We’ve all been through that.
We face the fog, the door, the ladder or whatever else triggers the boss fight in a game, such as: God of War Ragnarok, and brace ourselves for the unknown—or at least for the saltwater training that awaits us. Swelling with dizziness and fear, we might even give verbal encouragement to ourselves as we mentally prepare for what lies ahead.
We choose our time, take a deep breath and enter.
We start from afar, feel things out while trading a few shots, and then get closer to see what changes. We try out our favorite moves, see how they work, and start modifying them.
Then it starts.
Have you ever thought, I want to get better at gaming but I don’t want to ruin my life? We’re here to help you with a special week dedicated to video games and health.
The big guy is killing us. Our fights turn into a windmill of poorly placed shots, late defenses, and choppy gameplay.
We’re in trouble.
At that moment we exit the “fight” zone and enter the “escape” zone – but death is often the only way out of a boss fight. We keep fighting, trying to regain momentum that never comes until soon enough the boss is in victory.
It doesn’t have to be like this.
I am an Occupational Therapist with over three decades of rehabilitation experience and from the beginning I have had a strong focus on improving human function. I have a hunch: I think we can implement something that will give us an edge over bosses and increase game performance in general.
I’ll call her Boss Killer Exercises.
Here’s how it works: When the cutscene starts, we jump into a small cutscene carnage. These are short, quick exercises that will get the juices flowing, sharpen our awareness and prepare us for what is to come into the fight. Why sit and worry while rocking in our chairs when we can warm up for battle?
Keep in mind that we are not dealing with traditional exercises aimed at better health. No, what we want is boss-beating goodness. Don’t worry – you can still watch the cutscene, and I’ll offer practice modifications to accommodate different performance potentials.
Let’s start.
Exercise 1: sit-ups on the chair
Start by pushing your butt all the way out to the edge of your chair. Lean your torso all the way back in the chair, which will kind of stretch you out. From here, just sit down so that your shoulders are over your knees. Try 30 repetitions. Depending on your fitness level, these can be surprisingly difficult at first.
Alternate by holding on to your armrests and using your torso to pull up. Not too much; just enough to keep you upright.
Exercise 2: Chair Dips
Quickly slide to the edge of your chair. Place your feet as far in front of you as you can while placing your hands, palms down, on the surface of the chair. Push your back off the chair and then lower it to the floor, using your arms to control the descent. When you get to the bottom, push yourself back up with your arms. Aim for at least 20 reps and take a full second to move in each direction. This exercise hammers your chest, shoulders, and rear upper arms.
Change as needed by moving your feet closer or further out to control the level of difficulty, or limit how far down you go into the dips. Depending on your body, you may not be able to go all the way down, and that’s okay. just do what you can
Exercise 3: sit-stand
When the cutscene starts I want you to get up from your chair. That’s right – just stand up! Come into full standing, with knees straight and shoulders back.
Sound easy? It is not.
I want you to work as close to 30 of these as possible. Try to get up in a second and sit down in a second, focusing on smooth movements the whole time. Well, you might not be able to do 30 in a row initially, and that’s not a problem. just do your best This exercise will really rev up your metabolism and your concentration will be optimized by the end of the cutscene.
Modifications can be:
- Slower Movement: Slow down the movement speed and halve the reps.
- Squats: Stand up. Stabilize. Then, continuing to stand straight, sink only as low as your knees will allow before returning to standing.
- Run in Place: Perform a quick stationary run. Be sure to get your knees high.
Exercise 4: Touch the ground; touch the sky
This is the most difficult exercise but fantastic for what we are trying to achieve.
Come to a stop first. From there, bend your knees, crouch, and touch your controller to the floor (if it’s wired and not wireless, you can put it down briefly). Immediately stand back up while simultaneously reaching over your head in one fluid motion, holding your controller (or hands) as high as possible. Do at least 20 reps, but take what you can get first.
This exercise might look a little weird, but it’s a high-intensity movement in a closed kinetic chain that gets your body working. You’ll roll sharply out of the cutscene, ready to rumble.
If you need to make changes, try to limit how deep you go. You can also do progressive movements where you go deeper as the repetition increases.
6 tips to get you started
A quick word before we start:
- Practice these exercises in advance. Once you’ve refined your cutscene carnage routine, you can bring it into high-stakes gameplay.
- Practice creates masters. The more exercises you do, the better your body adapts and the better you become. You will begin to understand your body better.
- Everyone is different. Some of these exercises may not work for you at all. Others will be just right for you. Stick with the ones that feel natural to you.
- Adjust as needed. If you can’t do some of these exercises, try the modified forms. You’ll find something that works for you if you explore a little.
- You’ll be surprised. Short, high-intensity burst activity can trigger the same body chemistry and physical responses as a fight-or-flight scenario (in a good way)!
- Make it your own. While I offer a few options here, feel free to use whatever exercises you’d like.
I hope these exercises are of use to you. Get them right, and I think they can really change the way you approach gameplay. It doesn’t matter how big the boss is (or how scary his weapon might be), because now you’re juiced. You are ready. You pick him up and take him home with you.
Trust me Boss Killer.
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