I first got interested in Max Thieriot and his workout routine when I watched an older TV series called Bates Motel and recognized his face from the TV show SEAL Team.
What you wouldn't recognize is his ripped body, and the more I looked into his physical transformation, the more I realized that he must have gone through some grueling training.
So, I got together with the Total Shape team, and we spent a few weeks researching interviews with and social media posts from Thieriot.
Here's what we found.
Quick Summary
- Max Thieriot's workouts include hammer curls, incline bench, lat pulldowns, side planks, bicycle crunches, hamstring curls, squats, leg extensions, and preacher curls.
- Oatmeal, unsalted nuts, fresh fruits, chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, steamed vegetables, and beef are some of the meals Max eats.
- Max Thieriot's supplements include whey protein shakes and pre-workouts.
Max Thieriot Stats
- Born: October 14, 1988
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 185 lbs
“It's always interesting researching characters and as I get older and the more that I work in this business, I do more and more of it because I realize how important it is.”
- Max Thieriot
Max Thieriot Workout Routine
Actor Max Thieriot trains at least five days a week, and even his rest days are pretty active.
He takes the bodybuilder mentality to target specific muscle groups each day and pushes them to the limits.
Monday: Arms And Chest
You'll start the week with some serious pain in your upper body.
- Warm-up run (10 minutes)
- Incline bench (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Close grip bench press (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Wide grip barbell curls (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Triceps pushdown (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Weighted dips (4 sets of 15 reps)
- Hammer curls (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Cable chest flys (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
Tuesday: Back And Core
You won't get ripped abs without this workout.
- Warm-up rowing (10 minutes)
- Bent over barbell rows (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Deadlifts (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Lat pulldowns (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Face pulls (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Wide-grip pull-ups (4 sets to failure)
- Hanging leg raises (3 sets to failure)
- Bicycle kicks (3 sets to failure)
- Ab crunches (3 sets to failure)
- V-Ups (3 sets to failure)
- Side plank (3 sets to failure)
Wednesday: High-Intensity Strength Training
This day is inspired by the Paige and Sasha Banks workouts, and it's probably the closest you'll get to endurance and intensive training Seals undergo [1].
This day should be like the toughest CrossFit training you can find, pushing yourself to the absolute limits and then doing a bit more with a lower weight.
It's also why Max has been able to maintain 10 percent body fat.
Thursday: Legs And Core
Avoid the lollipop effect of a ripped upper body and skinny legs with this workout.
- Warm-up run (10 minutes)
- Leg extension (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Hamstring curls (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Calf raises (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Squats (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Leg press (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Weighted glute bridge (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Hanging leg raises (3 sets to failure)
- Bicycle kicks (3 sets to failure)
- Ab crunches (3 sets to failure)
- V-Ups (3 sets to failure)
- Side plank (3 sets to failure)
Friday: Shoulders And Arms
And we're finally back to the upper body for the glory muscles.
- Warm-up rowing (10 minutes)
- Military barbell press (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Delt dumbbell flys (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Lateral raises (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Dumbbell shrugs (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Cable front raises (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Preacher curls (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Concentration curls (4 sets of 8-10 reps)
Saturday/Sunday: Active Recovery
Your body will hurt, especially after the first week of this grueling routine. But that's no excuse to sit on the couch all day and catch up with Netflix.
Instead, go for multiple short walks a day and consider some swimming to loosen your muscle.
Thieriot has also mentioned in interviews that he spends time outdoors hunting at weekends to get a complete change of scenery from the gym.
What Are His Workout Principles?
Max Thieriot's workout principles mainly are less cardio and more grueling workouts.
SEAL Team star Max Thieriot shares a lot of his training regime on social media, with over half a million followers on Instagram.
He doesn't do that much cardio because his natural body composition is a naturally thin dude. Instead, he regularly adds superset splits focused on increasing the weights and lowering the reps.
To stay ripped, Thieriot notes in several interviews that the training he went through was grueling but still nowhere close to what SEALs go through during training.
Now let's take a look at what Max Thieriot eats.
Max Thieriot's Meal Plan
Thieriot eats to stay ripped, which means everything on his meal plan is carefully chosen for his macro profile.
He avoids dairy and processed sugars and sticks to clean ingredients. But there's no specific diet type he aims for.
- Breakfast: A large bowl of oatmeal with berries and seeds. Whole grain toast with grass-fed Kerry gold butter
- Snack: Thieriot snacks on fresh fruit and unsalted nuts. Protein bar and shake
- Lunch: Chicken thighs, Sweet potatoes, Steamed vegetables, and a large bowl of salad
- Snack: Whole grain toast with almond butter. Protein bar and shake
- Dinner: Wild game or beef. A large portion of fresh vegetables
What Supplements Does He Take?
Max Thieriot takes supplements like protein powder or stimulants to help him train and maintain muscle. Although he prefers getting as much nutritional value from food, there are a few supplements that he'd have to rely on outside of his meal prep.
Pre-Workout
A good pre-workout supplement is going to be key to this training routine. You'll feel the burn every step of the way, and getting even a small boost in strength and endurance will help a lot in the long run. However, be careful with your choice of pre-workout since it might contain too much caffeine that could cause jitters or disrupt your sleep schedule.
Determine whether you're sensitive to caffeine by taking smaller doses and comparing your experiences. That way, you'll find the ideal dosage to strike a balance between reaping the benefits and avoiding the side effects.
Whey Protein Shakes
Even when you eat good food with the right macro profile, it'll be difficult to get enough protein in, especially after a workout. Whey powder has the advantage of providing the full amino acid range to support muscle protein synthesis [2].
Are You Ready To Train Like Max Thieriot?
The actor's transformation for the SEAL Team series is nothing but exceptional, and it's proof that he's had great advice for his workout and diet routine.
There's no doubt in my mind that if you stick with the above workout routines and eat healthy food with plenty of calories.
And if you want to speed things up a bit with natural supplements, then definitely consider taking the best pre-workout. These aren't magic shakes that turn you into The Hulk overnight.
But they can improve your strength and endurance enough to make every workout more effective.
References:
- https://www.foxsports.com.au/wwe/wwe-superstar-sasha-banks-eat-and-lift-weights-like-a-legit-boss/news-story/0d412b3997dca5b0e1c5ccb2e6ac04bc
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26317267/
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