One benefit to staying fit and active? Being able to outrun, outfight, and out hide any monsters or killers coming your way. Surviving a horror movie is no easy task, but you don’t have to face all those things that go bump in the night unprepared. Maybe, just maybe, with the right training, you’d be able to survive a horror movie! 

Stretching

Stretching can help you stay loose and improve your flexibility, so you’re always ready to run from the masked killer chasing you or hide in a small space while you wait for your chance to flee. 

Opt for a full body stretch coupled with some deep, yogic breathing. Making sure your legs are stretched and ready to go is going to be the most important. When you’re warmed up, you can run longer, farther, and at a faster speed to escape the maniac chasing you with a knife. 

A great rotation for your lower body includes a simple at-the-wall calf stretch, hamstring stretch with a strap or towel, and a figure four stretch to loosen up your hip flexors. Focusing on the breath while stretching will train your body to calm down. In a stressful — and potentially scary — situation, being able to slow down and stay focused on the task at hand will help you. 

Stair Climbers 

There’s no shortage of stairs in horror movies, so at some point, you will find yourself face-to-face with a set of stairs you must overcome. Running quickly up stairs could mean the difference between life and death on a stormy night under a full moon. 

Get in tip top shape for the stairs by using a stair machine at the gym. Once you’re warmed up, you can hop on the stair climber and get going. Increase the speed after every minute to practice pushing hard when you’re nearly within the grasp of a vengeful spirit. 

Don’t have access to a stair machine? Run repeats on the stairs in your home. Aim to match or beat your climb speed for every set of stairs. For horror movie ambience, take your workout out to a public parking garage. Danger lurks around every corner. 

Endurance Cardio 

Having endurance is key to surviving a horror movie. Unfortunately, compared to vampires and other monsters, humans do not have immortal levels of speed and endurance. We can, however, train our bodies to survive long, arduous fights that go late into the night. If you can last until morning, your chances of survival go up quite significantly! 

Horror movies often have their victims running, but cycling, swimming, and even walking are great options for cardio exercise. The key to horror movie preparedness is building endurance and being able to sustain a long effort. Practice this by adding a long cardio effort (over one hour) to your workout plan every week in addition to shorter sessions throughout the week. 

HIIT Training 

HIIT training is the bread and butter of horror movie survival because you need to move fast and it’s unlikely you’ll get a lot of recovery time. 

There are many different types of HIIT workouts, all of which will prepare you in different ways. Jumping rope and running can both be part of a HIIT workout. To give yourself the best chance of surviving werewolves chasing you in the forest, do a running HIIT workout. 

After warming up, run at 85-90% effort for one minute followed by thirty seconds of rest. Repeat this fifteen times. Aim to keep your speed the same across all fast reps. If you can go faster, even better! Hopefully you’ll then be able to outrun impending death! 

Arm Strength Exercises

If push comes to shove, you might need to wield a weapon (or use your own two fists) when faced with the cannibalistic family occupying the farm near where your car broke down. Your chances of survival could depend on it. 

Full preparation for your horror movie means a well-rounded approach to arm strength. You don’t want to be lacking in any area because you never know what you might need to do. Choose a mix of workouts that will complement each other. 

For your biceps, bicep curls are one of the best options. This can be done with dumbbells, barbells, or whatever you have on hand. When it comes to preserving your life, the equipment doesn’t really matter. 

Add a tricep extension and wrist extension to your rotation and consider practicing your survival moves on a punching bag. 

Shoulder & Back Strength 

Shoulder strength is underrated but if you’re going to plunge a wooden stake into the heart of a vampire or maneuver an ax to protect yourself from a murderer, you’ll need shoulder and back strength. 

In addition to the arm workout above, add in exercises for the pecs, lats, and deltoids. The muscle groups of the upper body work together so you can throw with gusto. 

Chest press, chess fly, and pushups are a great place to start with the pec muscles. Your lats will also need some work. We recommend focusing on pull-downs and pull-ups. You might find pull-ups particularly helpful if you ever have to pull yourself up a ledge or through a tight spot to escape the evil witch on your trail. 

For your deltoids, incorporate a shoulder press into your workout routine. 

Leg and Glute Strength Exercises 

Leg strength is vital to your survival in a horror film. Whether you are kicking a demon out of your way or carrying an unconscious friend away from imminent danger, building muscle in your legs could be the difference between life and death. 

Start with a glute bridge, adding weight if it is too easy. Squats, hamstring curls, and calf raises will also help you build your leg and glute strength so you may be able to see the light of dawn after a night fighting with zombies. 

No matter who (or what) is after you this Halloween, you’ll be prepared to survive your own scary movie. Whether you run away or fight back is your call. 

Happy Halloween, FIT Fam!