Have you seen Aquaman yet?
No?
Go see it. I’ll wait.
….
Ok, so apart from the movie being absolutely BONKERS and just an all-around great time – I already have a downpayment for a custom trident because, well ya know, fish stuff – Don’t you just leave wishing you were Aquaman? Or more accurately, wishing you were Jason Momoa?
Me. Too.
If you’ve ever seen Game of Thrones then seeing Jason Momoa’s body in Aquaman shouldn’t surprise you. Jason’s character Khal Drogo was also super jacked.
But not roid jacked.
Because nobody likes roid jacked.
Gross.
No, no, no, our Jason looks like he was carved from stone. Every muscle is in beautiful proportion. Michelangelo would be a big fan. HUGE.
In truth, everyone’s a big fan, Jason Momoa has the physique that attracts attention – in the right way. It looks strong, masculine but not aggressive. He has the classic ‘Adonis body’.
The Adonis look is characterized by a large square chest, wide upper back, and muscular looking shoulders.
Oh, and don’t forget the abs.
By focusing on the upper body parts, you can quickly accentuate your ‘v-taper’ which enhances your overall physique, by making your waist appear smaller than it really is.
However, for one to reach ultimate superhero level aesthetics, keeping body fat percentage low is also paramount. 10% or below is about where we want to be.
Obviously, one cannot help but look at Jason Momoa and think ‘this guy must spend a lot of the time in the gym’ – and they are probably right.
However, most people who want a physique like Aquaman are going about it the wrong way and it will therefore take much longer to achieve this Adonis look… if ever.
Why is this?
The three body parts I already mentioned? The upper chest, shoulder, and lats… they are hard to develop. You really need to know what you are doing to improve them. So when most people work out, these parts of the body aren’t the first muscles to improve, they are usually the last, and by then the proportions are all wrong.
In my plan outlined below not only is the workout designed to focus on these main areas but I will also lay out the technique to help you work each muscle in the most optimal way so that your body is improving every single session.
Time in the gym and hard work is important, but if you want to build an impressive superhero type physique, strategy and technique are just as important.
For example, look at anyone who does a shit load of CrossFit. They probably look great. Super strong, lean, toned.
But do they look Jason Momoa great? No, they do not.
This is because the point of CrossFit is not to look like an Adonis, it’s to get strong, fit and lean. Most crossfitters for example, don’t’ have a well-developed chest.
The rarity of it is a part of what makes it so attractive.
To sum up, by re-calibrating your workout to focus on the ‘superhero body parts’ and really concentrating on nailing the technique you can ultimately spend less time in the gym, and get better results.
I have worked with many actors, helping them hone in their physique for movies and photo shoots.
Actors are lucky. If they want to get in peak physical shape for a role, that is their sole focus. They can work out with a personal trainer every day, making sure every single thing they do is geared towards transforming their body. They can afford to pay for a meal planning service, or even better – the studio pays!
Most people don’t have this luxury. Moreover what you see on screen is how the actor looked that day or for that week, not all the time. When I myself have photoshoots, I will plan ahead, optimizing my diet and workout so that I look my absolute best on the day of the photo shoot. Add in the right lighting and boom, I look 10x better than just a week before.
This is all to say that walking around every day looking like Jason Momoa in Aquaman is not impossible, it will just take a while because not even Jason Momoa… looks like Jason Momoa in Aquaman!
However, with a strict diet, hard work, and an optimized workout plan like the one below you will get the body of a Greek God as fast as humanly possible.
It’s curveball time.
I’m not going to give you Jason Momoa’s eaxct workout routine.
…
Are we calm now? Good.
Don’t be mad. I know you feel tricked, lied to, cheated on, and I’m sorry, it’s not you, it’s me.
So why I am not giving you Jason Momoa’s exact Aquaman workout? Well, a few things…
1. Jason Momoa has been physically active, outdoors, in the wild for years before taking on roles like Conan, Khal Drogo, and Aquaman, so his starting base was already pretty fucking great. Unless you already look pretty fucking great, the exact routine Jason did for Aquaman isn’t going to work for you
2. Jason Momoa won the genetic lottery. He naturally put on muscle for years without ever stepping into a gym: “Before Conan, fitness wise everything came from your general sports and outdoor pursuits. I’ve always loved the outdoors and even when I have to be bigger, I want to be strong yet agile. So, it’s a mix of weights and functional workouts and I incorporate the things I love doing outdoors.” For those of us not as genetically blessed as Jason Momoa, his routine is not optimal.
3. Do you have enough time to be outdoors, playing sports all the time AND hitting the gym whilst working your full-time job? Probably not. With my workout plan, all you need is a gym. No need to chop wood for 3 hours, an hour on a focussed plan will surfice.
4. I don’t know Jason’s exact routine. Sue me.
If you are basically already Jason Momoa, then yes, try and find Jason Momoa’s exact routine and reap the rewards. For the other 99% of you, the workout plan below will be far more beneficial. To truly optimize the workout plan for YOU I would have to do a full fitness assessment and body composition audit. To take this plan and your training to the next step, check out my online training options here.
Alright, time for the good stuff.
The focus of this workout is going to be on muscle building, specifically muscle building in the key areas that will create the Aquaman look.
If you are over 15% body fat then you should also incorporate Energy Systems Training to encourage fat loss. Energy Systems Training can include cardio, HIIT(High-Intensity Interval Training) and metabolic conditioning workouts.
Research suggests that to maximize hypertrophy(increase in muscle size) it is best to do your Energy Systems Training on separate days to your hypertrophy workouts. This optimizes protein synthesis on the days when you are focusing on muscle growth and with correct diet can encourage fat loss on the EST days.
The hypertrophic workouts are broken down into two separate days. If you have below 15% body fat then I suggest alternating between these workouts with a day off between each.
For example:
If you want to include a day or two of Energy Systems Training then Perform these workouts with two days on then two days off with EST on the second ‘day off’.
For example:
Both options you working out 4+ times a week, an optimal frequency for you to hit each muscle group at least twice whilst allowing enough to for your protein synthesis to occur and your muscles to fully recover before the next workout. Never hit the same muscle group within 48 hours of the last workout.
Chest, Shoulders
Back, Legs, Biceps
Your body needs 48 hours rest between heavy lifting sessions to allow your nervous system to recharge. The nervous system is what sends signals to your muscles to contract. The stronger your nervous system is, the more muscle fibers you can recruit. If your nervous system is drained, you won’t be lifting at your true potential.
Incline Smith Machine Press – 3 sets x 10 reps / 3m rest
Incline Cable Bench Press – 3 sets x 8 reps / 3m rest
Cable Flys – 3 sets x 12 reps / 2m rest
Military Press – 4 sets x 10 reps / 3m rest
Lateral Raises – 4 sets x 10 reps / 90s rest
Rope Pushdowns – 4 sets x 10 reps (alternate each workout with Overhead Triceps Extensions) / 90s rest
Back Squats – 3 sets x 10 / 3m rest
Stiff legged Deadlifts – 3 sets x 10 / 3m rest
Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets x 8 / 3m rest
Lat Pull Down – 3 sets x 10 / 2m rest
Bicep Dumbbell Curls – 4 sets x 10 / 90s rest
Cable Hammer curls – 3 sets to failure / 90s rest
Download my FREE 'Aquaman Workout Trainer Notes'
To take your training to the next level, download my ‘Aquaman Workout Trainer Notes’ pdf by clicking the link above. In the extensive notes, I go over optimal technique for each exercise in the Aquaman workout, including cues and tricks to enhance the exercise and make it work for YOU.
Yeeeeeeah, I thought you might say something. I see you mouthing off. Look, if you are doing this routine with perfect form you will also be working your abs plenty. However, the key to a nice six pack is achieving a low body fat percentage. If you have more gas in the tank, compound moves and some EST is going to be more beneficial to you as it will help lower your body fat percentage. If you get to 10% body fat levels and you still don’t like your abs, then you can add in some isolation ab work, but no more than 10 minutes 3x a week. Don’t even think about doing ab exercises unless you are below 12% body fat ya hear?? Focuse on the other stuff first.
Each set should be completed just before failure. Pick a weight that is hard but just about manageable. How does one quantify that? If you can do two reps over the target rep amount if you really had to, then the weight is too light and it needs to be increased. If you keep failing at 2 reps before the target rep amount then the weight is too heavy for you and needs to be lowered.
For example: The prescribed number of reps is 10. You force yourself to continue and manage to complete 12 without sacrificing form. Increase the weight on the nest set. This is your new default weight.
This workout program is NOT recommended for a beginner, mainly due to the overall volume that it requires. If you are a beginner, an easy way to adapt this program is to adjust the overall volume by reducing the number of total sets per workout. Workout 1 has 21 total sets and workout 2 has 19 total sets. Reduce each workout by 5 sets overall and you have a more appropriate routine for beginners. Preferably take one set off each exercise.
Let me know if this Aquaman workout plan does the job for you! Leave a comment below.
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @benjaminstonefit for more fitness advice and workout plans.
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