Aquaman is hands down one of the most underrated superheroes of all time. People assume he’s just some aquatic Dr.Dolittle. But little do they know, he’s overpowered as hell. Move the f*ck over Poseidon, Arthur Curry is the new king of the seven seas. Aquaman is one of DC Comic’s oldest and most classic superheroes. He has extraordinary powers – able to lift entire city blocks. Even though he’s king of the ocean and sea, he can basically fly. He was one of the first superheroes to “leap tall buildings in a single bound”. He can swim at Mach 20 and Mach 5 speeds. If you can’t tell already, Aquaman is one of my favorite superheroes at DC. Next year the King of Atlantis will come to life in the Justice League movie. Portraying him will be Jason Momoa, the 6’4 Hawaian/Native American giant that is no stranger to playing powerful rulers and warriors. Playing Conan the Barbarian in the 2011 reboot, as well as Khal Drogo in the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones. This is a refreshing break from the roles he’s sometimes typecast in. Because Arthur Curry is a complex character in the comics
To play the Atlantean King, Jason Momoa had to get into better shape than he was already in. He seems to be a very active guy. At least more than most people. He enjoys surfing and other outdoor activities. But he wasn’t in superhero shape before this movie. In fact, judging from what we’ve seen on his Instagram, this is the best condition Momoa’s ever been it. He looks absolutely shredded. Very lean and ripped. Who does he have to thank for this? Who else but Mark Twight – the super trainer to the stars. Responsible for such transformations as Bi Rain becoming a Ninja Assassin, the entire cast of 300, and now – the entire cast of Justice League.
Now, none of the cast members’ official workout has gone online yet (with the exception of the team’s main leaders) and that probably won’t happen until the spring or summer when people are gawking over their physiques. So what we have to off for Momoa is somewhat old. We know he likes to stay active with rock climbing and surfing. And we also know that for Conan he used a hypertrophy/ladder style workout for hypertrophy, as he had to put on weight. Now because this workout depends on reducing the load every set, with a rep total of 300, it would take way too much to program a simple template using bodyweight progressions. So instead, I’ve opted to do a weighted calisthenics template. However, this still deviates entirely from the Conan workout. This workout is more so a powerbuilding type of workout to build some good strength and dense muscle. You’ll do your heavy compound movements first and then move on to hypertrophy workouts. I’ll explain a little more below. The Workout This type of workout is something I actually cycle maybe twice or three times a year. I love this type of training. Being a martial artist I love to prioritize strength over hypertrophy, which is ass backwards to a lot of my peers who are focused on aesthetics. But to me the latter approach is ass backwards when strength is not prioritized at any point in their periodization. With powerbuilding you get the best of both worlds. There are so many workouts and splits that fall into the category, it’s crazy. But I love it. There are so many options and they all get the job done. That job, as I said before, is to work strength and hypertophy during the same training cycle. This can be during the same workout. Or on a 4 day split that alternates training types. It’s a very versatile and efficient way to train. For this workout you will do your heavy compound movements first. Now, this is adapted to calisthenics. So your heavy compound movements are the equivalent to heavy compound lifts. Such as the bench press, incline bench, overhead press, deadlift, etc. With these movements it is important to stay within the given set/rep scheme. And accordingly, to follow the given rep time of 3-5min. I usually take 3min rest. If this type of training is new to you then I suggest you go a little on the higher end of the spectrum to 5, no more than that tho. Don’t rush into it and please don’t ego lift. It’s important to humble yourself and pace yourself. When the heavy and compound movements are out of the way you can move down to the 1-2min rest time. This is because we’re moving into hypertrophy territory. These are what are called accessory lifts. They serve to build muscle as this type of training ensures no aspect of strength training is left out. Before we start this workout let me clear up some things, especially in the “Pull” and “Legs” workouts. Firstly, if you’re a seasoned beginner or on the lower end of the intermediate spectrum then you can do these main compound movements without weight. Follow the same protocols, though, because you’re still building strength. Hence, why you’re not weighting them. In the Pull workout I prescribe a weighted muscle up as a compound lift and advise you to only to do one max effort set. But if you're not weighing them (presumably you're still building strength for them) then follow the secondary set/rep scheme. If you don’t know what headbangers are just refer to the bottom of the page. If you can do them then go for it. But if not then opt for close grip chins. Especially if you aren’t that strong at close chins. In the Legs workout I prescribe primarily a weighted prison squat. If you’re going weightless, then opt for the pistol squat. Likewise, if you’re doing it weighted then a weightless pistol squat should be the 2nd movement. If not, then opt for the jump/leap squat. That entire selection is to work the leg muscles in their entirety, which cannot be done if you don’t balance out one with the other. Yes – the bridge is for reps. For the elevated calf raise it’s as simple as standing on something with one foot, and letting the other foot hang behind. This provides more load on the calf. If you can’t do hanging leg or knee raises, then opt for the V-Up. Or you could be a hero and decide to work that progression. And lastly, for the L-Sit just hold it as you would a plank. You can work the progression however you choose. But if you’re on the weaker side and have access to parallettes or parallel bars, you should do it on those. This will prevent your center of gravity from sabotaging you. Whew, okay! Enough with formalities. Let’s work out! Push
Pull
Legs
In Conclusion
Jason Momoa has always been in incredible shape. One of the main reasons is because he’s very active and even if it’s just a walk around the block, you should active as often as possible as well. That’s what physical culture is all about. Another topic that I mention in this article is nutrition. Momoa, like myself, loves beer. Especially Guinness. But discipline tasks you to sacrifice a daily or even bi-daily beer or two for the sake of gains. A couple beers on Saturday after a week of lifting won’t kill you. Sacrificing foods and drinks he loves had a huge positive effect on Momoa’s gains. If he’d done it more, he’d be lean all year round. That being said, this workout is one that will increase strength and hypertrophy. Something that goes on a lot in Gym Jones (Mark Twight’s training facility). I feel like this balance of intensity and volume is something that may have been used to take an already fit guy like Momoa to the next level. You won’t be able to lift cities or ocean liners. You’ll need CGI or royal Atlantean blood to do that. But you’ll sure as hell look and feel like you can. And that’s what really matters. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this workout. Give it a try, make whatever modifications you want (intelligently). And feel free to share it. Until next time guys. Yours in Bodyweight Badassery The BarLord
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Shredded ShamanLifelong athlete and martial artist. I'm on a mission to bring back the good old days of Physical Culture and make this fit lifestyle a lot more enjoyable. Archives
October 2022
CategoriesAll Bodyweight Calisthenics Cardio Celeb Workouts Dumbbells HIIT Martial Arts Metabolic Conditioning Powerbuilding Resistance Bands Shredding Superheroes Suspension Training Weighted Calisthenics Workouts |