Hugh Jackman Workout routine for x-men origins

    

                                                                                

Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.

Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters. He is known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series, as well as for his leads in Kate & Leopold, Van Helsing, The Prestige, Australia, and Real Steel. Jackman is a singer, dancer, and actor in stage musicals, and won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz.

In November 2008, Open Salon named Jackman one of the sexiest men alive.[1] Later that same month, People magazine named Jackman "Sexiest Man Alive.

A three-time host of the Tony Awards, winning an Emmy Award for one of these appearances, Jackman also hosted the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009.

Hugh Jackman is one of Hollywood's Most Muscular Actors

                                                                                  

This article focuses on Hugh Jackman and the methods that he uses to keep in such great shape. In case you haven't noticed Hugh is buff! The guy is in outstanding shape.

'It’s all about evolution,’ says Mike Ryan, personal trainer to Hugh Jackman, star of the new film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But Ryan is not talking about the movie and its cast of mutant superheroes – he’s explaining the training plan that Jackman followed to build the rock-hard physique needed to play the blade-fisted Wolverine.

‘From one workout to the next I’ll always have something new to add to the equation,’ Ryan says. ‘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.’

Ryan knows more about Jackman’s training than anyone, having been closely involved with the actor’s physical development for almost 20 years. ‘I was working as a trainer at the [Australian gym] Physical Factory in 1989 when this young guy came to work just handing out the locker keys and towels. He was getting a hell of a lot of attention from the women in the place, and I thought, “Who does this bloke think he is?” It turned out to be Hugh and we quickly became friends, and soon he asked me if I’d show him how to train properly, because back then he was very, very skinny. We used to call him Chicken Legs.’

It was the start of a partnership that saw Ryan flying around the world to keep the increasingly in-demand movie star in shape for films such as Van Helsing and the X-Men series. Ryan was also drafted in to sculpt the physique of Brandon Routh for the lead role in the latest Superman movie.

‘When we were building Hugh up for the Wolverine movie, we got a call from Baz Luhrmann who was directing Hugh in the movie Australia. Baz said, “Come on, guys, back it off! He’s getting too big.” And you can see Hugh getting bigger in the film. ‘In Wolverine, Hugh looks big onscreen, but really he’s just ripped. That’s the secret to looking good. It’s not just about getting big, it’s about getting ripped.’

At age 40, Hugh Jackman has a frame packed with hard muscle mass while being leaner than at any time in his life, thanks to personal trainer Mike Ryan’s workout and eating plan. ‘I call him my masterpiece,’ says Ryan. ‘He just keeps getting better and better over the years. We’ve got a bet to see if we can both get to 50 and still have a six-pack.’

Jackman has to fit his training around hectic filming schedules, so he and Ryan are usually in the gym at the crack of dawn. ‘We have a philosophy of training first thing in the morning,’ says Ryan. ‘Research suggests that people who train in the afternoons consistently do workouts of far less intensity than those who do train in the morning. When Hugh has a 6am filming start, that means we’ll be in the gym by 4am.’

A typical Jackman workout takes an hour to 90 minutes, including warm-up and cardio sessions. ‘We never start a weights session without a minimum ten-minute cardio warm-up. Never, ever,’ says Ryan. ‘After a session we often finish with 20 minutes of cardio, which could be a run or run/swim.’

Ryan bases the weights workouts on big compound lifts and adds some twists. ‘The fundamental training principles are based on the core body-building moves such as squats, deadlifts, presses – simple moves, but I mix things up. We change the angles on the bench, play with the tempo, weight, time, rest. The same workout can be done ten different ways by making these small changes.’

Ryan splits the sessions between muscle groups, so one day might target chest and triceps, while another day focuses on back and biceps. ‘I believe in controlled overload,’ he says. ‘To push the muscles to failure by the last set, we’ll superset compound moves with isolation ones – for example, go from a dumb-bell bench press straight into a flye. By the last set you need a spotter to help you squeeze out those last couple of reps.’

One look at Jackman’s physique in X-Men Origins: Wolverine proves that Ryan’s training methods work, so give his plan a try. We can’t guarantee superhuman powers, but it will get you ripped and ready for action.

How to do these workouts:

- Warm up first with ten minutes of cardio and light bodyweight movements.

- Do the pairs of exercises as supersets, performing one set of the first exercise, then moving immediately on to a set of the second exercise.

- Rest for the stated time before repeating.

- Choose a weight that you can manage with perfect form, but which leads to muscular failure by the end of the final set.

- Take one second the lift the weight, pause for another second, then take two to three seconds to lower again.

Mike Ryan's training tips:

- 'Train in the morning where possible – it’s the best way to ensure intensity.'

- 'Always warm up sufficiently – not just with cardio, but by doing the movements before adding weights.'

- 'Work on ‘progressive overload – always keep increasing the weight, and keep a training diary to record your progress.'

- 'Mix things up – constantly change the tempo, speed, incline, grip – anything so that you’re not always performing the same movement.'

- 'Feel the movement – focus on each muscle activation rather than simply aiming to finish the set.'

- 'Work with a trainer – it will help with motivation.'

- 'Don’t overtrain – learn what your body can cope with.'

- 'Get plenty of rest – at least seven hours of good sleep a night.'

Hugh Jackman's Workout Plan Part 1

The routine he did to get in outstanding shape for Xmen

Jackman was in pretty good shape before he even prepared for his role as Wolverine, but wanted to add a bit more muscle. It was actually more important that he stay lean while gaining muscle. You see, Wolverine was ripped (as are most comic book characters)...it wouldn't work for Hugh to get bulky.

Two Phases: Tempo Phase for Mass...followed by Strength Training Phase.

Each phase lasted 6 weeks...

Gaining Muscle Phase: Hugh Jackman's trainer changed the tempo that Hugh had been lifting to force the muscles to adapt...to force the muscles to grow. He had Hugh lift the weight for 3 seconds up and one second down. At first this limited the amount of weight he could lift, but as he adapted it help him put on a lot of lean mass.

Strength Training Phase: This phase was all about lifting as heavy as possible with no rules on tempo. He just wanted to see how heavy he could lift. The great thing about the previous phase is that it made these weights seem lighter. Hugh actually was benching 315 for reps before filming began.

He alternated these two phased for 5 months...

Hugh Jackman's Workout Plan Part 2

                                                                                      

How he stayed lean while ganing muscle

How He Stayed Lean During This Training: The last week of each phase, he would lift only once per week and concentrate hard on interval cardio. These workouts were intense and meant to help him burn off any little bit of fat he accumulated during the 6 weeks of each phase.

Every Friday was Bootcamp...

He didn't want to follow a typical bodybuilder routine, because he needed to have a sleek strong look...not slow and bulky. This is why he would take part in an hour and a half bootcamp every Friday. It was brutal bodyweight and interval style training to boost the metabolism and keep him lean while gaining strength.

Summary: Hugh Jackman wound up looking amazing for his role as Wolverine. He did it by gaining muscle at a slow rate while staying lean the whole time. For most people it is a mistake to follow the bodybuilding approach to gaining muscle...it simply isn't healthy or as effective to gain all the extra fat along with the muscle. Use an approach similar to Hugh Jackman for better results.