A Guest Post by Dan Trongone 

Ah, Halloween. A time of fantasy when young and old unite to forget their problems, binge on candy, and dress in silly (or slutty) costumes.

Superhero costumes will always stand the test of time for man and young boys. There is something exhilarating about putting on a pair of tights and a cape.

My favorite comic book character, hands down, is Batman. Bats has a Rogues Gallery far more frightening than his comrades in the Justice League.

The Joker? Two-Face? Killer Croc? Yikes.

But Bane?

Now that's a beast.

Not only is this monster massive in size and stature... he's also hopped up on venom (1,000 doses of steroids).

Two Very Different Struggles

So how the Hell is Batman even deal with this monster of man? What kind of physical training would Batman use to prepare for the fight of his life?

Conversely, how would Bane prepare to break the Bat? His job might sound easy after this description, but Batman definitely isn't an easy guy to kill (dude has an unlimited trust fund to buy deadly gadgets with, and also he's a NINJA, duh).

Batman's Goal: Drag the fight out as long as possible and wear the brute down.  He's not going to win a fight decided by strength.  

Bane's Goal: End it as quickly as possible with a powerful life-ending blow.  He's not going to win a battle of stealth and endurance. 

How would these guys -- with their different strengths, weaknesses, and goals -- train in a gym?  Also, what can we learn about focus and intelligent planning in our own training from the Dark Knight?

The Batman Workout

Batman needs to drag this shit out; so he must be agile, flexible, balanced, and powerful.

He must be prepared to deliver well-timed strikes on his opponent on any terrain in any weather (there is no telling where this fight will go down).

But since a lot of Batman's time is spent in the shadows tailing his opponents – and hitting them with the element of surprise – he also requires alertness and concentration.

My prescription? Circuit training.

Do compound exercises in the 6-10 repetition range until near-failure with barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells.

One Option: Density (time-based) Training.

Set a timer. Bang out as many barbell squats as possible in 30 seconds. Don't rest. Immediately jump into a single-arm dumbbell row and perform as many as possible in 30 seconds.

The goal: Increase the weight on each set to boost your work capacity, or bang out more reps with the same weight. The more output, the more you're stretching yourself, the stronger you're getting. Progressive overload at its finest.

For Agility: Perform some shuttle runs, agility ladders, TRX, or ring work.

For Alertness: Finish your workout with some yoga poses, focusing closely on your breathing pattern, and emptying your mind of all thoughts and distractions.

The Bane Workout

Bane wants to end this fight as quickly as possible, he needs to focus on strength and explosiveness.

My prescription? Compound big lifts in a low rep range.

Make sure you hit every body part: back, chest, shoulders, and lower body.

Perform the following lifts: squats, bench press, weighted pull-ups, military press, and dead-lifts.

Do a push, pull, and lower body lift in every workout.

Perform 5 sets of 3-6 repetitions of each exercise.

Take at least 2 minutes in between each set, but you're welcome to go up to 5 minutes if strength is #1 priority.

For Explosiveness: Finish off with a set of treadmill hill sprints. Warm up walking for 2 minutes. Step to the sides and crank the speed up to 8 MPH and incline up to 20%. Holding on to the sides, hop on the belt, and run for 30 seconds. Jump back to the sides and rest for 10 seconds. Keep repeating until you finish 8-10 sets.

Always train smart with a specific goal in mind.

Know Your Goal and Train with Focus

If Batman prepared for a fight of strength, Bane would smash his back to pieces.

If Bane prepared for an endurance match, Batman would run circles around him, wearing the monster down without a sweat.

They understand the fight they're walking into, and have an intelligent goal in mind. Do you?  

About the Author

Dan Trongone  graduated from Ithaca college in 1999 with a bachelors degree in exercise science with a concentration in cardiac rehabilitation.

During his years working as a health and fitness specialist in commercial, corporate, and rehabilitation settings, he became certified in spinning and a national strength and conditioning specialist.

Dan also further enhanced his education by obtaining his MBA in Project Management.

He has worked with clients of all types ranging from men to women, young to old, general fitness to special populations including athletes and spinal cord injuries. Dan has taught in a one on one setting, small group setting, to large lecture audiences.

The best skill he has is the ability to talk to anyone on their level while ensuring important information of health and wellness is being relayed to the client.

Check out Dan's website Strong 1 here.  You're also welcome to connect with him on Facebook.

Dig this post? Click here to share this nerdgasm and free weight lifting training program with your friends.

Click here to claim your free online course, Mindfulness Made Simple.

Want to contribute? Email thewallenway [at] gmail [dot] com with a 50 word summary of your blog, story, list post, or work of art.

Tags: batman, batman vs bane, weight lifting