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Do you remember how you used to run and play as a child?
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.Whether it was storming castle walls, avoiding lava pits, or cartwheeling down the sidewalk, we weren’t worried about sets, repetitions, or time under tension. We were just having fun at the moment.
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When was the last time work felt like this for you?
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For those of us who love strength training, exercise feels like this. We love going into the gym and crunching numbers and focusing on technique. It can be totally absorbing and fun.
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But for many people I work with, exercise feels more like a job than a hobby. More like an obligation than something they expect.
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Here’s a way to change that.
An alternative to traditional training
Years ago I ran a group class at my local gym called “Ninja Academy”.
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Twice a week, a group of adults would show up and we’d spend an hour running around like 10-year-olds. We played tag. We climbed onto the floor. We had lightsaber battles with foam swords. We played Zombie Dodgeball (that’s a-maz-ing.)
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We weren’t focused on reps, heart rate, calories or weights. And yet – people were really out of breath, laughing too hard to speak, and asking “can we do it again?”
This experience has transformed how I look at fitness.
Of course, exercise and strength training and 5k races are all great.
But the fitness industry tends to be laser focused on things we can count and track. That naturally led to the idea that true exercise seems a certain way. And by extension, anything that can’t be easily tracked becomes less valuable.
That’s backwards.
When you play, you move because you you want to. You push yourself without thinking. You want to come back the next day not because you are disciplined, but because it was really fun and you want more.
Play should not replace traditional training. It just gives you more options.
And the benefits go beyond just sweating. Play creates a community, keeps your brain young, introduces your body to movements it never gets in a gym, and promotes lifelong movement across all ages and generations.
Here’s what Christy – a mother of two teenage girls – had to say after her first Ninja Academy session:
“I took my twins to a class at my gym last night. Probably the only reason they agreed to go was because it’s called ‘Ninja Academy’. It’s exercise, yes, but basically it’s structured recess for adults. We did silly things, like jumping on a ‘set’ (made of jump ropes), made tripods or crafts depending on the skill, played follow the leader (out in the dark!). and just a fun time.
.The girls and I had a blast making this together. They were still talking about it this morning. I’m on cloud 9 because it was just one of “those moments” that can be hard to find. We just play for a change. No homework, no homework, no stupid work, just play. I don’t have enough with my children anymore. I’m going to try to fix this.”
Do you want to try it? A few basics first:
- Everything is optional. Don’t feel like a game or activity? Try something else!
- Try your best no matter what. You won’t be good at these moves and games right away. Especially when things are new, it’s easy to get frustrated. We use this mantra in the Ninja Academy to help us focus on doing our best instead of being the best.
- Have fun, but don’t let your head explode. When you’re out of practice with the game, it’s easy to go too hard too fast. Try to jump too far and take a spill, get a little too aggressive in a game of tag. Facility in.
- The 70/30 rule. If you are playing with someone else, adjust the rules so that one person does not win more than 70% of the time. Strongest player? Make them use their hand off. Tallest player? Have them balance on one foot. Keep it competitive for everyone.
Some games to get you started
🎯 taps: Try to keep a foam ball or balloon in the air. Kick it, hit it, backheel it, whatever it takes. Bluey fans will recognize this as Keepy Uppy. It works alone against a wall or with a whole group. This was our warm up game every Ninja Academy session. 😊
⚔️ Samurai Warrior: One person stands in front of a group and swipes their arm both up and down: high swipe = duck, low swipe = jump over. Note: don’t LITERALLY jump over his arm. just react to their cues. If you get “hit”, take a step back, do 2 squats, and step back. Just keep playing.
🏹 Zen Archer: Try to keep your feet planted while your partner slowly sweeps a hand or stands towards you in slow-motion. Move out of the way at the last possible second with as little movement as necessary. Harder than it sounds.
🪄 Stick Drop: Make a straight sweep, let it fall, and your partner (or yourself!) try to catch it just before it hits the ground. Start close. Go further when you get better.
💥 Crack-About Dodgeball: Free dodgeball for all. Best played with those foam Rhino-Skin dodgeballs (one of my favorite tools to ease the game without getting someone painfully nailed in the face). If a ball rolls to you, you can always throw it. When the person who hit you is hit… you get back in! No one is ever really outside, which creates endless amounts of fun.
🫳 Reaction Drop: Keep two balls at shoulder height and leave one at random. Your partner tries to catch it before it hits the ground. Deceptively tough. Instantly addictive.
🥅 Goalkeepers: Roll or throw a ball so it’s right next to your partner’s reach. They try to stop. The goal is to find that tip so that they are successful about 50% of the time. It’s also a game to practice your aim, and if you can put it in the perfect place!
👑 King of the Logo: Hold hands with a partner and try to step up to the other person. Here we go. You can adjust this by standing on a crack in the sidewalk, on a small curb or even on a real log in the woods!
🔥 The plan is Lava: An all-time classic. You know the drill 😉.
🧱 Jenga Balance: Stack two Jenga blocks on top of each other and try to hold the bottom without letting the top fall. Once you understand this, try adding some slow motion movement. A great focus game, surprisingly challenging.
👻 Mario + Ghosts: A person walks around the space. When they turn to see, everyone freezes. The objective is to sneak up and tap on the shoulder. (I also called this “The Weeping Angels” for all my Doctor Who fans.) We also did a version of this at Camp Nerd Fitness where our entire group was ghosts and we chose an unsuspecting coach to be Mario. 😂 We got some WILD looks as the coaches saw a bunch of people moving towards them and then everyone froze in an instant.
I hope this has given you some inspiration to explore a new game or movement – either on your own or with a friend or family member.
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And most of all, I hope it gave you permission to rethink what your training “needs” to look like.
I’d love to hear from you – what are some physical games you like to play? I’m always collecting new ideas!
– Matt
PS Want to make fitness a sustainable part of your routine? That’s exactly what our coaches help with. It’s like having your own personal fitness Yoda in your pocket, except instead of Yoda it’s just a real human nerd who has your back. Otherwise, it’s basically the same thing 😜
