I’ve been a huge fan of Hugh Jackman ever since he starred in the Wolverine movies. What has impressed me the most is how he has been able to maintain all that muscle mass.
Many people don’t understand that it is hard to keep muscles as it is to get them in the first place.
Fortunately, Hugh has shared a lot of information in interviews and social media about his weight training and diet plan.
We have gathered solid information that might be helpful for you. Read along.
Quick Summary
- Hugh Jackman's workouts vary from lunges, deadlifts, squats, leg curls, shrugs, biceps curls, bench presses, dips, and dumbbell rows, among others.
- Jackman mixes his exercise routines all the time to evenly work on his entire body's muscles.
- Hugh Jackman's supplement intake are pre-workouts, BCAAs, creatine, and mass gainer.
- Jackman takes meals rich in protein, and high calories to help with muscle growth and carb cycling to help him reduce fat.
Hugh Jackman’s Body Transformation
Hugh Jackman’s trainer David Kingsbury was the biggest influence in transforming him to become a badass superhero.
For months at a time, he would go through grueling workouts to maximize muscle building and reduce his body fat to an absolute minimum.
Most people that haven’t tried that with a big enough bulking goal have no idea how difficult it can be.
Of course, having a movie studio pay for a professional trainer and dietitian and then getting paid to go to the gym helps a lot.
But don’t make the mistake of believing this makes the work any easier.
What Is Hugh’s Workout Approach?
Hugh's workout approach focused on exercises that would help him pack more muscle.
One advantage for Jackman before The Wolverine was that he was already in good shape with a high fitness level. He was very lean for Les Misérables, but he was missing the bulk he needed for an entirely different character.
The first thing that Jackman changed was going from lifting in the 8 - 12 rep range to a maximum of 5.
That meant the weights increased, and the burn set in an awful lot earlier. As a personal trainer, I know this is where most beginners go wrong.
Here's what we think Jackman's workout plan looked like.
Other celebrity physiques:
Hugh Jackman’s Workout Routine
So, the first thing to highlight is that Hugh Jackman takes the approach of a declining number of reps with increasing weight. Ultimately, this pushes his muscles to failure, which has a significant impact on muscle building.
The important thing to note is that you shouldn’t go above 10 reps when working on weights.
Monday - Back
- Lat pulldowns (3 sets of 10-8-5 reps)
- Dumbbell Rows (3 sets of 10-8-5 reps)
- Upright Cable Rows (3 sets of 10-8-5 reps)
- Wide-grip Weighted Pull-Ups (3 sets of 25)
- Wide Push-Ups (3 sets of 25)
Tuesday - Chest
- Bench Press (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Crossovers (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Chest Press (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Incline Dumbbell Press (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Chest Flys (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Dips (3 sets of 10)
Wednesday - Arms
- Biceps Curls (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Close-Grip Bench Press (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Preacher Curls (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Triceps Kickbacks (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Hammer Curls (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Triceps Pushdowns (3 sets of 10-8-5)
Thursday - Shoulders
- Military Press (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Shrugs (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Arnold Press (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Reverse-Grip Pull-Up (3 sets of 25)
- Shoulder Flys (3 sets of 10-8-5)
Friday - Legs
- Squats (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Leg Curls (4 sets of 10-8-5-1)
- Calf Raises (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Lunges (3 sets of 10-8-5)
- Deadlifts (3 sets of 10-8-5)
Saturday/Sunday - Rest Days
Some light cardio might be a good option, especially if you have some fat to lose, but this should be mainly geared towards recovery.
Going for a few walks per day or doing some targeted stretching can also help with circulation and faster muscle recovery.
Hugh Jackman’s Diet
Jackman has mentioned a few times that he often limits his eating window to just 8 hours every day. The goal is for the extended fasting times (16 hours) and carb cycling to help him reduce fat while still eating a high-calorie diet to support his muscle growth.
That means he had to cram a lot of food into those 8 hours a day.
Here’s what the Wolverine diet would look like broken down into 4 meals.
Meal 1
Meal 2
|
Meal 3
Meal 4
|
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Supplements
Hugh Jackman almost certainly relied on these supplements to see the gains he achieved.
1) Pre-Workout
To avoid premature fatigue and to make those last reps count, Jackman would rely on some energy boosters to increase his endurance.
My top pre-workout recommendation is the one from 4Gauge -- works amazing for intense gym days.
2) BCAAs
We checked with a nutritionist, and she recommended that a training routine like the above would require about 8 grams of BCAAs to speed up the recovery phase [1].
I get this amount for every serving of Transparent Labs BCAA helping me with optimum recovery.
3) Creatine
This is another supplement that Jackman’s trainer has spoken a lot about to specifically support the bulking phase of training.
If you’re looking for a creatine supplement with top quality ingredients, check out Transparent Labs Creatine.
4) Mass Gainer
This is a bit of a guess, but considering the kind of calorie intake required and the short 8-hour window for eating, it’s not unlikely that Jackman kept a few mass gaining products at home.
I highly recommend another product from Transparent Labs Mass Gainder if you’re looking for a high-quality mass gainer.
Could You Endure Hugh Jackman’s Workout Routine?
A Wolverine workout isn’t 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 don’t 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.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212987/
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