Summary
The One Punch Man Workout, inspired by the anime character Saitama, is a powerful yet simple training plan focusing on 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run daily.
This hyper-focused routine builds immense strength, endurance, and resilience, with benefits like improved cardiovascular health, a strong core, and lean muscle development.
Though extreme, Saitama’s approach is achievable with gradual progression, solid discipline, and an energizing diet, making it both a motivating and physically transformative experience.
Human beings are strong because we have the ability to change ourselves - Saitama
One Punch Man Workout - Be Strong Like Saitama
One Punch Man Workout is one of the most interesting training regimes you will ever come across. It consists of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a 6.2 Mile (10km) run.
This routine is designed to help you gain ultimate strength and endurance. But is it really possible for an ordinary person to achieve such extraordinary results like Saitama? Keep reading to uncover!
Saitama's One Punch Man Workout Plan - Hyper-Focused Training
Defying the laws of many personal trainers, the One Punch Man Workout is not like any other bodyweight workout plan. It is a highly intense and super concentrated workout plan that made a Manga character, Saitama, the strongest man in the world.
He walks a lonely road of being a super-hero and can defeat enemies with just one punch. In this article, we will discuss, the story of the One Punch Man Workout, what it can do for you, what muscles it works, how practical it is, the diet you need, and how the Saitama Workout can be done every single day!
How Saitama became the Strongest Man?
Saitama followed a workout plan for three years and became the world’s strongest man. He did the workout every single day. After one and a half years, he became so strong that he lost his hair. But that didn’t stop him. He realized that he was becoming a super-hero. But what is the Saitama Workout?
One Punch Man Workout
- 100 Push-ups
- 100 Sit-ups
- 100 Squats
- 10 Km run
EVERY SINGLE DAY! You don’t have to do that from day one. You can start off with diamond push-ups. If you're not used to working out at all, then start off with a beginner's HIIT workout plan to get your body moving. As you continue working out and gain strength, transition to Saitama's workout plan. We will even guide you to a 100 reps!
How Can One Punch Man Workout Make You Strong?
If you are hoping you can put down any human with a single punch, it is possible without the workout routine as well. Comically that not being the point, the Saitama Workout is slightly radical compared to other workouts.
For instance, the workout doesn't have rest days, it has a high number of reps, and the same workout every single day. The overload and specificity principle of exercise physiology does support the working the same muscle every day. Research has shown working compound workouts are more effective if done more often.
Oxidative capacity and mitochondrial activity increase quicker with more frequent training.
Never ever use the air conditioner in the summer, or heat in the winter - so you can strengthen the mind - Saitama
Exercise training is an adaptive process, and with regular training, the body engages in chronic adaptation. However, this calls for loads of work and sacrifice. Athletes with extreme agile physique do rigorous workouts like this - working larger muscles groups every day.
These include boxers, MMA fighters, and calisthenics masters. 100 reps and a 10 km run is not the most difficult workout. However, it calls for a significant amount of work for a beginner. Despite your fitness goal, following the Saitama Workout can take your fitness to the highest of levels.
What Can One Punch Man Workout do for you?
If you are looking for strength, endurance, and a lean body, the Saitama Workout will be fun, motivating, and extremely rewarding. With each compound workout, it covers primary muscles in the upper body and lower body. It also helps you build a strong core.
As you can see in the image, the three compound bodyweight workouts cover all the primary muscles used.
Push Ups: Shoulders, delts, traps, chest, and upper abs
Sit-Ups: Abs, obliques, lower back
Squats: Quads, hamstring, hips, calves, knees, back
Running 10 km will significantly boost your endurance by increasing VO2 (maximum rate of oxygen consumption) and mitochondrial oxidative capacity.
Benefits
Here are some other benefits of One Punch Man Workout and why you should go for it.
- Cardiovascular health
- Endurance training
- Easy to follow
- No-gym
- Motivational and Fun
Overtraining and Injury
Compound exercises as stated in the One Punch Man Workout are regular everyday moves which our ancestors have been doing almost every day.
Therefore, if you do it regularly over time, the body will adapt just like it did for our forefathers. However, weight training the same muscle every day may cause muscle soreness, as those workouts are not natural and may not work for most of us.
The exercises are compound and done in daily activity. Putting more stress gradually won't cause fatigue, soreness or injury. If you feel excessively sore after the One Punch Man Workout, then try doing some cool down exercises to boost your post-workout recovery.
Guide to a 100 Reps
Getting to 100 in one go isn't practical, on the first day or even after a week. However, you can pace yourself towards 100 reps. There are two ways you can do that:
- Break it into sets
- Set resting minutes
First Week
- 20 Reps x 5 sets for each workout
- 2-3 minutes of rest in between
- 3 times a week
Second Week
- 25 reps x 4 sets
- 1-2 minutes of rest
- 4 times a week
For rest of the weeks, check your performance and continue accordingly: minimize the sets and rest times. The goal is to reach 100 reps in one set and it may come as slow as it would take. According to Saitama, the key is to do it EVERYDAY! But you may take your time reaching there.
How to Reach 10Km?
Running is a crucial part of the Saitama Workout. No one runs every day for 10 km. But you can if you take it slow. Saitama said it will be painful, but the rewards are unmatchable.
First Week
Start with 3-5 km 3 times a week
Second Week
5-7 km 4 times a week
For the rest of the weeks, gradually raise the speed and distance. Once you feel you have plateaued at 3-4 times a week, then try it out every day. It may take several months.
Tips
- Increase distance by 10% every week.
- Try to run at 60-70% of your sprint speed.
- Slow down when losing breath.
Saitama's Diet
Saitama talks about diet in one sentence.
Eat three meals daily and don’t skip breakfast (a banana in the morning is fine).
There is lots of wisdom behind that sentence. Eat whatever you want, a healthy breakfast is important, and bananas are a booster. However, we suggest you eat at least .8g per pound of your bodyweight.
Before the workout, get some carbs and vegetables for a balanced diet. Make sure to incorporate plenty of protein into your diet to boost your muscle recovery.
Saitama particularly loves eggs - and there's no reason why you shouldn't either. You get 13g of protein in 100g boiled eggs, about 6g of protein in 1 regular egg.
Make sure you eat eggs every day as they're low in calories and loaded with protein. To learn more about what to eat before a workout, read What to Eat Before a Workout; A Macronutrient Guide.
Saitama’s Story
A 22-year-old, unemployed Japanese guy who wants to become a superhero. But he knows to become a superhero, he had to become stronger. It could only be done by an intense training regime.
Once returning from a rejected job interview, he ran into Crablante, a Mysterious Being who turned into a humanoid crab after eating too much crab and undergoing a metamorphosis.
Crablante was about to eat someone and Saitama saves him. After a conquest, Saitama pulls out the eye of the Crablante with his tie and defeats the Crabman. It motivates Saitama to follow his dream and become a superhero. That's when the Saitama Workout was invented.
However, Saitama has a dark side.
Despite being the strongest man, Saitama was unhappy. He was so strong that he could defeat an enemy with one punch. There was no challenge unto him, which made him empty inside and his life less-fulfilling.
Inspiration
One Punch Man inspires many of its fans to become superheroes. However, looking up on the internet, none seem to have tried the workout religiously and we haven't seen a real-life example.
The workout is straightforward, doable, and comparatively not the most difficult one - especially when compared to other training routines such as the German Volume Training program.
There are many athletes and mixed martial artists who undergo a more rigorous training regime. Science and other similar workouts speak of its benefits. The Saitama Workout is a reality and one of us should go ahead and test it out. Let us know what you think about the One Punch Man Workout.
FAQs
Does Saitama workout really work?
If you are looking for strength, endurance, and lean body, the Saitama Workout will be fun, motivating, and extremely rewarding. However, you have to make sure that you also include rest-days in between as working out without rest can be dangerous and lead to injuries.
What is Saitama's workout?
Saitama’s workout includes 100 Pushups, 100 Sit Ups, 100 Squats and a 10KM (6.2 Mile) Run everyday.
How effective is Saitama's workout?
If you are looking for strength, endurance, and lean body, the Saitama Workout will be fun, motivating, and extremely rewarding.
Is it possible to be as strong as Saitama in real life?
Saitama is one punch man after all so mirroring his workout is near impossible, but there is a way to work towards it. Start off with 20 reps per set 3 times a week with 2-3 minute breaks in between. Also start off with 3-5km jogs, 3 times a week.
Is one punch man workout safe?
Yes! it's totally safe but if not done in moderation, there is a high risk of injury.
