You cant get Wolverine’s skeleton and claws of “Adamantium”, But you can get his muscular exterior.
The man that trained Hugh Jackman into the amazing shape you see in the X-Man movies is personal trainer Mike Ryan. Long time friends, Hugh made a promise that if he ever made the big time he would hire Mike to train him. Years later Hugh made that call, and Mike was ready.
Hugh Jackman Workout Techniques
Basically, super sets put together with compound lifts along with series of isolated exercises are the backbone of Hugh Jackman’s workout.
The exercises that involve several muscle groups are called compound lifts while isolated exercises involve one particular muscle group.
The man who coined the Hugh Jackman workout is his personal trainer named Mike Ryan. He combines the above lifting styles to come up with supersets following Wolverine’s workout.
The Hugh Jackman workout brings together isolated exercises and compound movements to come up with a lot of supersets. There is no rest period between these two types of exercises. The aim of this workout is to achieve “progressive overload” wherein the human body feels the urge to change in order to adapt to the continuously increasing obstacle sets.
The routine in the Hugh Jackman workout makes him jacked particularly for his movies. In fact, the Wolverine workout required him to leg press 1000 pounds, bench 315 pounds as he prepared for the X-Men sequel “X-Men: The Last Stand”.
After finishing his movie “Les Miserables” he is currently getting ready for his ever famous Wolverine role. The routine in the Hugh Jackman workout is composed of 3 phases such as: Strength Training, Muscle Growth Training and Fat Loss Training.
Strength Training – Hugh Jackman Workout
Training for Strength: 2-6 reps for 4-6 sets. Rest 3-5 min.
In the first phase, Hugh Jackman performs 2-6 repetitions of every exercise. It is followed by a total of 4-6 sets at high weight that puts you near to failure post 6 repetitions.
There is a rest period of 3-5 minutes after every set. Because the Hugn Jackman workout mostly involves supersets, ensure that there are no rest periods between exercises. After finishing all the sets/reps of each superset, proceed to the following superset.
Muscle Growth Training – Hugh Jackman Workout
For muscle growth, Hugh Jackman increases the repetitions and lowers down the weight. He performs 8-12 repetitions of every exercise.
At medium weight, he performs a total of 3-5 sets that puts you near failure post 12 repetitions. It is advised to rest for a minute after every set. As Hugh Jackman workout involves supersets, ensure no rest between the exercises. After finishing with all the sets/supersets of a particular superset, proceed to the next one.
Fat Loss Training – Hugh Jackman Workout
Lastly, Hugh Jackman wishes to achieve the right cut prior shooting for the movie. With this, he is aiming for fat loss and muscle definition. Hence, he increases the repetitions and decreases the weight. This phase is referred to as HIIT which stands for High Intensity Interval Training.
With this, Hugh Jackman performs 8-12 repetitions of every exercise. At medium weight, he performs a total of 2-4 sets that puts you near to failure post 12 repetitions. There is no rest in between every set except if you feel dizzy or light headed. In such case, end the workout and seek for medical attention. After finishing all the sets and repetitions, proceed to the following superset.
Hugh Jackman Daily Workout Routines
Hugh Jackman Workout – Monday , Wednesday & Friday – Chest & Arms | |||||||
| Exercise | Sets (ST) | Reps (ST) | Sets (MG) | Reps (MG) | Sets (FL) | Reps (FL) | Notes |
| Flat Bench Press | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | |
| Dumbbell Chest Flys | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | SuperSet |
| Barbell Seated Shoulder Military Press | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | |
| Alternating Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | SuperSet |
| Parallel Bar Dips | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | |
| Dumbbell Tricep Pressdowns | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | SuperSet |
| Skull Crushers | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | |
| Cable Tricep Extensions | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | SuperSet |
| Straight Bar Curl | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | |
| Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | SuperSet |
| Close Grip Bar Curls | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | |
| One Arm Preacher Curls | 4 – 6 | 2 – 6 | 3 – 5 | 8 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 8 – 12 | SuperSet |
| Cardio: Inch Worms | 1 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 20 | |
| Cardio: Treadmill 30 mins @2 pct incline | 1 | 20mins | 1 | 20mins | 1 | 20mins | |
*(ST)= Strength Training *(MG)= Muscle Growth *(FL)= Fat Loss
When doing the Wolverine workout, choose a weight that will make you reach failure by the final set. This will lead to max muscle gain.
For cardio on a treadmill, Hugh Jackman does:
- Warm up.
- 85% of your max speed with 1-2% incline for 20 secs.
- Rest for 30 secs.
- Repeat for 10 sprints.
*(ST)= Strength Training *(MG)= Muscle Growth *(FL)= Fat Loss
When doing the Wolverine workout, choose a weight that will make you reach failure by the final set. This will lead to max muscle gain
For rowing, Hugh Jackman does:
- Warm up.
- Go all out for 10 mins.
- Rest for 2 mins.
- Repeat.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Diet
For the Hugh Jackman Wolverine diet, he goes for a strict, 4000-4500 calories while bulking up.
The typical Hugh Jackman Wolverine diet includes:
- 4 egg whites for breakfast
- chicken and fish for lunch, with a bed of greens
- protein shakes throughout the day
- broccoli, cauliflower, maybe brown rice, and either chicken or fish for dinner.
How long do I spend in the Strength training before moving on to the Muscle growth training?
Hi Justin,
6 weeks to 8 weeks of conditioning should be long enough, but this may be extended to 10 – 12 weeks depending on your physical condition before starting the workout. Have you trained before? Would you consider yourself fit?