The ‘House of Dragon’ Workout Will Leave Your Shoulders Burning

The new Game of Thrones prequel series, House of Dragon, debuts this Sunday on HBO. Based on Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, the series will take place a couple of hundred years before the original Thrones events; and sees the Targaryens at their most powerful before the onset of civil war as family members clash over their claim to the throne.

The Targaryens rose to power with the help of mythical dragons. But they also had to wield a few swords along the way. You may not own a 50-pound slab of Valyrian steel that you can train with, but you can still train your upper body to look like a fantasy character. All it takes is a little bit of resistance and some fiery resolve.

Give this House of Dragon inspired shoulder and upper back workout a try this weekend before catching the show at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

1. Bent-Over Row

Holding dumbbells, bend at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Raise the weights until they reach your pits. Pause and reverse the move. Pick a weight you can keep repping with good form and high intensity to failure. Beast mode, baby.

2. Overhead Carry

Hold weights at the top of the overhead press position and walk back and forth. You’re done when your elbows begin to buckle and your traps burn like fire. That’s 1 round; do 3 to 5, resting 2 minutes between each.

3. Arnold Press

While seated, take two dumbbells of moderate weight and press them from your lap up to your eye line, palms facing towards your face. Finish the rep by by twisting the dumbbell into a traditional seated shoulder press. If you’ve picked the right weight, you’ll only rep a few of these before feeling the burn of the dragon. Don’t believe me? Just try it.

4. Steering Wheel

While standing, grasp a circular barbell plate like a steering wheel (or a shield!). Hold it perpendicular to your body, directly out from your chest with arms extended. Twist that sucker back and forth for as long as possible until you start crying the Tears of Lys.

5. Single Arm Shoulder Press

Like a hero celebrating his win on the battlefield, try this thrusting exercise (which mimics the appearance of a shot-put toss) to burn out the entire shoulder. If your balance is good and your muscles feel nice and warm, you can move some heavier weight with this one. Congratulations, you just slayed this House of Dragon workout.