Without Meal Planning Abs Will Elude You
Prep is so important, and that goes for anything whether youre training for a film, a beach holiday body or a marathon. You want to build slowly. With training for a film like Logan, the diet, the training, the stunts and fighting is all about preparation and putting in the time.
If you spend just 1-2 hours each week planning and or cooking your meals at the start of the week, youll always hit your goals and actually safe time in the long term.
Could You Endure Hugh Jackmans Workout Routine
A Wolverine workout isnt going to be easy, but I can guarantee you that if you stick with such a routine for 4 to 6 months and adapt your diet, then you could easily have a body fit for an X-Men movie.
But even if you dont want to look like Wolverine, this training plan will make a huge difference to get rid of flabby stuff and help you bulk up.
Give it a try for a few weeks, and then get back to us about how it worked out.
Hugh Jackman Workout: How He Got Ripped For Wolverine
Follow the workout that got X-Mens Hugh Jackman into Wolverine shape
Coachs sister title Mens Fitness spoke with Hugh Jackmans trainer in 2009 when the first Wolverine movie hit our screens. Seven years have elapsed but two things seemingly havent aged since then the advice his trainer, Mike Ryan, gave us and Jackmans body. In fact, in 2016 MF reported that Jackman had joined the 1,000lb powerlifting club, which means he cranked out a 235lb bench press, 410lb deadlift and a 345lb squat in one day.
Below, Ryan reveals what the guys in Australian gym Physical Factory called Jackman when he first started hanging around and outlines a training plan of four workouts in one week, covering the chest and triceps, legs, back and biceps, and finally shoulders and abs. Weve also included a sample one-day diet covering supplements, protein shakes, smoothies and plenty of protein-rich foods for good measure.
Its all about evolution, says Mike Ryan, personal trainer to Hugh Jackman. But Ryan is not talking about the movie and its cast of mutant superheroes hes explaining the training plan that Jackman followed to build the rock-hard physique needed to play the blade-fisted Wolverine.
From one workout to the next Ill always have something new to add to the equation, Ryan says. Our sessions are based on established principles, but well always try and bring new ideas to the table. And Hugh now looks the most ripped hes been for any movie.
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Hugh Jackman Workout Breakdown
Over the course of his training, Jackman performed just about every exercise you can imagine, including push-ups and cardio. However, the primary focus was weightlifting and progressive overload from beginning to end. As youll recall, Jackman worked in four-week blocks, increasing the weight with each passing week, then reducing the weight in the fourth week and performing higher reps.
Upon completion of the first four-week block, Jackman added 5-10% of his working 1-rep max to the next block. Should you follow in his footsteps, prepare to add 5% if your progress is gradual, and 10% if youre hitting all your target reps with relative ease. Moving forward, you should increase your working 1-rep max to the tune of 5-10% with each subsequent four-week block.
Heres a breakdown of the main lifts Jackman performed during each four-week block, as well as the rep and working 1-rep max fluctuations he incorporated from week to week.
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Make your own: Preheat oven to 180°C/gas 4. Place 150g walnuts on a baking tray and bake in the centre of oven for around ten minutes until fragrant and toasted. Allow to cool, then mix with 75g unsalted sunflower seeds, 75g chopped apricots, 50g pumpkin seeds and 50g goji berries. Walnuts are rich in essential fatty acids, which increase energy levels and regulate blood sugar levels.
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Eat Like A Superhero Twice Over: The Hugh Jackman Diet
Because Jackman portrayed the X-Man formerly called Wolverine and now called Logan, he essentially played two parts, but his nutrition never faltered. Every time he played the Wolverine, he stuck with the same diet plan. He actually got the plan he now uses from Dwayne Johnson , which is amazing that another well-known celebrity would give up such precious information. He uses an intermittent fasting plan that works well for his body and needs.
While there are many variations, Logan/Wolverine focused on a 16-hour window where he ate nothing, only allowing himself to eat eight hours in the day. Therefore, hed go to bed and sleep and have eight more hours to wait.
Then, hed eat up to 6,000 calories during those eight hours, ensuring that he only ate protein and a few carbs. He stayed away from sugar at all costs. In a sense, he actually ate a Paleo diet, which can help you determine the right foods to eat during this time.
If youre looking to get ripped regardless of your age, consistency is key. Find exercises that fit you and choose intermittent fasting along with Paleo-style eating to burn fat and build lean muscle.
The Hugh Jackman Wolverine Workout Plan
Hugh Jackmans muscle gain was the result of a specific workout plan from David Kingsbury, who broke the actors regimen into two phases: bulk and cut. During the bulk phase, Kingsbury calculated calories to give Jackman the leanest possible muscle gain. Kingsbury also employed a combination of low-intensity training and intervals in order to keep body fat levels down, even as Jackman was bulking up.
During the cut phase, Kingsbury kept the weight training consistent, but adjusted caloric consumption and the amount of cardio Jackman was performing. Again, the end goal was to build strength without going overboard in terms of body fat. Lean and mean, baby!
Kingsbury is also a major advocate of progressive overload, which involves gradually increasing the amount of weight being lifted during training, all to ensure continual gains in strength. He broke Jackmans program down into a four-week schedule, increasing the weight each week for the first three weeks, and then reducing it during the fourth week while upping the number of reps.
As if Kingsburys approach wasnt already methodical enough, he worked off a percentage system to determine what weights Jackman should be using each week as his main lifts. Each percentage was calculated by figuring out Jackmans working 1-rep max , which represented 95% of his 1-rep max.
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After 5 Meals The Final Snack Was Hard To Get Down
The last meal of the day was more of a hearty snack, just two more servings of mixed nuts to round out the right fat and protein balance for the day.
Soueid was so full he could barely finish this final snack before his 8-hour eating period was over.
“It’s a really good thing nuts are super calorically dense because I couldn’t do almost 400 calories of a super clean meal,” he said.
While the meals were well balanced and nutritionally dense, the 8-hour window made the amount of food seem much larger than if it were spread out over a longer period, he said.
“It honestly felt like I ate over 5,000 calories today,” he said.
Strength Isnt Mutually Exclusive To Gym Work
I also do a lot of bodyweight exercises, theres a lot of press ups, different pull-ups, dips, and then weighted sleds and heavy ropes. That stuff helps with my agility and flexibility and the stunts in these films.
How does this advice match up to real world results? Quite well, if you consider a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found equal strength gains in lifters who either did traditional resistance training, high and low intensity weight circuits or explosive bodyweight moves.
Make sure bodyweight moves constitute at least 10% of every workout.
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Get To Know More About Hugh Jackman
Born in the oldest and biggest city of Sydney, Australia, and son of Christopher John Jackman and Grace McNiel, Hugh Jackman was the second child among four older siblings.
Right after the night of Jackamns academy graduation, he had offered to play the role of Corelli, and where he had been able to meet his future wife. After the series drama ended in one season, he started working on the other projects offered to him. It was in the year 1998 that his name became so famous outside Australia.
The turning point of his career began when he played the role of Wolverine in the top-hit film series X-men. At the same time, its the starting point that transformed his body dramatically for playing the role. But his most physique dramatic change occurred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Over the past years of physical transformation, it brought Jackman to be recognized as one of the most impressive Hollywood physiques. And perhaps, playing the Wolverine role had played a huge responsibility in his entire physical transformation.
To change his body for the 2009 film, Jackman worked for more than a half year to transform himself into the impressive picture of Wolverine we have all seen. And you bet that all that hard work manifested into the most controversial Marvel superhero.
And all these comes with his secret weapon beyond his physical training: brainpower. Hes consistently looking for the tipping point between his psyches needs and what the body can accomplish.
Train Like A Mutant Who Can Never Die
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Wolverine Workout Program
Playing a mutant who possesses animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, a powerful regenerative ability, and retractable claws can be physically demanding to say the least. Training to look the part is a whole different ball game altogether.
Hugh Jackman blew us away with his ripped physique in The Wolverine. The vascularity, shredded abs, broad shoulders and back, and thick biceps were in top conditioning. Jackman would arguably have ousted many pro Mens Physique competitors if he was to jump on stage looking like that.
Hugh Jackmans Wolverine workout program is pretty different from what we have come to expect from a celebrity training program. Celebrity trainer, David Kingsbury, was entrusted with the job of turning Hugh into a mutant. No, David is not Dr. Cornelius in disguise, and he did not infuse Logan with adamantium. Kingsbury devised a potent training program that shredded Jackman to the bone.
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From Chicken Legs To Adamantium Claws
On the screen, Jackman exudes animalistic powermuch like his characters namesake would imply. Not only does he look big, but he looks strong, cut, and mean. The last of these we cant help you with, but we can definitely try to get you wolverine-big, strong, and cut.
Nicknamed chicken legs back when his acting career was just getting off the ground, Jackman hasnt always been the specimen of a man he is today. Quite infamously, hes insistent on keeping in shape between moviesnot just packing on pounds for his Wolverine role. So hes now had decades of properly training and eating to get his physique, but it all comes down to the multi-week building blocks.
Jackmans routine to get into shape draws from a wide range of strategies. While it sometimes depends on the role , the Wolverine look is all about getting big and getting lean. While difficult, it can be done with the right focus and enough hard work.
Jackman does regular cardio, including stretching and some bodyweight exercises such as push-ups. But his bread-and-butter exercises are the weightlifting big threedeadlifts, bench presses, and squats. A few years ago, he even joined the 1000lb club by being able to lift a combined weight of 1000lb across these three lifts in one day.
Jackmans Workout For Wolverine
Hugh Jackman carried out an advanced bodybuilding / strength training regime for his role as Wolverine. For Origins he hired Mike Ryan, an Australian personal trainer who has worked with many celebrities. Hugh has known Mike for many years as Hugh used to work on the reception at The Physical Factory in Sydney while Mike Ryan was a personal trainer there. Hugh and Mike became good friends and Hugh promised that if he ever made it big in Hollywood he would hire Mike.
Jackman used supersets for this, which means that rather than perform a set of one exercise, rest, and repeat, he would perform a set of one exercise, then move on to do another set of a different exercise immediately afterwards. Prior to any workout he would obviously warm up with some gentle cardio and then use an empty barbell and go through the moves to get the blood flowing.
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Hugh Jackmans Daily Meal Plan Highlights
While he did not eat this way every single day during training, the following does represent Jackmans typical meal intake and spacing during the Wolverine sessions :
1. 5:00 AM Dates, seeds, and berry mix.2. 6:00-7:00 AM Protein supplements.3. 7:30 AM Recovery shake and bar.4. 7:45 AM Protein smoothie.
5. 10.00 AM Morning protein boost .6. 1.00 PM Lunch .7. 4.00 PM Mid-afternoon energy break .8. 6.00 PM Protein dinner .9. 10.00 PM Before bed: Protein smoothie.
Ryan emphasizes that his food plan is just a template that can be adapted to individual tastes and preferences, as well as actual training time .
Sleeping When Youre Hungry
Intermittent fasting helps with my rest and sleep as well, and theres a lot of great research and science behind intermittent fasting or having a periods of each day when you are not eating. I sleep so much better as well.
Science supports him 100% because a paper in The Journal of Clinical Investigation found fasting amplifies your levels of growth hormone which a powerful reparation and growth agent.
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Get Ripped Like Logan
While most people think that they cant do the workout if theyre under 50 years old, its tailored to fit anyones fitness level or age. Of course, you should talk to your doctor first, but you can feel good knowing that this routine is effective and can help you get toned and muscular whether youre in your 20s or 50s. Plus, its perfect for those whove never worked out before or are easing back into their fitness routine.
Its essential to note that you may not look just like Logan when you get to your ideal weight, especially if you have a different body type. However, you can still do the same moves and feel like your favorite superhero while getting fitter and healthier.
Hugh Jackman Intermittent Fasting Results
While on the Wolverine diet, Hugh Jackman was 44 years old and went from 170 pounds to a lean 190 pounds of muscle. The lean mass weight gain was achieved through a combination of intermittent fasting, a healthy, high-protein diet of whole foods and up to three hours a day of exercise several times per week.
While on one level, Jackmans diet and exercise protocol may sound extreme, its also true that most of us arent under the gun to gain 20 pounds of muscle. The plan seems far more practical when considering the typical adult needs just 1,500-2,500 calories per day, and may exercise for one hour, not three, several times per week.
While Jackmans body is worthy of admiration and can be motivating for some, its important to keep in mind the difference between film and real life. Prior to shooting The Wolverines shirtless scenes, Jackman would dehydrate to enhance the sculpted look of his muscle. By practicing super-hydration in the week prior to filming, then abstaining from all liquids in the 12-24 hours before a shoot, Jackman achieved his finely chiseled look. While common on film and physique competitions, techniques like dehydration simply arent safe for every day.
There are, however, take-home benefits to the Wolverine Diet. Jackman tells Mens Journal, I sleep so much better. In that statement he sums up what greater physical health is all about not just looks, but a feel-good feeling.
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Whats The Wolverine Workout
In the 5 months before filming the movie Wolverine in 2013, Jackman followed a strict workout routine 6 days a week and a diet plan created by his trainer. The goal of the program was to help Jackman increase his muscle strength and size while staying lean.
The workout program consisted of lifting heavy weights close to Jackmans maximum lifts and cardio to help keep his body fat levels low. The level of cardio Jackman performed changed throughout the program to match his body fat levels.
According to a Bodybuilding.com interview with Kingsbury, Jackman was already in great shape before he started training. He had just finished performing on Broadway and was wrapping up on the set of Les Misérables, so at the beginning of the program he was already relatively lean for his 6-foot-2-inch frame.
Sunday & Saturday Hugh Jackman Is Not Working Out Hes Taking A Break
On Saturday and Sunday, the Wolverines take a break from their normal routine. Hugh Jackmans body was able to recover as a result of this. On rest days, however, light cardio workouts such as walking on a treadmill without handles may be a good option. It will aid in muscle recovery as well as circulation.
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How To Eat Like Wolverine Protein At Every Meal Lots Of Veggies And Healthy Fats From Nuts Olive Oil And Avocado
Jackman’s used the 8/16 fasting routine, meaning all those calories and nutrients have to be consumed within an 8-hour window of time .
Soueid chose between 2 pm and 10 pm for his eating window:
Meal 1: He kicked off the Wolverine diet with a big bowl of oatmeal and blueberries and two eggs.
Meal 2: A few hours later, before his workout, he had a 10-ounce steak, a sweet potato, one cup of steamed broccoli, and a Greek salad with peppers, feta cheese, and olive oil.
Meal 3: After a session in the weight room, he had chicken breast, brown rice, more Greek salad.
Meal 4: Shortly after, it was a snack of a protein shake and 1 cup of mixed nuts.
At this point, Soueid was feeling pretty tired of eating. “I’m already getting super full because the eating window is so small,” he said. But there was still dinner to finish.
Meal 5: For dinner, Soueid sat down to a steamed tilapia fillet, fresh avocado, and even more steamed broccoli.
