Wolverine Workout

Anybody who has seen Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins as the Wolverine will be surely impressed with the physique he built. Jackman’s beefcake has likewise convinced pollsters of People magazine to name him as “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2008. The man responsible for the Wolverine workout that gave Jackman such plaudits is his personal trainer, Mike Ryan.

Ryan was a trainer at the Australian gym Physical Factory in 1989 when he met Jackman and their partnership started there. For the Wolverine workout, the exercises last from an hour to 90 minutes. This includes cardio exercises and warm-ups which should not be less than 10 minutes. The session ends with 20 minutes of cardio exercises which involve running or swimming for variety and avoiding boredom.

The Wolverine workout proper is composed of weight exercises on big compound lifts with some twists added. Forming the core of the exercises are deadlifts, squats and presses. These are simple moves but Ryan likes to mix things up by playing with the exercise tempo, time .weight and rest, as well as changing the bench angles.

The Wolverine workout is split between muscle groups. A day’s session might focus on triceps and chest, while another session targets the biceps and back. Controlled overload is the rule for the workouts, pushing the muscles to failure in the last set. He also likes to devise supersets: compound moves with isolation moves, like going from a dumbbell bench press right through a fly. Needless to say, a spotter is needed here even for the Wolverine Jackman so that the set could be completed.