It goes without saying that the past two years have put a damper on the average person’s ability to stay active, with the pandemic and lingering concerns for safety in groups strangling all but the most athletically minded's enthusiasm for the gym.

Thankfully, there are those who not only have energy to spare but are more than willing to share their tips for keeping holiday and pandemic poundage under control. For example, guys like Sugeta Rinne (23) of the J-pop group 7 MEN Samurai, whose gym bunny credentials we got to witness for ourselves in a piece uploaded Sunday to the video sharing site ISLAND TV. Check out the link in the tweet below for his full-throttle 2+ minute home workout, shot on an after-hours floor of his agency's Shibuya lesson studios and set to a fun and upbeat EDM track produced by fellow 7 MEN Samurai member Yabana Rei.

Sugeta Rinne is of course no stranger to athletic pursuits. A longtime acrobat, his jumps, flips, and tricks on stage have been a part of his act throughout his 10 year career as an artist under the management of Johnny & Associates. While his group, 7 MEN Samurai, has found its niche more recently as a music-focused rock band in contrast to others more in line with what the average person thinks of as “idols,” their passionately kinetic dance routines and flashy stage entrances give Sugeta plenty of opportunity to impress.

Sugeta first became acquainted with SASUKE through the participation of senior Johnny’s talent; Tsukada Ryoichi of A.B.C-Z, followed by Iwamoto Hikaru of Snow Man, who have been a part of SASUKE since 2015 and 2017 respectively. He studied their techniques religiously, bombarding them with questions and requests for advice about their training regimens whenever possible during shared work opportunities. When he found out he was finally going to get his own shot on the course in 2020, he was beside himself with excitement.

“I made everything I could a practice area,” he said in a recent interview with the Japan Times. “The filming for SASUKE both in 2020 and 2021 coincided with shows at the Tokyo Imperial Theater, which has a lot of space and storage equipment to create my own versions of Beastmaker training props, as well as hallways and stairs I sprint down in lieu of using the elevators.”

This year, while performing at the Imperial for the long running Johnny & Associates' original stage play DREAM BOYS, he had one additional motivating factor. “Whereas last year I was the newbie under the instruction of Tsukada-kun and Iwamoto-kun, I really enjoyed passing down their advice to (SASUKE first-timer) Ajima Hideki of Shonen Ninja.” Sure enough, the two often spent their rest time in between shows stretching, sprinting, training, and climbing along the latticework holding up the set.

It all comes to a head Tuesday, December 28^th, at 6pm JST with the broadcast of SASUKE NINJA WARRIOR 2021. Although filming wrapped months ago, the results have been kept in strict confidence, assuring audiences stay on the edge of their seats as they watch how well he and the other contestants fared.

“The biggest thing I really felt was having accomplished something,” Sugeta says. “Specifically, accomplishing something as a result of one’s own ethics of hard work, drive and training. SASUKE, and being a part of it, is a source of great personal drive and inspiration, which to me is the most important part of the whole experience.”

Get to know more about Sugeta Rinne and his group 7 MEN Samurai in their weekly YouTube videos for the Johnnys’ Jr. Channel, where they post every Friday at 8pm JST!