The dad-bod is a fad of the past, 2016 is the year of the Aca-bod. By flexing their muscles and demonstrating their strength, the Academic Decathlon team took the other teams at the State Competition. The battle was tough, but they managed to use their endurance and resilience on their way to the top and come out with the shiny medals coveted by Acadec Gods everywhere. The WY Acadecathletes, have given us a glimpse into what it takes to be a Spartan. As Miles Baggett ‘16, a senior on both the varsity football and basketball team here at WY put it, “I wouldn’t want to come head to head with any of the AcaGods on the field. Have you seen the muscles on Captain Jonathon Marek? Ah man, he could knock you out with one flick of the wrist.” Well Miles, and you other weaklings of Whitney, by following the Acatiers strenuous  workout, you too can achieve the perfect Aca-bod.  

1. Neck exercises

Clarke White‘16 is a seasoned Acadecathlete who has spent the past years not only building up her Great Wall of China length of knowledge, but making her neck just as sturdy. “It takes a lot of work and dedication, but being able to carry all my medals at once is totally worth it. They’re a regular part of my daily outfit at this point. I’ve even started working on converting them to earrings. Working on my ear strength is the next step.” It’s not easy being so successful and high achieving. Not only does the accumulation of so many medals result in extreme levels of stress and pressure on the neck from wearing them around, but also having so much information in the brain, increases their brain matter to an unimaginable weight. Similar to a new born baby that cannot support the weight of their own head, Acadecatheletes have to spend time strengthening the muscles in their neck to hold up the cranium containing their giant noodle.  

1. Wrist mobility exercises

The constant stream of bubbles to be filled in throughout the testing period can

take a toll on the wrist of even the most advanced Acadecathelete. Wrist rotations

and planche push-up positions are commonly seen during Acadec practices.These

exercises maximize pencil grip, circle-filling in speed, and range of motion- so they

can reach an optimum number of questions without having to waste time moving their whole arm.    

1. Intense finger lifting

Amateurs can only handle single pencil lifts, not our WY Acadecatheletes. The

mightiest minds of WY are lifting up to 7 pencils with one finger. Exercises to increase

finger power are extremely important to maintain a firm grip throughout the testing time.

Anyone who takes Anatomy and Physiology can attest that fingers don’t usually have

muscles- that’s just one more amazing aspect that sets our studly Acadecathletes ahead of the rest.

1. Desk crunches to increase the hunch

“Every student can resonate with the test-taking position of tense shoulders and

bowed head while hunching over the scantron. Us Acageniuses take this position to the

next level. Our test-taking hunch makes even the smartest seniors in school look like

freshmen taking their first final.” Said Uma Venkata ‘16, as she demonstrated the proper technique. The “Venkata Lean”, as the team has come to call it, is when you lean over the desk until your body is parallel to the surface. You then come back to a ninety-degree sitting position; start with 3 sets of 10 and you will be on your way to achieving the hunch Acadecatheletes have spent their lives perfecting. Before the start of every test, the Acadecatheletes will do this workout to prepare for the long hours of hovering above their tests. These warriors truly have abs of steel.