Loading ...
Wolverine’s Workout
If you guys haven’t checked out the latest X-Men movie, then I’d suggest you go see it. It had really nice special effects and the storyline wasn’t that bad.
But, the one thing that most folks came to see was Hugh Jackman’s “Jacked” body. The guy was really serious about the way he physically portrayed Wolverine for this film. I found a great article by Mike Howard over at dietblog.com that I thought you’d guys would be interested in. So, I’m going to repost it here.
Please pay close attention to the bullet points under the exercise section below, especially the first one for all you impatient fellas out there …
* * *
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Workout
I feel comfortable enough to say this: Hugh Jackman looks good… real good. He hovers only slightly below “man-crush” status in my books. The 6’3″ star of the latest X-Men installment has garnered a lot of attention for his formidable physique. Turns out he worked pretty hard to achieve it – here’s how he did it.
The Exercise
- Jackman did weight training for 15 months before filming started
- The first phase was focused on building muscle mass by altering the tempo or speed of the lift. Jackman’s trainer – Steve Ramsbottom had him lift the weight to a three-second count up and then a one-second count down.
- The second phase focused on maximum strength where Jackman was lifting really heavy weights, without any attention to tempo.
- Each phase lasted from six to 12 weeks depending on results and then was repeated. During each phase, Jackman would lift weights for one to two hours, five days a week.
- During the last week of the phase, Jackman would lift only one day and fill the other days with yoga, pilates, running and stretching.
The vision I had in my head for the character – I didn’t feel like it had ever really been fulfilled in the first three movies. It wasn’t enough to be pumped up or look like a bodybuilder or big. I wanted him to look more menacing, leaner, veinier, make people a little uncomfortable to look at him rather than go, ‘Oh, wow, what a great bod.’
The Diet
Seven protein-rich meals a day and peppermint tea. First meal? Egg whites at 4am.
I get up at 4am and eat egg whites, then every three hours after that. I have a combination of protein or steamed vegetables and brown rice. Then after midday, no rice or carbohydrates. It’s just vegetables and meat or fish.”
Don’t Try This at Home
While this sort of situation can provide some serious motivation, it is important to remember that this is a full-time job for Hollywood stars. They have the time, the resources and millions of dollars at stake. Further, Jackman himself concedes that this isn’t a permanent situation – confirming that this isn’t a sustainable way to train/eat.
But if you want to wake up at 4am to pound egg whites – knock yourself out!
Addendum: Saw X-Men: Origins on the weekend. A little disappointing but Hugh does look very ripped. Should also mention his co-stars Liev Schreiber and Ryan Reynolds certainly looked like they made a few trips to the gym as well.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:23 am
He was on Howard Stern and Howard was complaining about how he can’t build muscle and get ripped. Jackman asked he if he ran a lot and Howard said he did. Jackman said, (I’m paraphrasing, but you get the point) “That just wears your muscles down. Train like who you want to look like. Do you want to look like a sprinter or a marathoner?”
That being said, this guy’s marathon is damn impressive:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/05/09/london.marathon.soldier.disabled/index.html
Reply
Muata Reply:
May 11th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Hey, the proof is in the pudding, as they say! Thanks for the link, and I think we can add this story to the “You don’t have any excuse …” file for anyone who complains that they can’t achieve something, whether it’s fat loss or not …
Reply
May 10th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I loved the movie, but that’s not saying much. I love any movie that is about the Marvel Universe.
Jackman looked “jacked” in the movie. He obviously strength trained hard and ate large amounts of protein.
Reply
Muata Reply:
May 11th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Yeah, he sure did! I just loved the vascularity he had in his shoulders!
Reply
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:02 pm
I think recognizing that the physique displayed required 15 months to acquire is worthwhile. A lot of people – 99% of the population? – doesn’t have the time to lift weights for one hour a day, or the resources to hire a trainer to monitor and design one’s regimen. (That said, regarding the former, perhaps we all *can* carve out one hour a day.) Wanting to be Hugh Jackman – I question whether it’s a positive or a negative. It certainly might motivate someone to get off their rear. At the same time, it might discourage someone who fails to see similar results, perhaps due to an inability to mount a similar body-building campaign, for whatever reason. I’m not sure where I’m going with this – just food for thought, I suppose. If nothing else, interesting that HJ uses weight training as opposed to body weight training, given MLBF’s focus.
JW
Reply
Muata Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Hey Jeff, actually Hugh used both. During the last phase of his training, he did yoga, pilates, etc. Also, I think his training for this film shows that it depends on what your goal is and how fast you want to achieve it will determine which tool you want to use. I prefer doing mainly body weight training, but I follow the same principles of progression as someone who uses kettlebells, dumbells, barbells, sandbags, or any other fitness tool. I posted Jack’s routine because I wanted guys to see 1. The type of time and dedication it takes to achieve that kind of body, and 2. That during his 15 months of training, he cycled his training, which is something I’ve suggested that guys do with their dieting. Also, I don’t suggest anyone want to look like Hugh; rather, learn from and be motivated by what he had to do to achieve his goal whether or not you’ll ever decide to get that lean. Thanks for your comment Jeff …
Reply