Unpacking Saitama’s Training

Saitama - One Punch Man Physique

Introduction

For good reason anime and manga are good sources for fitness inspiration. Perfectly drawn bodies, adrenaline pumping action, and heroes overcoming all odds all make for good workout fuel. Saitama, the protagonist of One Punch Man, is one of the most popular anime/manga fitness influencers. In the manga/anime Saitama is insanely strong, planet destroying strong. The plot revolves around Saitama’s responses and battles with otherworldly monsters - all of whom he takes out with a single punch.

Many people think that Saitama’s overwhelming strength comes from some special place or trait, but the character himself would not agree. In fact, Saitama himself would argue that his superhero strength is a result of his daily workout program.

Saitama’s Workout Program

Saitama - One Punch Man

Saitama’s workout program is simple: 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run. He does this workout daily. In the series this workout is the reason for Saitama’s world destroying strength. Its ‘intensity’ is also the cause for Saitama’s hair loss. So basically, Saitama would not be the Saitama we know and love without this workout.

Saitama’s workout program is a full body program focused on bodyweight and cardio training. We see that the benefit of this training is directly translatable to his physical abilities such as extreme lower body strength, toughness, and speed. The key to his success seems to not necessarily be the composition of his workout but rather his consistency. It is the daily performance of this workout year after year which has made Saitama the most powerful hero in the franchise.

In this way Saitama’s training deviates from the normal methods of the fictional world - innate ability and extreme technology. That Saitama becomes powerful through pure grit and dedication is one of the reasons why he is such a potent inspiration for fitness.

Principles of Calisthenics and Saitama’s Workout

Saitama - One Punch Man Muscle

Saitama’s workout is a calisthenics workout. Calisthenics athletes emphasize functional strength, endurance, and skill development. Unlike other athletic disciplines, calisthenics does not rely largely upon weights. Because of this, calisthenics workouts are often very different than bodybuilding, powerlifting, or power building ones.

Calisthenics emphasizes functional strength, endurance, and skill development. These focuses leads to higher rep ranges. Bodyweight exercises tend to involve lower resistance compared to weighted exercises. By performing more repetitions, calisthenics athletes can still induce muscle fatigue and stimulate hypertrophy without the need for external weights. Furthermore, a higher number of reps improves endurance and muscular conditioning, both of which are essential for mastering more advanced calisthenics movements.

These fundamental elements of calisthenics training can explain Saitama’s workout. For example, the high rep ranges (100 reps), have the dual purpose of both invoking hypertrophy, muscle growth, and improving stamina.

One place where Saitama’s program deviates from reality, other than the obvious, is the continual improvement of his abilities through doing the same workout over and over again. The human body has a profound ability to adapt to stress. One form of stress is exercise. This means that a body can get used to certain workouts after a long enough time. This familiarity decreases the effectiveness of the workout and leads to plateaus in muscle growth and increases in strength.

These plateaus can be avoided through varying the type of exercises done and by increasing the mechanical load put on the body.

Progressive Overload and Calisthenics

Saitama - One Punch Man Weightlifting

Calisthenics athletes usually begin with bodyweight exercises but progress to weighted versions of the same exercises. This development both enhances their ability to perform bodyweight exercises and builds the strength/ foundation for more advanced bodyweight exercises.

To make Saitama’s training realistically effective he would need to incorporate weights to his routine. This could take the form of things such as a weighted vest or ankle weights. These pieces of equipment would increase the intensity of his workouts by adding an additional challenge to their performance. In this way Saitama could continual improve without facing plateaus.

In the next section I will offer you a few Saitama like workouts that you can try for yourself.

Saitama Workouts

Saitama Workout 1

100 Jumping Jacks

100 Lunges (50 each leg)

100 Pushups

10km Run

Saitama Workout 2

100 High Knees

100 Bicycle Crunches

100 Mountain Climbers

8km Run

Saitama Workout 3

100 Russian Twists (50 each side)

100 Leg Raises

100 Plank Shoulder Taps (50 each side)

5km Run

Saitama Workout 4

100 Squats

100 Glute Bridges

100 Calf Raises

10km Run

Saitama Workout 5

100 Burpees

100 Dips

100 Supermans

10km Run

Conclusion

I hope you found this post fun and informative. We should all keep being inspired by anime and manga and use them as aids to achieve our fitness goals. If you are interested in a workout program to look like Saitama we have a year-long Saitama Workout Program available in our program store. Here’s to becoming heroes!