How to Train for American Ninja Warrior

Co-authored by Justin Conway

Last Updated: February 14, 2022

American Ninja Warriors have always been very fun to watch. However, have you ever wanted to try the sport yourself? This wikiHow will teach you how you can find gyms and competitions to start on your way to becoming a ninja warrior.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Finding a Gym

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Find a ninja gym near you. To find a gym near you, look it up on sites online that offer possible ninja gyms near you. You may also want to find a certified ninja instructor.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} You can find gyms on sites such as The Ninja Passport, The Sport of Ninja, or Ninja Guide. Look up these websites to find the perfect gym for you!
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Build your own ninja warrior course.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} If you want a course customized to your needs and wants, you can build your own. Some popular obstacles to include are a salmon ladder, quintuple steps, warped wall, or lache bars with hanging obstacles. Be sure anything you hang to lache onto is secure, otherwise you risk injuring yourself. Additionally, put out plenty of quality padding underneath the course for safety.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}

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Sign up if your gym has classes or a team. Getting advice from more experienced ninja warriors always helps. If you like the sport, get a membership. This is the best way to get better at ninja warrior fast. You will soon meet others who love the sport as much as you do and you can learn from each other.

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Equipment

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Buy some chalk.
- If you want chalk that lasts a long time, try liquid chalk. The only trade-off is that it takes a while to dry once you put it on and is more expensive.
- Another type you can try is powdered chalk, sometimes called loose chalk, in a chalk bag. This takes a lot less time to put on and can be cheaper if bought in bulk. You can also put the loose chalk in a chalk ball.
- The third option for chalk is a chalk block. These have the same advantages as loose chalk and are less messy. One disadvantage of a chalk block is that it is harder to store (you can’t put it in a chalk bag).
2
Get some ninja shoes. A good ninja shoe will have a lot of grip on the bottom and let you feel the balance obstacles. The blog Ninja Squared rates New Balance Zantes V4 as the top ninja shoe and Merrells Vapor Glove 3 Trail Runner as runner-up but many shoes can work! ^{[4]
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Research source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Training

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Warm up. Before every training session, warm up all your joints. Some joints you should warm up are fingers, wrists, shoulders, hips, hip flexors, and ankles. This can help prevent injuries when you train. Do dynamic movements, not stretching. Mix in some light strength exercises like a few pullups and pushups and some easier obstacles later in the warm-up. Make sure to also warm up on some balance obstacles, or if you don't have any, balance on one foot (for a harder version, try with your eyes closed). Try to do the same warm-up every time so when you get to competitions you have a warm-up you are comfortable with.
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Train. Begin with easier obstacles first, but make sure to practice all types of obstacles to improve in areas including agility, balance, strength, speed, laches, and grip strength. To compete on American Ninja Warrior, you'll need to be well-rounded and strong in multiple areas.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}
- When training, do a combination of running courses, working on harder individual obstacles, and doing endurance on a few easier obstacles. An example of working on endurance would be switching between doing the cliffhanger, devils steps, and ring toss for around 5-10 minutes without much rest.
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Go to classes with coaches.
- Coaches can help you with techniques on obstacles and give you workouts to get better. Training with coaches keeps you on track to meet your goals.
- A class can be a way to better identify your weaknesses and help you get more familiar with the obstacles and the demands of ninja warrior training.
- Taking a group class is more affordable than getting private training. Plus, you get to meet great people in the ninja community that will inspire you and push you to get better! If you just want to use a ninja warrior gym to add some variety to your normal workout routine, a weekly class may be the best option for you.
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Do bodyweight exercises while you are not at a ninja gym. These can include push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, v-ups, bicycles, planks, and more. This will help you gain the strength needed to be great at ninja warrior. There are many online workouts to help with this including abs and HITT workouts.
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Focus on mental training as much as physical training. You have to have a very strong connection between your brain and your body if you're going to do well.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} Fear can be a big block and can prevent you from committing to more difficult and scarier obstacles. Overcome this fear by visualizing yourself finishing the obstacle or course, telling yourself you will overcome this fear every day, and remembering that your perceived danger is a lot more than the actual danger of the obstacle.

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Competing

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Try a local competition once you feel ready. Many gyms have cheaper inter-gym competitions which are great for your first competition. You can also look into RNL– recreational ninja league. ^{[7]
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Research source} This is a series of competitions put on by the National Ninja League for beginner to intermediate ninjas and has youth and adult age groups. There are easier obstacles and competitors gain one point per obstacle completed over the entire course –even if they fall.
2
Try other good intermediate leagues once you're ready. All of these leagues have youth age groups (usually a 2-3 year range: example 13-15) and adult age groups with male and female divisions. UNAA and NNL also both have elite/pro groups (split into male and female) for ninjas ready to take on a more difficult course and competition pool.
- Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) competitions give you 3 falls before you end your run on the course. If you are in the top half of all the competitors in a local competition, you move on to regionals. From there, the top three move on to Worlds, which goes over two days and two stages. State Games of America also hosts a Ninja Challenge competition put on by UNAA with the same rules and age groups.
- National Ninja League (NNL) is another league, where one fall in competition means you are out. To get to the World Finals competition, you must be the top three in a local competition (competitors that are already qualified don't count in this). At Worlds, there are three titles you can earn: World Champion, Skills Champion, and World's Strongest Ninja. There are 3 stages across two days. For the World Champion title, you must complete the most obstacles without falling across all three stages. If you don't finish a stage, your obstacle count is stopped. For the skills competition, the person with the most points across all four of the skills (one obstacle competition) wins. The Worlds Strongest Ninja takes all points accumulated between skills and the stages. Top 35% move on to stage two, and top 20% of those competitors move on to stage 3.
- Athlete Warrior Games (AWG) is a league where each obstacle has 2-3 ways to complete it, worth 1 to 5 points (easiest worth 1 point and the harder ways are worth 2-5 points). For 14+, if competitors don't get at least one point on an obstacle, their run is over. A leaderboard is made from competitors top-three finishes and top 25-50% of athletes qualify for regionals. After that top 3-10 from each regional (depending on division), move on to finals.
- Federation of International Athletes (FINA) has two competitions: a speed course and an endurance course. All athletes who finish the endurance course or speed course move on to worlds. In worlds, the winner of each event will go against each other on a course for both skills and the winner will be crowned All Around Champion!
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Try out some more advanced leagues if you're up for it.
- UNX is a 13+ competition, where you're only allowed one fall and it is broadcasted to their streaming service, UNX.now. In this competition format, there are no age groups and top three for men and women from the first four qualifiers move on to the next competition called Major 1. Qualifiers 5-8 lead to Major 2, and qualifiers 9-12 lead to Major 3.There are three Majors, and a leaderboard is created from competitors' three scores on their Majors. Top 8 then advance to the Finals!
- Next Level Ninja Games (NLNG) is where you're allowed two falls, but cannot watch anyone else run. Once out of the isolation room, you have 2 minutes to see the course before running. Competitors have a max rest between obstacles of 40 seconds. There are three age groups, youth (12 and under), teen (13-17), and adult (18+). There are also multipliers for completing a string of obstacles. Top 3 or more (they have wildcards) qualify for World Finals.
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Try one of the many state or regional leagues. You can find these competitions on the host gym's website. To find out about local competitions, ask your training partners, coaches, or other gym employees.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Applying for a Show

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Apply for American Ninja Warrior or American Ninja Warrior Junior early. It is better to get your application in early. If you get your application in early, the casting team can help you with your application and give you tips to make it better and increase your chances of getting on the show. Be aware you'll need a good story and a video that you'll have to turn in to be approved. Get your video in as early as possible.
2
Have a great story. Don't just tell your story, show the casting team it. Casting director Angelou Deign says, "Whatever it is that you’re talking about in the video, provide some photos that show that time in your life, what you’ve been through." ^{[8]
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Research source}Your story should be something special and unique about you.
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Have great energy in your video. The casting team is looking for people who are energetic and fun! This will increase your chances of being accepted, along with turning your video in early. Include the athletic portion of your video as well.
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Keep the athletic portion of your video about one minute long. The casting team wants consecutive training videos, meaning lots of obstacles in a row, not cutting between a few rungs of the salmon ladder to five push-ups or pull-ups to running. They want to know you have the upper body strength to finish the course. Make sure to mostly use fitness videos that relate to ninja warrior to show that your skills will translate to the course.
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Remember that over 40,000 people apply each year, so if you don't get on the show your first time don't be discouraged. Enjoy the sport of ninja warrior and keep training!

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do you do well on American Ninja Warrior?

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Justin Conway is an American Ninja Warrior competitor and the owner of World Ninja Sport, a ninja obstacle course company that provides obstacle design, construction, ninja coach certifications, and ninja curricula. With over seven years of experience, Justin specializes in helping gyms create and expand ninja programs along with certifying Ninja Warrior coaches. Justin holds a BS in Psychology from New York University, and he is the creator of the world’s first Ninja Coach Certification, SPOTTED. Justin is a founding member of Ninja USA and a founding board member of the National Ninja League. He is a three-time competitor and a six-time Las Vegas course tester for American Ninja Warrior. Justin is a certified level two parkour instructor and the host of the New York Ninja competition series.

Justin Conway

American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant

Expert Answer

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Being able to dead hang for extended periods will put you at an advantage on the ninja course.
Question

How do you train for Ninja Warrior without a gym?

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Justin Conway is an American Ninja Warrior competitor and the owner of World Ninja Sport, a ninja obstacle course company that provides obstacle design, construction, ninja coach certifications, and ninja curricula. With over seven years of experience, Justin specializes in helping gyms create and expand ninja programs along with certifying Ninja Warrior coaches. Justin holds a BS in Psychology from New York University, and he is the creator of the world’s first Ninja Coach Certification, SPOTTED. Justin is a founding member of Ninja USA and a founding board member of the National Ninja League. He is a three-time competitor and a six-time Las Vegas course tester for American Ninja Warrior. Justin is a certified level two parkour instructor and the host of the New York Ninja competition series.

Justin Conway

American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant

Expert Answer

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You can train for Ninja Warrior on your own by building your own obstacle course! Your course should include flow balance obstacles, fast balance obstacles, traverses, dinos, and a warped wall. Always double-check that your course is totally secure before testing it out. You should also make sure you put padding beneath in case you fall.
Question

Hi, my son wants to start doing Ninja Warrior but we can't find any gyms near by. We live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Is there any gyms near by that I am missing?

Ninjawarrior

Community Answer

Check either Ninja Guide, The Ninja Passport, or The Sport of Ninja to find ninja gyms near you! Some near Salt Lake City are Ninja Warehouse and The Ninja Playground.

Warnings

Only do things you feel safe doing. You should get out of your comfort zone, but if you think something is dangerous, ask an employee at the gym for verification or for help.

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Make sure you are in good physical health before jumping into Ninja Warrior. You can work up to harder obstacles once you feel comfortable. Pushing yourself is fine, but if you think you will get injured on an obstacle, you might want to wait until you feel more ready. Preparation is key.

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Only train at gyms that are safe. Be sure there are mats beneath the obstacles. If you get hurt, you won't be able to train!^{[9]
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Expert Source

Justin Conway
American Ninja Warrior Competitor & Consultant
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}

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