Henry Cavill's Superman Diet & Workout Routine

After a day of heavy lifting, Cavill follows up with a day of interval sprints to condition his muscles.

Cavill’s power cardio routine consists of 10 rounds of 50-yard sprints with 60 seconds of rest between each round.

So, it looks like this:

• First round: 50-yard sprint
• Rest: 60 seconds
• Repeat: 9 more rounds

While some might argue that doing a power cardio session directly after strength training could be more beneficial, research shows that doing so might decrease your performance during the cardio session [1].

So Cavill has taken the smarter route by dedicating an entire day to pure cardio.

Wednesday: Rest

After two days of intense training, Cavill took a breather on Wednesday to recuperate his muscles.

However, he still does his morning cardio routine to prevent strength loss, increase protein synthesis, and enhance hypertrophy [2].

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On Thursday, Cavill combined back and compound leg movements. He keeps things simple with three exercises.

Instead of going heavy, he uses only 50 lbs (~23 kg) and combines all three exercises into one superset.

Here’s what one superset looks like:

• Dumbbell bent-over row: 7 reps
• Dumbbell power clean: 7 reps
• Dumbbell push press: 7 reps

He repeats this superset for as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.

Given that Cavill plays a lot of fight scenes, these exercises help him develop the muscular endurance needed to pull them off.

Friday: Full-Body Workout

On Fridays, Cavill does a full-body workout with kettlebell swings and sprints.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Kettlebell swings: 2 sets x AMRAP in 60 seconds
• 60-yard sprint: 2 sets

Saturday:

“You can have the most extraordinary abs in the world, but if you’re not lean enough, you can’t see them. But to make particularly aesthetic abs or a strong core, then yes, planks have worked for me.”

- Henry Cavill, American Actor

• Incline dumbbell press: 4 sets x 8–12 reps
• Cable crossover: 4 sets x 10–12 reps
• Weighted chin-ups: 4 sets x 8–10 reps
• Seated cable row: 4 sets x 10–12 reps

Friday: Arms & Shoulders

• Seated dumbbell press: 5 sets x 8–10 reps
• Side lateral raises: 5 sets x 10–12 reps
• Front lateral raises: 5 sets x 10–12 reps
• Preacher curls: 6 sets x 10–12 reps
• Dumbbell tricep extensions: 6 sets x 10–12 reps

Saturday & Sunday: Rest

In an interview, Cavill said he normally consumes over 5,000 calories a day to maintain his muscle mass. Building lean muscle is anything but easy, so both workout and diet need to be on point.

Here’s an outline of his diet based on several interviews, social media posts, and some celebrity gossip:

• Breakfast: 5 egg whites and 2 yolks, 1 steak, an oatmeal protein shake (one and a half scoops of protein powder), and 1 glass of rosemary water.
• Snack #1: Protein shake (56g of protein), 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 cups grapes, 3 tbsp. barley, 1 oz. sunflower seeds.
• Pre-workout lunch: Jasmine rice with chicken curry, 1 apple.
• Post-workout snack: Protein shake with coconut milk, peanut butter, maltodextrin, and whey protein.
• Second lunch: Chicken breast with curry sauce, roasted potatoes, or sweet potatoes.
• Snack #2: Protein shake (49 g of protein), 1.5 cups yogurt, 1.5 tbsp barley, 3 tbsp slivered almonds, 1 tsp olive, flax, hemp, or salmon oils, 2 tangerines.
• Dinner: Bison steak, brown rice pasta, plain brown rice, or white rice.
• Snack #3: Protein shake (with greens, whey protein, and water).

While Cavill hasn’t strictly stated any diet principles, here’s what we got from his interviews, social media posts, and videos:

• High protein intake: Besides eating protein-dense meals, Cavill consumed several protein shakes throughout the day.
• Cheat days: Cavill would scarf down a deep-dish pizza on his cheat day. While this may seem counterintuitive, research shows that the occasional snack could lead to faster weight loss [5].
• Role-based diet: Cavill eats based on his movie roles. So, he’ll consume over 5,000 calories when training to build muscle and far fewer calories when preparing for Superman roles so he can look leaner.

Does Cavill Take Supplements?

Yes, Cavill takes supplements. His primary supplement is whey protein, which he takes several times a day.

His other supplements include the following:

• Pre-workout
• Fat burners
• BCAAs
• Rosemary water

Choosing the best whey protein for your needs can make or break your success, so make sure you opt for the right one.