RYUTRAINING

About

Strength training, explained like a manga

Ryu Training is a YouTube channel (@ryu.training) and an Instagram account (@the.ryu.training) for skinny beginners who want to get strong, at home or at the gym. One body part per video, the muscle highlighted as it's named, one rule and one exercise per muscle, with a home option.

Close-up of Ryu, the Ryu Training manga character, crimson headband, eyes in the shadow of his hair

Every rule backed by a study

Each number we give comes from a published study, named in the video or on the page. For the programs and this site, we use a list of 30 studies whose authors, year, journal and PubMed ID (PMID) were checked on PubMed in October 2026. Every citation links to the study's PubMed page, so you can read the abstract yourself.

  • We report results as the studies report them, with the number of people and the length of the study when it matters.
  • Most of these studies were done on young adults, often beginners. We say so rather than stretch them.
  • An association is not presented as a cause.
  • When no study answers a question, we say it: for example, no study has measured whether hammer curls grow the brachialis more, and nobody has tested Saitama's 100 push-ups a day.

Who Ryu is

Ryu is a fictional character, the hero of the channel: crimson headband, eyes always hidden under his hair. The illustrations and the voice of the videos are AI-generated. The advice comes from published research.

Anime and manga characters (Saitama, Baki) are named only to say which series a page talks about. We never use official artwork, and Ryu Training is not affiliated with their authors or publishers.

What this site does not claim

This site shares general fitness information. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor, a physical therapist or a qualified coach. We don't promise results or a look in a given time: people respond very differently to the same training [Hubal et al. 2005]. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, check with a professional before you start, and stop any exercise that hurts.

Who publishes it

Ryu Training is published by Badr Zinoun, an individual based in Morocco. Contact: contact@trainlikeryu.com.

The programs are free. The PDF versions are given in exchange for an email address, as explained in the privacy policy. Nothing is sold on this site.

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References

Every study below was checked on PubMed. Results in short, as the studies report them; most were done on young adults, often beginners.

  1. Hubal MJ et al. (2005). Variability in muscle size and strength gain after unilateral resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. PMID 15947721.585 adults, the same 12-week arm program: biceps size changed anywhere from -2% to +59%.