Ryusaki Style: Early Training
The Turtle Hermit Way: How to do Turtle Hermit Training in Real Life
Goku and Vegeta’s gravity room training was cool and all, but Goku and Krillin’s Turtle Hermit Training under Master Roshi takes the cake as my most favorite training in all of Dragon Ball.
So today’s question is this:
What is Master Roshi’s Turtle Hermit training?
and
How can we apply it in real life?
So grab your weighted turtle shell and take note because today I am going to cover the Turtle Hermit way.
Let’s get started.
The Turtle Hermit Way: How to do Turtle Hermit Training in Real Life
To be truly great fighters you must go beyond the limits of normal people… and that’s no cake walk!!” – Master Roshi
Much like the training in karate kid, Turtle Hermit training isn’t really martial arts training at all, but an intense series of daily tasks that in turn, make you a better fighter.
Unlike karate kid however, Master Roshi’s training didn’t teach the boys how to move per se, but how to gain enough strength to surpass human limits and become indestructible!!
The goal was to be so much harder and stronger than your opponent that they stand absolutely no chance against you at all!
Tasks included things like delivering milk to an island’s 300 inhabitants whilst running from dinosaurs, plowing fields by hand, doing construction work, and swimming laps in a shark infested lake.
Now we all know that this theory doesn’t actually work in real life (there’s no way of becoming that strong) but being harder and stronger than the you of yesterday is always a great feeling.
It’s a victory in of of life’s daily battles…
the battle against oneself.
And that’s a battle we can all win just so long as we put in the time and effort to be just a little bit better everyday.
Turtle Hermit training daily schedule
Early morning training
Wake up at 4:30 am
The first task of the day was to wake up at 4:30am and get right to work.
It takes discipline for sure, as we are programmed to take the easy route in basically everything we do, and not sleeping in goes against the grain of a life of ease.
But it’s a necessary evil if you want to have victory over yourself and win the day.
Milk delivery
The next task in the day of a Turtle Hermit trainee, is to deliver milk to the island’s 300 inhabitants before breakfast.
Simple in theory – however the island that they are delivering milk on involves trekking across a lake, balancing across a log bridge, running from hungry dinosaurs, hiking through desert sand, and finally climbing a mountain worth of stairs to make their final delivery all before breakfast.
As to how this builds a stronger body, it’s quite simple.
Carrying around crates of milk over the course of a couple hours builds upper body strength. Running from hungry dinosaurs builds speed and quickness. Walking across a narrow bridge trains balance. Treading through waist deep water and climbing a thousand stairs builds the legs, and all of it combined builds endurance and mental toughness.
Once all of the milk is delivered the boys are out of breath and ready to pass out, however, this is only the conclusion their early morning training.
Mid morning training
Plowing a field with bare hands
The next task of the daily Turtle Hermit training schedule is to plow a giant field with their bare hands.
This builds stamina, dexterity, hand and finger strength, as well as teaches the trainees how to power through the pain and get the job done no matter how you are feeling.
This task takes up to a couple hours, depending on the size of the field.
Next, the boys move onto breakfast.
Working and training hard definitely builds an appetite, and now it’s time to eat!!
Interestingly enough much like I do, the Turtle Hermit training schedule involves pushing breakfast late into the day, intermittent fasting style.
This way of eating makes it super simple to stay lean and mean, as well as creates mental toughness and discipline because “if you can deny yourself food you can deny yourself anything.”
After breakfast, they boys move on to learning and school work, because as stated by Master Roshi:
A strong body is useless if you don’t know how to use it.
Finally, they move onto lunch and an early afternoon nap, to get well rested up for the next phase of their daily training schedule.
Mid afternoon training
Construction work
After napping, the boys move onto a couple hours of construction work.
According to Master Roshi:
Construction work builds balance and muscle size, as well earn you boys a couple bucks!”
Unlike the field plowing, this time tools are allowed to be used just so long as they aren’t power tools.
This involves a lot of shoveling, breaking up the ground with a pick axe, hauling loads in wheel barrows, and
If you know anyone who works a physical labor job or have even done construction work yourself, you’ll know that this type of work is a training session in it of itself.
Upon coming to America, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu actually worked construction jobs in between their two daily training sessions.
Needless to say physical labor is a great way to train!!
Late afternoon training
Laps in the lake
Swimming is a great way to build endurance, cardio, and aid in recovery.
With the Turtle Hermit training, the boys were to swim 10 laps back and forth across a lake.
The kicker with this one however is that the lake was infested with sharks!!
This forced them to swim as fast as possible turning a day of training into a game of survival.
Speed and agility training
The final part of their daily training schedule involved being tethered to a tree whilst dodging angry killer bees.
This was to train their reflexes and dodging skills.
I’d think there’s a safer and more efficient way to do this, but hey, I’m not the master.
How to incorporate Turtle Hermit training in real life
Obviously we won’t be able to follow the Turtle Hermit style of training to a T.
I know I for one don’t have 16 hours a day to train, nor do I have dinosaurs to run from or feel like being stung by a nest of killer bees.
What we can do however, is incorporate the principles of Turtle Hermit training into our weekly lives and use them to grow stronger!!
From watching the show as I wrote the article the principles of Turtle Hermit training are this:
- Become as strong as humanly possible
- Work on speed, endurance, and agility
- Train your mind through learning
- Build the mental toughness and discipline so that you can laugh in the face of pain and accomplish anything you set your mind to!
Becoming as strong as humanly possible
Carry a weight for distance
To replicate the early morning milk delivery part of their training, grab a weight and carry it for a distance.
This can be anything from weight plates to heavy sandbags, just grab something heavy and carry it for as long as possible!!
A 45 pound plate held out to front works great as the boys had to hold the crates of milk in front of themselves during deliveries. When tired of holding the plate out front, hold it overhead to build shoulder strength and endurance.
A punching bag bear hugged or thrown over your shoulder works great as well, and will test your lungs and build endurance.
You can also hold light dumbbells at your side and take them for a walk to serve the same purpose.
My recommendation would to be to perform 4 mornings a week for at least 20 minutes a session. Rotate through what you are carrying to change things up regularly and avoid overuse injuries from doing the same movements over and over again. As you become stronger, increase workout duration to keep building endurance and general physical preparedness.
Light – moderately heavy strongman training
Use this in place of some aspects of the milk delivery as well as the construction work.
Strongman training is a great, functional way to get insanely strong!!
With this I am choosing to go light or only moderately heavy because we are looking for a happy medium here between doing strength and endurance training to kill two birds with one stone.
I would do 3-4 strongman sessions a week.
Rather than focusing on max weight however, the focus here is to go lighter and move as quickly as possible for the longest amount of time. Rest as little as possible and put in work for around an hour before consuming a high calorie meal.
Sample strongman workouts
- Farmer’s carries. Load up a farmer walk bar or grab a set of dumbbells. Take them for a walk for either distance or for a set amount of time. These build grip strength, back and trap strength, legs, lungs, and fortitude.
- Stone loading. If you’ve ever watched a strongman competition, stone loading is the event where they pick up heavy stones from the ground and load them onto a platform. This is another full body muscle and strength builder that is not for the faint of heart.
- Stone carry. Pick up a heavy stone and take it for a walk across the yard.
- Yoke. Load up a heavy yoke and walk for distance.
- Log cleans and presses. Pretty self explanatory, just need access to a log.
- Sandbag training. Use a heavy sandbag for cleans and presses, throw it on your shoulder and walk with it, lunge with it, throw it. The possibilities are endless.
- Sled work. Load up a sled with weights and push it, walk with it, sprint with it, or attach a rope and pull hand over hand. This really fires up the lats and biceps!!
- Tire flips.
Endurance training
Once or twice per week perform some sort of cardiovascular endurance work.
This can be in the form of running, swimming, or biking.
Obviously we aren’t going to go swim with the sharks or run from a dinosaur, but you can get into the mindset that something is after you and get it done!!
Alternate between bouts of distance and sprints in each workout to challenge yourself and build speed as well.
Cultivating mental toughness and laughing in the face of pain
This can be done in a number of ways, but here are my top 3:
- Cold showers – Cold showers wake you up, make you feel invigorated, and because they’re uncomfortable, teach mental toughness by forcing yourself to nut up and do something that you don’t want to do.
- Fasting – You all know I’m a big fan of regular fasting! Fasting creates mental toughness and discipline by denying yourself a highly accessible pleasure and as I stated earlier – “If you can deny yourself food you can deny yourself anything.”
Waking up before the sun – Again, waking up before 5 or 6 every morning creates a habit of self discipline that can’t be beat!!
- Light Jog- 1/2 Mile
- Skipping- 1 and 1/2 Miles
- Zigzagging- 1 Mile
- Climbing Steps- 1,000 Steps
- Balance Walking- 100 Yards
- High Knee Walking- 1/2 Mile
- Sprint- ALL OUT!!
- Tilling By Hand- 1 Hour
- Eat, Rest, Study*
Afternoon**
- Front Carry w/50-100 lbs– 5 x 50 yards
- Sledgehammer Swings– 200 Each Side
- Wheelbarrow Push w/100-250 lbs– 5 x 100 yards
- Overhead Carry w/50-100lbs– 5 x 100 yards
- Farmer’s Walk w/50-150lbs per hand– 5 x 50 yards
- Swim 1 Mile
- 5 Minute Dodging Practice
Notes:
- 2-7 for the morning training are meant to be completed while holding 45lbs of weight (ideally very compact) in front of you to simulate delivering milk. However, it is best if you do not start with this, but instead do the training without any weight. Eventually, when you feel as though the training is getting easier, add some weight to it. However, I imagine there are those who will go ahead and use the weight anyway… so, to those people I say, “Be very careful and pace yourself.” Enough said.
- 1-5 for the afternoon training can be substituted for 4 hours of manual labor with no power tools. Carpentry, masonry, general construction, cutting trees, chopping wood, or anything that is going to be hard labor for the length of time.
- If you do not know how to skip, it would be best if you looked up a video of how to do it properly.
- For the zigzagging, the width of your zigzag will be about 25-30 feet. You can do so at about a 45 degree angle along your course, although you can do a more obtuse angle, perhaps around 75 degrees, if you want to make it harder.
- I realize it is extremely difficult to find a staircase with 1,000 steps, so if you have a stair climber of any sort, it would be extremely useful. If not, you’ll have to find the largest set of stairs you can and work your way up and down. I’m not so evil as to say you can’t count the steps down, though. Alternatively, you could count your steps up a very steep hill or on a high grade on a treadmill.
- For balance walking, you can walk atop a curb, or anything that is about the width of your foot, or if you can find a fallen tree, you can walk it back and forth until you reach the distance listed.
- High knee walking means you are lifting your knees high every time you step, like you are trying to walk through deep mud.
- When you sprint, try to put everything you have left into it.
- Tilling by hand seems extremely difficult; however, if you start off in a softer ground and work your way to a harder ground, you’ll find it much easier on yourself. You could also make a trench in sand or gravel for a change-up in training. The main idea, though, is to be able to make a trench on solid dirt ground.
- Eat well, take a 30 minute to 1 hour rest (you should probably nap) and study something. It doesn’t have to be math or science. What you study could be fighting or fitness, or using your Nintendo DS to play BrainAge. Just something to get your brain moving like your body was.
- The afternoon workout is essentially the previous Roshi’s Training.
- For dodging practice, it is best to have a partner throw tennis balls at you.
- I forgot to add this previously, but if you ever feel like you are getting used to this training, wear a 40lb weighted vest or backpack for everything but the swim. If that gets easy, up it to 80lbs. Obviously, I would recommend doing like 5lb increments, but the two massive jumps were what Master Roshi did to Krillin and Goku.
- Updated the program to be a little more like the show.
Rock Lee Stats:
Height: Part One: 5’2-5’3 Part Two: 5’6
Weight: Part One: 103 lbs Part Two: 121 lbs
Real Name: Rock Lee
Powers: Yes
Rock Lee is a bit taller and heavier than Naruto in both Part One and Part Two.
Although I suppose that’s not very hard..
Vegeta were tied Wolverine for 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.
Rock Lee Diet and Nutrition
**Keep in mind: this section will be nearly identical for each hero, unless I mentioned differently (for example someone like Hulk may get something specifically different)**
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.
Rock Lee 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.
First and foremost we’ll jump into a bit of a background biography for Rock Lee.
This might shed some light on why Lee is such a fan favorite.
Here’s what his Wiki Fandom tells us:
a shinobi of Konohagakure’s Lee clan and a member of Team Guy. Unlike most shinobi, he lacked the skills necessary to use ninjutsu or genjutsu. However, he overcomes those shortcomings by undergoing special training from Might Guy that would make him a taijutsu master while still a genin.
They continue to move into a bit of a deeper biography, stating:
During his time in the Academy, Lee proved to have no talent for ninjutsu and genjutsu. When he was mocked by his peers because of this, Lee persevered, focusing on taijutsu. After he succeeded in graduating he was added to Team Guy along with Neji Hyūga and Tenten. During the team’s first meeting, Lee vowed to become a powerful ninja without using ninjutsu or genjutsu. Neji laughed at him, but their sensei, Might Guy, took a special interest in Lee. He encouraged Lee to keep at it and, in time, began teaching him powerful forms of taijutsu.
It’s also nice to make note to the fact that Lee’s personality is told as being “energetic, optimistic, and hot-blooded, and shows the epitome of a nice guy.”
Which definitely sounds like a character I can support.
I also specifically remember him being extremely motivated and never giving up, regardless of what was thrown his way; which is one of the reasons I agree with all our members of The SHJ Army pushing for his routine.
For that reason, I will be including circuits that are quite brutal to train us to keep pushing the way Rock Lee would during his own training.
Digging a bit deeper into his Wiki Fandom they also give us some background on his abilities and physical prowess.
For his ability section they state:
During his time in the Academy, Lee’s performance was looked down upon for his inability to use either ninjutsu or genjutsu. Guy, who sensed in Lee the same hardships and determination he had as a child, took him on as a student, encouraging and training him to help him achieve his dream of becoming a splendid ninja. Under Guy’s tutelage, Lee improves greatly as a late bloomer by Part I; evidenced when he defeated Sasuke Uchiha (a natural prodigy), posed a challenge against Gaara in the Chūnin Exams, and held his own against Kimimaro. As a chūnin, he was capable of defeating the legendary taijutsu master Chen, as well as destroy a meteorite by himself. By adulthood, he had advanced to the rank of jōnin.
They continue to tell us about his physical prowess, writing:
Since discovering he has no talent for ninjutsu and genjutsu, Lee has made it his life’s dream to become a famous ninja who uses taijutsu. With gruelling training and unwavering support from Might Guy, Lee developed great proficiency in the art, becoming a taijutsu master as a child using the Strong Fist fighting style. Lee’s arduous training has given him strength great enough to unearth a massive tree root from the ground, and speed fast enough to outpace a two-tomoe Sharingan. As per his training, Lee has worn heavy ankle weights, which when removed, increases his speed vastly, enabling him to become the first person ever to bypass Gaara’s Shield of Sand and strike him. He could also intercept a charge from Haku, a shinobi known for his own high speed. As a chūnin, Lee learned to perform the Leaf Great Gale (木ノ葉大烈風, Konoha Daireppū). In the anime, due to Lee’s extensive training, he has shown to be able to run and fight even while unconscious or asleep, using nothing but pure muscle memory. As an adult, Lee is considered to be one of Konoha’s best taijutsu users.
So the two things that really stand out about Lee’s abilities are:
- Strength
- Speed
Which is exactly what we’ll be focusing on.
We’ll be lifting heavier than we’ve seen most of our other Naruto characters lift, and we’ll also be incorporating speed training as well, while still focusing in on the acrobatic/calisthenic type work that we’ve seen shine through in most of our anime routines.
Think you can handle it?
Rock Lee Workout Routine
Training Volume:
6 days per week
Explanation:
We will be focusing in on strength and circuit training (remember what I said about never giving up like Lee?) for 4 days a week, which will also help our speed, but then we will also be specifically targeting our speed training 2 days a week, with some extra calisthenics on top.
Want To Upgrade This Workout?
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Rock Lee Workout: Sample Workout Schedule
Monday: Chest, Triceps and Circuit Training
Tuesday: Legs, Calves and Circuit Training
Wednesday: Speed Training and Calisthenics
Thursday: Shoulder, Traps and Circuit Training
Friday: Back, Biceps and Circuit Training
Saturday: Speed Training and Calisthenics
Sunday: Mandatory Rest Day
**Speed Training and Calisthenics is at the Bottom**
Rock Lee Workout: Chest, Triceps and Circuit Training
Warm Up:
800m Jog
Workout:
Bench Press
4×10
Close Grip Bench Press
4×10
Incline Press (DB or Machine)
3×10
Reverse Grip Cable Pushdown
3×10
Circuit:
60 Push Ups
50 Kettlebell Swings
40 Box Jumps
30 Cable Flyes
20 Burpees
10 Dumbbell Pullovers
Rock Lee Workout: Legs, Calves and Circuit Training
Warm Up:
800m Jog
Workout:
Leg Press
4×10
Calf Raises on Leg Press Machine
4×10
Squats (Back, Front, Hack, Landmine or Goblet)
3×10
Hamstring Curls or Kickbacks
3×10
Circuit:
3 Rounds:
10 Double Unders
20 Plank to Push Ups
10 Pistol Squats [Total]
5 Heavy Glute Bridges
20 Second Sprint
30 Second Rest
Rock Lee Workout: Shoulders, Traps and Circuit Training
Warm Up:
800m Jog
Workout:
Hang Cleans
4×10
Barbell Shrugs
4×10
Arnold Press (Standing or Seated)
3×10
Front Raises w/ Plate
3×10
Circuit:
5 Rounds:
5 Push Ups
5 Sit Ups
5 Chin Ups
5 Burpees
5 Dips
5 Jump Squats
Rock Lee Workout: Back, Biceps and Circuit Training
Warm Up:
800m Jog
Workout:
Deadlift
4×10
Preacher Curls
4×10
Bent Over Rows
3×10
Cable Hammer Curls w/ Rope
3×10
Circuit:
70 Calorie Row
60 Second Plank
50 Single Arm DB Snatches (25 Each Arm)
40 Jump Ropes
30 Chin Ups
20 Kettlebell Swings
10 Hanging Leg Raises
Rock Lee Workout: Speed Training and Calisthenics
Speed Training:
(Shared from Kid Flash’s Routine)
- Hill Sprints
- Beginner: Complete 3-5 reps. “Remember, this is pure explosiveness, so it should be difficult,” Bradshaw says. You can always increase the time for fewer reps, too. Completely recover between reps. Take about 3-5 minutes in between.
- Advanced: Complete 5-6 reps, taking 3-5 minutes rest in between each rep
- Interval Runs
- Beginner:– run 50 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 100 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 150 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 200 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 250 meters– walk/jog 50 meters
- Advanced: Complete the same workout above, only go “up and down” the ladder. Once you run 250 meters, work your way back down (200m, 150m, 100m, 50m).
- Fartleks (Swedish for “speed play”) – 15 minute workout:
- Beginner:– 1-minute run– 1-min walk/jog– 2-minute run– 2-minute walk/jog– 3-minute run– 2-minute walk/jog– 4-minute run– 3-minute walk/jog– 5-minute run– 3-minute walk/jog
- Advanced: Follow the same workout pattern above—1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, and 5 minutes—only with a 2-minute jog for active recovery between each. Once you’ve reached 5 minutes and completed the 2-minute recovery, go back down the ladder and complete 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute.
- Sprints – Short and Long
- How to do a long-sprint workout: For long sprints that’ll tap into your speed endurance, do 2-3 sessions per week.
- Beginner: Complete 6-8 sprints of 100 meters at 75%-80% effort. (“This means you can utter a few words, but can’t maintain a conversation,” Bradshaw says.) Recover for 50-60 seconds between reps.
- Advanced: Complete 8-10 sprints of 100 meters at 80-85% effort. At this intensity, you’re pushing very hard, but not going as fast/hard as you can. Recover for 45 seconds in between reps.
- How to do a long-sprint workout: For long sprints that’ll tap into your speed endurance, do 2-3 sessions per week.
- Beginner: Complete 3 sprints of 300 meters at 75% effort. Recover for 3 minutes between sprints.
- Advanced: Do two sets, each 3 sprints of 300 meters at 75% effort. Recover for 2-3 minutes between sprints, and 5 minutes between sets.
Calisthenics Training:
Push Ups
4×25
Sit Ups
4×20
Lunges
4×15 (each leg)
Dips
4×10
Chin Ups
4×5-8
One Punch Man inspired bodyweight bodybuilding workout:
- 100 push ups in as few sets as possible
- 100 pull ups or chin ups in as few sets as possible*
- 100 hanging leg raises or jackknives in as few sets as possible*
- 100 air squats in as few sets as possible
*alternate between pull ups and chin ups; hanging leg raises and jackknives each time the workout is performed. Rest as needed between exercises but keep try and keep it as minimal as possible.
One Punch Man short sprint workout:
After an adequate warm up (dynamic stretching, light jog), perform 6-10 bouts of 100 meters of sprinting. Rest as needed between sets and cool down with a light jog.
One Punch Man long sprint workout:
After an adequate warm up (dynamic stretching, light jog), perform 4-5 bouts of 400 meters of sprinting. Rest as needed between sprints and cool down with a light jog.
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