Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 08:01 am
With MK11 releasing in April it seems we need another Mortal Kombat week.
And Johnny Cage has been requested!
I’m slightly surprised we aren’t going to be seeing Sub-Zero this week, as we’ve already seen Scorpion and Sonya Blade, but hey, give the people what they want…right?
Obviously with these Mortal Kombat characters we’re going to be seeing mainly martial artists, like Johnny Cage, so be prepared to be training MMA as well.
And while that will take precedence in your training, I will also be forming a more typical training style to fit each character as well.
So be ready!
Johnny Cage Stats:
Height: 6’0
Weight: 205 lbs.
Real Name: Jonathan “John” Carlton
Powers: Yes
Johnny Cage matches up pretty well compared to other male characters we’ve seen.
Right there in the middle of the pact.
Vegeta were tied Wolverine for the shortest spot among comic characters we’ve seen at 5’3, prior to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coming in at 5’2, (and Gimli even shorter) – but Damian Wayne (Robin) is only 5’4. Goku isn’t that tall either, though, standing only 5’7, with Miles Morales only an inch above him.
One Punch Man falls in at 5’9 right there with Ryu, Nightwing at 5’10, and then Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Green Arrow coming in around 5’11 and Beast joining them.
Just above them are Aquaman, Red Hood and Punisher standing only an inch or so taller.
We’ve had Superman and Eddie Brock’s Venom at 6’3, and Captain America, Scorpion and Batman at 6’2, and Carnage at 6’1. Thor and Cyborg are towering over them at 6’6, Thanos and King right there with them at 6’7, Bane at 6’8, and Deathstroke right below at 6’5, and Black Manta at 6’4.
And, of course, Hulk and Broly are both up there with them, and sometimes even portrayed much taller.
Yeah, that means All Might was the tallest at 7’2, only sometimes surpassed by The Hulk – and Zangief just missing the tallest spot at 7’0!
And I say “was” because Doomsday came in at 8’10, and I doubt any characters are touching that anytime soon.
But, don’t worry if you’re not the same height or weight range.
We write these routines to be utilized by anyone and everyone.
Take The SHJ Program Quiz and find the perfect program for YOU.
Johnny Cage Diet and Nutrition
**Keep in mind: this section will be nearly identical for each hero, unless I mentioned differently (for example someone like Hellboy may get something specifically different)**
Every hero needs to still have a good diet.
Unfortunately we can train like them, but I don’t think any of us are suddenly getting their powers, or the ability to magically stop caring about nutrition.
You can’t out train your diet, so I want to still give some pillars for nutrition.
You can start by checking out The Nutrition Pillars on the site, but I’ll break down some more information for you guys as well.
Guys like Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hopper, Benedict Cumberbatch and Terry Crews utilize intermittent fasting (something I use daily as well), Ariana Grande, Mustafa Shakir and Madelaine Petsch are vegans, Brandon Routh and Frank Grillo opt for paleo, and tons of others utilize their own variations as well.
It’s all about sustainability.
AND, there are a thousand different ways to reach your goals, so finding the most sustainable way is what’s important.
Which is why our Academy utilizes multiple different Nutrition Classes (Greek Gods, Vikings, Spartans, Hunter Gatherers, Monks, Samurais, Minimalists, SuperHumans) to allow people to choose what is right for YOU!
Take The Free Workout Placement Quiz and find the best free workout for you.
Johnny Cage Workout Routine Research
We’ve made it to “the fun part”.
And, if you don’t know by now, I say that every single time we get to the workout routine research section for character workouts.
This is where I get to break down the “how” and “why” of the workout we’re going to build based on the characters, in this case Johnny Cage’s, powers and/or abilities.
Johnny’s Wiki Fandom tells us this about his powers and abilities:
Despite his air-headed and superficial demeanor, Johnny Cage is a strong and agile warrior, showing an excellent fighting technique during battle. After long periods of training with various masters of martial arts, Cage himself has acquired mastery of several fighting styles, such as the famous Karate.
Although Johnny Cage is a human being, he possesses superhuman powers. According to MK 2011, Johnny descended from a Mediterranean cult that bred warriors for the gods: warriors with special abilities. One of these is the ability to propel himself forward and increase the strength of his blows. When Cage uses this power, afterimages of a green color are produced. Cage can augment the power of these shadow attacks, which are represented by afterimages of a red color. In addition to these physical shadow abilities, Cage also has the ability to launch blasts of energy.
As shown in Mortal Kombat X, Johnny Cage can also harness this energy and encase his body with it, strong enough to withstand a death blow from Shinnok without receiving any injury to his person. This energy was also potent enough to allow him to fight on equal terms with the Elder God. Raiden theorized that this power can only come about when the want arises to protect a loved one from imminent danger.
While I can’t teach you how to obtain these special abilities, we can still do our best to train to become nearly as awesome as Johnny Cage.
Something else I think we should note is Johnny’s powerful finisher moves.
For example, his Head Pop, Torso Rip, Atomic Backbreaker and Super Split Punch all show his immense strength:
Head Pop: Johnny Cage delivers a bloody and savage uppercut that tears his opponent’s head off.
Torso Rip: Johnny Cage grabs his enemy around the torso and rips their torso off, and throws it to the ground.
Atomic Backbreaker: Cage hoists his opponent over his head and then bends them over his shoulders causing them to explode into pieces.
Brain Rip: Cage jabs the opponent’s stomach, causing them to vomit blood. He then thrusts his hand into their head and rips out their brain.
And yes, Mortal Kombat can be gruesome, but we’re talking about a character that is apparently a human being – so it’s important to examine all the facts.
We’ll add training for super strength to the list.
Do you think you’re ready?
Or, as Johnny would say: “Let’s dance”!
Check out all The SHJ Programs and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.
The Johnny Cage Workout Routine
Training Volume:
6 days per week
Explanation:
You’re going to be doing two sets of three day splits mixed in with different MMA training schedules. For the MMA training we’re going to go with Coach Derek’s programs and for the days in the gym we’re going with a program that was written for Jean-Claude Van Damme ! Johnny is based on Van Damme, BUT, he also is even more heightened, so if you want to step it up a notch and go full Johnny Cage you’ll have to mold the two programs together.
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Johnny Cage Workout: Van Damme Programming
Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday
Chest: 4 sets of barbell bench press of 8-10 reps, 4 sets of Barbell Incline Bench Press of 8-10 reps
3 sets of dumbbell flyes of 8-10 reps, 3 sets of parallel bar dips of 10 reps, 3 sets of pullover of 12 reps
Back: 4 sets of chin-ups of 8 reps, 4 sets of close grip chins of 10 reps, 4 sets of T bar rows of 12-15 reps
4 sets of bent over barbell rows of 8-12 reps.
Thighs: 5 sets of squats of 15 reps, 4 sets of front squats of 8-10 reps, 3 sets of hack squats of 10 reps
4 sets of leg curls of 10 reps, 4 sets of standing leg curls of 10 reps, 3 sets of straight leg dead lifts of 10 reps
Calves: 4 sets of donkey calf raises of 10 reps, 4 sets of standing calf raises of 10-15 reps.
Abdominals: 3 sets of crunches of 25 reps, 10 sets of bent over twists of 10 reps, 3 sets of machine crunches of 25 reps, 10 sets of half crunches of 10 reps.
Tuesday/Thursday/ Saturday
Shoulders: 5 sets of behind the neck presses of 15 reps, 4 sets of lateral raises of 8 reps, 4 sets of bent over dumbbell laterals of 8 reps, 3 sets of dumbbell shrugs of 10 reps
Upper arms: 5 sets of standing barbell curls of 10 reps, 4 sets of incline dumbbell curls of 8 reps, 3 sets of concentration of 8 reps
4 sets of lying triceps extensions of 10 reps, 3 sets of triceps cable press downs of 8 reps, 3 sets of one arm triceps extensions of 10 reps
Fore-arms: 4 sets of barbell wrists curls of 10 reps, 3 sets of reverse wrist curls of 10 reps
Calves: 4 sets of seated calf raises of 10 reps,
Abdominals: 4 sets of reverse crunches of 25 reps, 10 sets of seated twists of 10 reps, 4 sets of vertical bench crunches of 25 reps
Johnny Cage Workout: MMA Training
Choose a mixed martial arts program below:
Check out MMA programs on the site from Coach Derek here: Moon Knight, Deathstroke, Daredevil.
For some Thai Boxing fun check out Anna Diop’s routine.
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