Barbarian Workout and Diet [Dungeons and Dragons Inspired]

Last updated on July 20th, 2022 at 07:35 am

We are starting a new fun venture here at SHJ. 

That venture is Dungeons and Dragons Inspired Workouts!

I’ll update that text into a link (now updated) when we have a mini-database of them to share, but for now we’re getting started with The Barbarian Class!

I personally think this was the most obvious choice to get started with, but I’m also excited to venture out into some other D&D classes as well.

We have so many mini-databases within our larger Workout Database – ranging from Celebrity Workouts to Superhero Workouts and our [currently] super popular Anime Workouts – so it seems almost odd that we haven’t added D&D yet.

As a World of Warcraft gamer for over a dozen years, turned mild Dungeons and Dragons player, this is an exciting space to be finally bringing to the site.

We will be skipping the stat section we normally include, and switching up some of the other sections (like the nutrition section, which I’ll have a bunch more added to in order to make it a bit more fun).

Not that it’s entirely relevant, but one thing I will also be adding is just some bonus information about Barbarians in Dungeons and Dragons for anyone trying to just get into it (which will take up our stat section I usually include for celebrities and characters).

Barbarian Information:

Inspired By: Dungeons and Dragons

Goal: Mass Gain and Strength

Introduction to the Barbarian Class (from RPG Bot):

“Barbarians are all about getting angry and dealing damage. They have a ton of hit points, resistance to damage, and Rage gives a wonderful bonus to damage. Barbarians don’t get much in the way of skills, so generally they’re stuck as combat monsters, but they function equally well as a Defender and a Striker, and certain character options can even expand them into a limited Support role.”

Extra Notes (from Ability Scores):

“Barbarians are all about lots of Strength and big weapons, so Strength should almost always be your best ability.”

Not that it’s always  entirely relevant, but one thing I will also be adding to each section (as you see above) is some bonus information about Barbarians (and other classes) in Dungeons and Dragons for anyone trying to just get into it (which is taking up our stat section I usually include for celebrities and characters).

In this case we can see why our main focus is going to be tacking on mass and strength.

Each class can be pretty versatile, but as a Barbarian we want to focus in on strength for big weapons and enhancing our best abilities.

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Barbarian D&D Diet and Nutrition

For our new Dungeons and Dragons themed section of our Workout Database I’m going to be adding a bit of flair to the diet and nutrition section of each class to make it a bit more fun.

While I do usually add the same section for each hero to give you guys some articles and resources to utilize throughout the site, for this one I will add that secondary.

As you may have noticed, if you’re a member of The SHJ Army and using our workouts a lot (if you’re not, we have over 1,000 workouts, welcome); we also skipped the stats section being that this one is going to be very customizable, but the goal is to get big and jacked.

So let’s talk about that…

Barbarian Inspired Diet and Nutrition [For Fun]

For our Barbarians out there I have a few recommendations:

1. Each in a caloric surplus to gain mass.
2. Consider using Paleo or Nordic diet restrictions to be class friendly.

And I also have notes on each of these.

The reason you’re going to likely want to be in a caloric surplus is because in order to gain mass (which is likely needed to become a jacked barbarian) you’ll need to gain weight and in turn be eating more food.

I go much more in depth with calories and their relationship to gaining or losing weight here: SHJ Complete Guide to Calorie Counting and Macronutrients.

That said, if you have weight to loss, there may be a reason to prioritize cutting down and being in a deficit to start – but you’ll need to focus that one in on your specific necessities.

The reason I suggest Paleo or Nordic is because when I personally think of my barbarian class I think of a massive Viking or almost Caveman-like behemoth (even if you’re a dwarf like me).

Paleo would be most similar to Caveman-style eating, and you can learn more about it here: SHJ Paleo Diet Guidelines.

And Nordic would be most similar to a modern Viking style of eating, and you can learn more about that here: SHJ Nordic Diet Guidelines.

But to leave you off with some more resources now that we had some fun with the nutrition, I’m also going to add in some information we always share within our character workouts..

Hero Diet and Nutrition Resources and Subsection

**Keep in mind: this section will be nearly identical for each hero.**

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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Barbarian D&D 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’ve already done a bit of the research that is going to go into this routine, but I’m going to reiterate some and dig a bit deeper as well.

Pulling again from RPG Bot, they tell us about Barbarian’s ability score:

Barbarians are all about their physical ability scores. If your scores are good enough you can forgo armor, so it’s nice to have adequate Dexterity and Constitution to beat the AC bonus provided by half plate.

I already mentioned that Barbarians are all about lots of strength and big weapons, but we’re going to really drive that home with this section.

Secondary to Strength is Constitution. RPG Bot explains that as follows:

Second only to Strength. Barbarians take a lot of damage, so you need all the hit points you can get. Constitution also powers Unarmored Defense.

For Constitution we’re going to equate that to mass and muscle.

Basically we’ll see it as having an extra layer of muscle and overall mass similar to the rock hard layer of protection that would be Constitution.

Think of it like trying to run into The Blob from X-Men.

Basically a brick wall, unless you’re The Juggernaut (although I’m still waiting for that face-off).

If we head over and pull from elsewhere we can reinforce this information a bit more before heading into the workout.

Here’s what our Forgotten Realms Wiki Fandom tells us about our Barbarian class:

Barbarians were mighty warriors who relied on their strength and incredible toughness, characterized by a bestial rage empowered either by ancestral totems and nature spirits or an inner passion for violence. Barbarians were less versatile than fighters but were tougher and capable of dealing heavy damage to their foes much more quickly.

And, to wrap it up, this is what DND Beyond lists as a “Quick Build”:

You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the outlander background.

Point being: any way you swing it, you’re going to want to be prioritizing Strength and Constitution as a Barbarian – which is exactly what we’ll be focusing on within this workout routine…strength and mass!

I’ll give you the full details of the plan below in the explanation section, but be ready for some heavy lifting.

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Barbarian D&D Workout Routine

Training Volume:

4 days per week

Explanation:

For this one we’re going to be using a bro-split with four days of weight training revolving around our big compound lifts. The reason for this is that it will not only prioritize strength and mass, but also overall core strength with the compound lifts and aesthetics, which aren’t a priority as a Barbarian  when it comes to skillset, BUT they do get a bonus for unarmored defense, which is basically out version of shirtless aesthetics in this scenario. On top of that I’ll include a Primal Rage Circuit Test to make sure you’re consistently testing your endurance and intensity to meet the standards of a Barbarian as well.

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Barbarian D&D Workout Routine: Sample Schedule

Monday: Strength and Constitution Bench Press Day

Tuesday: Strength and Constitution Squat Day

Wednesday: Primal Rage Circuit Test

Thursday: Strength and Constitution Overhead Press Day

Friday: Strength and Constitution Deadlift Day

Saturday: Active Rest Day or Bonus Parkour/MMA/Endurance Work

Sunday: Rest Day

Barbarian D&D Workout Routine: Strength and Constitution Bench Press Day

Warm Up: 

10 Minutes of Varied Warm Up

Choose Light Cardio or Easy Calisthenics

Compound Lift:

Bench Press

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work:

Close Grip Bench Press

3×12, 10, 8

Chest Flys (DB or Cables)

3×12, 10, 8

Cable Tricep Pushdowns (Rope)

3×10

Incline Press (DB or Machine)

3×10

Weighted Dips

4xFailure

Optional Primal Path Endurance:

Complete 10-45 Minutes of Varied Cardio

This can also be used to help if you decide to cut weight.

Barbarian D&D Workout Routine: Strength and Constitution Squat Day

Warm Up: 

10 Minutes of Varied Warm Up

Choose Light Cardio or Easy Calisthenics

Compound Lift:

Back Squat

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work:

Leg Press

3×12, 10, 8

Calve Raises on Leg Press

3×20

Hamstring Curls

3×10

Hack Squat

3×10

Straight Leg DB Deadlifts

3×15

Optional Primal Path Endurance:

Complete 10-45 Minutes of Varied Cardio

This can also be used to help if you decide to cut weight.

Barbarian Workout: Primal Rage Circuit Test

In a perfect world our Academy members or 90 Day System members will use this day to work in our Benchmark Workouts to continue testing and improving scores and tracking them against other members; especially our SHJ Core Benchmarks (although our Hero Benchmarks are just as awesome).

If you are not an Academy member or you don’t have access to a 90 Day System, you can also sub in different circuits here from some of the HIIT resources I provide.

(Another note: You should continue coming back and re-trying to workout every so often to see how much you can improve your score!)

Primal Rage Circuit Test: Complete 2 Rounds for Time

400M Run

30 Kettlebell Swings

25 Sit Ups

20 Explosive Push Ups

15 KB Goblet Squats

10 Pull Ups

5 KB Deadlifts

Barbarian D&D Workout Routine: Strength and Constitution Overhead Press Day

Warm Up: 

10 Minutes of Varied Warm Up

Choose Light Cardio or Easy Calisthenics

Compound Lift:

Overhead Press

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work:

Barbell Shrugs

3×15, 12, 10

Dumbbell Front Raises

3×12, 10, 8

Upright Rows

3×10

Power Cleans

3×10

Lateral Raises

3×15, 12, 10

Optional Primal Path Endurance:

Complete 10-45 Minutes of Varied Cardio

This can also be used to help if you decide to cut weight.

Barbarian D&D Workout Routine: Strength and Constitution Deadlift Day

Warm Up: 

10 Minutes of Varied Warm Up

Choose Light Cardio or Easy Calisthenics

Compound Lift:

Deadlift

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work:

Bent Over DB Rows

3×12, 10, 8 each arm

High Cable Curls

3×12, 10, 8 each arm

Wide Grip Pulldowns

3×10

Alternating DB Hammer Curls

3×10 each arm

Chin Ups

4xFailure

Optional Primal Path Endurance:

Complete 10-45 Minutes of Varied Cardio

This can also be used to help if you decide to cut weight.

Barbarian D&D Workout Routine: Bonus Training Resources

Endurance Work Resources:

• 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)

Parkour Training Resources:

• The Nightrunner Parkour Workout Routine
• The Assassin’s Creed Parkour Workout Routine
• The Robbie Amell Parkour Workout Routine

Main MMA Training Resources

• Anna Diop Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Ryan Potter Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Frank Grillo Boxing Workout

Other MMA Training Resources:

• Deathstroke Workout Routine
• Daredevil Workout Routine
• Moon Knight Workout Routine
• Sagat Workout Routine

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