The One Punch Man Workout: The Best Muscle Building Workout Plan
You’ve probably heard about the One Punch Man workout challenge if you watch anime or manga, or if you’re a fitness freak active on TikTok or Instagram.
If you haven’t, this 30-day workout plan is a routine named after a popular anime character named Saitama, an aspiring superhero.
As he saves a child from a villainous monster (Crablante), he’s already on his way; however, he still lacks the strength.
So what does he do?
He does endurance training every day for three years, eventually gaining superhuman strength he can knock out virtually anyone with a single punch, earning the nickname One Punch Man.
The fictitious story has inspired many to try it in real life. It’s the workout routine everyone wants to try.
But, is mimicking a superhero’s workout safe? Practical? How do you even do it? Where do you start?
Here’s everything you need to know to become the strongest man in your own world.
What Is Included in the One Punch Man Workout?
The One Punch Man workout routine involves both upper body, lower body, and aerobic bodyweight exercises to build muscle, cut excess fat for weight loss, and cardio endurance.
The best part is that you don’t even need a gym membership.
Despite the workout being straightforward, it takes a lot of concentration and willpower for the different exercises.
Every day, the fitness program hits your different muscle groups through:
The path to that point is no easy feat: it’s made up of ten different levels.
The levels in the one punch man routine are as follows:
One Punch Man Workout Challenge
- Level one: Start with 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats, and go for a run for a 1-kilometer run (0.62 miles, that is).
- Level two: Move on to 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 squats, and a 2-kilometer run.
- Level three: 30 push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 30 squats, and a 3-kilometer run.
- Level four: 40 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 40 squats, and run for 4 kilometers until they get used to this level, then move to
- Level five: 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, 50 squats, and a 5-kilometer run.
- Level six: 60 push-ups, 60 sit-ups, 60 squats, and a 6-kilometer run.
- Level seven: 70 push-ups, 60 situps, 60 squats, and a 6-kilometer run.
- Level eight: 80 push-ups, 80 sit-ups, 80 squats, and an 8-kilometer run.
- Level nine: 90 push-ups, 90 sit-ups, 90 squats, and a 9-kilometer run.
- Level ten: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run.
Your current fitness ability may be enough to start Saitama’s workout at say, level 2 or 3, so don’t force yourself to start your first week at a level that’s unbearably easy.
In the beginning, you do the whole workout seven days a week for thirty days, and ideally, you’ll reach level 10 by the end of that time. If you don’t reach your fitness goal yet, keep grinding–it’s a challenging task.
How Effective Is the One Punch Man Workout?
Before you decide if One Punch Man training is for you, you need to keep a few things in mind.
Daily self-evaluation is very important. How do you feel after the number of reps? Remember that Saitama’s workout challenge was pulled from anime–a fantasy scenario.
Your cardiovascular health and muscle endurance won’t go far if you expect fast results within 30 days without recovery time. It’s not realistic and it contradicts exercise science. It’s more practical to see those kinds of results in six to eight weeks.
Additionally, the individual components of the workout may not lead to the best possible results.
It’s good to do some of those exercises at a high intensity (good for burning visceral fat), but it’s not a good idea to do that many–it can lead to fatigue or injury.
Sit-ups are also questionable in the workout program: experts say that they’re not necessarily the most effective nor safe exercise. And regardless of how many you do, you receive less benefit and could hurt yourself if you do them incorrectly.
You will get better results by doing a horizontal pull-up than a push-up since they’ll also work the muscles in the back and shoulder more effectively.
Is It Safe To Do the One Punch Man Workout?
Though the goals of the fitness routine are admirable, it involves a lot of motion, which might pose a safety issue since you run the risk of acute or musculoskeletal injuries without proper form.
This workout is designed to be done every day, which is a concern. After you exercise, your body needs time to recover so that it can repair itself for the next session, the next km run.
There is no rest day built into One Punch Man, and recuperation is how muscles grow stronger.
Balance and rest are key. What’s more practical is to do more reps on certain days, and less on others. Maybe take a day off each week to walk instead of the intensive physical training.
If you’re really sore, just put in some recovery time–around 48-72 hours. You’re slowing yourself down otherwise with broken-down muscles that haven’t healed yet and increasing your risk of injury.
How to Progress Safely With the Saitama Workout
When attempting the One Punch Man challenge, the most important thing to keep in mind is to be realistic.
If you have a medical condition or other problems, you should first check with your doctor to make sure the training program is safe before working your muscular endurance.
Make the bodyweight workout a key component, but not the only part, of your overall fitness plan. It’s important to pay attention to other aspects of the process, too, like a balanced diet and sleep.
You can also expect setbacks. Overtraining may cause you to hit a plateau in the long run when you’re no longer a beginner. Know that when you hit a plateau with your body aches, you’re not alone–and it’s different for everybody.
Your age, previous injuries, and sleep patterns all play into how plateaus occur.
The one punch man challenge also needs to be modified to fit the individual performing it. You will do better depending on factors like how confident you are with the exercises, what skill level you possess, and how well you stabilize yourself.
The One Punch Man routine follows a very specific protocol. It’s a system that has a purpose, and it could be useful if the right people using it, but most people will need to modify it and pay attention to other aspects contributing to their progress.
All-in-all, the better your focus is on getting the workout done correctly, the better your chances of completing a difficult workout like One Punch Man are. Remember not to compare your progress with others since everyone starts at a different level.