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How Hollywood stars train to become superheroes

Before becoming the idols of the comics, these great actors had to demand their bodies to the maximum. Details of the hard fitness routines and the strict diets to look impeccable on the big screen

Putting on the suit to embody each of the heroes is not an easy task. Icons of various generations, the main protagonists of the hyper-ticket ‘tanks’, must prepare hard to live up to it. In addition to the need to demonstrate acting skills that faithfully represent the character, they are required to be in an optimal physical condition that matches the figures in the comics.

Toned bodies, well-defined muscles, and enviable silhouettes characterize superheroes. The popular Hollywood stars cast to play them fit the bill perfectly. In each appearance on the big screen, they dazzle and the doubt worsens: how do they look like that? Much of the secret is in hard training accompanied by a strict diet.

Hugh Jackman

How Hollywood stars train to become superheroes

With the recently released Logan, the Australian actor says goodbye to the hero who marked his career. He put himself in the shoes of the wild Wolverine for 17 years. From that first X-Men film to this part, the progress in his physical appearance is remarkable. To look increasingly fibrous at the age of 47, he had to go through hours and hours in the gym while following a diet based on vegetables, fruits, fish, chicken, and no processed products. He ate every two and a half hours.

Under the tutelage of specialist David Kingsbury, his daily routine includes 90 minutes of functional training, trying to involve the greatest number of muscles in each movement of the exercise. The duo’s communion began four months before the start of filming for The Wolverine after Jackman had to lose significant weight for Los Miserables.

Ben Affleck

He worked for fifteen months to get the musculature of the Batman. His physical trainer is Walter Norton Jr., who subjects him to military training with cardio and strength exercises where squats, push-ups, resistance tables, and martial arts classes were the main modalities. His role model is the UFC fighter, the Irishman Conor McGregor.

Reaching up to two and a half hours per day, he normally exercised six days in a row, with an interval of two days of rest, so he had to considerably increase the number of calories consumed: 250 grams of protein per day. In his food menu, there is no shortage of egg whites, oats, chicken, almonds, nines, spinach, or broccoli.

Gal Gadot

When Gal Gadot was appointed to represent Wonder Woman, many fans cried out loud because they considered it inappropriate. It is that with her slender figure the Israeli actress was more related to a model than to an Amazon warrior. However, when she appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, she reversed the criticism to garner more and more praise.

To play Diana Prince, she works out really hard. She practices different disciplines: TRX, pillars, and strength training with weights. Her favorite sport is boxing. “She is ideal for improving reflexes, increasing speed and, of course, strength,” said the actress. She eats healthy, but does not give up temptations: “I make sure I have a balance and drink lots and lots of water.”

Chris Evans

How Hollywood stars train to become superheroes

He works under the orders of trainer Simon Waterson, the same one who prepared Jake Gyllenhaal for The Prince of Persia and Daniel Craig for James Bond. By locating the practice in a specific zone on each of the six days a week (he only rested on Sundays) he increased almost 10 kilos of pure muscle mass. Additionally, Captain America reduced up to 5 percent of body fat. All in three months.

“It was the worst part of my transformation. I was constantly eating food, it was horrible. You get to that point where you want to stop, but you have to keep eating to try and gain more muscle,” he commented. Based on nuts and red fruits, he took amino acid supplements and ingested two grams of protein, both vegetable, and animal, for each kilo of body weight with food supplements, such as whey, to recover the joints.

Tom Holland

Although the role of main protagonists in Captain America: Civil Wars were Chris Evans (Captain America) and Robert Downey Jr. (Ironman), the appearance of Tom Holland was the most anticipated. The arrival of Spiderman -Spiderman, for those who prefer it- to the Marvel Cinematic Universe generated great expectations among fans. For this reason, the young actor (20 years old) knew that he could not disappoint and he prepared himself especially.

With demanding circuits using the training mask (the mask that simulates breathing at altitude) and practicing boxing, the British increased his physique. By itself, Holland is very agile, which allows him to do without a double in several scenes. In his networks, he uploads images and videos in which he is seen doing different jumps, practicing climbs, and various types of acrobatics according to Peter Paker’s hidden abilities.

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