If you’re attending a massive convention like San Diego Comic-Con, exercising may not be very high on your list of activities. Especially knowing that you’re going to be walking a lot with a backpack or bag on you. Not to mention all of the lines and standing you’ll need to do as well. But Crunchyroll challenged SDCC attendees to do just that, work out before the show in their first ever “Ultimate Anime Fitness Challenge”.

During Friday and Saturday morning four brave groups accepted the challenge to get up early and attempt to train like their favorite anime characters they watch on Crunchyroll. Everyone was given a towel, sweatband, and water bottle as they ascended down the stairs of Hardcore Fitness Downtown San Diego. There they were met with trainer Charles Throp and co-hosts Lauren Moore and Tim Lyu who took you on a fitness journey inspired by some of your favorite animes including “My Hero Academia” and “One Punch Man” to name a few.

The Crunchyroll workout was a little more intense than a lot of us expected but in the end, you felt like you were ready to take on the day at Comic-Con. It was interesting to hear Throp talk about how each of the exercises and movements was inspired by specific points in anime.

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LRM Online‘s Manny Gomez participated in Crunchyroll’s Ultimate Anime Fitness Challenge and spoke with trainer Charles Thorp after the workout. During our conversation, we talked about his inspiration to develop this training program for Crunchyroll. We also talked about how important it was to stay active even if there is no gym around. It was a great conversation that you can check out below!

ABOUT CHARLES THORP:

Charles Thorp is a long-time contributor for Men’s Journal Fitness where he profiles athletes, actors, and public figures. A NASM-certified trainer, he’s passionate about health and wellness. In addition to writing, he also works in digital fitness content and hosts his own health podcast, “STRATS” Charles has worked with numerous professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, the Olympics, MMA and more, and, from Arnold Schwartzeneger to Tony Hawk.