plank x4 as a superset- 30 Second Rest between each)
-Leg Lift + Sit-Ups with Dumbbell
(20 of Each x 4 as a superset – 30 Second Rest between superset)
-V-Ups (Three Ways)
(20 of each x 3 – 30 Second Rest after each set of 3)
-Russian Twist with Dumbbell
(20 of each x 3 – 15 Second Rest)
Of course an effective workout isn’t just moving the body. First and foremost what you eat is mighty important and without a well-balanced and healthy nutrition program chances are you won’t get the results you are looking for. Drink a lot of water and avoid fried and oily foods. Stay clear from meals with added sugar and excess sodium.
