The ‘Solo Leveling’ workout, explained

Solo Leveling, the webtoon turned anime written by Chugong, is one of the most popular isekai series right now. If you’re out of the loop, just one look at the powerful main character Sung Jin-woo is enough to make anyone understand the hype. 

Like many of our favorite overpowered anime protagonists, Jin-woo didn’t start out all that powerful. After a near-death experience, the System chose to give Jin-woo the unique chance to level up in strength (hence the series’ title). To achieve god-like power, Jin-woo is given different tasks to complete with rewards if he succeeds and penalties if he fails. 

While I’m not saying following Jin-woo’s workout will turn you into a god (nor will failing to complete it send you to a Penalty Zone), following workouts inspired by your favorite characters can be a fun way to motivate yourself to get active. The workout the System assigns Jin-woo at the beginning of the series so that he can become a “formidable combatant” is difficult but more doable than completing dungeons IRL.

Disclaimer, before we get into what the workout entails: every person’s workout needs are different and results will vary. You do not need to adhere to this workout to meet whatever fitness goals you have. Movement should be fun and enjoyable; if at any point you feel pain while attempting this workout, stop and consider consulting a medical professional. This workout is just a suggestion and modifying it to better suit your own level is totally fine and recommended. 

Okay, let’s get into the Solo Leveling workout. 

What is the Solo Leveling workout?

The Solo Leveling workout is the daily workout Jin-woo does at the very beginning of the series. The workout is assigned to him by the System and consists of doing 100 reps each of different exercises along with a 10km run. Here is the complete workout: 

• 100 Push-ups
• 100 Curl Ups/Sit-ups 
• 100 Squats
• 10K Run 

Some translations of the workout include curl-ups twice but this is a translation error from what I can gather. Of course, you can do two sets of curl-ups or sit-ups if you want – this is your workout after all! If you’re familiar with Saitama’s workout from One-Punch Man, you’ll find the Solo Leveling workout is nearly identical.

In Solo Leveling, Jin-woo does this workout daily for an undisclosed period of time. While it’s definitely possible to do this workout, I don’t recommend doing it long-term. Doing any workout every single day without accounting for rest days is not sustainable and can result in burnout at best or injury at worst. If you do try this workout, remember to have fun and modify it if necessary.