Lightsaber Workout for Weight Loss

A new lightsaber-wielding fitness regime lets you work out and geek-out all at the same time. That's right, the favorite weapon of the Jedi knights (and your little brother) is now the focus of an exercise craze. Longtime Stars Wars fan Master Flynn, 38, is the creator of New York Jedi, which holds lightsaber classes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The workouts are a mix of martial arts, fencing and play acting -- complete with costumes and lightsabers.

Instructors at New York Jedi, who have backgrounds in a variety of martial arts disciplines, help Luke Skywalker-wannabes re-enact fight choreography from their favorite sword-fighting films like "Blade" and, of course, "Star Wars." They also help participants advance their combat skills in strenuous two-hour sessions.

Before you write this off as nothing more than the ultimate nerd-fest for boys, Flynn says that about one-third of the participants in New York groups are women. Furthermore, he attests to the incredible physical transformations he's witnessed as a result of his saber classes. "I've seen people lose anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds," he says. It's not surprising since fencing and martial arts tend to be grueling workouts that incinerate calories. A 150-pound person can burn more than 400 calories after an hour of fencing and more than 600 through martial arts. But the changes in participants aren't just physical, Flynn notes. "They've come in very meek and within a month really built up their confidence and self-esteem. It's also been a gateway for them to try other martial arts," Flynn says.

Flynn, who has studied Karate, Kendo and Kung Fu has found such success with his sword-based workouts that he was recently invited to demonstrate his saber-skills with the hosts of the "Today Show." And to help meet big demand from people around the world hoping to learn and share saber techniques, Flynn has created SaberWars.com, a site that helps people find other enthusiasts in their area.

Watch Ann Curry and Meredith Vieira try their hands at lightsaber workouts and tell us whether you would consider giving it a spin, or are you more of a fitness traditionalist?

Photo courtesy of Irshad Mustafa