Superhero Strong, Lean and Jacked

Some of my favorite superheroes have a physique that many would deem to be unfathomable – you know what I’m talking about.

Lean, muscular, athletic, and powerful.

Physiques that take years of hard work and dedication to grow and develop.

Hell, even those who heroes are mostly portrayed as ‘regular humans’ (daredevil and batman are two that come to mind) have a body that most people would struggle to achieve – even if they dedicated their life to the cause.

Or so I first thought.

Until I actually sat through the Avengers movies (and their many, many, spinoffs) – where I saw Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, and of course Chris Evans as Captain America.

The transformations that these guys went through clearly demonstrates that these bodies are far from unrealistic. In fact, they show that with the right mindset, training routine, and diet (and of course, a healthy dose of hard work), these physiques could be yours.

Thor (AKA Chris Hemsworth)

The physique that Chris Hemsworth built for Thor is one of the most impressive I have ever seen. From a somewhat skinny, albeit normal looking dude, to a lean, muscular, and buff as hell demigod, this transformation was ridiculous.

But the most incredible thing?

It wasn’t done by spending every single day in the gym.

In fact, Chris’s trainer has gone on record saying that he built this amazing body by simply performing 3-4 heavy, high-volume, gym sessions per week. Moreover, this same program included a number of functional movements to keep him moving well and his joints healthy.

Thor Gym Program

To build a god like physique that even Thor would be proud of, we have put together a specific program built around large compound movements, optimizing both strength development and muscle growth.

In this scenario, you want to ideally rotate through the lower body and upper body session, for 3-4 sessions per week.

In each session ‘A’ and ‘B’ exercises are performed in a superset fashion to increase workout density and volume.

Lower Body Session
Exercise	Sets x Reps
1: Barbell Back squat	5 x 5
2: Romanian Deadlift	4 x 6
3: Bulgarian Split Squat                                  (Dumbbells)	4 x 8 / side
4: Leg Press	3 x 10
5: Hamstring Curl	3 x 12
6: Bear Crawls	3 x 20 steps

 

Upper Body Session
Exercise	Sets x Reps
1: Weighted Pull Ups	5 x 5
2A: Dumbbell Bench Press	4 x 6
2B: Single arm Dumbbell Row                                   (bench supported)	4 x 8 / side
3A: Standing Military Press	3 x 10
3B: Seated Row	3 x 10
4A: Incline Dumbbell Press	3 x 12
4B: Straight Arm Cable                                   Pulldowns	3 x 12
5A: Overhead Cable Tricep                            Extensions	3 x 15
5B: Hammer Curls	3 x 15

Black Panther (AKA Chadwick Boseman)

Chadwick Boseman is one of the few actors on the planet who already had a head start with both his physique and his training. With a background in martial arts and a strong love for the gym, Boseman was already a pretty well-developed guy.

But he wasn’t lean.

With that in mind, his trainer came up with a plan to get him as lean as possible – and it revolved around the development of a program that included not only some key strength movements, but also a bunch of metabolic conditioning circuits.

And let’s face it – the results speak for themselves.

Black Panther Gym Program

To build a lean and muscular (dare I say ‘panther-like’) physique, we have put together a specific program that includes 3 workouts with some key strength/hypertrophy movements used in conjunction with some powerful conditioning circuits.

In this scenario, you want to rotate through the 3 workouts sequentially, for 4-6 sessions per week.

In each session ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ exercises are performed in a circuit like fashion, where each exercise is performed back to back with zero rest between exercises. At the end of the circuit, take 2-3 minutes rest, before completing the process again for the prescribed number of rounds.

Session 1
Exercise	Sets x Reps
Strength/Hypertrophy                         Exercises
1: Deadlift	5 x 6
2: Front Squat	4 x 8
Circuit 1 (Perform 4 Rounds)
3A: Walking Lunges	10 / side
3B: Chin Ups	12 (or max)
3C: Alternating Dumbbell Bench                                Press	10 / side
Circuit 2 (Perform 3 Rounds)
4A: Kettlebell Swing	20
4B: Goblet Squat	20
4C: Inverted Row	15

 

Session 2
Exercise	Sets x Reps
Strength/Hypertrophy                         Exercises
1: Barbell Bench press	5 x 6
2: Standing Military Press	4 x 8
Circuit 1 (Perform 4 Rounds)
3A: Reverse Lunge	10 / side
3B: Bent Over barbell Row	12
3C: Weighted Push Ups	10
Circuit 2 (Perform 3 Rounds)
4A: Romanian Deadlift	12
4B: Wide Grip Pull Up	12 (or max)
4C: Standing Single Arm                                Shoulder Press	10 / side

 

Session 3
Exercise	Sets x Reps
Strength/Hypertrophy                         Exercises
1: Weighted Pull Up	5 x 6
2: Chest Supported Dumbbell Row	4 x 8
Circuit 1 (Perform 4 Rounds)
3A: Hang Power Clean	8
3B: Barbell Push Press	8
3C: Barbell Front Squat	10
Circuit 2 (Perform 3 Rounds)
4A: Archer Push Up	8 / side
4B: Plank with alternating arm                                   reach	12 / side
4C: Deadbug	10 / side

Captain America (AKA Chris Evans)

To be completely honest, I never really rated Chris Evans as Captain America.

Sure, he’s a nice guy that fits the bill a general looks perspective, but from a physique perspective he just wasn’t there for me.

But then I saw the Avengers infinity war…

The dude was jacked, and my mind was changed forever.

Chris obviously put in a whole lot of work in the lead up to this film, and it payed off big time. He truly built a lean muscular physique that captain America can be proud of.

Chris and his trainer have both said that he followed a very typical bodybuilding type routine to achieve this amazing feat. Training 6 times per week, he regularly utilised a simple push/pull/legs split to create muscle growth and maintain symmetry.

Simple and effective.

Captain America Workout

The following workout can be performed 6 days per week, with one rest day per week. Rotate through the three workouts however you see fit, just make sure that you are not completely the same session back to back, as we want at least 48 hours of recovery between completing the same session.

Prepare to grow!

Push Session
Exercise	Sets x Reps
1: Dumbbell Fly	3 x 12
2: Barbell Bench Press	4 x 6
3: Seated Shoulder Press	4 x 8
4: Incline Dumbbell Press	3 x 10
5A: Lateral Raises	3 x 12
5B: Arnold Press	3 x 12

 

Pull Session
Exercise	Sets x Reps
1: Weighted Pull Ups	4 x 6
2: Bent Over Barbell Row	4 x 8
3: Single Arm Dumbbell Row	4 x 10 / side
4: Seated Row	3 x 10
5: Reverse Fly	3 x 12
6: Inverted Row	3 x 15

 

Legs Session
Exercise	Sets x Reps
1: Barbell Back squat	4 x 6
2: Romanian Deadlift	4 x 8
3: Barbell Split Squat	4 x 8 / side
4: Leg Press	3 x 10
5: Calf Raises	3 x 12

What about a Superhero Diet?

Now you might be wondering where and how diet fits into this – and while I certainly don’t want to make any recommendations that are too specific, there are a few things that I think are important to ensure that you keep making the progress required to achieve such an amazing body.

Because let’s face it – diet is arguable more than half of the picture.

First and foremost, you want to make sure that you are consuming enough protein to adequately recover from your workouts. This will not only maximise muscle growth, but will also guarantee muscle retention.

1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day appears to be the perfect amount.

Secondly, you want to make sure that most of the food within your daily diet come from predominantly whole food sources. This means whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and lean cuts of meat and poultry.

Not only will this ensure that you have adequate energy available to fuel your training sessions, but these foods are also full to the brim with essential vitamins and minerals. As a result, they have the capacity to enhance general health, ensuring that you can train hard and heavy without suffering any unnecessary setbacks.

Finally, drink a lot of water.

Seriously, water is absolutely essential to the maintenance of health and function. So, make sure you drink it, and drink it regularly!

Take Home Message

Building a superhero body isn’t impossible.

Easy? God no (demigod no?).

But not impossible.

By training hard and dedicating yourself to the cause, you can make some huge changes to your body. Combine this with a solid diet, a fantastic mindset, and with a whole lot of effort, and a superhero body is yours for the taking.

So, what are you waiting for? Just reach out and grab it.

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