I struggled with whether I was going to bring Himura Kenshin into our Anime Workouts Database as a weight training routine or a bodyweight routine, but I finally decided to start off with bodyweight.
Not only will he be an awesome addition to our calisthenics workouts, but he makes the most sense within that database when we really break down his overall aesthetic.
As we’ll learn later in our research, Himura may look unintimidating, but in reality he is one of the most powerful characters in the entire series.
Which means you better be ready to step it up a notch for this one.
Himura Kenshin Stats:
Real Name: Himura Kenshin
Height: 5’2
Weight: 106 lbs.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin
Powers: No
Himura Kenshin is nearly a foot and a half shorter than what we would consider a behemoth among our male anime characters.
And at his 106 pounds he is extremely light, but can still pack a punch.
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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Himura Kenshin 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.
Take The Anime Calisthenics Workout Placement Quiz Now!
Himura Kenshin 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.
To learn more about Himura Kenshin I’ll be pulling right from his Wiki Fandom page, starting with his bio section here:
Himura Kenshin, originally called Himura Shinta and known as the legendary hitokiri of the Meiji Revolution, Hitokiri Battōsai, is the main protagonist and titular character of the Rurouni Kenshin series. Kenshin has spent ten years traveling Japan as a rurouni in search of redemption, carrying a sakabatō with the vow to never kill again. In 1878, he arrives in Tokyo and takes up residence at the Kamiya Dōjō, where his vow is tested as he fights to keep the country’s peace.
This only just gets us started, but it’s a good place to move deeper into what we’ll be working with.
Because it is relevant to our goals, we’re going to start with a piece about his appearance, which they break down as follows:
Kenshin is a fair-skinned man of below-average height, slim built, with an androgynous face. Despite being twenty-eight-years old, he is deceptively younger looking, appearing to be in his mid-teen years. Because of this, Kenshin cuts quite a different figure than would be expected of the legendary Hitokiri Battōsai, but he is easily recognized by his infamous distinguishing features: mid-back length red hair tied in a thick ponytail and a cross-shaped sword scar on his left cheek.
There is actually more, but this is more than enough to tell us what we need to know.
Especially considering the fact that his abilities section will touch on it a bit as well.
Speaking of which, here’s how they start off that section:
Despite Kenshin’s very unimposing appearance in all regards, he easily ranks among the most powerful warriors in the series, surpassed only by his master Hiko Seijūrō XIII. His skill in during the revolution was key to bringing about the end to the war and starting the Meji era. He is a living legend well known throughout Japan for his surreal mastery of swordsmanship, able to effortlessly cut through steel, and one of the few last master swordsmen into the Meiji able to perform the act of modoshigiri, in where an accomplished wielder of the sword wielding the best of blades are able to cut so neatly, the target can be reattached as if it was never cut. Having inherited the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū sword style, Kenshin’s skills at age 14 allowed him to become an elite assassin for the government. The focus-point of his style is enabling him to move at “godspeed” to its fullest, striking and running about at speeds so immense and suddenly that he routinely outpaces the human eye and even dodges gatling gun fire. His signature skill in battle is the Battōjutsu, where his mastery of this skill and reputation for defeating his foes in a single blow earned him the moniker, the Battōsai. In the unlikely event his first strike misses his enemies, Kenshin is equally adapt in dual-sword combat, using his sheath as a secondary weapon, able to use his ambidextrous swordplay to instantly unleash a secondary strike from his sheath, making it almost impossible to beat him once he takes the battojutsu stance.
Now we’re starting to get the idea of what we’re going to need to train around.
But that’s not all, they begin building on that information here:
Should Battōjutsu fail, Kenshin is shown able to engage in prolonged battles, using a variety of techniques, enabling him to fight practically assault. With his slim and light frame, he is noticeably agile, able to use his environment to his advantage, flipping about and jumping off the terrain to confuse his foe and find an opening, even running across walls. He is also well known for his remarkable battle instinct, able to instinctively adapt to his opponent’s style, letting him seeing through their true nature and read their attack patterns. This thereby lets him effectively counter an enemy’s attack after seeing it once if not neutralize the threat completely. While specializing in swordsmanship, Kenshin also shows noticeable hand-to-hand combat prowess, able to calmly fend off a large group of foes with jujitsu and aikido maneuvers (though not to the extent of Sanosuke’s hand-to-hand skills). Since allying himself with the Kamiya Dōjō, Kenshin has gradually learned of its Kamiya Kasshin-ryū, employing many of its techniques into his style. Eventually, he mastered the style himself, aiding his second wife in the teachings of it to students.
Outside of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, Kenshin has displayed independent sword techniques which are indicative of his own acquired skills: Kenshin, in keeping with his soft nature, is quite skilled at domestic work as many of the Kamiya dojo residents comment favorably on his cooking (especially compared to Kaoru’s) and he is frequently seen performing such tasks as grocery cleaning of the dojo. Kenshin is also an unparalleled orator, capable of spinning eloquence or humor into an offhand comment and prone to making grand, moving speeches off the top of his head. While maintaining his cool, he is rather adept at philosophical arguments, swiftly seeing the cracks in any opponent’s logic without missing a beat in conversation.
I wasn’t kidding when I said you needed to be ready to step it up a notch for this workout.
The goals for our Himura Kenshin Inspired Workout are going to be:
- Himura Kenshin’s Slim and Slender Aesthetic
- Himura Kenshin’s Agility, Mobility and Strength
- Himura Kenshin’s Assassin Endurance
We’ll be using some parkour style movements in our training as well to replicate the mobility and manueverabiltiy of Himura, but we’ll also need to be strong and have some extreme endurance to replicate the longevity he’s been able to have in prolonged battles.
That said, if this one is a bit daunting, the best workout to start with would be our Beginner Speedster Workout, but any of our Beginner Workouts would be great.
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Himura Kenshin Calisthenics Workout Routine
Training Volume:
3-5+ days
Explanation:
For this one we’re going to be taking a page out of Gabimaru’s book (Hell’s Paradise) and borrowing a tactic we used for his routine by adding in USA Olympic Gymnast, Paul Ruggeri’s daily [morning] training on top of our training. The rest of the routine will be different than Gabimaru’s but, similar to his, we’ll also have 3 days of calisthenics training and endurance work per week, a day devoted entirely to stamina, and a final day that can be added in for our Rurouni Circuit Test, which can be completely weekly, biweekly or monthly as you’d like (and tack on more endurance on the week’s you don’t).
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Himura Kenshin Workout: Sample Schedule
Monday: Swordsman Calisthenics A
Tuesday: Rurouni Circuit Test
Wednesday: Swordsman Calisthenics B
Thursday: Prolonged Stamina Training
Friday: Swordsman Calisthenics C
Saturday: Active Rest Day or Bonus Parkour/MMA/Endurance Work
Sunday: Rest Day
Himura Kenshin Workout: Swordsman Calisthenics A
Morning Warm Up:
**This is built on one of Paul Ruggeri, a former Team USA gymnast’s morning routines.**
5 min light cardio
Stretch:
3 splits 1 min each
Pancake for 1 minute
Bridge for 1 minute
Toe Touch for 1 minute
Ruggeri would then do a core circuit with holds, but we’ll be mixing that into the overall calisthenics routine. If you want to continue the morning routine out you could add in more stretching or some sit ups, leg raises and more core work.
Calisthenics Workout:
(Complete any time throughout the day)
Giant Set One:
A. Boxer Skips
3×100
B. Hollow Hold
3×30-60 Seconds
C. Push Ups
3×25
D. Sit Ups
3×20
Giant Set Two:
A. Boxer Skips
3×100
B. Glute Bridges
3×15
C. Dips
3×12
D. Chin Ups
3×8-10
Optional Bonus Endurance Work:
Complete 30-60 Minutes of Varied Endurance Work (Resources In Full Endurance Day)
Himura Kenshin Workout: Rurouni 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!)
Rurouni Circuit Test: Complete 2 Rounds for Time
800M Run
50 Second Plank Hold
40 Push Ups
30 Sit Ups
20 Sit Ups with Twist
10 Box Jumps
Himura Kenshin Workout: Swordsman Calisthenics B
Morning Warm Up:
**This is built on one of Paul Ruggeri, a former Team USA gymnast’s morning routines.**
5 min light cardio
Stretch:
3 splits 1 min each
Pancake for 1 minute
Bridge for 1 minute
Toe Touch for 1 minute
Ruggeri would then do a core circuit with holds, but we’ll be mixing that into the overall calisthenics routine. If you want to continue the morning routine out you could add in more stretching or some sit ups, leg raises and more core work.
Calisthenics Workout:
(Complete any time throughout the day)
Giant Set One:
A. Boxer Skips
3×100
B. Air Squats
3×30
C. Decline Push Ups
3×25
D. Lying Leg Raises
3×20
Giant Set Two:
A. Boxer Skips
3×100
B. L-Sit Hold
3×15-30 seconds
C. Plank To Push Ups
3×12
D. Pull Ups
3×8-10
Optional Bonus Endurance Work:
Complete 30-60 Minutes of Varied Endurance Work (Resources In Full Endurance Day)
Himura Kenshin Workout: Prolonged Stamina Training
For your endurance, HIIT or MMA/Parkour days you have quite a few options.
You can utilize enforced endurance training that I will program for you based on your fitness level like we do with other workouts here at SHJ…OR you can do 45-60+ minutes of varied cardio (bike, treadmill, elliptical, stairs, row, swim, etc.)…OR you can even use the HIIT resources I’ll provide.
I’ll break it down in that order:
Option One – Run Based on Overall Fitness Level:
Beginner: 1-3 Miles
Intermediate: 3-5 Miles
Advanced: 5+ Miles
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)
Option Two – Varied Cardio for 45-60 Minutes:
Split your cardio up however you’d like but complete 45-60+ minutes using:
- Treadmill Walk/Run
- Rower Machine
- StairMaster
- Elliptical
- Swim
- Bike
Option Three – Complete HIIT Training Using SHJ Resources:
- The Best HIIT Workouts
- Jump Rope Workout Database
- Academy Members: Insert a Benchmark Hero Workout (Circuit) or SHJ Core Circuit Test
Himura Kenshin Workout: Swordsman Calisthenics C
Morning Warm Up:
**This is built on one of Paul Ruggeri, a former Team USA gymnast’s morning routines.**
5 min light cardio
Stretch:
3 splits 1 min each
Pancake for 1 minute
Bridge for 1 minute
Toe Touch for 1 minute
Ruggeri would then do a core circuit with holds, but we’ll be mixing that into the overall calisthenics routine. If you want to continue the morning routine out you could add in more stretching or some sit ups, leg raises and more core work.
Calisthenics Workout:
(Complete any time throughout the day)
Giant Set One:
A. Boxer Skips
3×100
B. Superman Hold
3×30 seconds
C. Incline Push Ups
3×25
D. V-Ups
3×20
Giant Set Two:
A. Boxer Skips
3×100
B. Bulgarian Split Squats
3×15 each leg
C. Tricep Extensions
3×12
D. Wide Pull Ups
3×8-10
Optional Bonus Endurance Work:
Complete 30-60 Minutes of Varied Endurance Work (Resources In Full Endurance Day)
Himura Kenshin Workout: Optional Additional Training Resources
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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