When it comes to beloved animated series of our youth, it would be remiss to look past The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These were characters we grew up with and aspired to be, donning a coloured bandana and calling ourselves Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, or Raphael. As television series and movies go, few characters put to the screen exhibited the fighting prowess and physical skill quite like the turtles. It seems even despite being burdened with a cumbersome shell, they still managed to be light on their feet and land a punch with force, often using other weapons in the process. Not surprisingly, the Turtles were depicted as ripped athletes and it all led one fitness influencer to wonder if training like them might inspire his own jacked physique.
In a recent episode of ‘Would That Work Out?’ webseries, YouTuber JaxBlade focused his attention on the training of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, using their martial arts expertise and training routine to see if such physical gains translate to the real world. As JaxBlade notes, the Turtles are masters when it comes to weapons, knowing how to handle twin sai blades, twin katana, bo staff, and nunchucks. As it turns out, training with a weapon can actually help increase your strength and balance.
As he explains, “When you’re handling a weapon, even a light one, it increases the load on your muscles and joints and helps them get stronger. They’re really great at building up your wrists and preventing them from getting injured.”
If all that wasn’t enough, there are further perks when it comes to training with weapons. As JaxBlade notes, they can also help you enhance your hand-eye coordination, your overall stamina and muscle endurance, and perhaps most importantly, your mental agility. “Training becomes an intense mental workout the moment you pick up a weapon,” says JaxBlade.
Of course, it goes without saying that injuries can occur for those who aren’t skilled at handling weapons and if you’re just starting out, the best thing you could do is to hire a trainer or coach to guide you through the process. But still, it presents an interesting aspect to fitness, that we might get ripped while living out our childhood fantasies of being a Turtle.