Hugh Jackman Workout
Written by Sam · Filed Under Workouts & Training 53,995 views
Hugh Jackman Workout Plan
Star of X-Men and Australia, Hugh Jackman has built a body like a brick and his next superhero movie “Wolverine” is going to show him at his best physique. So what is this Aussie doing that has his training program so highly requested by other celebrities?
Hugh’s workouts consisted of a multi-phase approach.
1st phase was focused on building mass by changing the speed of each lift, 3 sec count up and then a 1 sec count down or really slow 4 sec count up and 4 count down.
2nd phase focused on strength by lifting really heavy weights, without the sec count.
Each phase lasted from six to twelve weeks, for 1-2hrs, 5 days a week.
When it is close to shooting time, he lifts weights 1 day and fills the other days with running, yoga, pilates, and stretching. For the full workout check out below…
Hugh Jackman Workout Day 1
* Dumbbell Chest Press (Swiss ball and dumbbells required): While holding a pair of dumbbells, get into a table-top position with chest up and back to the floor, and with head resting on a Swiss ball and knees bent (imagine doing bench presses without the bench but using your core muscles and feet to stabilize your weight distribution).Keep hips up and shoulder blades pulled down and back together. Perform 12 reps (pick a weight so the 12th rep is hard); 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down.
* Push-ups: Do immediately after chest press. Keep head in line with the spine and support lower back by pulling belly button into the spine. Can be done from knees or toes. Perform 25 reps (take a break if you have to, but finish 25). Rest 1 minute and repeat Dumbbell Press and Push-ups for 3 sets.
* Lat Pull Downs (modular lat pulldown machine required): With palms facing away from the body, grip hands on the bend of the bar. Pull bar down below chin, keeping shoulder blades pulled down and together. Perform 12 reps; 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up.
* External Shoulder Rotations (tubing required): Do immediately after Lat Pull Downs . Use tubing with palms facing up and elbows in tight to body. Stretch out band, holding elbows at 90 degrees, thumbs outward. Perform 20 reps; 2 seconds out and 2 seconds back. Rest 1 minute and repeat Lat Pulls and External Shoulder Rotations for 3 sets.
* Cable Side Raise (adjustable cable pulley machine required): Grip a cable in front of the body with one arm, with a slight bend in the elbow. Hold posture, keep shoulder blades down and back. Perform 12 reps; 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up. Do other arm immediately.
* Straight Bar Curl (free-standing bar required): Grab bar shoulder-width apart and curl, holding a soft knee bend and without arching back. Perform 12 reps; 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down.
* Close Grip Bar Push-up (free-standing bar and squat rack required): Do immediately after Straight Bar Curl. In a squat rack, set up bar at waist height. Perform a push-up with elbows in tight. Do 12 reps; 5 seconds down and 5 seconds up. Rest 1 minute. Repeat Straight Bar Curls and Close Grip Bar Push-ups for 3 sets.
Hugh Jackman Workout Day 2
* Leg Squat: Slowly lower the body on one leg, bringing the hips back so the front knee does not go beyond the toes and squat until upper thigh is parallel to the ground. Perform 12 reps on each leg; 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. Rest 1 minute and repeat for 3 sets.
* Balance Board Lunge (extreme or round board is required): Place one foot centered on balance board, back foot on toes behind in a lunge. Slowly bend both back and front knees into a lunge until front thigh is parallel to the ground. Perform 12 reps on each leg; 4 seconds down and 4 seconds up.
* Split Leg Box Jump (do immediately after balance lunge): Plant one foot on top of a box/bench that holds the front knee at 90 degrees. With weight mainly on the top leg, jump and switch legs. Do 30 jumps. Rest 1 minute. Repeat Balance Board Lunge and Split Leg Box Jumps – 3 sets.
* Jack Knife: Start in a push-up position with toes on top of a Swiss ball. Raise hips up slightly and draw the belly-button into the spine. Pull knees up towards chest. Perform 20 reps; 2 seconds in and 2 seconds out.
* Swiss Ball Crunch (do immediately after jack knife): Lie on top of ball with low back supported; pull in belly button to spine. Perform crunch, exhaling as you come up without allowing stomach to “pop up.” Perform 20 reps; 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. Rest 1 min and repeat Jack Knife and Crunch 3 sets.
Hugh Jackman Workout Day 3
Do 3 sets of the following exercises with no rest in between.
* Walking Lunges: Hold dumbbells at sides. Step through front heel and bring back knee towards floor. Do 30 steps.
* Push-ups: Do 100.
* Swiss Ball Crunch: Do 50.
* Sprint: Outside or on treadmill, sprint 1 minute at 80 per cent intensity.
* Inch Worms : In a push-up position, take tiny steps so the feet come towards the hands. Keep walking until you feel a gentle stretch through the hamstrings. Do this 30 times.
* Lat Pull Downs : Do 50.
* Stairs: Take every second step. Perform 20 reps (up and down is 1).
Conclusion of Hugh Jackman Workout:
It is key to have tons of protein (try supplementing with whey protein), and 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Because of the high intensity remember warm up adequately before starting and get in lots of flexibility training at the end of your workouts.
Recommended Supplements:
- Creatine for volumizing and strength gains (Try this: Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump250
)
- Glutamine for immunity and muscle recovery (Try this: Higher Power Micronized Glutamine
)
- Whey protein for muscle tissue development (Try this: Nature’s Best Zero Carb Isopure
)
Have you tried this workout? Leave a comment below:
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Top Rated Supplement Combos By Weight Loss and Training Readers !
Pretty good and intense workout, espacially last day 3! He’s in great shape. I would be curious to see his plate and supplements.
On Day 3, is it complete each exercise once for a full round, completing 3 rounds? Or is it complete each exercise 3 times…
Hi Andrew, for Day 3, the plan is for completing 3 full rounds of all those exercises!
see after the 3rd day of the work out, how many days do you rest before starting it again?
Hi Neil, because of the intensity of this program this is what I would suggest. Take one day off, then do a cardio day, then take another day off and start this 3 day plan again.
sorry Sam i think i misunderstood you. So, do day 1,2,3 for example, mon,tues,wed, then rest a day, then do cardio day, rest another day and start all over again?
Hi Neil, Yes you can definitely do it that way, which would be pretty intense if you’re doing 3 day’s of weight training in a row. A better approach might be Day 1 routine, cardio day, Day 2 Routine, cardio/rest day, Day 3, cardio day, rest day, and then start all over again.
So basically putting in a cardio/rest day between each of these weight training days to give your muscles the ability to recover.
Thanks sam! your routine sounds better ill give that a try.
Yes, yes, yes this is a phenominal work out i have done it and seen substaintial gains from it, but the one thing that annoys me is has no one noticed that in the begining it states that HJ worked out for 5 days a week and yet they ony provide you with 3 days of this work out and only one phase.
Hi Andre, thanks for the post. I believe the difference in the phases is the intensity level as mentioned at the beginning of this article. With regards to him working out 5 days a week, he simply cycles through his 3 day plan.
Great to hear that you have seen substantial gains from it!
this is a great workout im going to do this for a while
this is a great workout i started this like 2 weeks ago my max on dumbbells was 55 and moved up to 85 now im happy with this workout i have been going back and forth and counldnt get anything right i found this page when i was talking to my brother jeff i was wanting a workout plan for me and i was look at actors trying to find a good workout and hugh jackman is my favorite actor of all time he is all some not sucking up but this workout is great now i need a good workout for my abs im doning a couple of stuff its doing ok i lost 5 pounds from this workout i way 160 and im dumbbell pressing 85 as my max i can do like 5 but its doing them haha and im taking black powder with this workout if anyone wants to comment on this my email address is mlwhite15@yahoo.com thanks hugh jackman its good having a row model keep the good work up
Hey sam, on day 3 wat if i cant do 100 push ups…. shoud i rest after 50 or so and then finish them off?
Hey Neil, absolutely, rest and then try finishing it off…just try doing a little more each time and switch it up as much as possible. I love hitting it with a different angle by putting my feet on a stability ball or my hands on a bosu ball.
Hey Sam im new to this workout and wanted to know if it burns fat really well. At 150lbs. my buddys think im a monster in the gym as far as pushing weights around. Im just not happy with my body fat. I noticed how lean hugh was and was woundering will i lose alot of strength in this workout.
Hey Eddie, this workout isn’t focused on fat burning, although it will help if you do the exercises with little rest between sets. You’ll notice that at the beginning of the article it mentions Hugh doing lots of cardio such as running, yoga and pilates. If you really want to target fat burning read my article on interval training. Let me know how it goes!
Hi.. Well im new to this lifting weigt and gym thing, i was involved in karate for 6 years and i used to play in a rugby team,but physically i struggle to lift weights,is that bad? And Can you use this program even though you are a beginner, and then gradually build youself up to complete full sets? And also, do you start with heavy weights going lighter as you complete your sets, or vice versa?
Hi Byron, I would start out with another workout on the site as this is a little more on the advanced side. Try one of these: Free Workout Routines for Men. Stay determined and you will get through the struggle, it’s always hard for the first few weeks but it WILL get easier.
Start with lighter weights and go heavier to start. Later on to add variation you can mix it up but starting lighter is good to get your muscles warmed up.
How many sets of the cable side raise do you do? x3? one?
That’s right Andrew, 3 sets!
How long should you be doing this workout before seeing results?
Hi John, you should see results after about 3-4 weeks.
Thanks for the answer.
One more question. If you do not have acces to protein powder… Is there other ways to get enough protein ?
hi sam, just about to go onto week 6 of the channing tatum workout. oh my god, ive never stuck to a programe this long. ive sen great results. ive an assessment booked for the end of the week (measurements and stuff like that). cant wait to see what the results will be from week one to week 6. ill be going onto the hugh jackman worout like you suggested, cant wait!!!!!
sam im wondering if you took down your taylor launter workout because i remember you saying that after 6 weks you should change up…im doing it 6 weeks and im wondering what i can do now to change up
Hey Ray, unfortunately our article on Taylor was so successful that Google was giving us #1 ranking on anything Taylor related and his lawyers didn’t like that, so we had to take down the article. We call it bad PR on his part, but that’s the way it goes sometimes! I’ll be writing up some killer workout articles very soon and I guarantee they will outdo the one we had written up for him. For now feel free to change it up by picking a workout like this Hugh Jackman one in the workouts and training section of this site.
Sam, this workout is fantastic mate!, Im definitely gonna stick to it for a while, thanks for posting it!
Awesome Kieren, glad you like it! Make sure to leave a comment and let us know how it goes after a few weeks!
Excellent workout. Day 3 is extremely tough!! I’ve finished my 3rd day yesterday and today my bum, stomach and legs don’t work.
NICE! Thanks for the great feedback, keep it up and remember to give your body a rest day between sessions when going this hard!
Hey Sam, can you tell me anything about the secs gong up and down? Like, what would the difference be if I brought the weight down slower than pushed it up?
A good time to hit is 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. You can bring the weight down slower and push it up to add variety to your training, definitely a good technique to change things up. Generally some like to keep a bit of a faster pace so they can also burn extra calories, but variation is always a bonus!
This workout seems really intense, but just one question..at the beginning of the article you say that Jackman went through 2 different phases..for each phase was he just doing all these workouts with the countdown and weight like you said?
HI Mike, the other 2 phases were not discussed by his trainer but most likely included bulking up and cardio training so he could get to this level.
Hi Sam,
My friend and I just started this worked out 1 week ago and it is a great work out (especially day 5). But it is a lot of reps with less weight, so is this workout good for building bulk and not just toning? Or would you recommend that I change it up a little bit and do less rep more weight if i want to get bigger?
Thanks!
Tejas
Hi Hemant, this workout is intended for toning up so you’re right on the mark…decrease reps and increase weight for building bulk, winter is a great time to do this!
Great, will make sure to do that thanks! But as far as the exercises (push-ups, stairs, sprint, etc), is this a good work out in general for building bulk?
push-ups, stairs, sprint are great for increasing your cardiovascular health and help you with your weightlifting…as long as you keep them short duration and very intense they can help you build bulk too.
Thanks again! I will try this for the next 2 months or so and see how it goes. What other workout would you recommend for building bulk?
Good luck Hemant! For bulk also try the Jake Gyllenhaal Prince of Persia Workout, quite a unique twist with use of cables!
sorry so sam, in total day 3 is 300 pushups in total?
Hi Josh, that’s correct this is a very intense workout!
awesome, thanks for clearing that up