Hellboy, Dumbbell

On the Don Saladino App
BRUTE STRENGTH. RESILENT MUSCLE.
Hellboy (DB) is the official training program used by David Harbour to prepare for his Hellboy role! (This is the dumbbell-modified version). The program focuses on resiliency, brute strength & power! Check down below for some behind the scene training videos.

GOAL: Resiliency, Brute Strength & Power
DIFFICULTY: Intermediate to Advanced
DURATION: 9 Weeks, 5 Days a Week w/ an optional 6th day
AVG LENGTH: 45-60 Minutes
EQUIPMENT: Dumbbells only, Optional Adjustable Bench

Training Split:

  • Day 1. Lower Body

  • Day 2. Vertical Push & Pull

  • Day 3. Hellboy Day

  • Day 4. Horizontal Push & Pull

  • Day 5. Arm Day

  • Day 6: Optional Hellboy Day

What’s Included:

  • App Access, Desktop Dashboard, & eBook

  • Hellboy, Dumbbell Program

  • Exercise Demonstration Videos

  • Weight Logging & Tracking

  • Nutrition, Supplement, & Macro Guides

  • Private Group Access

No subscription or reoccurring fees for the Don Saladino app. The app is FREE. Your purchased programs will be stored & accessed within your app account.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The official training program that transformed David Harbour into the beastly, battle-ready Hellboy. Designed for those who want to develop brute strength, resilient muscle, and unrelenting power. Now adapted for anyone with just a set of dumbbells and the will to grind. This program isn’t just about looking strong. It’s about moving like a beast. Expect explosive jumps, heavy carries, bear crawls, slams, and grueling circuits that demand grit and build real-world power.

“David brought me a photo of an Olympic shot putter and said, ‘Make me this.’”
– Don Saladino

When I started training David during Stranger Things, he wasn't looking for six-pack abs—he wanted to move like a monster and hit like a tank. At the beginning of preparing for the role, David was struggling to pull 24 kilo kettlebells off the ground due to a back injury. 9 weeks later, David pulled 400lbs off the ground for a crisp single!

🛠️ PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Day 1: Lower Body
Kick off the week with a lower-body strength and explosive power day. Focus on dumbbell squats, deadlifts, and split squats to build foundational strength, while dynamic moves like broad jumps and bear crawls activate the posterior chain and improve coordination.
Day 2: Vertical Push & Pull
Develop overhead pressing and vertical pulling power with a mix of dumbbell shoulder presses, pullovers, and Ys. Start with dynamic movements like lateral bounds and side bear crawls to prep your body for heavy pressing and pulling without compromising mobility.
Day 3: Hellboy Day
The ultimate functional conditioning day focused on grip strength, core stability, and full-body resilience. Use dumbbell carries (overhead, rack, suitcase, and farmer's) to build mental toughness, coordination, and raw power.
Day 4: Horizontal Push & Pull
Combine heavy dumbbell chest presses and deadlifts with accessory rows and reverse flyes to target the upper body and posterior chain. Finish with core stability and rotational movements to maintain athleticism and strength.
Day 5: Arm Day
Go beast mode with biceps and triceps exercises, including curls, tricep extensions, and high-intensity supersets. Focus on volume with dumbbells and finish with a cardio finisher to pump up the arms and enhance endurance.
Optional Day 6: Hellboy Day (Reloaded)
Repeat the Hellboy conditioning circuit for an added challenge, testing your endurance and grip strength through intense dumbbell carries. Push your limits with a cardio finish to cap off the week’s chaos.

🚀PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
+ Built for Brute Strength – Inspired by Hellboy’s physique: dense, powerful, and unapologetically strong.
+ Verified – The exact style used by David Harbour to transform for his role as Hellboy.
+ Power & Hypertrophy Blend – Combines explosive movements with traditional lifts and carries for maximum output and muscle density.
+ Progressive 9-Week Structure – Each phase increases intensity, volume, and complexity to keep you progressing every week.

Build unbreakable strength, power, & resilience. Start the Hellboy Dumbbell Program today.

Day 1 Breakdown:

🔍 LOWER BODY – Strength, Power & Posterior Chain Resilience

🧨 A BLOCK: Athletic Activation & Mobility
A1: Broad Jumps – Explode through the hips to prime for power output
A2: Plyo Push-Ups – Activate upper body and core to fire up the nervous system
A3: Bear Crawls – Activate the full kinetic chain and improve trunk stability
🟢 Purpose: Fire up the nervous system, build mobility, and prep for heavy, explosive lifts.

🏋️ B BLOCK: Strength – Front-Loaded Squats
B1: Double Rack Dumbbell Squat – Front-loaded squats to target quads, core, and glutes
🟢 Purpose: Build strength and stability through loaded, full-depth squatting.

🦵 C BLOCK: Strength – Posterior Chain
C1: Kickstand RDL – Emphasize hamstring and glute development with unilateral stability
🟢 Purpose: Develop single-leg posterior strength and reinforce hinge mechanics.

🔥 D BLOCK: Unilateral Strength Work
D1: DB Split Squat – Increase unilateral leg strength and hip stability
🟢 Purpose: Correct imbalances and enhance single-leg coordination and strength.

🦵 E BLOCK: Isolation – Hamstrings
E1: DB Leg Curl (Modify: Towel Hamstring Curl if needed) – Controlled tempo isolation for hamstring hypertrophy
🟢 Purpose: Add volume and resilience to the back of the legs.

🏁 F BLOCK: Finisher – Conditioning & Grit
F1: Pick Your Poison Cardio – Choose between sprints, high knees, mountain climbers, jump rope, or fast feet
🟢 Purpose: End with heart-pumping intensity to challenge mental grit and metabolic conditioning.

Build unbreakable strength, power, & resilience. Start the Hellboy Dumbbell Program today.

To get familiar with the app, check out the How to Use the App video in the sidebar and the How to Use the App guide in the Resources section, located in the footer.

While logging your workout, tap the History Button ↺ (second icon in the footer), a pop-up screen will appear with your logging history for the exercise, tap Close in the upper left corner to return to logging.

You can change from pounds to kilograms by tapping Settings in the lower right of the footer, toggling the slider on for Metric, and tapping Save in the upper right corner.

MY INTERVIEW WITH DAVID HARBOUR @ DRIVE 495

 
 

MUSCLE & FITNESS INTERVIEWED ME @ DRIVE 495

 
 

Hellboy FAQs

  • A: I started training David Harbour back in 2015, during the filming of Stranger Things Season 1. Funny enough, it wasn’t a role that required him to look ripped. He was playing a small-town police chief who lived on doughnuts and coffee, not protein shakes and deadlifts.

  • David brought me a photo of an Olympic shot putter. Someone big, fierce, and powerful-looking. The goal was to build a physique that looked like it could pick up a house. Strong, imposing, and absolutely ferocious.

  • The three main goals are:
    1. Resiliency
    2. Strength
    3. Power
    When we started training for Hellboy, David was recovering from a back injury and struggled to pull 24kg kettlebells off the ground. Just 9 weeks later, he pulled a clean 400-pound deadlift for a single. That transformation says it all.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes! All of Don’s programs are delivered through the Don Saladino App — but you must purchase a program first.

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    Why 500 days?
    Nothing digital is truly “lifetime” — apps and online platforms change over time. To guarantee you always have your program, we provide an eBook version for lifetime use, while the app experience is available for 500 days to support your training and progress tracking.

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    If you’re training at home and wondering whether your setup will work for a specific gym program, check the sales page for that program. The full list of required equipment is always included in the first section of each program’s description, so you’ll know exactly what you need before you buy.

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    Each program includes clear instructions, exercise demonstrations, and modifications so you can train confidently, no matter where you’re starting from.

    If a program is best suited for intermediate to advanced trainees, I’ll always note that clearly on the sales page and in the program description — so you’ll know exactly what to expect.

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  • PREMIUM PROGRAMS
    9 Weeks — $99
    These programs are inspired by how actors prepared for specific movie roles. They give you an inside look at the training style and methods used to build a film-ready physique. Perfect if you want to train like your favorite Hollywood actor.

    ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS
    6 Weeks — $69
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Real Results

“Real results are built with Micro-Momentum. The idea that big, sustainable progress comes from the accumulation of small, manageable actions done consistently over time. It’s not about giant leaps. It’s about stacking small wins every single day. One workout, one healthy meal, one good night’s sleep… they add up. Focus on the little things consistently, and you’ll build real, lasting results that go far beyond quick fixes.” — Don Saladino