Prep Your Heart Rate for this Sci-Fi Sequel

You may have thought they had all been “retired” and your favorite futuristic cop had stepped away from it all. But deep down, there was a little part of you that questioned if there was more to the story … and finally, there is. 

One of the world’s most influential sci-fi films is back for another round. With the dystopian setting and synthetic humans more complex than ever, viewers should prepare themselves for a whirlwind of adventure. 

Remember the intensity you felt watching the first installment? Your heart was thumping. Your pulse was racing.

Not quite sure how to prepare yourself? Don’t fret.

Reebok trainer Kevin O’Connell is no stranger to raising his heart rate.

“I’m the person always quoting movies so I definitely know the feeling of being in theaters watching a thriller and having my heart rate raise with the suspense,” says O’Connell.

“But if you’re only getting your heart rate up by watching movies, that’s a problem,” he adds.

“It’s not healthy and it's not beneficial to you in the long-run.” 

O’Connell’s solution is to work out.

“Working out is the simplest way to increase your heart rate,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you have an hour for your workout or just 10 minutes. It’s possible to get your heart rate high either way. It’s about choosing the correct movements and executing those movements fast and at high intensity.”

O’Connell demonstrates eight simple movements that will put you on the right path to prepping for the heart-thumping intensity of this sci-fi sequel.

Bonus: If going hard in the gym makes you feel a little more emblematic of the movie’s badass protagonists, O’Connell admits you’re not the only one.

Box Jumps

Facing the box, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and extend your hips, swinging your arms and pushing through your feet to propel yourself onto the box. Stand up at the top. Step down and repeat. 

Medicine Ball Cleans

Start by standing directly over the ball in the deadlift setup. Rapidly extend your hips and knees, creating power to shrug yourself under the medicine ball, moving into a front squat and rotating your hands to swivel on the side of the ball. Make sure your elbows and chest are up. Stand up, with the ball remaining in the front position. 

Dumbbell Thrusters

Grab a pair of dumbbells. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold the dumbbells just above your shoulders. Make sure your elbows are up. Lower yourself down into a squat, then push through your feet to stand and extend the dumbbells straight up and overhead. Make sure you keep your elbows close to your ears as your arms are overhead.

Butt Kicks

Run in place, making sure that your heels are kicking all the way up behind you so that they tap your butt. 

Lunges

Stand straight up with both feet under your hips. Step forward with one foot as the back knee gently taps the ground. Push off the front foot to rise up and return back to standing position. Repeat with your opposite leg in the front this time. 

Candlesticks

Start by standing up straight. Squat down and fall backwards by rolling into an extended candlestick position. Roll back forwards without using your hands; use your momentum to stand up.

Burpees

Get down onto the ground in the push up position, kicking the legs back behind the body and moving the hands to an extended pushup position in front. Jump your legs back in toward your hands and jump the whole body upwards to a standing position.

Toe Taps

Alternate tapping your toes as you jump up while simultaneously pumping your arms. Move as quickly as possible and keep your knees high. 

Did your go-to heart-pumping exercise not make the list? Tweet @Reebok to tell us what it is.