Superhero Workout Guides

Train like a superhero

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As mere mortal beings, we’re not gifted with the superhuman strength of Superman or the awesome agility of Spider-Man. However, with a healthy mix of sweat, focus and resilience, we can train our bodies and minds to superhero status!

The fitness world has a very clear fascination with superhero lore and culture. The most blatant examples are exercises that are named after heroes such as Spider-Man mountain climbers, Spider-Man push ups and the Superman isometric core exercise and plyometric push up. These exercises got their name because of how their form resembles certain physical attributes of said superhero.

Spider-Man and Superman push ups.

If you really want to experience the training regimen of a superhero, there are ample resources to guide you along the way. The workouts of individual characters are occasionally described and depicted in comic books and movies. And there’s a practice among personal trainers who are also comic book fans to expand upon the routines of particular superheros. This includes extracting what is observed in the actual graphic narratives, and extending these techniques into full-fledged workout routines and schedules.

For a comprehensive guide to training like Batman,

Bruce Wayne Fitness

is your go-to publication. If you’ve ever wanted to increase your flexibility akin to that of Mister Fantastic, or enhance your grip and climbing skills like Spider-Man, you’re in luck…That is if you’re lucky to come across a now out of print graphic novel titled The Mighty Marvel Comics Strength and Fitness Book. Published in 1976, and long out of print (used copies run between $50 and $200, but in a fortunate stroke of serendipity, it has been fully uploaded to the Internet Archive), the book contains exercise and wellness techniques that are demonstrated by some of the most popular figures from the Marvel canon. The types of exercises are connected to the character’s signature abilities.

A page from the The Mighty Marvel Comics Strength and Fitness Book.

Some of the features include the cosmic hero Silver Surfer, revealing how he maintains such good posture and balance with a series of standing mobility exercises that engage the core. The enigmatic Ghost Rider, known for his skills and death-defying stunts on his motorcycle, gets off the saddle and onto the floor to exemplify core exercises like bicycle kick crunches. Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk also gets down on the ground to demonstrate a dumbbell floor press using a pronated grip. Essentially, he is performing a bench press, but on the floor and with dumbbells rather than a barbell. The Thing works his glutes by sitting on his butt with his knees bent while holding his ankles and rocking back and forth on the floor. Just be sure not to get “sea-sick” like he says he is! And Thor, who is often illustrated posing while flexing his massive arms, shows off an isometric arm exercise (see: “Static Strength Training”) by clasping his hands together at chest height so that the palms are touching and the fingers are pointing upward, and then applying moderate pressure to push them into each other.

Despite each practitioner having superhuman powers, these are all par for the course exercises, common within any basic training program. The impetus behind the making of this book was to motivate comic book fans to maintain a fitness lifestyle, so the authors found a unique way to make exercise accessible and engaging.

Exercising makes you feel powerful, so the parallel between fitness and superheros is logical. Another productive aspect of linking fitness and superhero culture together is that of developing mental resilience through inspiration. The arc of most famous superheroes is replete with struggle. These struggles entail battling a physical foe and wrestling with their own mental trauma and emotions. We often are introduced to a superhero via their alter ego, and it is within their origin story that we humanize them. Sometimes, as evident in the case of Superman, they can be seemingly impenetrable, except for one particular weakness, which totally derails them and leaves them powerless.

Real-life is quite reflective of this issue. Evolution and lived experience has made us tough, but we are still incredibly vulnerable as a species. Oftentimes when it comes to physical and mental ailments, all it takes is one particular trigger and/or experience to throw us of course and leave us in disarray. Even with heightened physical and mental powers at their disposal, a superhero has trouble dealing with trauma. Without these supernatural powers, it is much tougher for us layfolk to deal with. While it won’t completely absolve us of our underlying psychological conditions, it is known that working out at any pace and level of intensity helps us manage our emotions and can be beneficial for lowering stress and anxiety. Therefore, it is one very potent way of reacting in a positive manner against whatever our own kryptonite might be.

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