I’m going to start this post off by saying – I’m a grown man who watches cartoons… Perhaps even sadder, I’m a grown man who sees cartoon characters and thinks “Man, he must be pretty fit“.
So for my own weird sense of entertainment I’ve devised a list of who, in my opinion, are fittest and buffest cartoon characters.
There are 10, in no particular order (as I know you may be very passionate on this subject, I don’t want to offend anyone and their beliefs!), with a look at why they’re so fit, and perhaps what we could learn from them!
He Man
He-Man and The Masters of the Universe
Seriously, look at this guy, he’s huge, has a six pack and throws a massive (and heavy looking) sword around. Apparently he’s the strongest man in the universe, so no one ever says anything to upset him, like how gay his blond mullet hair is or the pink shirt he wears off-duty. Face it, he’s too bad ass.
I think it’s amusing that his arch nemesis is a guy who quite literally has no muscle mass (Skeletor), a bit of a statement about the benefits of bodybuilding and having a lot of muscle.
I think we can learn from him: throw heavy things around and you’ll get big. Easy & simple - learn more about building muscle here!
Stan Smith
American Dad!
Stan Smith is impulsive, patriotic and loves to mix things up (something new every week). He’s got a powerfully built upper body and probably the biggest chin anyone has ever seen. He’s a CIA agent always up for more action, and danger. He fights for his country, and this has kept him in shape (mostly, he looks like he’s let himself go a little).
What can we learn from Stan? Mix things up, go where the action is, and finally – even if you think you’ll suck at something, try it anyway!
American Dad Thinks He’s David Belle from Take Flight on Vimeo.
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor
He’s a bit no-nonsense, and he puts up a hell of a fight against the big guy Bluto when trying to get Olive Oyl’s attention! Popeye shows us that the little guy can win over the big guy! Although he’s not to most handsome looking fella, his massively built forearms are what get him the respect he deserves.
Popeye teaches us a 2 main things:
1. Eat lots and lots of Spinach - spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world, so mix up some salads, throw in some spinach and hoe it down. Or if you’re feeling particularly hardcore, just down it like popeye does – in one hit, all by itself.
2. Keep working on developing good forearm and grip strength, it get your hands on some Hand Grippers
Goku
Dragon Ball Z
Goku Practices Martial Arts and has super-human strength, need I say more? Well I will – he also possesses super-human speed, flexibility and has amazing control over his Chi (using it he can perform energy blasts). He’s an all-round athlete!
Goku teaches us that practicing martial arts is good for overall fitness (did I mention super human strength, speed and flexibility?) Also he teaches us that you can talk your way out of a conflict (even if it takes a few weeks) before having to turn Super Saiyan (that basically means adrenaline rush, getting pissed off) and fight your way out.
Hulk
He’s big and literally throws around objects many times his size. Hulk has explosive strength and ability that is unrivalled (sorry He-Man). However his anger issues reak of ‘Roid-Rage’ and coupled with his green skin pretty much cements the theory of Steroid Abuse. So although he is powerful, the lessons learned from Hulk may be more preventative than proactive.
We learn that:
1. Don’t take Steroids
I don’t care if you do, but honestly, if you want to big that badly that you’re going to risk your health, as well as the possibility of green skin, you may as well throw your little ‘hulk tanty’ now because people won’t take you seriously as an athlete, just as a cheat. Be someone with real guts, train hard and do it naturally.
2. Throw around heavy weights in an explosive fashion .
Increased muscle mass comes from overloading the muscle and triggering growth. Explosive compound movements like The Big Three are perfect for this.
3. Wear Stretchy Pants
Well maybe not stretchy, but anything that allows you to move around without the fear of rippage, and people seing your jocks (or worse – nothing, but that’s your choice)
4. Control Your Temper
You’ll look like an idiotic monster if you do. Scary, but not respectable.
Shredder
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Shredder is a bit of a prick. He basically tries to kill some teenagers who have obvious personal identity problems due to their mutated form, and he does so with sharp and I’m assuming painful blades that he wears quite literally everywhere. But this is why he’s so fit – not only is he trained in martial arts but he basically carries heavy metal everywhere he goes. He fights in it, walks in it and possibly even sleeps in it. So if you train martial arts, that’s good, my lesson from Shredder would be:
Wear and train in a Weighted vest
Johnny Bravo
Johnny is that guy inside all of us who’d like to get buff and cruise around pickin’ up chicks. The only problem is that he usually fails, and instead is being chased by a girl about a third his age.
But he’s still built and still get’s around in that tight black shirt most of us have tried to wear at least once after a few months of weight lifting.
We can’t really learn much from him other than don’t be an overly tight T-Shirt wearing douche.
Groundskeeper Willie
Willie: Lunch Lady Dorris, do ye have any Grease?
LL Dorris: Yes, Yes We do.
Willie: THAN GREASE ME UP WOMAN!
LL Dorris: Okey Dokey.
Willie is like a buff guy in disguise. On the surface he seems like a slim, grouchy Red-headed Scot, until he rips off his shirt and becomes a ripped, buff grouchy Red-headed Scot! Willie’s like the everyday superhero we all wish we could be, he’s in shit hot shape and often wrestles with wild animals (including the wee turtles!).
Willie teaches us if you can look good and get greased up before springing into action, then why the hell not? If you’ve got the shape, show it off! For example:
Wolverine
Wolverine’s animal instincts combined with awesome strength are what make him so lethal. He’s built, and although he wears yellow tights and mask, he ain’t no pretty boy. He is a mutant and his power is healing, which would be a huge advantage when lifting weights, he could basically train 10 times as often as the rest of us, get fitter and show hardly any signs of ageing. So although this is probably the worst explanation of Wolverine the history of character info but I do have a point (I do make valid points occasionally, it’s not all just rambling.) -
Wolverine teaches us 2 things:
1. Recovery is massively important
Because wolverine heals, he is able to get fit quite easy and not age. So there’s a hint, take some time to relax and recover, and you’ll see similar results. Without this time to heal, you’ll get old very quick, both on the outside and the inside.
2. You don’t have to be prettily shaven to look good with muscle.
Wear your chest hair, a stubble and although there’s nothing wrong with shaving to show off your hairs to better reveal your hard earned muscle, try going a different way. Show off your chest hair, some women love it!
He’s an animal! So learn form him and go primal!
Archer
Archer
Archer is the man. He’s a secret agent, he’s fit and he quite simply just doesn’t care what other people think and does whatever the hell he wants.
If he wants a drink or to shag some hot chick, he’ll go for gold. His skills are ‘totally ninja’ despite the fact he proclaims that he isn’t as highly trained as other agents in the field, and claims that it’s his shear awesomeness that makes him the man.
What can we learn from Archer?
A lot like Stan Smith, just go for it. If you want to try something, have confidence and just give it a go. If you want to jump in and try a sport do it. Keep a positive mind and remind yourself that it’s easy (even if it isn’t), because you friggin’ rock!
If all you do is tell yourself something is too hard then you simply won’t do it. Never sell yourself short, and don’t take life too seriously.
Hope you enjoyed my kind of pointless post on cartoons!
If you did then drop a comment or connect on Facebook… Please? I’ll be your best friend!
Thanks for reading.
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