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How to Keep Leveling Up INFINITELY – Like Sung Jin-Woo

By Adam Sinicki on October 25, 2024

Solo Levelling is an extremely popular web toon and anime because it offers the perfect power fantasy and, in many ways, encapsulates what people find appealing about Shonen-style anime to begin with.

In the story, protagonist Sung Jin Woo, begins as a low-level hunter. However, following a near-death experience he is granted an ability called “The System.” This provides him with a game-like interface and allows him to level up any aspect of his life – drastically increasing his strength and combat ability so long as he continues to train and complete quests. But that’s not all, as we see how this also indirectly levels up other aspects of his character – like his confidence and intelligence.

This is so effective because it makes explicit the appeal of training AND the underlying structure of anime like Dragon Ball Z. It’s the notion that we can overcome any obstacle and become whatever we choose… so long as we put in the work and don’t give up.

The problem, of course, is that it doesn’t always seem to pan out that way in the real world. Too often, we hit a road block. We keep putting in the work but we plateau and stop seeing progress.

So, then, how do you ensure that you KEEP levelling up, just like Sung Jin Woo?

In this video, I’ll show you the principles that can be applied to your training and ANY OTHER aspect of life. So that you can progress in ways that might surprise you.

And it’s not just the usual advice you hear everywhere else.

Level 1: Noob Gains

The good news is that anything is easy when you start out.

This is the reality that too many people miss. I’ve been in shape ever since I was 13 and I’ve had people asking me how to achieve the same since then. Thing is, I got that way from a very basic workout: push ups, pull ups, dumbbell curls, and air squats. I worked out from my room and got to the point where I was doing hundreds of push ups per set.

Was it optimal? Not at all. But it worked because I kept at it.

And so I would bang my head against the wall when a friend of mine told me they were investing £200 to get an online coach. Or that they couldn’t start training until life got a bit quieter. Or when they got ME to write them a program and only did it twice.

It really doesn’t matter what you do to begin with because anything is better than nothing. Literally. Even if you only do one push up a day. It’s still better than nothing.

This is exemplified perfectly by Solo Levelling, seeing as Sung Jin Woo follows what is essentially the famously basic workout from One Punch Man. That would get you great results.

Don’t worry about optimal or perfect until you’re already making headway. Anything else is just an excuse.

That’s another issue: people have such lofty goals that they scare themselves out of their training. Whereas they could keep it simple and achievable. Or fun, even. And they’d start seeing results much faster.

Again: why are you even thinking about being Mr Olympia when you haven’t yet managed to workout for at least three weeks consecutively? Start small, see how it goes. Take your time but be consistent.

And you don’t just get gains from what you’re doing – you also get better at the process itself. In my case, I got better at knowing how to get an effective stimulus in a short amount of time. I got better at performing the movements.

This applies in every area of life, too. Just start. Another example for me is this YouTube channel. People ask how I built it up to almost 900k subscribers. The answer is that I’ve been making videos for 15 years. And for the vast majority of them I posted every week. I didn’t grow fast. But, over that timeframe, SOME growth was inevitable.

And I also got better at making videos, further skewing the odds in my favour. I got better at speaking to camera. I learned how to operate my gear. I learned how to write scripts that people would listen to.

And I’m still learning.

Whatever it is… just start.

This is something that too many people miss because they’re so eager to rush ahead. In my recent video on training like Fushiguro, I said that starting a sport of athletic hobby could be the best way for many people to get the body they want AND improve their performance. This got some pushback, as I suspected, from people who dedicate their lives to lifting weights and argued that you wouldn’t get Toji’s huge V-taper from sports.

First: check the manga. Toji is actually drawn a lot slimmer there and I think the anime just takes artistic license at times.

Second: yes you will. See: rock climbers. But more to the point: beginners don’t need to worry about getting the perfect V taper. That’s a long way off. They just need to worry about being a little bit fitter and healthier than they were last month. They can add pull downs or weighted pull ups WAAAAY down the line once they’re in great shape, if they feel they need it.

It’s like if I never started YouTube with my little camera because that would “never get me Hollywood style cinematography.” Check yourself!

Forget about the perfect physique at the end of the tunnel. Just focus on being a little bit better than you are right now.

Level 2: Limit Breaker

This process works to a point. But there comes a time when you naturally begin to see diminishing returns.

Doing 50 push ups every other night is amazing for someone who has never done any exercise before. It’s not much at all for someone who has been doing it for years. Or who can already bench 150kg.

But people get stuck in this rut because it’s become a habit. A habit that started as a very positive thing but which may no longer be serving them.

That’s where progressive overload comes in, right? You add weight. Or you do incline push ups. Or you do heavier and heavier bench press.

Well, yeah… But you’re still going to see things trailing off. Eventually, you’ll be adding 5kg to your bench press over the course of a year. Again, it feels like you’re spinning your wheels and it doesn’t provide any tangible benefits to your life.

So, what can you do instead?

One of the best options is to look for a limit-breaker. And this usually comes down to training smarter, not just harder. That might mean learning a new technique. Or training the very WAY you train.

For example, I just saw a great strategy for training skills when you’re not able to do many reps. They’re called “clusters” and it was in a video by Tom Merrick, The Bodyweight Warrior. Basically, if you want to level up handstand push up but you can only do one or two reps before falling over (that’s me), then you instead “cluster” your attempts. A set can be 5 attempts 20 seconds apart. That way, you still get the volume.

The technique itself may be useful to some of you. But more important is the notion that you can change your approach to see a real breakthrough. That will involve research.

Sometimes just learning new facts about handstands can lead to huge breakthroughs, too. Like when I learned that I should press my fingers into the ground to keep myself balanced. My handstands improved overnight – but I never got any stronger. Nothing about me “changed.”

This is the sort of thing that can represent a true “step change” in your power level.

We see this in anime all the time. You might be up against an unstoppable foe whose power level dwarfs your own… but if you have a technique to seal them away or to blind them, you can still win.

Conquering obstacles doesn’t always mean going through. Sometimes it means going around.

There’s another reason people tend to falter, too. That’s due to real setbacks. Whether that be due to illness, injury, or demanding life situations. I think the important thing to remember is that not all progress is linear. Sometimes, you will experience setbacks. Sometimes, you will take breaks. Maybe even for years. But that doesn’t put you back at square one. So, don’t be too disheartened.

In other words: it’s never too late to get back on the horse. And, as long as you do that, you will see that the AVERAGE keeps on improving.

Level 3: Ascend

The other option is to look elsewhere. Remember those noob gains? They are still there for the taking in other areas.

So, if you’ve maxed out your bench… how about turning your attention to your squats?

Or, if you’re a member of the 1,000lb club, why not turn your attention to mobility? Learning a cool skill like a handstand?

Or learning martial arts… so that you can actually apply that power in a formidable way? Now you’re looking at a total transformation more like Sung Jin Woo.

You could hone your physique now, to get a Godly body to go along with that genuine strength.

You see people like this on social media, sometimes. People who are backflipping, handstanding, fighting with incredible technique, doing insane lifts, running marathons, and all while looking like a Greek statue. These are the people who are truly on another level and that’s really what I aspire to.

The abilities compound. And I’ve seen this in other areas of life, too. My channel only became more successful as I learned new skills: first writing and editing. Then videography, after effects, 3D modelling, programming. All these skills help me achieve more than someone who can only talk to a camera.

This approach can feel a bit jarring for many of us. We’re so often told to “keep progressing” and we’re inspired by seeing elites at the very top of their field. But while it is possible to keep levelling in a direct manner… it’s probably not the best bang for your buck.

You’re not giving up on the things you’ve been working on. It takes far less effort to maintain strength or skills. So you do that in the background, while you level up elsewhere.

Imagine being able to bench double body weight, perform handstand push ups, AND do double splits. That’s the kind of performance that blows people’s minds. It’s the kind of performance that truly sets you apart as being different – because it’s NOT the strategy so many people take.

And guys, if you’re looking for a training program that takes this approach, you might want to consider my ebook and workout videos: SuperFunctional Training 2.0. There’s a link down below to where you can buy the package.

This system is unique not only because it aims to level up various aspects of your fitness simultaneously (strength, speed, stamina, mobility) but also because it utilises a unique system of progression. My “Gauntlet sets” essentially involve placing harder movements at the start of a set and using drop sets to achieve volume with easier variations.

Finally, I recommend that you simply keep trying. Keep training and don’t worry about setbacks, false starts, or failures. Because the act of training is analogous to so much in life. As you learn to level up in your training, to persevere and progress, you will learn the art of progressing itself. And with that power, the world becomes your oyster.

Before we go, though, a word of caution. You see, there is another reading of Solo Leveling: a warning. As we see Sung Jin-Woo become more powerful, he also becomes increasingly isolated, cold, and detached. He begins to lose his humanity.

This could be seen as an analogy for the way that an obsession with progress and success becomes all-devouring. While growth is something to be admired, it mustn’t come at the expense of other things that matter in life: friends, family, health, creating good memories.

Train to live, don’t live to train.

About Adam Sinicki

Adam Sinicki, AKA The Bioneer, is a writer, personal trainer, author, entrepreneur, and web developer. I've been writing about health, psychology, and fitness for the past 10+ years and have a fascination with the limits of human performance. When I'm not running my online businesses or training, I love sandwiches, computer games, comics, and hanging out with my family.