Hugh Jackman Workout & Diet: The Wolverine Workout - Savvy Strength
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Hugh Jackman has to be one of the more iconic actors today since breaking through his role as Wolverine. Probably even more impressive is his lean muscle and psyique. However, there is a reason he looks the way he does when he’s fight the forces of evil on the big screen. The workout and diet has to be one of the more intense structured ones I seen to date. Especially since he claims to have implemented this regimen 6 months leading up to the Wolverine role. The Diet The diet is a very strict carb cycling, calorie cycling, and intermitent fasting regimen. It is usually around the 4,000-4,500 calories per day unless he is really attempting to lean up to where he would drop down to a 3,500 calorie diet. He eats around 6 meals a day all consisting of protein. The intermitent fast comes on a 16/8 schedule. Meaning that he will fast for 16 hours followed up by an 8 hour window of eating. Sometimes he drops it to a 15/9 schedule. The eating window will always come immeditely after the morning workout sessions. You don’t ever want to fast for more than 3 hours after the workout. More times than not you want to be eating immediately after. Depends On The Days Workout More example will be below. If he has one heavy weight/high carb day he will then follow that up with a heavy weight/high carb until 4 pm day. Day Set Carbs Timing Notes Monday A1 High Carb All Day 4500 total calories Tuesday A2 High Carb Half Day (till 4) Wednesday B1 Med Carb Only 1st Meal Thursday A1 High Carb All Day 4500 total calories Friday A1 High Carb All Day 4500 total calories Saturday A2 High Carb Half Day (till 4) Sunday B2 Low Carb Rest green veggies-only carbs Provide your body with adequate energy Replenish glycogen post-workout Stimulate an insulin response to get nutrients to your muscles improve insulin sensitivity increase fat burning increase muscle gains achieve muscle balance Encourage fat loss by using fat calories as fuel Make your body more receptive to insulin In turn, insulin receptivity promotes a muscle building response Eat high carbs (sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal) along with protein on heavy weight days. Cycle carbs the next day by eating sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, but only until 4pm. Focus more on healthy fats (almonds, seeds, avocados) on days where you’re doing low-intensity cardio (Wednesday and Sunday, if you follow The Wolverine Workout to the tee). Not the fun calories. Chicken, fish, maybe steak, always protein six times a day. Protein, steamed vegetables, and occasionally some brown rice. The Workout Hugh Jackman’s workout is obviously just as intense as his dieting. He usually works out for about 3 hours a day. 45 minutes of low intensity cardio and weight training first thing in the morning. Followed by an afternoon session high intensity cardio. 4 Core Exercises(Bench Press, Squat, Weighted Pullups, and Deadlifts) Then when it comes time that 4th week hits he will drop the weight and increase the reps for muscle size just as he does with the rest of the training. He bases the weight on his max which calculated on what he can lift 1 time on the specific exercise. Below gives you an in depth run down: Lifting for Week 1: 5 reps @ 60% of working max 5 reps @ 65% of working max 5 reps @ 75% of working max 5 reps @ 75% of working max 4 reps @ 60% of working max 4 reps @ 75% of working max 4 reps @ 85% of working max 4 reps @ 85% of working max 3 reps @ 70% of working max 3 reps @ 80% of working max 3 reps @ 90% of working max 3 reps @ 90% of working max 10 reps @ 40% of working max 10 reps @ 50% of working max 10 reps @ 60% of working max 10 reps @ 60% of working max The morning session is a low intensity cardio session to burn fat. The way this happens is never going above 65% of your max heart rate. The way to calculate this percentage is with this formula: 220-(Your Age) X 0.65 = 65% max heart rate EX: 220-40 X 0.65 = 117 This will burn enough fat without taking energy from the glycogen(food) You can choose any way of cardio from: Some of the wolverine’s favorite was rowing and the sled. If you don’t have a sled do inclined sprints(hills or treadmill) The key to these workouts is to start with a warm up and then alternated between sprints (30 seconds) and rest/jog (90 seconds) Jackman would do a rowing session and a sled session both (1-2 times per week). Tuesday and Saturday he only does 1 cardio session. Morning training ALWAY on an empty stomach unless it is not immediately in the morning(30 after meal) Monday Routine – Chest & Shoulders Exercise Sets Reps Rest Notes Total 40 292 Diet: A1 Bench Press 4 5 150 secs See Below: 4 Top Exercises DB Shoulder Press 4 10 60 secs Behind-the-Neck Press 4 10 60 secs Cuban press 3 10 30 secs Dips 3 10 0 secs Superset SSet #1 Tricep Pushdown 3 12 60 secs Superset SSet #1 Lat Raises 3 8 0 secs Superset SSet #2 Front Raises 3 8 0 secs Superset SSet #2 Rear Shoulder Flys 3 8 0 secs Superset SSet #2 Overhead Press 3 8 60 secs Superset SSet #2 Exercise Sets Reps Rest Notes Total 36 356 Diet: A2 Back Squat 4 5 150 secs 4 Top Exercises Front Squat 4 10 60 secs Leg Press 4 10 60 secs Single Leg Calf Raise 4 12 0 secs Superset SSet #1 Leg Raises 4 12 0 secs Superset SSet #1 Ab Wheels 4 10 60 secs Knee Raises 4 10 30 secs Decline Sit-Ups 4 10 30 secs Thursday Routine – Back & Biceps Saturday Routine – Core/Legs Here’s the sample diet, based on what Hugh Jackman’s trainer says he had The Wolverine eat: Wolverine Diet A1 4500 Cals The Wolverine workout uses 5-10g of BCAA supplements before and after the workout. This prevents muscle breakdown by infusing your body with amino acids. Use your afternoon workout to go all out. Use high intensity interval training for optimal fat burning. Because you’ve consumed a meal 30 minutes before your afternoon cardio workout, you don’t have to worry about muscle breakdown. Your body pulls energy (glycogen) from the meal you’ve just ate. BCAA’s (5-10 grams pre and post-workout to combat muscle breakdown during workouts) L-carnitine (pre-workout lean muscle builder supplement that removes lactic acid during workout) Animal Pump (pre-workout supplement that contains an NO Blast Complex, Creatine Matrix, Energy Rush, Antioxidants, and Pump Transport Complex) Animal Pack (1 per day with any meal, avoid caffeine while absorbing these vitamins) ZMA (Zinc and Magnesium supplement that promotes deep sleep, before bed) Hugh Jackman: “I workout for three hours a day. Two hours in the morning. Then, wherever I can during the day I fit in another hour. The most important thing of the training is the eating. In fact, 70% of how you look is how you eat. Only 30% is the training.” Related Posts Chris Hemsworth Workout: Secrets Behind Thor Stephen Amell Workout & Diet: Arrow John Cena Mark Wahlberg Workout & Diet: From 165lbs to 221lbs in 7 weeks Cristiano Ronaldo Workout Jason Statham: 20lbs in 6 Weeks