How to be more like Batman, but without the car...

I was at home the other night. It was fairly late and getting close to when I would be falling asleep without even realizing when I stumbled across the movie Batman Begins. As we all know I'm essentially an adult sized child, especially since I still love superheroes and refer to myself pretty frequently as Superman, so it should be no surprise to hear that I started watching it. As I was watching though a thought occurred to me. Batman is considered to be one of greatest heroes ever and he doesn't have any super powers. That being said, how would Batman train?
And from there another question...how would any superhero who doesn't have super powers train? Superheroes are written to be the pinnacle of human physical achievement. Heroes are strong, flexible, fast, endured and determined. That being said here are "Superman's" tips to train like a superhero:

1) A superhero needs to be strong. Total body strong, because they are never just using one muscle group. So train in total body workouts and even throw in some movements that require multiple muscle groups such as Olympic lifts like the clean and jerk.

2) Whether the hero is fighting or chasing an opponent, they must be able to sustain explosive intensity for longer periods of time. Train to be explosive as well as well endured. Being explosive requires total body power (power=speed*strength) and having endurance gives the ability to work through even explosive intensity for longer periods of time. Use plyometric training with short rest periods from multiple angles for multiple muscle groups.

3) Heroes like Batman can't fly and generally need to climb in order to get vantage points or from place to place. Be able to workout with your own bodyweight and be flexible. Bodyweight training is intense and challenging and allows for added endurance as reps increase. And increased flexibility allows for added strength as well.

4) Heroes have a strong core because their body takes a constant beating. Train your core to increase total body strength.

5) Heroes are constantly pushing themselves to break their limits. Break your limits. Push yourself beyond your breaking point by running an extra mile, doing extra intervals or sets, lifting a heavier weight, or even something like doing workouts and creating your intensity without music, using your own internal intensity to push yourself further.

I realize superheroes are fictional, but if a man can conceive of people pushed to the point of physical perfection, then it's very possible to achieve. So start training, and BE YOUR OWN HERO!

-Jack Lazarus - Adult-sized Child/Superhero