Luke Cage and our Defenders are making a way into our Superhero Workouts.
We’ve already had our Daredevil Inspired Workout for a while now, but with Disney Plus getting all the Netflix Original Series we’re going to need to add all of our other characters.
Of course our Celebrity Workout Database is already full of our Marvel celebs like Charlie Cox, Mike Colter, Jessica Henwick, Jon Berthal, Finn Jones, and more – but you guys have made it pretty clear you want the characters to join them!
And, it feels like Luke Cage is the obvious choice!
Considering we’ve been adding so many new characters to our calisthenics workouts it’ll be a nice switch into some heavy weightlifting again.
He’ll also make a great addition to our Marvel Workout Placement Quiz to add another behemoth to the list.
Luke Cage Stats:
Real Name: Carl Lucas
Height: 6’6
Weight: 425
Comics: Marvel
Powers: Yes
Luke Cage is actually gigantic.
He towers over most of our other characters, and weighs in nearly 200 lbs. over what a normal person would likely weigh at his height range.
Wolverine was 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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Luke Cage Diet and Nutrition
**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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Luke 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.
To learn more about Luke Cage we’ll be pulling right from his Wiki Fandom page, which doesn’t have an intro bio, so instead we’ll pull a short bio directly from Marvel, and then move into the Fandom page:
After undergoing a variant of the Super-Soldier treatment in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, the man formerly known as Carl Lucas was given superhuman strength and unbreakable skin. Adopting the name Power Man, Luke Cage became the Hero for Hire.
That immediately tells us a bit about what we’re going to be working with, but I actually want to break it down a lot more and discuss the “Burstein Process” that his Fandom page tells us about.
Here’s how they break that down before getting into specific powers and abilities:
Burstein Process: Luke Cage possesses various superhuman physical enhancements after undergoing a Super-Soldier experiment known as the Burstein Process, which was designed to increase his body’s cellular regeneration rate.
With that comes the powers that we’re going to need to train around:
Superhuman Strength: After undergoing the original experiment, Cage’s strength was increased to superhuman levels. Initially, it was only sufficient enough to lift approximately 5 tons. However, with extensive physical training and years of experience as a superhero, his strength was increased to approximately 25 tons and he is able to punch through barriers as thick as 4-inch steel plate. While his experience in fighting crime allows for him to gauge the amount of force he exerts, Cage has been known to cut loose in cases of extreme stress often hinting that he’s much stronger than his limits suggest; for example, Cage was seen lifting a large bulldozer over his head and throwing it without any strain. His strength has been currently increased to 50 tons or much more. Cage was able to easily bend a metal baseball bat with his bare hands. He was able to knockout the Rhino, a villain known to be a rival with the likes of the Hulk, with one punch. Cage’s herculean strength allows him to seamlessly move extremely heavy objects with ease or trade blows with insanely strong extraterrestrials resulting in mild seismic activity, as seen when Luke Cage almost effortlessly carried a semi truck over seven city blocks because he couldn’t get the engine to start. He was strong enough to send a woman flying with just the impact of his thunderclap. His strength also extends to his legs enabling him to leap in a manner similar to the Hulk; however, his leaping is not equal to the Hulk. Nevertheless, he can carry himself at speeds that outdo even the fittest of athletes. His most impressive feat of strength is grabbing onto the bottom of the airplane and dragging it hard enough to caused the pilot to shut down the plane.
Superhuman Stamina: Cage’s muscles generate less fatigue toxins than the muscles of ordinary humans, granting him superhuman stamina. This helps Cage pull off astonishing feats of athleticism despite his excess mass.
Nigh-Invulnerability: Luke Cage’s body is as hard as titanium steel. His muscles and bones tissue are super-dense, granting him much greater resistances to physical injury. He can withstand conventional handgun fire of 4 feet and cannot be cut by the sharpest of blades, although in the event of required surgery his skin can be lacerated with an over-powered medical laser. He can withstand up to one-ton impacts or blasts of 150 pounds of TNT without serious injury, and he is impervious to temperature extremes and electrical shocks. His current level of durability enables him to withstand gunfire at point-blank range, and to withstand being lit on fire without suffering any serious or permanent injuries. He has withstood impacts from superhumans a good deal stronger than himself, destructive energy attacks including electricity, and falls from great heights such as ninety story high skyscrapers.
Accelerated Healing Factor: Luke’s invulnerability is usually enough to protect him from damages. However, if injured, Luke’s recovery time from injury or trauma is customarily one-third that of an ordinary human. This ability allows for him to rarely require medical attention after even his most tedious of fights.
We won’t be able to train to become invulnerable or to have an enhanced healing factor, but we will be revolving our training around building a ton of strength and a massive physique.
Here’s what they tell us in his “Physical Strength” section:
- Class 50; Cage’s strength has increased substantially and is enough for him to lift at least 50 tons, possibly much more.
Which means we definitely have our work cut out for us.
Be ready to lift heavy and at an extremely high volume.
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Luke Cage Workout Routine
Training Volume:
5 days per week
Explanation:
For this one we’re training with a 5 day weightlifting split we’ve seen used by guys like Dwayne Johnson and monsters that are the big behemoths of our celebrity workout research. If you want to tack on some extra cardio you can to keep lean (guys like Johnson often do 30-45 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill), but it’s not necessary at all if your nutrition is on point.
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Luke Cage Workout: Sample Schedule
Monday: Burstein Process Chest Day
Tuesday: Burstein Process Leg Day
Wednesday: Burstein Process Arm Day
Thursday: Burstein Process Shoulder Day
Friday: Burstein Process Back Day
Saturday: Optional Additional Training with Resources
Sunday: Rest Day
Luke Cage Workout: Burstein Process Chest Day
Warm Up:
10-30 Minute Incline Walk (Or Varied Cardio)
Main Lift:
Bench Press (RPT)
Warm Up 2-3 Sets
4×6, 8, 10, 12
Accessory Work:
Incline Dumbbell Press
3×12, 10, 8
Cable Chest Flys
3×12, 10, 8
Weighted Dips
3×10
Decline Hammer Strength
3×10
Luke Cage Workout: Burstein Process Leg Day
Warm Up:
10-30 Minute Incline Walk (Or Varied Cardio)
Main Lift:
Back Squats (RPT)
Warm Up 2-3 Sets
4×6, 8, 10, 12
Accessory Work:
Leg Press
3×12, 10, 8
Hamstring Curls
3×12, 10, 8
Seated Calf Raises
3×10
Quad Extensions
3×10
Luke Cage Workout: Burstein Process Arm Day
Warm Up:
10-30 Minute Incline Walk (Or Varied Cardio)
Main Lifts:
Preacher Curls (RPT)
Warm Up 2-3 Sets
4×6, 8, 10, 12
Overhead Tricep Extension (RPT)
Warm Up 2-3 Sets
4×6, 8, 10, 12
Accessory Work:
DB Hammer Curls
3×12, 10, 8 each arm
Cable Tricep Pushdowns
3×12, 10, 8
Chin Ups
3×10
Close to Wide Push Ups
3×30
Luke Cage Workout: Burstein Process Shoulder Day
Warm Up:
10-30 Minute Incline Walk (Or Varied Cardio)
Main Lift:
Overhead Press (RPT)
Warm Up 2-3 Sets
4×6, 8, 10, 12
Accessory Work:
Barbell Shrugs
3×12, 10, 8
Front Raises (DB)
3×12, 10, 8
Seated Arnold Press (Light)
3×10
Hang Cleans
3×8
Luke Cage Workout: Burstein Process Back Day
Warm Up:
10-30 Minute Incline Walk (Or Varied Cardio)
Main Lift:
Deadlift (RPT)
Warm Up 2-3 Sets
4×6, 8, 10, 12
Accessory Work:
Bent Over Barbell Rows
3×12, 10, 8
Wide Grip Pulldowns
3×12, 10, 8
Close Cable Rows
3×10
Lateral Raises
3×15
Luke Cage Workout Routine: Optional Additional 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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