Herschel Walker’s Workout Routine (Become a BEAST with Bodyweight Training)

Herschel Walker is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He’s big, he’s fast, and he has killer instincts.

He stands over six feet tall, weighs 225 pounds, and looks like he’s carved from stone.

Just one look at the guy and you’d think he must bench press 500 pounds to build a body like that, right?

Wrong.

Herschel doesn’t lift weights. Believe it or not, he’s barely stepped foot in a gym.

He built himself up to Herculean proportions with bodyweight exercises.

Legend has it he does 1,500 push ups and 3,000 sit ups a day.

The beauty of bodyweight exercises is their variety. There’s always a new, challenging way to train.

This article contains over 40 bodyweight exercise variations hand-picked from Herschel Walker’s training arsenal.

We’ll also tap into the mind of this cyborg athlete to see what makes him tick.

Herschel Walker personifies grit.

His obsessive drive, competitive spirit and relentless work ethic fueled his ascent to greatness.

He’s a record-shattering NFL running back, a Track and Field superstar, Olympic athlete, undefeated Mixed Martial Artist, and all-around badass dude.

But he didn’t start out that way…

The Beginning of a Legend: Herschel Walker’s Early Years

Herschel Walker was born March 3rd, 1962 in Wrightsville, Georgia.

He was born poor and was picked on growing up because he was a kid fat with a stuttering problem.

Herschel found athletics to be a healthy outlet and channeled his rage into training.

There was no money to buy weights so Herschel did push-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight squats, sit-ups and sprints to get stronger.

Every day he did more reps than the day before, eventually working up to 3500 push-ups and 1500 sit-ups per workout.

Herschel Walker trained this way day after day, year after year.

The countless repetitions paid off. By the time he was in highschool he was an absolute force of nature.

He dominated the football field, shattered records, and led his team to a State Championship victory his senior year.

Later that year he graduated as Valedictorian of his class and committed to the University of Georgia on a football scholarship.

Not bad for a black man growing up in the South during the civil rights struggle and didn’t have a pot to piss in because he was so broke.

The Herschel Walker Era at the University of Georgia

Herschel Walker continued to kick ass at the collegiate level.

He was a decorated track and field athlete and was the starting running back for the Georgia Bulldogs.

It was at this time when Herschel showed the world his true measure of athleticism. He was lightning quick and built like a Mack Truck – a combination that made him lethal on the football field.

He out-ran or ran-over entire defenses as a Freshman. As time went on he only became more imposing. For three consecutive years he was the cornerstone of Georgia’s offensive attack and special teams return units.

During Herschel’s time at Georgia, his Bulldogs ended an undefeated season by winning the College Football National Championship, he was voted 3-time All-American, won a Heisman Trophy, and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

After three years of utter domination, Herschel got bored of delivering so much ass-kicking that he decided to enter the professional draft for an actual challenge.

So, instead of playing his senior year at Georgia, Herschel joined the New Jersey Generals, a professional United States Football League team owned at that time by Supreme Leader Donald Trump.

Herschel Walker’s Professional Football Career

Herschel Walker played two seasons in the United States Football League, until he was drafted into the National Football League by the Dallas Cowboys.

He played for four teams while in the NFL and racked up some impressive stats by rushing, receiving, and returning the football for 25,283 all-purpose yards (USFL and NFL combined stats.) Proving once again that even the best defenders were minor obstacles to him.

Apparently Herschel wasn’t satisfied striking fear into every defensive player in the league, so between football seasons, Mr. Walker found time to Bobsled in the 1992 Winter Olympics, placing 7th in the world.

Herschel retired after 15 seasons and tried to re-enter the League over 1.5 decades later but the commissioner told him no on grounds he might break a hip.

Herschel Walker’s MMA Career

After the NFL told Herschel he was too old to play, he channeled his rage in the cage.

At the ripe age of 47 years old Herschel Walker stepped into the Octagon for his first professional fight and beat the living shit out of a combatant half his age.

In his second fight he knocked out a seasoned fighter by dropping him to the mat with a haymaker just 30 seconds into the match.

He pummeled his opponents and won both bouts by TKO after the referee stopped the match out of mercy. Or because he new he’d be an accomplice to murder if he allowed Walker to carry on.

I saw the fights and Walker DOMINATED his opponents. Watching Herschel in action was like watching a lion maul a newborn wildebeest on the Discovery channel.

How Did Herschel Walker Develop the Strength of a Grizzly?

I think what impressed me the most was his athletic instincts and RAW POWER. He literally threw very large men around like rag dolls.

Herschel Walker’s strength was always impressive. There’s a story about how guys were lifting weights at Georgia and noticed Herschel wasn’t. He was just sitting around at the gym.

His teammate called him out for being lazy, so Herschel grabbed a barbell loaded with 375 and repped it. No warm up, he just hopped on the bench cold and gave it a ride.

No running back in the schools history had ever benched that much weight before, and nobody gave him shit after that. In fact, his coach made him exempt from lifting weights on the condition he ‘keep doing whatever it is you’re doing’. And that’s exactly what Herschel did.

He went right back to training the way he always had, with bodyweight exercises.

Herschel Walker’s Basic Training

It wasn’t long before Herschel gained notoriety for being a freak athlete.

People wanted to know how he trained. What was his secret?

So, like the enterprising man he is, he teamed up with a doctor and wrote a book.

This tome contains all of Herschel Walker’s fitness knowledge, with scientific evidence to back it up.

Herschel Walker’s Basic Training contains the workouts, training philosophy, and techniques used to build the body of an apex athlete.

The Basic Training workouts will undoubtedly build muscle, strength and get you ripped.

It could be one of the best bodyweight exercises books ever written.

It’s much more than that, though. Herschel shares other training methods that are much less known within the book.

(Basic Training came out in 1989 and is no longer in print. However, you can still buy Herschel Walker’s Basic Training  here for a collector’s price.)

The Herschel Walker Workout Routine

Here we go – the moment you’ve been waiting for –

Herschel Walker’s workout routine consisted of 5 basic bodyweight exercises: Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats and sprints.

Each exercises was performed for 1000+ reps during any given workout.

How did Herschel build such an impressive physique using just a few simple bodyweight exercise?

The beauty of bodyweight training is there are an infinite number of ways to perform these five exercises. You’re only limited by your creativity.

You could make progress for a lifetime by trying different angles, grips, hand/foot position, lifting speed, adding resistance, etc.

And that’s exactly what Herschel Walker did – the world was his gym. He was always trying new things in new ways.

Pull ups where done with a pull-up bar, a jungle jim, monkey bars, or tree limb.

Lunges, dips, sprints where done while towing an old car tire, or while wearing a weighted vest for added resistance.

Herschel Walker’s Training Principles

There’s nothing earth-shattering about Herschel’s methods. Other than the fact he has steel resolve and an iron will.

The basic principle of progressive overload is a major reason Herschel’s training is so effective.

Progressive overload means you increase the intensity each workout. Just keep building. Getting stronger is a simple formula – Do more. More reps, more weight, anything that makes the workout more intense than the previous one.

Consistency – Herschel trained every day for almost four decades straight. Small daily efforts build up to massive results over time.

Push Yourself – Always do more today than you did yesterday. This is how you keep getting better.

Spice it up – Don’t be afraid to try new things. New exercise variations, a new sport or activity will benefit you. Your body thrives in diverse environments.

High Volume – Herschel Walker trained with extreme volume. 1000’s of reps per workout is serious business. You don’t have to do 1000’s of reps every day to benefit from bodyweight training, but you do need to challenge yourself.

There are no shortcuts on the road to success. It takes time and honest work to build a great body and build muscle.

Get started NOW with the 30 Day Push up challenge!

Exercise Variation

Varity is key to build a well-rounded physique. Your body is resilient. It’s a highly adaptive machine that builds resistance quickly. Doing the same exercise every day will result in diminishing returns as time goes on.

Training in different ways made Herschel a dynamic athlete.

When your body gets used to a workout routine or exercise it’s time to change it up. You should introduce new exercises or do old exercises in a new way. Use a different grip, heavier weight, slower repetitions, increase the amount of sets, lower rest periods, greater range of motion, longer muscle contractions, etc.

Variety stimulates muscle fibers in new ways. It can also activate ‘dormant’ muscles. Training using a lot of variation can increase your muscle mass and strength gains.

Have fun and experiment with different training methods. Try new exercise variations and feel it out. What works best for you may not work for others.

As time went on, he performed new exercises to train muscles in different ways to grow bigger and stronger. Since he couldn’t afford weights and didn’t have a gym membership, Herschel had to improvise. For example, he did pull-ups on the jungle gym, sprinted up hills, and did inverted pushups with his legs propped up against walls and trees.

You can use push up bars to get deep pushups and a weighted vest for more challenging reps that make your muscles grow.

Herschel Walker Workout Exercise Variations

In this section we’ll check out the exact exercises Herschel Walker performed in his legendary workout routine. You’ll learn how to turn five basic exercises into over 50 exercises variations. Each one more challenging than the last!

First up, Push up variations.

Herschel Walker Push up Variations

Herschel built his incredible upper-body power using push-up exercises. Push-ups mainly build your chest, shoulders, and triceps. They also work you back, traps, core and abs.

When performing pushups you want to think of pushing the floor down. As well as focus on flexing the muscles you are training. Detailed below are 15 push-up variations you can do with descriptions of the muscles worked. The variations ranges from normal difficulty to insanely hard.

#1. Regular Push ups

Regular push ups are an all-around upper body training exercise. They target the entire chest, plus the shoulders and triceps. To perform regular push-ups, position your hands just outside your shoulders.

#2. Wide Push ups

Wide push-ups are just like regular push-ups except you place your hands about 4-6 inches wider on each side. These target the outer chest and front shoulder muscles the most.

Wide push-ups are great for making your upper body wider. They also make the chest and shoulder muscles flow together.

#3. Narrow Push ups

The opposite of wide pushups – for these, you position your hands directly under your shoulders. Your pinkies should line up with your armpit, with your thumbs and palms 4-6 inches apart.

Narrow push-ups target the inner chest and middle chest muscles.

#4. Diamond Push ups

To perform diamond push ups, place your hands together, touching thumb to thumb, and index finger to index finger. The space between your hands looks like a diamond.

Diamond push-ups are great for building your shoulders, inner chest, and triceps.

#5. Fingers-Laced Push ups

Interlock all your fingers and flare out your elbows. Your forearms should be in a straight line joined at the figures while in the bottom position.

These push-ups are extremely difficult. You might start on your knees to get the hang of this exercise. It’s an awesome tricep exercise and fantastic finisher.

#6. One Hand Over the Other Pushups

This is just what is sounds like. You put one hand on top of the other and do push ups. This allows you to isolate one side of your chest. Lean into the side with your hand touching the floor.

These push ups are very challenging but will definitely pump up your arms and chest.

#7. Dive-Bomber Pushups

Dive-bomber push-ups are a dynamic exercises. The angle in which you train your chest changes throughout the rep. The first part of the movement targets the upper chest. The middle third of the movement targets the middle chest, and the last third targets the lower chest.

Begin dive bombers with your butt up in the air, legs and arms fully extended. Your hands and feet should be close enough to make a 90 degree angle bend at your hips (like an inverted letter ‘V’). The tension should be felt mostly in the shoulders and slightly in the upper chest and upper arms while in this starting position.

Slowly lower your head and shoulders toward to the ground, and as you approach the ground, lift your head just enough to move forward with your body an inch from the ground.

As your head moves forward passed your hands extend your arms all the way while lifting up your torso. Your hips should almost touch the floor and back should be arched. Your head and chest should be straight up and facing forward.

Then reverse the motion to return to the starting point.

Dive bomber push-ups are an advanced pushup that really blast your arms, shoulders and chest. They can feel like a total body workout

#8. Legs Elevated Push-ups

Put your toes on a book, bench or chair to elevate your feet so when you’re in the down position your body is in a decline angle from feet to forehead.

Keep your toes up high and lower your chest to the floor. This adds more resistance to the chest, shoulders and arms.

#9. Handstand Push-ups

Handstand, or inverted pushups, are done with your feet straight up in the air. You can train handstand pushups against a wall for balance. Handstand push ups really blast your shoulders and triceps.

#10. Deep Pushups

Put your hands on books, benches, dumbbells or pushup bars. The idea is to have negative space to lower your chest without touching the floor. You want to lower your chest deeper than normal pushups.

Deep pushups stretch the chest muscles more work more muscle fibers.

#11. One-arm Pushups

You need a strong core to pull off one-arm pushups. Start with your legs wide for balance. Place one hand just inside your shoulder. This is your starting position.

Everyone does these a little differently so you have to try different body positioning and find what works for you.

#12. Clapping Push-ups

Like regular pushups, except you push yourself up fast so your hands leave the ground. Clap your hands together before your hands go back to the ground as you fall back into another rep.

#13. Behind the Back Clapping Pushups

Like regular clapping pushups except you need even more power to push your body high enough to give you time to clap your hands behind your back and get back in front of you before falling on your face!

#14. “Girly” Pushups

‘Girl’ push-ups are performed from the knees instead of being up on your toes. This is a good way to train for the more advanced push-ups like diamond pushups, or fingers interlocked pushups.

Push-ups from the knees are also good for use as drop sets. For example, perform a set of regular pushups to failure, then immediately switch to girl pushups until failure.

This is a very potent workout method for building chest muscle.

#15. Superman Push-ups

With Superman pushups you push yourself up into the air so your hands and feet are off the ground.

While in mid air you reach your arms up straight out from your head so they are in line with your body. Like Superman flying through air.

Bonus: Weighted Pushups

Add resistance to any of the push-up variation with a weighted vest.

The workout routine possibilities are endless. Push up variations ensure you keep making progress by challenging your body in new ways.

Herschel Walker Pull Up Variations

I said Pull-ups but there are actually two types of “Ups”:

Pull-ups and chin-ups.

Pull-ups are done with a supinated grip (palms facing you, or ‘underhand’ grip). Pull ups target your biceps and middle back muscles more than a chin up.

Chin-ups are done with a pronated grip (palms facing away from your body, or ‘overhand’ grip). Chin ups target your forearms, shoulder and lats, more than a pull up.

Both pull ups and chin ups are great exercises for your back, shoulders and arms. By simply rotating your grip you change the exercise and unlock more variations. Pull ups train your biceps extremely well. While chin ups train your forearms and shoulders.

I’ll call out whether each exercise below is either a pull up or a chin up variation.

#1. Assisted Pull-Up / Chin up

Assisted pull ups or chin ups are perfect for beginners. There’s no shame in building strength with assistance machines. Machines are great for warming up and learning how engage muscles. Back muscles can be hard to engage. Assisted pull ups allow you to practice form and build mind-muscle connection.

Use an assisted pull-up machine, power band, or use a chair as a “spotter” to help you practice pull ups.

Set the powerbtnd high and step on it with your feet. It will assist you most at the bottom of the motion and less as the top. This makes power bands perfect for building pull-up strength.

For chair assisted pull-ups, push your feet against a chair just enough to help lift your chest to the bar. Make sure the chair is sturdy and make sure you push down on it and not forward or back because it could tip over.

#2. Regular Pull ups

The good ol’ pull up is the staple of all great back workouts. Pull ups are also great bicep builders. Probably one of the best. Perform pull ups religiously if you want a truly strong physique.

#3. Wide Grip Chin-ups

I love wide grip chin ups. To perform them, grip the bar as wide as you can, and crank out as many chin ups as possible.

Any grip where your hands are more than six inches outside your shoulders is technically considered ‘wide’, but the wider the grip, the better in some cases if your goal is to build a big, wide back.

#4. Chin ups to the Sternum

Chin-ups to your sternum, or ‘chest to bar’ chins, are straight from Vince GiRonda’s toolset. You get a great squeeze in your lower lats and middle back muscles with sternum chin-ups.

These can also be performed as pull ups with various grips.

Tilt your head back and reach your chest to the sky. Chin ups to the sternum feel almost like upside-down rows.

#5. One-Arm Pull ups

One arm pull-ups work best underhand. There is no better bicep building exercises than one arm pull ups. One arm pull ups are very gratifying to execute. And they are also very impressive to everyone watching.

#6. Narrow Grip Pull Ups

Place your hands close together. You can touch pinkies have your hands inside shoulder width. Both are considered narrow grip, but train muscles differently. You’ll notice the difference immediately.

#7. Alternate Grip, or Mixed-Grip Pull ups

You grip the pull up bar over hand on one side and under hand on the other. This is a great way to train one-handed pull ups or focus on training one side at a time.

You let one arm do most of the work and use the other arm as a ‘spotter’. The other arm assists just enough to complete the set. If you train one side at a time, be sure to train each side equally.

#8. Muscle Ups

To perform muscle ups, you must have explosive power. It’s an advanced exercises that takes practice to do, but the rewards are worth it.

You must be strong enough to pull yourself up fast enough to bring your torso over the pull up bar, then press down on the bar, straightening your arms to push your body over the bar. Muscle ups are a power move that takes a lot of strength, technique and practice.

#9 Olympic Ring Pull ups

This might as well be a bonus round. All of the chin/pull ups above can be be done with olympic rings or a bar with enough clearance above it to press your self over it without hitting your head on anything.

Sit-up Variations

A strong core is essential for any athlete. Ab muscles create balance and power.

Without a strong core you’d crumple. perform these sit-up exercises to build your very own set of strongman six-pack abs.

#1. Diagonal, or Cross Sit-ups

Using your abdominals, lift your torso and legs to touch your elbow to the opposite knee. Alternate reps going from left elbow to right knee, then right elbow to left knee.

The twisting motion really works your obliques. The key is to SQUEEZE your ab muscles at the top of each rep for best results.

#2. Sit-Ups with Feet on a Bench

Lay on your back and put your heels up on a bench so that your knees are relaxed at a 90 degree angle.

Use your ab muscles to lift your torso up as high as you can. Try to ‘kiss your knees’ with you lips by bringing your face as close to your knees as possible.

#3. Legs Extended Sit-ups

Fully extend your legs and keep your heels on the ground as you lift your torso off the ground into an upright position and try to touch your toes.

#4. Side Crunches

Lay on your side and use your oblique muscles to lift up your torso. Put your top hand behind your head to get it out of the way for frictionless crunchin’.

#5. Knees to Chest

Lay flat on your back on the floor with your hands behind your head.

Bring your bent knees and elbows together moving them both at the same time so the touch in the middle, then return to the straight position.

While your knees and elbows are touching in the middle your butt should be the only part of you touching the floor. This requires good balance.

#6. Toe Touch Sit ups

Keep your heels on the ground and lift all the way up and forward and try to touch your toes each rep.

#7. Ab Jacks

Keep your legs straight and lift them vertically into the air. Try to touch your hands to you toes while your legs and arms are pointing straight up to the sky.

As you can imagine , Ab Jacks are very challenging.

#8. Crunch Wraps

No, not Taco Bell crunch wraps, I’m talking about crunching your abs to bring your knees to your chest. Then wrapping your arms around your shins further ‘crunching’ your ab muscles.

Other Herschel Walker Ab Exercises

If you have a pull up bar (you should), you can do leg raises and captains chairs to build your lower abs and obliques. Ab exercises where you lift your legs up create V-Shaped ab lines.

Herschel Walker Leg Workout

Sure, squatting is the best way to build big legs. But Herschel Walker built enormous legs without weights.

Squats and sprints where the main exercises used to build Herschel’s powerful legs.

Leg Exercise Variations

#1. Regular Body Squats

Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Put your hands behind your head and drop you butt down as low as you can. You should feel a stretch. Keep a straight back and then push yourself back up by driving your feet into the ground.

Place your feet wider our closer together to train the inner or outer part of your legs.

#2. Pistol Squats

Pistol squats are very challenging at first. They are excellent for building strength and balance. It’s very important to train each leg independently. Gains will be much greater this way.

To perform Pistol Squats, stand on one foot and stick the other leg straight out in front of you. Then slowly lower yourself as far down as you can.You can hold your arms out from for balance.

#3. Sprints

Running full speed for as long as you can is a serious workout. 40, 50, 60 + yard sprints is hard work.

#4. Sprints up hill

Add some incline to your sprints. Sprinting up hill makes running 10x more challenging.

#5. Sprints with added Resistance

Tie one end of a rope around your waist and the other end around an old tire. Or fill milk jugs with sand and then go run in a field. The added resistance will build strong leg muscles.

A weight sled or parachute harness also works for added resistance to build powerful legs.

How to Get Started with Herschel Walker’s Workout

This is a good place to start for someone ambitious enough to tackle Herschel’s workout. If you’ve been in the weight room for at least 6 months, you stand a chance at conquering this high-volume bodyweight workout.

This Herschel Walker inspired workout consists of just five exercises, but will challenge advanced trainers.

• Pushups – 100 reps in as few sets as possible
• Pull ups – 50 reps in as few sets as possible
• Situps – 100 reps in as few sets as possible
• Body Squats – 150 reps in as few sets as possible
• Sprints – 10, 40-yard sprints as fast as possible

This is a total body workout. It’s simple, extremely effective and can be done anywhere. Perform this workout every day. Every other day, add five reps to each exercise and one more sprint.

Repeat this process until desired results are achieved.

Mere mortals will not be able to complete Herschel Walker’s push up workout without a lot of practice. So, here’s a push-up workout most anyone can do with some practice.

Sample Push-up Workout

So you want to look like Herschel Walker but don’t know where to start? Use this pushup workout to build a foundation of muscle and strength. You’ll gain experience with multiple push up variations. All of which help you build a strong chest.

• Regular Pushups – 25 total reps in as few sets as possible.
• Wide Pushups – 25 total reps in as few sets as possible.
• Narrow Pushups – 25 total reps in as few sets as possible.
• Diamond Pushups – 25 total reps in as few sets as possible.

Add more reps as you get stronger. Try to get 30 reps for each type of push up your next workout.

What if you can’t do a that many pushups? Then do one push up. That’s it. Just do one single pushup. Tomorrow do two. Then do three the next day. Keep adding pushups every day and eventually you will do 100+.

How to Get Started with Bodyweight Training

Do you think young Herschel did 3500 pushups his first day? No, just like you and me and everyone else in the world, he started with One.

One single push up is all it takes to get started. then just keep doing one more. Again and again until you reach 10 push ups in a row. Then keep doing 10 push ups in a row again and again until you get to 100 push ups.

If you can’t to a single push up while up on your toes, then do as many as you can from your knees.

Try to hold the upright push up position as long as possible so your muscles get used to the position.

Work your way up to 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50 pushups a day. It sounds daunting but building a great body takes time. The best thing you can do is try to get a little better each day.

If you want to jump start your program try to get 100 push ups and 100 sit ups a day.

Do them in the morning when you wake up. Try to do them as fast as you can but don’t worry too much about how long it takes.

If you have to do 10 pushups at a time spread out throughout your day that is OK.

Just do more that the day before so your body gets stronger. If you can only do 10 push ups, then do 10 push ups. Tomorrow do 11 push ups. Do 12 pushups the following day. You’ll eventually get to any number you set your mind to.

Add pull ups to your routine as soon as you can. Pull ups are great at building your arms and back. Get a Pull up Bar to put in your doorway. Start doing pull-ups the same way you do pushups.

After some time and effort you’ll work your  way up to 100’s of push ups, sit-ups and pull ups a day. You’ll notice your body transform and you will love the results.

Is Bodyweight Training the Hidden Secret to Getting Ripped?

The Secret to getting ripped isn’t a secret at all.

The simple truth to being shredded is working out hard on a regular basis. Just do the work, day in and day out and you will get results.

Maximum effort gets you maximum results. And you do a little more each workout than the one before and look for new ways to challenge yourself.

No secret technique and no need to workout hard and heavy every day.

Herschel Walker is proof that all you need is determination and your own body to look awesome.

Not many people have the will or stamina to do bodyweight exercises for and hour+ every day. Serge Nubret is an exception.

While thousands of reps a day might be overkill for most folks, you can still benefit greatly from bodyweight training.

Do 100-200 pushups and sit ups a day and you’ll soon be in better shape than 99% of the population.

You’ll see muscles you never knew you had. Add in some bodyweight squats for good measure and to make it a total body workout.

What do you have to lose?

Bodyweight Training is Great Conditioning

Herschal walker was a lean 225 pounds in college because in order to build muscle with bodyweight training you need to do a lot of volume. The more volume you do the more calories and fat you burn.

Bodyweight training can also double as a cardio workout if your pace is fast enough. This strengthens your heart and lungs, thus improving oxygen delivery to every cell in your body.

As a result, Herschel had a muscular lean frame.

How Long did Herschel Walker’s Workouts Last?

This seems insane but when you think about it, but at a pace of 1 pushup per second you would finish 1000 pushups in just over 16 minutes.

Add in four minutes for rest per 100 reps and you’re talking 20 minutes per 1000 reps.

It probably took Herschel 90-120 minutes+ to complete his workouts.

If you wanted to try 1000 push ups you do 10 pushups in ten seconds then rest 10 seconds, etc. you could knock out 1000 pushups in just over 30 minutes. That’s shorter than most weight lifting workouts!

Follow this same method for sit-ups and you have a 2000 rep bodyweight workout complete in about an hour.

Did Herschel Walker Do any other types of Exercises?

But Mr. Walker didn’t stop there. He took a holistic training approach.

Although bodyweight workouts are the core of his routine, Herschel Walker did everything to strengthen his body: Parkour, obstacle courses, training underwater, Tae Kwon Do, and even Ballet.

This challenged him in new ways and contributed to athletic improvements. Stretching also had a place in his routine to aid recovery and improve suppleness.

All of this challenged him in new ways and forced him to get stronger.

Herschel Walker’s Diet

Herschel Walker is quoted to say that his diet consists of one meal a day of soup, salad and bread. He doesn’t eat red meat and will occasionally eat chicken.

Throughout the day he would drink juice and water, but nothing else.

He claims to have been eating this way since he was 18 years old.

To maintain his weight and muscle mass I would say Herschel Walker would have to eat between 3000-3500 calories a day to not lose muscle while staying lean.

Herschel would have to eat a crock pot full of barley pea soup and a half loaf of bread to get the calories needed to sustain his physique.

Is Herschel Walker Natural?

Herschel Walker is a freak athlete, no doubt about it. A unique combination of genetics and grit. But what’s weird is his diet. He claims to be a vegetarian that eats one meal a day,that doesn’t weight train yet demolished records and still crushes professionals half his age?

A thinking man has to questions how Herschel Walker is in such great shape. He’s a gifted athlete with a strong physique. He has tremendous work ethic and his mental game is STRONG. He grew up poor and fat in the south in the 60’s. The sheer amount of torment he put up with is more than enough to fuel his workouts.

He’s a man with conviction and a man on a mission. Even to this day he works as a public servant for charitable organizations.

I don’t doubt that Herschel Walker could be natural. It’s definitely possible with his drive, dedication and assuming he trains like he says he does. But there’s always a chance he has a little help from his friendly Doctor or pharmaceutical manufacturer and some point in his life but, hey, I’ve never met the guy.

“But how can Herschel Walker be that Jacked at over 50 years old?”

Ever heard of old man strength?

As you get older you develop muscle density. Muscles look harder, fuller and more defined as you mature. In his MMA debut, he looks especially ripped because he shed lots of fat to get to fighting weight.

By this age, he knows his body and has perfect nutrition. Keep in mind he doesn’t walk around like this all the time. He’ll cut or bulk up as required.

I’m showing you what’s possible, not what’s probable. Not many people will do 1000’s of reps a day. The only way to know for sure is to do 1000’s of push ups and sit ups a day for 3-5 years. Most people are not up for this challenge.

There are few things to keep in mind here:

1. Muscle adds weight to your body, more muscle means more resistance so your muscles must continuously get stronger as you grow. Bodyweight training builds muscle mass. Muscle mass makes you look bigger.
2. Bodyweight training gives you muscle density. Muscle density makes you look ripped, and gives you a hard and toned look.
3. Bodyweight training is low risk for injury. Which means you don’t have setbacks when training.

But hey, I can’t make up your mind for ya. I just research and report.

Herschel Walker Now 2020

At the time of me updating this article Herschel Walker is 56 years old and still ripped beyond belief.

He still does 1000+ push ups and sit ups every day.

A few years ago, he claimed to run a 4.3 second 40 yard dash and wants to play in the NFL again.

Shit, I say give him a shot. Will we see Herschel Walker suit up this fall? Maybe – he looks like he could out play most guys half his age.

*Bonus Video: Herschel Walker talking about his training routine*

Now, is it really possible to build a body like Herschel’s with just bodyweight exercises? Well, why don’t you give Hershel Walker’s workout a try and see for yourself?

Walker is a man on a mission and with his drive, dedication and determination, I think it’s 100% possible to build physique like his with bodyweight training.

The combination of calisthenics and a chip on the shoulder seemed to work wonders for Herschel Walker.

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