HUGE JACKED MAN. The near anagram of actor Hugh Jackman’s name tells you all you need to know about Hollywood’s ultimate gym rat.
The Aussie actor has made a career out of stacking on lean mutant muscle to play James ‘Logan’ Howlett/Wolverine, 11 times in total, over a staggering 25 years. Each time he’s spent months in the gym, not to mention eating his way through a battery hen farm’s worth of chickens.
“I’ve learned you can’t rush it. I’ve learned that it takes time,” Jackman said during an interview earlier this year, ahead of the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, with his best mate and fellow gym grinder, Ryan Reynolds. “So, we have six months from when I finish [Broadway’s The Music Man] to when I started filming. And I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months.”
Jackman added: “And apologies, chickens. Run a mile. Start running now because I’m coming for you.”
Over the years, the actor, who regularly swaps shiny shoes in Broadway shows for adamantium claws, has given us glimpses of his brutal training regimen, with stories of getting up at 3.45 am to eat egg-whites and mammoth training loads. In 2016, the 56-year-old actor joined the 1,000-pound powerlifting club. What’s that, you ask? It means Jackman could bench 107kg bench press, deadlift 186kg, and squat 156kg, which adds up to a thousand pounds (453kg) in a single day.
This year, ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine, Jackman upped his calorie intake to a monster 6,000 per day, enabling him to stack on a startling amount of size.
So, how does Jackman manage to achieve such jaw-dropping results? Here’s a look at his workout and diet routine.
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Hugh Jackman’s workout routine
Hugh Jackman’s muscle-building regimen was overseen by trainer David Kingsbury, who followed the tenets of progressive overload, gradually increasing the amount of weight Jackman lifted. Working in 4-week blocks, the pair added weight for the first three weeks, and then reduced it in the fourth, when they upped the number of reps. Here’s the weekly split:
Day 1: Chest & Shoulders
- Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Behind-The-Neck Press: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Cuban Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Triceps Dips: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Triceps Pushdown: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Lat Raises: 3 sets of 8 reps
- Front Raises: 3 sets of 8 reps
- Rear Shoulder Flys: 3 sets of 8 reps
- Overhead Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
Day 2: Legs & abs
- Back Squat: 4 sets of 5 reps
- Front Squat: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Leg Press: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Calf Raise: 4 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Raises: 4 sets of 12 reps
- Ab Wheels: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Knee Raises: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Decline Sit-Ups: 4 sets of 10 reps
Day 3: Back & biceps
- Weighted Pull-Up: 4 sets of 5 reps
- Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 12 reps
- Bodyweight Rows: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Curls: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Zottman Bicep Curls: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Cross Body Curls: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Pronated Curls: 4 sets of 8 reps
Day 4: Chest & arms
- Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 6 reps
- Dumbbell Press #1: 4 sets of 6 reps
- Dumbbell Press #2: 4 sets of 6 reps
- Dumbbell Press #3: 4 sets of 6 reps
- Cable Flys: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Narrow Grip Bench Press
- Triceps Pulldowns: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Dips: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Diamond Grips: 4 sets of 8 reps
Day 5: Core & legs
- Deadlifts: 4 sets of 5 reps
- Romanian Deadlifts: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Zercher Squats: 4 sets of 12 reps
- Incline Sit-Ups: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Barbell Landmines: 3 sets of 10 reps
Leg Day
- Back Squat: >85% 1RM 3 sets of 6 reps
- Leg Press: >85% 1RM 3 sets of 6 reps
- Bulgarian Split Squat: 60-80% 1RM 3 sets of 14 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Lunge: 65-85% 1RM 3 sets of 10 reps
- Medicine Ball Slams: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Hanging Leg Raise: 3 sets of 10 reps
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Hugh Jackman’s cardio workout
Jackman isn’t just an iron junkie. He also nails his cardio. Jackman bookends his workouts with a 10-minute cardio warm-up and adds a 20-minute finisher. In the cutting phase of his Wolverine regime, Jackman used the rowing machine as his main form of cardio. In an Instagram post, he revealed that he regularly engages in pyramid training, with sets ranging from 400 metres to 2,000 metres.
“It’s all about evolution,” says Mike Ryan, another of Jackman’s longtime trainers. “From one workout to the next I’ll always have something new to add to the equation. Our sessions are based on established principles, but we’ll always try and bring new ideas to the table. And Hugh now looks the most ripped he’s been for any movie.”
It wasn’t always the case, says Ryan. “[Back in 1989], he was very, very skinny. We used to call him Chicken Legs.”
Safe to say, nobody is calling Jackman that today.
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Hugh Jackman’s training diet
Jackman is a macro fiend, hitting the same foods on repeat, as he knows they’re a reliable protein delivery system. In a photo he shared on social, Jackman revealed some of the meals he consumed as part of the bulking phase of his Wolverine transformation:
Black Sea Bass – In his bulking phase, Jackman consumed around 2,000 kcal worth of black sea bass. It’s a sound choice, low in calories and fat with a healthy dose of selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. And bang for buck, bass is one of the best sources of lean protein around.
Chicken burgers – Jackman consumed at least two chicken burgers per day. That’s roughly 2,000 very tasty calories.
Grass-Fed sirloin steaks –Long a favourite of The Rock, you’re looking at 1100 calories and 25 grams of protein, per steak, plus a decent hit omega-3s.
Eggs – Jackman famously got up at 4am to eat egg-whites. You’re better off eating the whole thing for a nutrient payload. Getting jacked (or ‘jacked-manned’) is often called ‘yoked’, after all.
Muesli – At breakfast, Jackman also likes his muesli, a great source of antioxidants and soluble fibre.
Sweet Potato – The bodybuilder’s potato, this superfood gives you fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
Chicken – Ask any body builder: poultry packs protein!
Brown Rice – Brown rice packs more fibre, vitamins, and minerals than its white cousin due to the presence of bran and germ. It’s also a nutrient powerhouse, stocking magnesium, potassium, iron, and B vitamins, and manganese, helpful for bone development and wound healing – useful when you’re spending your day hauling huge loads.
Spinach – An easy way to get some iron and folate-rich greens.
Avocado – Avo is a great source of omega-3s, as well as nutrients like beta-carotene, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium and potassium. Eat with impunity.
Related:
Hugh Jackman Shares His Daily Calories as He Bulks up to Play Wolverine Again
Jake Gyllenhaal’s complete training and diet regimen
