Dungeons & Dragons doesn’t seem like an obvious place to get fitness inspiration, but tabletop RPG author and fitness fanatic Steve Huynh has found a way to combine two of his favorite hobbies into one new workout guide.
the Handbook of Profitable Practice is a new fitness guide written by Huynh that features workouts inspired and named by various subclasses in Dungeons & Dragons 5e. The workouts are organized by these subclasses and by Challenge Ratings or “CR” on a scale of 1 to 20. Suggested exercise programs vary widely, from beginner workouts that only require you to go outside for a set amount of time, to more intense physical movements and lifting exercises.
Huynh is a Toronto-based TTRPG writer and designer who has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since high school. However, his passion for exercise only developed after college when he joined a fitness group which helped him fall in love with her.
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“I realized I was finding community and that really motivated me because I was at a certain level [and] They were at a certain level and we just supported each other,” Huynh said of his drill manual in a recent interview with Polygon.
While the guide was written for Dungeons & Dragons fans, Huynh hopes it can help bridge the gap for anyone struggling to reach their fitness goals.
“In my personal experience, the majority of people out there have some fitness experience […] but I would say a lot of people are just missing something,” said Huynh. “I hope that this text will help people to find out where this gap actually exists. […] Hopefully this will help people get out there and achieve their goals.”
Huynh also focuses much of his manual on accessibility for body types and skill levels because he hopes beginners can learn to find joy in their bodies.
“I’m trying my best to talk about accessibility because I think people should know that there are at least people out there trying to deconstruct the systems,” Huynh said. He hopes his guide will especially help beginners and relative fitness outsiders “get them to understand that their fitness journey, their goals, their joy — they’re their own, and that it might not be in theirs.” people desired shape fits.”
Huynh also hopes to use Dungeons & Dragons as a lens to examine the fitness world more critically and make it more accessible to others — as well as more fun.
“I think I can use Dungeons & Dragons to continue talking about toxicity in fitness culture,” he said, as well as “how athletes should view and shape their own fitness journey and focus less on aesthetics and more on enjoyment.”
