Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Mass Building Calisthenics Workout

Last updated on August 14th, 2021 at 07:55 pm

Kratos is one of the most popular character inspired workouts we have on our entire site.

So, The SHJ Army also wants to know how they can build Kratos-like-mass while stuck at home.

While my first instinct will always be to provide you our Superhuman System, which is built around building The Superhero Physique with a scaling system that goes from completely calisthenics to added weight as desired, I also want to make sure you have a specific Kratos Inspired Calisthenics Workout as well.

Kratos is typically seem as being quite massive (although his original physique is quite big, but reminds me more of a lean and Spartan-like physique), but is absolutely achievable overtime using the right tactics with calisthenics.

Have you ever seen some of these gymnasts?

We talk about this a lot in other articles, one particular that I would recommend being: Maintaining Muscle During Training Breaks, Lack of Weights, and Major Programming Changes.

Kratos Stats:

Real Name: Kratos

Height: 6’6

Weight: 240 lbs.

Video Game: God of War

Powers: Yes (Demigod)

Kratos is absolutely massive.

But, it is worth noting that his weight is the same as Dwayne Johnson who is 2 inches shorter! 

Vegeta 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.

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.

Ronan and Sagat are 7’5, and 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.

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Kratos Diet and Nutrition

**Keep in mind: this section will be nearly identical for each hero, unless I mentioned differently (for example someone like Hulk 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!

Curious where over a hundred celebs fall in their dietary choices ranging from High Protein and Keto to Vegetarian, Vegan and Intermittent Fasting? Want exclusive celeb meal plans? Check this out.

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Kratos Calisthenics 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.

We are going to need to discuss a thing or two about different training styles and also progressive overload, tempo and even fatigue.

BUT, first I want to give some brief information (as we do for all our characters) on Kratos.

We’ve obviously already had our original Kratos Workout, which is also one of my favorites on the site (not just as a character, also the workout), so we only need to rehash a little bit to get started here.

Here’s what his Wiki Fandom tells us about him:

Kratos, also known as Ghost of Sparta and Fárbauti (by Jötnar), is a Spartan warrior that would become the slayer of Gods and the main protagonist of the God of War video game series. Though he eventually transforms into a more villainous character as his thirst for vengeance consumes him and causes him to destroy the world, initially Kratos is more of a gray character, acting as a sort of anti-hero who fights against corrupt gods and their forces but in a very brutal and violent manner. In the fourth game, Kratos sees the errors on his way and becomes a much wiser character who now raises his son Atreus and ensures that he will become better god than either him or corrupt gods that wronged him, and now only attacks in self-defense.

And his list of powers and abilities seems almost endless.

For the sake of building out this routine I’ll tell you what we’re going to be focusing on:

• Incredible strength
• High endurance
• Combat skills
• Superhuman speed

Thankfully calisthenics is pretty easy to pair with endurance work like running/rowing, HIIT, and even circuit training, so we’ll have to make sure not to go overboard and continue focusing in on our progressive overload and hypertrophy to build our Kratos-like-mass as well!

For progressive overload discussion the best place to find out more (including more research) is right there with Recommendation #1 within the article I shared before.

I will also be sharing other tips on how to best bulk up with this workout within the explanation below.

Part of progressive overload is consistently increasing the volume and/or load (in this case we can’t increase the load because we’re working with calisthenics so instead we’ll increase the volume/work by increasing the reps and sets).  With that, we also want to focus on hitting fatigue, because once we hit fatigue we know we’re actually breaking down the muscle, which means as it recovers it will grow.

To do this we’ll need to work a bit harder than just increasing reps like typical pyramid training (or RPT and other formats we use in our programs), but it shouldn’t be that hard to work towards it.

Beginners and intermediate users will have an easier time with hitting fatigue (easier in the sense that it will still be painful, but will happen sooner), but advanced members will definitely still be able to keep it going and even use more advanced calisthenics to step it up a notch.

And, as a final note in building mass with this calisthenics programming: you will need to eat in a surplus to GROW, and you will need ample recovery time to GROW, so keep both those things in mind before thinking this will be a case of super soldier serum magic!

Now get ready for some volume!

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Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine

Training Volume:

4 days per week of calisthenics and 1-2 days a week of endurance training

Explanation:

We’re talking about becoming a Demigod.  Training to be Kratos is no joke.  We’ll be utilizing four days of calisthenics training that will be based on hitting fatigue and using progressive overload to focus in on hypertrophy and building muscle, but the scaling up will be on you.  I won’t be there to tell you went to increase the volume/workload.  We’ll also use long distance endurance training and HIIT to build that speed and endurance Kratos has as well.  Remember ample recovery time is vital.

Additional Explanation:

Your starting work is scalable but as the weeks go by it’s your responsibility to increase the volume/rep count. I recommend utilizing our Ultimate Calisthenics Workout and Guide to learn more about scaling and each movements specific options.  Your blowout for each day is going to specifically be going until failure to really make sure we hit fatigue.

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Sample Workout Schedule

Monday: Upper Body Focused Calisthenics Work and Core

Tuesday: Full Body Calisthenics Work and HIIT

Wednesday: Long Distance Cardio Endurance Training

Thursday: Lower Body Focused Calisthenics Work and Core

Friday: Full Body Calisthenics Work and HIIT

Saturday: Long Distance Cardio Endurance Training

Sunday: Rest Day

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Upper Body Focused Calisthenics Work

Warm Up:

Jog 400m

Initial Work:

Your starting work is scalable but as the weeks go by it’s your responsibility to increase the volume/rep count.

Regular Push Ups (Can Scale on Knees)

4×25

Skull Crushers (Calisthenics)

4×20

Wide to Close Push Ups (Can Scale on Knees)

4×20

Dips (Can Scale using Chair)

4×20

Pull Ups (Can Scale to Pikes)

4×10

Fatigue Blowout:

Complete 3 Rounds Super-Set Style

• Push Ups to Failure
• Dips to Failure
• Pike Push Ups to Failure

Core Work:

Forearm Plank

3×60 Seconds

V-Ups

3×30

Leg Raises (Lying or Hanging)

3×25

L-Sit Hold

3×15 Seconds

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Full Body Focused Calisthenics Work and HIIT

For your full body calisthenics days we’re going to focus in on working with the most effective compound calisthenics movements and hit them HARD.

Warm Up:

Jog 400m

Initial Work:

Your starting work is scalable but as the weeks go by it’s your responsibility to increase the volume/rep count.

Explosive Push Ups

5×30

Jump Squats

5×20

Dips

5×15

Chin Ups

5×10

HIIT Endurance Work:

Instead of a finisher and core on your full body focused days you’re going to work on shredding some extra fat to show off the abs you’re building on other days.  For this you’re more then welcome to switch it up and do 20, 30 or even 60 minutes of HIIT, but I recommend choosing from our favorite HIIT workouts:

• The Best HIIT Workouts To Step Up Your Workout

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Long Distance Cardio Endurance Training

Similar to our HIIT Training above I’m going to also be sharing some outside resources for your running.

I personally like to base our running (distances) on overall fitness level, but I also have resources from celeb and character workouts that will definitely come in handy!

Here’s the initial distance levels to get you started:

Beginner: 1-3 Miles

Intermediate: 3-5 Miles

Advanced: 5+ Miles

Running Based Celebrity and Character Workouts

• Constance Wu Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Ewan McGregor Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Kid Flash Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Grant Gustin Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• How To Continue Training After Your First 5K (Workout Included)

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Lower Body Focused Calisthenics Work

Warm Up:

Jog 400m

Initial Work:

Your starting work is scalable but as the weeks go by it’s your responsibility to increase the volume/rep count.

Air Squats (Can Scale Using Chair)

4×25

Glute Bridges

4×20

Bulgarian Split Squats

4×20 each leg

Alternating Pistol Squats (Scale Using Chair)

4×20 total

Box Jumps

4×10

Fatigue Blowout:

Complete 3 Rounds Super-Set Style

• Pause Squats to Failure
• Wall Sit to Failure
• Lying Leg Raises to Failure

Core Work:

Forearm Plank

3×60 Seconds

Sit Ups

3×30

Russian Twists

3×25

Hollow Hold

3×15 Seconds

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Full Body Focused Calisthenics Work and HIIT

For your full body calisthenics days we’re going to focus in on working with the most effective compound calisthenics movements and hit them HARD.

Warm Up:

Jog 400m

Initial Work:

Your starting work is scalable but as the weeks go by it’s your responsibility to increase the volume/rep count.

Explosive Push Ups

5×30

Jump Squats

5×20

Dips

5×15

Chin Ups

5×10

HIIT Endurance Work:

Instead of a finisher and core on your full body focused days you’re going to work on shredding some extra fat to show off the abs you’re building on other days.  For this you’re more then welcome to switch it up and do 20, 30 or even 60 minutes of HIIT, but I recommend choosing from our favorite HIIT workouts:

• The Best HIIT Workouts To Step Up Your Workout

Kratos Calisthenics Workout Routine: Long Distance Cardio Endurance Training

Similar to our HIIT Training above I’m going to also be sharing some outside resources for your running.

I personally like to base our running (distances) on overall fitness level, but I also have resources from celeb and character workouts that will definitely come in handy!

Here’s the initial distance levels to get you started:

Beginner: 1-3 Miles

Intermediate: 3-5 Miles

Advanced: 5+ Miles

Running Based Celebrity and Character Workouts

• Constance Wu Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Ewan McGregor Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Kid Flash Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Grant Gustin Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• How To Continue Training After Your First 5K (Workout Included)

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Join The Superhero Academy and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.