Hugh Jackman’s (Wolverine) Workout & Diet – His Body, Fitness, Muscles, Weight & Cardio Plan

Hugh Jackman is an Australian performer, dancer, actor, and singer.

He started his acting career when he was just five years old as King Arthur in Camelot.

That led him on to take classes at the Actors Centre Australia and then further refining them at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth.

He turned to movies eventually and made his name in the Wolverine movies, his movie as Wolverine/Logan in X-Men (film series) which ran for about 20 years.

The series earned him a record in the Guinness World Record for “longest career as a live-action Marvel superhero”.

Heaps of other movies followed thereafter for Hugh.

Current Stats

Workout Principles of Huge Jackman

These are Hugh’s four workout principles:

1) Progressive overload 

Hugh reckons all fitness programs should use this principle.

To apply it, you need to make sure that you improve every time you walk into the gym.

Keep a workout log – but always move towards your goal.

2) Percentage-based training

Hugh’s trainer, Mike Ryan, will pick 4 big lifts to prioritize Hugh’s strength development.

The key is to have a plan where you get stronger and also stick to the plan.

You perform percentage-based strength at the start of the workout and for the main lift of the day.

Then the rest of the exercises in the workout should be according to the 2-for-2 rule.

3) Accountability 

This is another important principle of Hugh.

He says you will make more gains if you are accountable to something or someone.

Huge has a few; his trainer, his workout partners, and his job.

He says you need to take advantage of accountability so you can reach your goals.

4) Consistency

It takes consistency and time to achieve the body you want to have. Hugh used the same exercises every week for at least six months. This helped him progress towards his goals. Stick to your pogrom and don’t hop from one program to the next.

Huge Jackman’s Training Methods

“It’s all about evolution,” says Mike Ryan.

That’s how he explained the training plan that he used for Hugh to achieve the rock-hard physique for Wolverine.

“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.”

• Monday: Hugh does his chest and triceps.
• Tuesday: He does his legs.
• Thursday: He does back and biceps.
• Friday: He does his shoulders and abs.

Huge Jackman’s Workout Routine

The training program that Hugh followed was the “Wolverine program.”

It was designed by the trainer David Kingsbury.

All we can say is it helped Hugh to get lean and mean and gain muscle.

He did this with weight training, cardio, intermittent fasting, and carb cycling.

Five months before filming started; Hugh followed a very strict workout program for 6 days a week, plus his diet plan.

The Wolverine Program is made up of 4-week training blocks. These can be repeated with a 5-10% increase in weight every time the cycle is repeated.

This is how the 4-week training blocks looked:

	Week: 1	Week: 2	Week: 3	Week: 4
Set 1	5 Reps at 60%	4 Reps at 65%	4 Reps at 70%	10 Reps at 40%
Set 2	5 Reps at 65%	4 Reps at 75%	3 Reps at 80%	10 Reps at 50%
Set 3	5 Reps at 75%	4 Reps at 85%	3 Reps at 90%	10 Reps at 60%
Set 4	5 Reps at 75%	4 Reps at 85%	3 Reps at 90%	10 Reps at 90%

If you want to start this program and look as ripped as Huge Jackman did, read more about it here.

The road to his transformation was long, and it required consistent hard work. In fact, at the peak of his training, Hugh was training seven days a week.

Every day he devoted over two hours to weight training and cardio workouts.

View David Kingsbury’s blog to find out all the specifics of Hugh Jackman’s workouts.

Remember, this program was made specifically for Hugh though.

It was meant to accomplish his goals and address his weaknesses.

Consideration was given to his timeline and the time he had available during each week to train.

Hugh exercised for more than 14 hours a week. That’s like having a part-time job – heaps of people won’t have that time to spend.

But you can still learn from his training and achieve his goals with his kind of physique.

View his underlying principles as your guide and apply them to your training.

Hugh Jackman’s Diet

While training for Wolverine, Hugh ate six meals a day and sometimes seven.

Mike Ryan stressed that it was only a template that anybody can adapt to their tastes.

“There’s no point in me saying, ‘You must eat this or that’. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and as long as you stick to the basic rules you can customize this plan to suit your own needs.”

The rules for Hugh Jackman’s diet

• Always get your protein from unprocessed, natural sources where possible.
• Eat six small meals a day rather than three large ones.
• Drink mainly water.
• Avoid all processed foods.

Hugh Jackman’s day

• 5 am. Eat oats and berries an hour before training.
• 6 am-7 am. Protein supplements before and after weightlifting.
• 7.30 am. Recovery shake and a bar after cardio training.
• 7.45 am. Post-training protein smoothie.
• 10 am. Protein boost of turkey stir-fry with broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, and cauliflower.
• 1 pm. Enjoy 200 g rosemary-chicken with sugar-snap peas and asparagus for lunch.
• 4 pm. Walnut trail mix for mid-afternoon energy
• 6 pm. Tuna steak for dinner
• 10 pm. Protein smoothie before bedtime

Huge Jackman’s Supplements & Recommendations

• L-Carnitine
• Vitamin stacks
• Multivitamins
• BCAAs
• Zinc and magnesium

Recommendations of Hugh Jackman

…Via Mike Ryan

• Train in the morning where possible to ensure intensity.
• Always warm up sufficiently by doing the movements before adding the weights.
• Work on progressive overload. Keep increasing the weight and keeping records of your progress
• Mix things up by changing the speed, tempo, grip, and incline – not always performing the same movements.
• Feel the movement by focusing on each muscle. Don’t just aim to finish the set.
• Work with a trainer because it is motivational.
• Don’t over-train – learn what y our body can deal with.
• Get plenty of good sleep each night.

“The pain lets you know you’re still alive” – Hugh Jackman