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marvel cinematic universe - Why does Captain America need to exercise?


In the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we see Sam Wilson going for a morning jog and Rogers sprints right by him, "On your left." Then a few minutes later, we see Rogers sprint by Wilson again, and then once more. I liked the whole scene, it was really funny; but why is Captain America exercising? Doesn't his Super-Soldier Serum keep him in tip-top shape anyways?



Answer



Like any trained athlete, Captain America will tell you he is only as good as the effort he pushes his body to perform. The Super-Soldier serum did make his body physically fit, but being at the peak of human capacity and being battle-tested are entirely different things.



  • While we are never told if Captain America needs to exercise to maintain his beef-cake physique, in the comics, the Captain is always training to increase his combat effectiveness, his battle awareness, his strategic sense of the battlefield and working to decrease his reaction time.


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Steve Rogers' physical transformation, from a reprint of Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). Art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.




  • While we have seen the Captain go for months without training to no ill effect, it would seem the more he trains, the more confident he feels about his abilities under fire. Given he is one of the members of the team with comparatively limited superhuman abilities, he may feel an extra incentive to push himself to his physical limits. Early comics confirm this perspective.


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  • Captain America may also train because he can do things ordinary humans cannot easily do and the only way to reach those peaks of performance and enter the flow state where they become effortless is to practice, practice, practice.




  • Captain America has no superhuman powers, but through the Super-Soldier Serum and "Vita-Ray" treatment, he is transformed and his strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, durability, and healing are at the zenith of natural human potential. Rogers' body regularly replenishes the super-soldier serum; it does not wear off. The formula enhances all of his metabolic functions and prevents the build-up of fatigue poisons in his muscles, giving him endurance far in excess of an ordinary human being. This accounts for many of his extraordinary feats, including bench pressing 1200 pounds (545 kg) and running a mile (1.6 km) in 73 seconds (49 mph/78 kph). REF: Captain America's Powers and Abilities; Wikipedia.




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  • In the end, Captain America may not need to train because against any single human opponent, he is more than adequate to the task, but more often, he is fighting against entire armies where one wrong move may be his last.


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  • This is what the training is really for, to prepare him when he is out-manned, out-gunned, or outclassed and prepare him to dig deep to find the hidden reservoirs of awesome he needs to come out on top.



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  • Cap has fought against some of Marvel's heaviest hitters: Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, The Thing, Mr. Hyde, Wolverine, Magneto, the entire Serpent Society for Pete's sake, the man has fought against a good portion of the Marvel Universe at one time or another. From his perspective if you're not training, you're dying.


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