Ninja Warrior for a night!

OK, where are all my Ninja Warrior fans out there!?!?

I have  been a huge fan of the show for years and have always been in awe of the amazing strength that these athletes have.  They all make it look so easy… but then again, they have worked hard and that’s why they made it through enough rounds to get on TV!   I always thought it would be fun to try and tackle some of the obstacles from the show and last night I had my chance!

Drew Knapp, who some of you may recognize from the show the last few seasons, is a native to the Green Bay area and dove into the world of Ninja Warrior 5 years ago.  He has worked hard and appeared in several episodes over the last few years.  In fact, just this week, he was on last Monday’s episode!  Yes, it may have just been a quick snippet of his run, but he was there!  Last year, Drew opened up Warrior Jungle to give everyone the opportunity to train like a ninja!

Last week, I joined about a dozen other ladies from our local Mom’s Run This Town chapter for a night of Ninja Warrior training!  It was time to step out of the box and try something new!!   Drew and Matt helped us feel right at home and were awesome to work with!  

Every good workout should start with a solid warm up and even this part of the evening was fun and full of laughs!  I’m sure you all have done walking lunges, but have you ever done a Spiderman crawl? Now, what about doing them backwards? Gives a whole new meaning to feeling awkward!  LOL

Once we got thru the warm up, it was time to have fun!!

The first obstacle to tackle was the Warp Wall!!    5 foot, 9 foot, 12 foot and  “way to high for me to even consider” (which you cannot see in the below photo because it is around on the side of this wall)

They might not look too back from this angle, but when you are standing in front of them, the can be a little intimidating!  We all started out on with some (ok a lot) of instruction and helpful hints before attacking the 5 foot wall.

I’ll admit, the 5ft wall was pretty easy.  It was just a matter of hitting the first step right and pulling myself up onto the platform.  BUT it is also a great confidence booster for what is to come! Yes, that next wall is 4 feet higher, but once you get up and over that first one, you look at the next obstacle a little different!

Once we all had a chance to try all 3 walls a few times, it was time to open up the floor to explore everything else that Warrior Jungle had to offer!

We spend the rest of the evening jumping, swinging, balancing and so much more!  This was just as much a mental workout as it was physical!  Knowing that in order to move forward on an obstacle, you will need to let go and let your momentum take you on, is very challenging!!

To be able to try out so many of the obstacles that I have watched the athletes on Ninja Warrior attack was beyond being cool!  Yes, most of the obstacles at Warrior Jungle as scaled down versions of what you see on the show, but that doesn’t mean they are EASY!  Even the scaled down version is tough!  It really puts things into perspective!  Those that make it to Ninja Warrior are amazing athletes!

 

Life truly happens outside of your comfort zone and each and every one of the ladies really pushed themselves!!  It was so awesome to see the determination and motivation to conquer some tough obstacles!!  In some cases, that meant 6 attempts on the warped wall, or umpteen tries to swing from the trapeze to the next bar.  We did what we could to accomplish so many goals!

Will I ever be the next Ninja Warrior?  Nah.  At least not in this lifetime.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have fun trying!  Warrior Jungle just might need to become a place a visit more often!

Many huge thanks to Drew and Matt for sharing this amazing gym with us!!  Want to give Warrior Jungle a try for yourself, check out their website!!  They offer many different classes for both kids as well as adults!!  Plus they offer open gym nights, where (for a small fee) can go and check everything out like we did!!

Green Bay area MRTT/SRTT don’t just run the town anymore, we NINJA!!

What have you done lately to step out of your comfort zone?