Enter the age of steel. These Conan the Barbarian workouts use strongman-inspired circuits to test raw strength, brutal stamina, and the willpower to keep lifting when lesser men would kneel.
Want to skip the intro and go straight to the workouts? Click below!
Table of Contents
❄️ Out of the Frozen North
Before the crown, before the legends, before the stories carved into stone, there was simply Conan — a Cimmerian child who survived fire, chains, and slaughter to become the greatest warrior of the Hyborian Age.
Born in the frozen north, shaped by hardship and battle, Conan lived by his own code: strength, cunning, endurance, and the will to rise no matter how many times the world tried to crush him. From thief to mercenary, pirate to commander, and eventually King of Aquilonia, Conan embodied raw physical power backed by panther-like speed and instinct.
📜 About the Character
Conan was created by Robert E. Howard in 1932, becoming one of the most enduring heroes in fantasy fiction. A Cimmerian of the far north, Conan’s early life was defined by tragedy — after his parents were murdered by a horde of marauders, he survived and escaped into the wild.
Growing up fast, he became a respected warrior by fifteen. His adventures carried him across kingdoms, deserts, jungles, and lost cities — battling monsters, wizards, tyrants, and fate itself. Known for his incredible stamina, explosive speed, and tactical mind, Conan proved again and again that survival belongs to those who can endure more than others dare.
Conan has been portrayed in the cinema by both legendary actor/bodybuilder/governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and by Khal Drogo himself Hawaiian Jason Momoa.
🏋️ The Barbarian Method
On film, Conan has been portrayed by both Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose iconic 1982 performance defined the sword-and-sorcery genre, and Jason Momoa, who brought a modern ferocity to the role.
These circuits draw directly from the physical ethos behind both portrayals — brutal strongman-style movements built to develop power, strength, and functional brutality.
Expect heavy carries, deadlifts, drags, presses, and explosive lifts — the kind of training that reflects Conan’s world: pushing siege gates, hauling logs, wielding swords the size of small humans, and surviving on nothing but grit and instinct.
Low reps.
High weight.
No weakness.
This is how barbarians are made.
“To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.”
Conan
🔥 The Trials of Conan Circuits
⚙️ About the Circuits
These Conan the Barbarian workouts are built around three different approaches to strength and conditioning, each reflecting a different aspect of the Cimmerian warrior.
This is not polished fitness influencer training.
This is heavy iron, hard labour, loaded carries, explosive effort, and grinding work capacity — training designed to feel primitive, violent, and physically demanding.
Each programme uses a different structure:
- ⛓️🛞 Wheel of Pain focuses on conditioning, work capacity, and sustained physical punishment through long strongman-inspired circuits.
- 🌲 Tree of Woe centres around compressed rest periods, forcing strength output under fatigue and teaching you to keep working while exhausted.
- 🗡️ The Riddle of Steel uses pyramid loading and progressive overload to build raw strength, explosive power, and control under increasingly heavy weight.
Together, they create a complete barbarian-style training system built around:
- Heavy compound lifting.
- Functional movement.
- Carries and loaded work.
- Explosive power.
- Grip and posterior-chain strength.
- Muscular endurance.
- Mental resilience.
These workouts are demanding. Recovery, food, hydration, and sleep matter just as much as the lifting itself. Train hard, but train intelligently.
🔥 Warm ups
(Always warm up before starting any routine). Start by performing mobility drills on shoulders, hips, ankles, wrist and neck muscles. Use light core stretches to activate the muscle groups we shall be using.
After mobility drills use three rounds of the warm-up drills below.
⛓️🛞 Wheel of Pain Workout
The Wheel of Pain is your foundational barbarian circuit — long, grinding, and built around continuous strongman-style labour.
Heavy carries, explosive lifts, loaded movements, and minimal comfort. The goal is simple: keep moving while fatigue builds.
📜 Training Notes
- Format: 12-station strongman-inspired circuit.
- Rounds: 3–4 rounds depending on conditioning level.
- Rest: 2–3 minutes between rounds.
- Focus: Work capacity, conditioning, muscular endurance, and functional strength.
- Tips: Maintain solid technique and a steady pace throughout. This workout is about sustained effort and durability, not rushing recklessly.
Workout A: Mondays/Weds/Fridays
NB: To clarify for this ‘variation’ next to an exercise simply means you can use the resistance tool of your choice. BB = Barbell. KB = Kettlebell. SB = Sandbag. DB = Dumbbell. It’s up to you, but make the weight challenging.
- DB Farmers walks: x 1 minute.
- Tire flips: x 1 minute,
- Sledgehammers: x 1 minute.
- Deadlifts variation: x 12 reps 70%1RM.
- Sandbag shouldering: Medium to heavyweight x 12 reps each side.
- Military press variation: x 12 reps.
- Good morning variation: x 12 reps.
- Back squat variation: x 12 reps.
- Push press variation: x 12 reps.
- Clean variation: x 12 reps.
- Weighted abs x 25 reps.
- Bent over row variation: x 12 reps.
Workout B: Tues/Thurs
- Barbell glute ham raise: x 12 reps.
- Mace shoulder rotation. (or KB halo’s): x 12 reps each side.
- Sledge push: x 1 minute.
- Sprints: x 10 (100 metres).
- Zercher squat variation: x 12 reps.
- Barbell landmine obliques and squats: x 20 reps (10 each side – obliques) x 15 reps squats.
- Medicine ball slams: x 20 reps.
- Trap bar deadlifts: x 12 reps, 70%1RM.
- Pull-ups: x 10 reps.
- Bench press: x12 70%1RM.
- Push-ups: to failure.
- Medicine wall ball throws: x 1 minute.
Saturday/Sunday:
Active recovery, cycling, walking, light runs.
Workout duration: 4 weeks.
🌲 The Tree of Woe Workout
The Tree of Woe is a descending-rep gauntlet built around short recovery periods and sustained effort under fatigue.
The reps drop each round — but so does your rest time.
📜 Training Notes
- Format: Heavy strength circuits with descending reps and shrinking rest periods.
- Rounds: 3 rounds per exercise.
- Structure:
- Round 1: 7 reps → 7 seconds rest.
- Round 2: 6 reps → 6 seconds rest.
- Round 3: 5 reps → 5 seconds rest.
- Rest Between Rounds: 1–2 minutes.
- Focus: Brute strength, conditioning under fatigue, and recovery discipline.
- Tips: Respect the rep/rest structure. The short recovery periods are what make this workout vicious.
🗓️ Workout Split
- Day 1 – Chest.
- Day 2 – Back.
- Day 3 – Legs.
- Day 4 – Core.
- Day 5 – Arms and Shoulders.
- Day 6 – Active recovery.
- Day 7 – Rest.
Day 1: Chest
- Flat Bench Press:
- Incline Bench Press:
- Incline Dumbbell Press:
- Dumbbells Push-Ups:
- Triceps Dips:
- 1st round: 7 sets of 7 reps with each exercise. 7 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 2nd round: 6 sets of 6 reps with each exercise. 6 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 3rd round: 5 sets of 5 reps with each exercise. 5 seconds rest after each exercise.
Do 3 rounds of each exercise, with 2-3 minutes of rest in between each round.
Day 2: Back
- Standard pull up:
- Reverse grip pull-ups:
- Close grip pull-up:
- Dumbbell rows:
- Barbell reverse bent over rows:
- 1st round: 7 sets of 7 reps with each exercise. 7 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 2nd round: 6 sets of 6 reps with each exercise. 6 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 3rd round: 5 sets of 5 reps with each exercise. 5 seconds rest after each exercise.
Do 3 rounds of each exercise, with 2-3 minutes of rest in between each round.
Day 3: Legs
- Body Weight Squat:
- Barbell Straight Leg Deadlifts:
- Barbell Rear Squat:
- Bodyweight Jump Squat:
- 1st round: 7 sets of 7 reps with each exercise. 7 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 2nd round: 6 sets of 6 reps with each exercise. 6 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 3rd round: 5 sets of 5 reps with each exercise. 5 seconds rest after each exercise.
Do 3 rounds of each exercise, with 2-3 minutes of rest in between each round.
Day 4: Core
- Medicine ball slams:
- Kettlebell swings:
- Burpees:
- Kettlebell windmills: (7 each side).
- Barbell Landmine obliques: (7 each side).
- 40-yard sprints:
- 1st round: 7 sets of 7 reps with each exercise. 7 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 2nd round: 6 sets of 6 reps with each exercise. 6 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 3rd round: 5 sets of 5 reps with each exercise. 5 seconds rest after each exercise.
Do 3 rounds of each exercise, with 2-3 minutes of rest in between each round.
Day 5: Arms
- Barbell military press:
- Bodyweight triceps dips:
- Diamond push-ups:
- DB Preacher Curls:
- DB Triceps extension:
- 1st round: 7 sets of 7 reps with each exercise. 7 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 2nd round: 6 sets of 6 reps with each exercise. 6 seconds rest after each exercise.
- 3rd round: 5 sets of 5 reps with each exercise. 5 seconds rest after each exercise.
Do 3 rounds of each exercise, with 2-3 minutes of rest in between each round.
Saturday/Sunday:
Active recovery, cycling, walking, light runs.
Workout duration: 4 weeks.
🗡️ The Riddle of Steel Workout
The Riddle of Steel focuses on progressive overload through pyramid loading — heavier weight, lower reps, and strict control.
This is the most traditional strength-focused programme in the collection.
📜 Training Notes
- Format: Pyramid-loading strength programme.
- Rounds per Exercise: 4.
- Structure:
- Round 1: 10 reps @ 60% 1RM.
- Round 2: 8 reps @ 65% 1RM.
- Round 3: 6 reps @ 75% 1RM.
- Round 4: 4 reps @ 85% 1RM.
- Rest: 2–3 minutes between rounds.
- Focus: Progressive overload, explosive strength, and technical control.
- Tips: As the weight climbs, technique matters more. Lift with control, brace properly, and do not sacrifice form for ego.
🗓️ Workout Split
- Day 1 – Chest and Back.
- Day 2 – Shoulders and Arms.
- Day 3 – Legs and Lower Back.
- Day 4 – Chest and Back.
- Day 5 – Shoulders and Arms.
- Day 6 – Legs and Lower Back.
- Day 7 – Rest.
Days 1 and 4: Chest and Back
- Bench Press: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Incline Bench Press: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Push-ups: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Dumbbell pullovers: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Chin-ups: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Renegade rows: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Bent over rows: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Deadlift: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Weighted crunches: 5 sets x 25 reps.
Perform each exercise in order, moving onto the next only once all reps and sets are complete. Allow 2-3 minutes of rest in between each set for a full recovery.
Days 2 and 5: Shoulders and Arms
- Barbell clean and press: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- DB lateral raises: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Barbell upright rows: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Military press: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Standing barbell curl: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Dumbbell Zottman curl: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Close grip bench press: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Barbell/Eazy bar French Press: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Wrist curls: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Reverse wrist curls: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Reverse crunches: 5 sets x 25 reps.
Perform each exercise in order, moving onto the next only once all reps and sets are complete. Allow 2-3 minutes of rest in between each set for a full recovery.
Days 3 and 6: Legs and Lower Back
- Barbell Back squats: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Barbell lunges: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Dumbbell upright rows: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Nordic Raises: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Straight leg deadlifts: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Good mornings: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Standing calve raises: 3-4 sets x 12. 10. 8. 6 reps.
- Weighted crunches: 5 sets x 25 reps.
Perform each exercise in order, moving onto the next only once all reps and sets are complete. Allow 2-3 minutes of rest in between each set for a full recovery.
Saturday/Sunday:
Active recovery, cycling, walking, light runs.
Workout duration: 4 weeks.
Whichever workout you undertake. Remember to cool down, stretch and drink water!
Workout Complete!!
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