If you want the part in a superhero movie, you have to be in great shape. This is something Hugh Jackman (AKA Wolverine) certainly knew, so he recruited personal trainer Mike Ryan to help get his wellness into mutant-ready shape. Funnily enough, much like the origins of Wolverine’s powers, Jackman’s workout was ‘all about evolution’ says Ryan. So what can you learn from Jackman’s Wolverine workout?
According to Ryan, ‘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 to bring new ideas to the table. And Hugh now looks the most ripped he’s been for any movie.’ But what made Jackman trust Ryan to take on a fitness regime of superhero proportions? ‘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,’ Ryan recalls. ‘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.’
However, soon no one would have mistaken Jackman for a chicken! Ryan notes, ‘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.’ Still, not bad for a guy in his mid-40s! Ryan enthuses, ‘I call him my masterpiece. 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.’
So how does he do it? Being restrained by Jackman’s hectic filming schedules, Ryan usually works on his masterpiece at the crack of dawn. ‘We have a philosophy of training first thing in the morning,’ he comments. ‘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.’ This usually involves an hour to 90 minutes of hard work, including warm-up and cardio sessions. Ryan asserts, ‘We never start a weights session without a minimum ten-minute cardio warm-up. Never, ever. After a session we often finish with 20 minutes of cardio, which could be a run or run/swim.’
If you want your wellbeing to be Wolverine-ready, Ryan has outlined some top fitness tips:
1. Get Up Early: Ryan instructs, ‘Train in the morning where possible – it’s the best way to ensure intensity.’
2. Warm Up: ‘Always warm up sufficiently,’ Ryan urges. ‘Not just with cardio, but by doing the movements before adding weights.’
3. Build Up Slowly: Ryan recommends working on ‘progressive overload – always keep increasing the weight, and keep a training diary to record your progress.’
4. Mix Things Up: ‘Constantly change the tempo, speed, incline, grip – anything so that you’re not always performing the same movement,’ Ryan advises.
5. Feel the Movement: Ryan directs, ‘Focus on each muscle activation rather than simply aiming to finish the set.’
