“I wonder what the Aquaman workout routine is.”
“How did he do it?”
“Woah, Jason really nailed this role.”
That’s all I’ve been seeing around the internet ever since Aquaman’s first trailer was released. And I don’t blame anyone one bit.
Jason Momoa is one of the most popular celebrities right now. Not only is he a good actor but, he also has an incredible physique that makes women swoon and men stare in respect. Although Jason Momoa has been in good ever since he first hit the screens, his most recent transformation for Aquaman is one of the most admirable transformations in Hollywood.
As we all know, whenever a celebrity gets into crazy shape for a role, people start wondering how they can achieve similar results. Because of this, I shall dissect Jason Momoa’s physique in meticulous detail and give you a breakdown of what YOU need to do to achieve a similar physique. As a bonus, I will give you an Aquaman workout routine at the end of this article. You must trust me and put in the work. Let’s start
Jason Momoa’s Height and Weight (Stats)
Before we start analyzing Aquaman’s physique, we must first get some data about Jason Momoa (Aquaman) to understand what we need to do.
Jason Momoa Aquaman’s stats are as follows:
- Height = 6’4″
- Weight = 215-220 lbs.
- Chest = 47-48 in.
- Arms = 18 in.
- Shoulder = ~53 in.
- Legs = 25-26 in.
- Waist = 34-35 in.
Note: The above measurements are all approximations. There is no surefire way to know the EXACT measurements of anyone unless you personally measure them. But Jason has revealed some of that information during some of his interviews. So, combine that with visual estimations and we should have accurate estimations.
Jason Momoa’s Shoulders
As you can see in the picture above, Jason’s shoulders are one of his most impressive body parts. Not only are they big but, they’re also well developed, balanced, and super dense. Here is another picture from the side that clearly shows his shoulder development.
His front, side, and rear deltoids are very well developed and proportional. If you pay attention, you’ll see that no part of his shoulders overpowers the rest. This tells us that the Aquaman workout routine included equal volume for all deltoid heads.
Jason Momoa does have genetically-gifted shoulders as well. Jason Momoa’s big frame, broadness, and excellent shoulder insertion points make him look even wider and more impressive
In order to develop big shoulders like Jason Momoa, you must get strong at all pressing movements especially the overhead press. But that’s not it! To get those capped shoulders, you should incorporate enough direct work for both side and rear delts. Therefore, you’re going to have to do a lot of lateral raises and reverse rear flyes and/or face pulls.
Not surprisingly, Jason Momoa was seen doing lots of dumbbell lateral raises for his role in Aquaman.
He is also known for doing a lot of rock climbing as a hobby. No wonder he has incredible arms and shoulders.
I’d estimate that in order for someone to get similar shoulder development, their strength levels must be as follows:
-Overhead press = 175 lbs. for 6-8 reps
-Bench press = 265 for 8-10 reps
-Cable Lateral raises = 40 lbs. for 13-15 reps.
-Unilateral rear delt cable flyes = 50 for 13-15 reps.
Finally, Aquaman’s shoulders to waist ratio is 54 / 34 = 1.58
Keep this in mind because it’ll help us determine measurements at different heights later in this article.
Jason Momoa’s Chest (Pecs)
Aquaman (Jason) has got incredibly thick, symmetrical, and balanced pecs. He has outstanding upper, middle, and lower pecs development which gives his chest a 3D dense look. Even his outer and inner pectoral parts are well-developed. Fantastic.
I’d attribute this to doing lots of pressing movements with some supplemental chest isolation for some additional volume. I’m willing to bet that Jason does a lot of heavy flat and incline barbell/dumbbell pressing.
To get a chest like that, you must be willing to make flat and incline presses a fundamental part of your program. Get strong on those movements, throw in some additional isolation exercises for volume and variation and you’ll have similar pecs’ development.
Jason Momoa’s chest measures around 48 in. which means that his chest to waist ratio is around 48 / 34 = 1.411
Jason Momoa’s Arms
This is where we start to see some minor nuances of Jason’s physique. Don’t get me wrong, Jason Momoa has big and well developed arms, however, they need a tiny bit of work.
By examining the above pictures, you can clearly see that Jason Momoa’s triceps make up the majority of his arms size (as they should) but, his biceps are a bit on the smaller side. Bringing up his biceps just a tad would’ve given his arms a more impressive look. I would add some additional biceps and triceps volume to your program.
With that said, in my opinion, I think if Jason had an extra inch on his arms, he would’ve looked absolutely insane! I don’t blame him though, filling out his frame, especially his arms, is quite a task. So, I’m certain it’s not due to laziness on his behalf but rather because of genetics (Big frame and long limbs). You can definitely find similar arm development in any gym though.
Arms to waist ratio = 18 / 34 = 0.529
Jason Momoa’s Back
This is Jason Momoa’s biggest downfall, in my opinion. As you can see in the picture above, Jason’ back is nothing special. Moreover, his lats are severely underdeveloped compared to the rest of his physique. In his defense, his upper back development is slightly better but, it’s nothing to be proud of. Here is another picture.
Keep in mind that that picture was taken while Jason is doing lateral raises. Thus, his upper back is flexed and makes it more muscular than it really is. Nonetheless, he has decent trap and rhomboid development.
Because of this, we won’t have to do tons of work for the back in this Aquaman workout routine. A low volume approach will be more than enough to have similar back development.
Jason Momoa’s body fat percentage
Jason Momoa’s midsection is strong and dense. In terms of aesthetics, it’s nothing impressive due to its larger size. However, if you are not an “aesthetic bruh” then you shouldn’t care for having an incredibly small waist. Although having a small waist will accentuate your v-taper and make you look wider and more impressive.
With that said, Jason’s large waist (34-35 in.) is actually pretty good given his height and large frame. So, for him, that’s actually on the small side.
Judging by the above picture, I’d estimate that Jason Momoa’s body fat percentage is in the realm of 10-13%. He is flexing his abs in that picture of course. Come on, everyone wants to look their best in picture and Jason is no exception. Moreover, his abs are clearly visible and defined but they have a thin layer of fat covering them. He seems to store most of his abdominal fat in the lower abdominal area.
With that said, given Jason’s age (39), he seems to store more visceral fat than subcutaneously. Past the age of 32-35, men tend to store more fat around their organs and less fat under their skin, which makes them look leaner than they really are. Nonetheless, you would have to be around 10-12% body fat to have similar definition. Jason has been seen doing tons of weighted cable crunches.
In addition, to have a similar strong and dense midsection, heavy deadlifts and squats should be the meat and potatoes of your training program.
Jason’s waist to height ratio is 34 / 76 = 0.447
Jason Momoa’s Legs
Although majority of Jason’s legs are covered in this picture, we can still tell that he doesn’t have overly muscular legs. Instead, Jason has got sleek, athletic, and strong legs. This compliments his look very well and adds even more to his width.
This reminds of the classic bodybuilding era where bodybuilders would intentionally under-develop their legs to make them appear wider. This is contrary to the x-shaped physiques that are common in bodybuilding circles nowadays. Overly muscular legs make the body take on the shape of letter “x”. Moreover, most people are not into that look.
Judging by the pictures in this article, we can tell that Jason has decent quadriceps and glute development. However, his legs are athletic and sleek, not too muscular.
Therefore, the Aquaman workout routine will include a fair amount of leg work but, not overly excessive. This is great news for those of you who hate leg day!
Jason Momoa’s legs to waist ratio = 26 / 34 = 0.764
Final Discussion
After thoroughly analyzing Aquaman’s physique, we now have all the data we need to compile a well-structured program that closely mimics the real Aquaman workout routine.
The program will follow an upper body lower body structure which you can perform 4-5 times per week. 5th session will be a third upper body day.
Why upper lower split? Because its overall better for recovery, especially as a natural and provides enough frequency, volume, and intensity without sacrificing recovery. Moreover, most people cannot go to the gym more than 4 times per week. So, 4-5 times will be more than enough.
Remember the ratios we calculated throughout this article? Well, this is where they come in handy. Before I give you this free Aquaman workout routine, I will give you a nice chart that predicts the weight and ratios needed at different heights to get an Aquaman physique. Weight is in pounds and measurements are in inches. Keep in mind, that the predicted weight and measurements are at 10-12% body fat.
Height | Weight | Waist | Shoulders | Chest | Arms | Legs |
5’7″ | 170 | 30 | 47.5 | 42.3 | 16 | 23 |
5’8″ | 175 | 30.4 | 48 | 42.9 | 16.1 | 23.23 |
5’9″ | 180 | 30.8 | 48.7 | 43.5 | 16.3 | 23.53 |
5’10” | 185 | 31.3 | 49.5 | 44.2 | 16.6 | 23.9 |
5’11” | 190 | 31.7 | 50.1 | 44.7 | 16.8 | 24.22 |
6′ | 195 | 32.2 | 50.9 | 45.4 | 17 | 24.6 |
Jason Momoa’s Workout Routine (Aquaman)
Example Workout Schedule
Monday: Upper A
Tuesday: Lower A
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Upper B
Friday: Lower B
Saturday: Off (or repeat upper A)
Sunday: Off
Note: Your off days could be complete rest, or light activity. I recommend the latter. Make sure you incorporate some cardio as well for overall health and athleticism.
Upper A
Flat barbell bench press 3×5 + 1-2 AMRAP sets
Pulldowns 3×7
Incline dumbbell press 4×8-12
Seated rows 3×10
Cable lateral raises 3×12-15 + 3×20
Cable chest flyes 3×15
Dumbbell farmers walk 4xMax weight (w.straps)
Overhead dumbbell extensions 5×13-15
Lower A
ATG squats 4×6-8
Bulgarian split squats 3×10-12
Leg extensions 4×18-20
Hip abduction 4×13-15
Face pulls 4-5×13-15
EZ bar bicep curls 3×6-8
Tricep extensions 5×18-20
Upper B
Overhead press 3×5 + 2×13-15
Chin ups 2×6-8
Incline dumbbell press 4×13-15
Unilateral rows 2×8-10
Dumbbell shoulder press 3×12
Rear delt flyes 4×13-15
Lower B
Deadlifts 3×4-6
Hip thrusts 4×10-12
leg press 5×20
Seated leg curls 3×8-10
Machine lateral raises 5×18-20 (controlled tempo)
Incline bicep curls 4×10-12
Unilateral triceps extensions 5×13-15
Enjoy! Hope you liked this resemblance of the Aquaman workout routine.