Written by Nioh 2 is here, as well as the endless amounts of dying that come with it. Using this cycle of difficulty as a cornerstone, one can create a plethora of exercise opportunities. I hope you’re ready to get stronger, because if you follow the Nioh 2 workout formula while playing the game, you will have no other option.
When working out, we use machines, weights, wires, our body weight, resistance bands, even tires. But how many people use video games to workout?
As the second article of MBG!’s game series, Exercise While Gaming, we will use Nioh 2 (and Nioh, of course) as an excuse to workout.
Nioh 2 is Team Ninja‘s RPG action sequel to their major hit Nioh. The series starts in a semi-fictional early 1600’s Japan, and is a samurai and ninja Dark Souls inspired slash-fest that actually follows history pretty well, in all of its magical fantasy.
Be that as it may, the Nioh’s are ultra difficult games where dying is commonplace. Therefore, doing an exercise every time you die in-game can be done with more consistency than other games. You know, the easier ones with less successful dying (most non souls-like or retro games).
So, grab your katanas, and grab your armor (or robes in my case), because it’s time to get samurai fit!
Why Workout While Gaming?
Because I said so. And a healthy body is part of a healthy gamer lifestyle. Need more reasons? Here are 42 Reasons Why Everyone Needs Strength Training.
Most importantly, though, is because as I see it, you are going to game, right? And you maybe don’t like going to the gym or taking extra time out to keep your body strong and active.
Therefore, working out while playing video games is a perfect combination.
It can make your workout much more fun, and much easier to fit in to your gaming time than you might think. It might even be a better, more consistent workout. Especially with Nioh.
You will be amazed how little time it takes, too. Suddenly, you’re just playing your new game, and you realize you’ve just done a full workout, very little time lost.
The Nioh 2 Workout Formula
For every death in-game, do an exercise out of game.
Simple as that. An exercise per death masochism, if you will.
If you die often, hopefully you are doing more than one exercise. Otherwise, you may end up doing hundreds of reps, depending on how you define it.
For the sake of simplicity, this guide will assume you are doing the exercise per death workout and write according to this. If you are not, that’s great, too, just plug in your own equation where necessary in this article.
The Steps For A Successful Nioh 2 Workout
1. Setup
Before you get started, you will need to ask yourself some questions and make some decisions.
- First, what kind of exercises are you going to do during this session? You should plan out what’s to be done BEFORE you start the session. Convenience is key here. You can do as many different exercises as you choose. Same with total sets and reps.
- Do you have the gear you need? This includes weights, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bars, bands, and anything else you may need. Do you use a weight bench or machine? You also need space to do the workout in.
- Is your gaming setup in a location close to your workout area? If not, this can be a hinderance. For example, if you use a workout machine in the basement, yet game on the second floor, you will be covering a lot of steps going back and forth if done on each death (unless you’re real good). See variations section below for solutions.
2. Warmup
You can warmup either before or during your Nioh session. I suggest 5-10 minutes, based on how fast you feel warm, literally. Dynamic stretching is great, too.
What I do is stand and bounce around while playing until I feel my blood pumping and some heat happening. Then I am ready to go.
The warmup is important as to decrease your risk for injury. Don’t ignore it.
If you are going for more intensive exercise, or simply require more of a warmup, even exercise specific, I leave that in your hands. I will assume you already know this and I won’t go into it.
Everyone is different and unless you are just starting, you probably have a way of doing things. If you are just starting, run in place, do jumping jacks, anything! Just warm yourself up!
3. Play, Die, Workout, Repeat
After a proper warmup, start your Nioh session. As mentioned before, when you die, put the controller down and do the exercise you previously specified at step 1. Once completed, return to the game and continue your adventure. Rinse, repeat.
Right after you die, and boy you will die a lot, your game will stay in the load screen until you push a button, so you are safe while you exercise.
If you use headphones, they likely will have to be removed as well. This I have found most annoying in itself.
But for me, doing this while streaming means no tv speakers or the stream would have echo. Speakers are the best for this exercise, in other words.
If you stay alive for a long time (in-game, smarty pants), you may need to re-warmup before doing your exercise. Also, you may need to get creative on this workout in order to get it done.
A solution is that you can keep a timer handy and set it based on how long it takes to not feel warm anymore. If you, let’s say, don’t die for 5 to 10 minutes, you still do the next exercise even if alive. If this is the case, just hide in the game or go to a shrine.
For those that don’t die much, I suggest using a timer set to remind you when to do your next exercise.
How to Not Overdo the Nioh 2 Workout
It’s important to not over do this workout in the first few sessions, and it is vital to heal. You don’t HAVE to exercise each Nioh session by any means. For those of you that want to though, just cycle different muscle groups you work out per day.
Another good idea is to start with an end point, where you stop the workout before you finish playing. So, you do a total set count, or max rep count and then stop.
This is important. Keeping track of how much you do is VERY difficult while playing, at least for me, especially in a longer play session, especially with multiple exercises. And it’s easy to do too much.
To avoid overdoing it at first, either do less, or do less. There are different ways to do less. You do less reps or you do less sets or you do less weight or you do less exercises. Your call.
Ever workout for 3 straight hours with inconsistent pauses throughout? Most haven’t, and it isn’t advised straight off the bat (or sword).
Nioh 2 Workout Example
I like to keep things minimal and easy. This workout is a full body calisthenic workout that does not require any equipment but you. Well, and a chair. I assume you sit in something when you play Nioh. It ends with a cardio exercise.
- Pushups (standard) – 5 per death
- Get on your knees and place your hands straight out on the floor, about shoulder width apart.
- Starting position: Holding yourself up, straighten your legs. If this proves too difficult, you may stay on your knees. This is the starting position.
- Lower yourself, bending at the elbow to at least a 90 degree angle.
- Push your body back up to starting position
- Chair Dips – 5 per death
- Sit on a chair (or couch) near the edge
- Grab it either on the front or sides
- Starting position: keeping your legs straight out or bent, lift your body up and out from the edge
- lower your butt to the ground or close, then push yourself back up to the starting position
- Squats (standing) with optional calf raise – 10 per death
- Starting position: Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
- Squat down until your upper legs are at least parallel to the floor
- Push yourself back to standing position
- (optional) Push yourself up onto the balls of your feet then return
- V-ups – 10 per death
- Starting position: Lay down on your back, legs straight and arms straight above your head on the ground as well.
- Simultaneously, lift your arms and legs until at least a “V” angle.
- Return to starting position
- Jumping Jacks – 20 per death
- Starting position: stand up normally, arms to your side
- Lightly jump, opening both legs and landing about a foot or two wider than the starting point.
- At the same time as #2, keep arms slightly bent and lift lift them up sideways until your hands touch about the same time as your feet land.
- Jump back to starting position with feet and arms dropping to starting position.
- Do this continuously with no break until completed.
The idea is that, using the above, you do a set of a single exercise per death in Nioh. Then you move to the next following the next death. Once you do them all, you restart. This is a circuit.
Or, you can alternately stick to one exercise until you hit the max number you want to do.
Using pushups as the example, if your total pushups you want to do is 50, then each Nioh death you would do a percentage of that until you reach your goal. It’s your workout, define it as you want but base it on your ability.
If you can do 50 pushups straight, you may want to raise the total number for this workout due to delays in between deaths. Maybe make it 3 sets of 50. Or reduce your reps if you want to keep the workout going for long periods of your gaming session.
What is so neat about this kind of workout is before you know it, you will be done. Yet, you were really mostly gaming. It’s great and I suggest this to be implemented for all gamers. You just have to remember to do it!
Variations on the Nioh 2 Workout
As this is your workout, you can make it however you want. Feel free to change any parameters.
For example, you can change how often you do the exercises, especially if you are dying a lot in-game. Exercise every 2 or 3 deaths instead of after one, as an example.
If your workout area is not near your gaming area, you may want to do a full set per death, as that will ultimately save time from going back and forth.
Sometimes, I do an entire circuit before returning to the game. Specifically, if it is at a boss battle and I want to get right back to the fight without interruption.
And don’t forget about other types of exercise. You can do things like jump rope, you can go run around the block, or even run in place, hit the punching bag, even do a yoga stretch.
This workout has endless possibilities. You just have to do an exercise when you die.
Which is Harder? Nioh 2 or the Workout?
So, there you have it: the Nioh 2 workout. The game is out, and you are getting on your quest to slaughter demons and increase your samurai skills.
You don’t want to put the controller down, but you also want to get stronger or more in shape in real life.
So, take my advice: get disciplined and workout while gaming.
Before you know it, you’ll be increasing your strength and fitness in no time. All while slashing your way to the end game.
If you want to see me do this workout while playing Nioh 2, or are curious about the game, check me out on Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and Mixer. All at the same time.
Remember: Nioh 2 is the hard part, not the workout. If you’re willing to put yourself through masochistic hell to complete the game, doing a few reps here and there is nothing. Health first.