Whenever the word ‘wolverine’ pops up in our head or appears somewhere, we automatically start visualizing Hugh Jackman in his X-Men attire showing off his adamantium claws. Hugh has indeed immortalized the popular comic-book superhero ‘Wolverine’.
He starred in almost all installments of the X-Men series and this gave him worldwide fame and stardom. He also acted in other Hollywood movies but his portrayal of Wolverine in the X-Men series is simply iconic.
To look like a mutant, Hugh completely transformed his physique and even set some new fitness standards. Even in his 50s, he is one of the fittest actors in Hollywood.
So let’s get to know in detail about Hugh Jackman’s workout routine and diet plan that provided him the physique of a popular comic-book hero. We are sure that you will be learning a lot from it.
Hugh Jackman’s Workout Principles
Hugh Jackman’s workout plan is indeed a pretty intense one. Well, that is what it takes to build a physique that not only looks fantastic but also performs optimally.
Hugh Jackman primarily relies on performing bodyweight exercises, weight lifting exercises, and cardio in his training sessions. He also performs some stretches and agility drills to keep his body as athletic as possible.
Hugh hits the gym 5-days a week and in each of his training sessions, he performs around 6-8 exercises. His workout routine is both high-intensity and high-volume in nature.
Hugh Jackman’s Workout Routine
When Hugh Jackman portrayed the character of Wolverine on the big screen, he simply looked perfect to play that part. To look like a mutant, he had to build a physique that was strong and muscular.
But just being big and muscle-bound wasn’t the only goal of his workout plan. He was also required to look lean and athletic.
At present, Hugh Jackman relies on a training program that works on facilitating strength and muscle gains, cardiovascular endurance, and fat loss.
Let’s have a detailed overview of Hugh Jackman’s weekly workout routine:-
Monday- Shoulders, and Triceps
Warm-up
- Dynamic stretches
- Foam roll exercises
Workout
- Close grip bench press- 4 sets of 5 reps
- Behind-the-neck press- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Cuban press- 3 sets of 10 reps
- Bench dips- 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Circuit training
- Lateral raises, front raises, rear delt flys, and overhead press- 4 sets of 8 reps
Cool down
- Static stretching
- Foam roll exercises
Tuesday- Legs, and Abs
Warm-up
- Dynamic stretches
- Foam roll exercises
Workout
- Barbell back squats- 4 sets of 5 reps
- Single-leg leg press- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Front squats- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Calf raises- 4 sets of 12 reps
- Hanging leg raises- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Ab wheel roll-outs- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Cool down
- Static stretching
- Foam roll exercises
Wednesday- Back, and Biceps
Warm-up
- Dynamic stretches
- Foam roll exercises
Workout
- Weighted pull-ups- 4 sets of 5 reps
- Dumbbell single-arm rows- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Inverted rows- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Incline dumbbell curls- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Circuit training
- Zottman curls, cross-body curls, pronated curls- 4 sets of 8 reps
Cool down
- Static stretching
- Foam roll exercises
Thursday- Chest, and Triceps
Warm-up
- Dynamic stretches
- Foam roll exercises
Workout
- Incline bench press- 4 sets of 5 reps
- Incline dumbbell flyes- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Cable crossovers- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Close-grip bench press- 4 sets of 10 reps
Circuit training
- Tricep pushdowns, bench dips, diamond push-ups- 4 sets of 8 reps
Cool down
- Static stretching
- Foam roll exercises
Friday- Back, Legs, and Abs
Warm-up
- Dynamic stretches
- Foam roll exercises
Workout
- Conventional deadlift- 4 sets of 5 reps
- T-bar rows- 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Romanian deadlift- 4 sets of 10 reps
- Zercher squats- 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Weighted incline sit-ups- 4 sets of 10 reps
Cool down
- Static stretching
- Foam roll exercises
Saturday and Sunday- Rest/Walking
Hugh Jackman’s workout routine is not just hypertrophy-oriented but strength-oriented as well. Owing to this reason, he performs compound lifts like the bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press with a weight heavy enough that lets him perform only 3-5 reps.
This lifting approach enabled his body to pack on dense muscle mass on his frame. You might get surprised to know that after finishing his prep for X-Men: The Last Stand, Hugh could bench press 315 lbs and leg-press 1000 lbs.
Rest periods
When Hugh performs strength-building compound lifts like the deadlift, squat, or bench press, he takes a rest period of around 2.5-3 minutes in between the sets. On the contrary, the rest period between his hypertrophy-oriented sets is about 1 minute long.
Cardio
Hugh has always kept his cardio routine simple yet effective. To work on his cardiovascular endurance, he relies on exercises like running, elliptical, skipping ropes, etc. Performing those exercises keeps his overall body fat percentage low, which gives his body a lean and shredded appearance.
He sometimes likes to go through an intense HIIT session in the afternoon which enables him to torch off excess fat from his frame.
At times Hugh even performs isolation exercises with a lighter weight and goes up to performing 4 sets of 15+ reps on them. He takes little to no rest in between the sets which dramatically increases the intensity of his training sessions and contributes to fat-burning.
Incorporating intensity techniques
Hugh incorporates intensity techniques into his exercise routine to make it more challenging and rewarding. By applying intensity techniques like supersets, drop sets, giant sets, etc. he is able to push his muscles beyond failure which not only shocks them but also promotes greater hypertrophy gains.
Stretch it out
To keep his muscles limber and relaxed, Hugh makes it a point to stretch his muscles both at the beginning and the end of his workout sessions. He performs both static and dynamic stretches for that purpose.
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Hugh Jackman’s Diet Plan
Hugh Jackman keeps on changing his diet plan in accordance with the kind of training that he is supposed to do. He followed the same approach when he was building a physique for playing Wolverine.
When Hugh was required to get bulked up, he went up to eat over 6000 calories in a day. After he gained a decent amount of size, he resorted to intermittent fasting. In that phase, he could eat only in an 8 hours window per day.
Hugh claims that carb cycling and intermittent fasting played a major role in getting him into superhero shape. On one hand, it improved his insulin sensitivity and on the other hand aided in promoting muscle building and fat loss.
Hugh still sticks to this dieting approach. On days when he lifts heavy and performs high-intensity workouts, he keeps his carb intake high. On the contrary, on days (especially weekends) when he performs low-intensity exercises, he minimizes his carb intake and eats green veggies and healthy fats.
Hugh Jackman’s diet plan usually has a higher amount of protein and medium-low amounts of carbs and fats. He consumes around 4-5 meals a day.
Now let’s have a look at the food items that are included in each of Hugh Jackman’s meals:-
Meal 1
- 6 egg omelet
- 1 large bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruits
Meal 2
- 12 oz steak
- Sweet potato
- Veggies (especially broccoli)
Meal 3
- 2 cups of brown rice
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- Leafy greens (including spinach and kale)
Meal 4
- 16 ounces of fish
- Mixed veggies
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup of brown rice
As we mentioned before, Hugh usually restricts his eating window to just 8 hours a day. So he doesn’t consume anything after 4 pm.
Foods to avoid
To maintain his lean and muscular physique, Hugh has to make a few sacrifices in terms of eating choices. Food items that are excessively fried, processed, or have refined carbs or sugar in them have no place in his diet chart. He also stays away from consuming soft drinks.
Hugh Jackman’s Supplements
Hugh Jackman’s nutrition plan also includes certain supplements which enable him to get into superhero shape. Their use makes his diet plan complete and wholesome and also gives it an added edge.
Hugh Jackman’s supplements stack includes the following:-
- Vitamin stacks with creatine
- L-carnitine
- Whey protein
- BCAAs
- Magnesium and Zinc
- Multivitamin
The above-mentioned supplements contribute towards boosting energy levels, reducing soreness, fueling the muscles with amino acids, keeping the body in an anabolic state during intense workout sessions, facilitating muscle recovery, and making up for nutritional deficiencies.
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Wrapping Up
We are sure that this post would have motivated you enough to earn your mutant physique. And for that purpose, nothing can be better than taking info from Hugh Jackman’s workout routine and diet plan.
So what are you waiting for? Structure your fitness regime and be consistent with following it. Gradually you will be seeing drastic improvements in how your body will look and perform and that will give you the motivation to keep continuing.
And in case your motivation levels drop down, keep a shirtless pic of Hugh Jackman’s ripped physique handy. Just a view at it will get you back on track. Good luck.
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