You’ve seen the meme. You’ve seen the anime. Saitama, a guy who looks like a thumb with a face, stands over the defeated carcass of a god-tier monster and explains how he got so strong. It’s simple. It’s basic. It’s actually kind of boring.
The One Punch Man workout is legendary because it promises the impossible through the mundane. 100 push-ups. 100 sit-ups. 100 squats. A 10km run. Every single day. No rest days. No AC in the summer to "strengthen the mind."
People love this. They really do. Since the manga first blew up, thousands of fitness YouTubers and bored office workers have tried to replicate Saitama's routine. Some got ripped. Others? Well, they ended up in physical therapy with a rotator cuff that sounds like a bag of gravel.
There is a massive gap between "anime logic" and "biological reality." If you want to actually look like a hero without destroying your joints, we need to talk about what happens when a cartoon routine meets a human skeleton.
What is the One Punch Man Workout anyway?
It’s a high-volume calisthenics routine.
Basically, you’re doing 300 repetitions of bodyweight movements plus a long-distance run. In the show, Saitama claims this made his hair fall out but gave him the power to split the clouds with a single swing of his fist. In reality, doing this every day puts you into a very specific category of training called "high-frequency volume training."
Most people treat it like a challenge. You see the "30 Day One Punch Man Workout" videos everywhere. But if you actually look at the math, you’re doing 3,000 push-ups and running 300 kilometers a month. For a beginner, that isn't a fitness plan; it's a recipe for overuse injuries.
The Breakdown of the Reps
The push-ups target your chest, triceps, and anterior deltoids. The squats hit the quads and glutes. The sit-ups—well, sit-ups are actually the most controversial part of the whole thing. Modern sports science, including research from experts like Dr. Stuart McGill, often points out that repetitive spinal flexion (the crunching motion) can put unnecessary stress on your intervertebral discs.
Then there’s the 10km run. That’s 6.2 miles. Doing that every day is a lot of pounding on the pavement.
The problem with "No Rest Days"
This is where the One Punch Man workout gets dangerous. Saitama says you shouldn't take a break, no matter how much it hurts.
That is terrible advice.
Muscles don't actually grow while you are working out. They grow while you sleep. When you lift weights or do 100 push-ups, you are creating microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Your body then repairs those tears, making the fiber thicker and stronger. This process is called hypertrophy. If you never stop, you never repair. You just keep tearing.
Eventually, you hit a wall. It's called Overtraining Syndrome (OTS). You’ll feel tired, your performance will drop, and your cortisol levels will spike. You might even lose muscle.
Honestly, the "no AC" part of the routine is actually the most realistic bit. Heat acclimation training is a real thing used by endurance athletes to improve plasma volume and cardiovascular efficiency. But even then, doing it every day in a heatwave is just a great way to get heatstroke.
How to actually survive the 100-100-100-10 routine
If you’re dead set on trying this, don’t just start at 100. You’ll die. Or at least feel like it.
The smartest way to approach the One Punch Man workout is through "Greasing the Groove." This is a concept popularized by strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline. Instead of doing 100 push-ups in one go, you do 10 every hour. This trains your central nervous system to become more efficient at the movement without burning out your muscles.
- The Push-ups: If you can't do 100, do 10 sets of 10. If that's too hard, do knee push-ups.
- The Squats: Form is everything. If your knees are cave-in, you’re doing it wrong. Keep your chest up.
- The Sit-ups: Swap these for planks or hanging leg raises. Your spine will thank you.
- The Run: Start with a 2km walk/run hybrid. 10km is a lot for a novice.
Real-world results vs. Manga expectations
Sean Seah is the guy most people point to when they talk about this. He’s a Singaporean man who went viral for doing the One Punch Man workout for 30 days. He lost a significant amount of visceral fat and gained decent muscle definition.
But here’s the thing: Sean was already somewhat familiar with fitness. Also, his "after" photos weren't just the result of the reps; they were the result of a massive shift in his diet. You cannot out-train a bad diet. Saitama eats "a banana in the morning," but if you try to survive a 10km run on one banana, you’re going to pass out in a bush somewhere.
To see real changes, you need protein. Lots of it. Aim for about 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Without that, those 100 push-ups are just burning calories, not building a "hero" physique.
The Missing Link: Pulling Movements
If you only do the One Punch Man workout, your body will eventually start to look... weird.
The routine is entirely "push" and "legs." There is zero "pull" involved. No pull-ups. No rows. Nothing for your back muscles or your posterior deltoids.
Over time, this creates a massive muscle imbalance. Your chest gets tight and pulls your shoulders forward. You end up with "computer guy posture"—hunched over and rounded. To fix this, you must add pull-ups or inverted rows to the routine. Saitama might be able to get away with it because he's drawn by Yusuke Murata, but you are subject to the laws of kinesiology.
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Is it worth it?
Kinda.
If you use it as a base to get off the couch, it’s great. It’s simple. You don't need a gym membership. You don't need fancy gear. You just need a floor and a pair of shoes.
But as a long-term professional training program? It's pretty mediocre. It lacks progressive overload. Once 100 push-ups become easy, your body stops adapting. You just get better at doing 100 push-ups, you don't necessarily get stronger or bigger.
To keep progressing, you'd eventually need to wear a weighted vest or move to harder variations like diamond push-ups or pistol squats.
Actionable Steps for Beginners
Don't go full Saitama on Day 1. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
- Test your baseline. See how many push-ups you can do with perfect form. If it’s 20, make your daily goal 30 or 40, not 100.
- Add a "Pull" day. Every other day, do 50 pull-ups or bodyweight rows. This balances the chest work and saves your shoulders.
- Schedule rest. Take at least two days off a week. Your heart and your joints are not made of vibranium.
- Fix the sit-ups. Replace them with "Dead Bugs" or "Bird-Dogs" if you have any history of lower back pain.
- Hydrate. Saitama’s "no AC" rule is a gimmick. Drink water.
The One Punch Man workout is a fantastic mental challenge, but a "meh" fitness plan. Use the spirit of the routine—the consistency, the discipline, the simplicity—but apply it to a program that actually respects how human biology works. Consistency beats intensity every single time.
Start by doing 20 push-ups right now. Then do it again tomorrow. That’s how the real change starts. Not with a 10km run you’ll quit after three days, but with the small stuff you actually stick to.