The worldwide fascination with superheroes has been spanning for decades and hit its peak with the release of Marvel’s Iron Man and DC’s Batman franchise. Now we are living in Hollywood’s Comic Book Age, obsessing with superheroes and everything related to them.
While superhero films have been around for decades, the idea of what a perfect and formidable body looks like has dramatically shifted over the last two decades. Some of this change can be attributed to the expansion of the MCU and the casting of ridiculously fit actors, who undergo extreme body transformations. It is no longer enough to wear a moulded superhero suit – modern action heroes are required to look the part.
The comic book movies inspired many of us to search for superhero diets and workouts. The heavyweights Chris Hemsworth and Brie Larson continuously promote their fitness regimes during and in between press tours and share their fitness journey on Instagram, making working out cooler than ever.
The rise in searches for superhero workouts ahead of highly anticipated Marvel/DC films inspired the sports nutrition brand Bulk to investigate this growing trend and collate a report on what superhero workouts people are searching for the most on Google, TikTok and YouTube.
According to Google Keyword Planner, there was a 400% increase in searches for Natalie Portman’s workout plan when Thor: Love and Thunder was released in July. With the release of DC’s Black Adam, The Rock’s workout routine went up 53% in the last 3 months while the searches for Superman workout went up 240% when it was revealed Henry Cavill returned as the Man of Steel on the big screen.
Bulk’s research revealed that the Batman workout (198,330 searches) is the most popular superhero workout in 2022, followed by the Thor workout (160,800 searches) and Superman’s exercise routine (147,950 searches).
Below is the list of the top 10 most searched for superhero workouts:
- Batman – 198,330 searches
- Thor – 160,800 searches
- Superman – 147,950 searches
- Captain America – 119,320 searches
- Spiderman – 108,350 searches
- Wolverine – 50,170 searches
- Black Widow – 32,740 searches
- Bane – 30,630 searches
- Wonder Woman – 24,510 searches
- Deadpool – 17,370 searches
Meanwhile, the most popular workout on YouTube is Thor’s workout with 1,260,000 searches. Superman workout came second with 1,092,000 searches followed by Batman workout with 1,027,000 searches.
As for Gen Z’s favourite platform TikTok, the most popular workout by far is the Thor workout with 4,600,000 views. The Black Widow workout came second with 1,200,000 views on Tik Tok while the Spiderman workout rounded out the top three most viewed workouts with 699,400 views.
The bottom line is that superhero movies are here to stay and they are more than meets the eye. These movies are not just an escape but they are also a good source of empowerment and fitness motivation. Whether you like these films or not, you can at least find your personal fitness inspiration and get in shape by following the superhero regimen.