Hugh Jackman Workout & Diet Plan (Wolverine’s Physique)

If you’re looking to uncover Hugh Jackman’s workout plan, then this isn’t just another puffy celebrity routine. It’s a blueprint for building lean muscle, carving out shredded definition, and getting superhero strength.

The workout and diet plan Hugh Jackman used to get Wolverine’s physique is a routine you can do yourself at the gym or at home. Imagine your body getting ripped like Wolverine and sculpting out rock-hard abs, adding an inch to your arms, and becoming more jacked than ever before.

It’s true, Hugh Jackman has the money and resources to hire the best personal trainers, nutritionists, chefs, doctors, and everything you could need to achieve his next level physique. It might feel like you’ll have to do steroids, diet hard, and work out the rest of your life just to get near Hugh Jackman’s body physique.

But the good news is here you’ll uncover how to get “Wolverine Ripped” by following Hugh Jackman’s workout routine and diet plan. You can use his same exercise strategy to build muscle mass and then cut back down fast.

So keep going if you’re ready to uncover the Hugh Jackman workout and diet plan!

Hugh Jackman’s Workout Routine: Shredded Like Wolverine

Disclaimer: I am not Hugh Jackman’s trainer, and this workout and diet plan is not officially endorsed by him. This program has been created based on publicly available information, interviews, and my own training expertise. It is intended for educational and motivational purposes only.

Hugh Jackman has a mesomorph body type with a naturally athletic build, wider shoulders, and he gains muscle mass rather easily. His body clearly responds well to strength training, moderate cardio, and a high-protein diet.

He probably gives himself 3-6 months of consistent training and dieting to fully achieve the Wolverine physique. His main goal when training is to add lean muscle mass by first going through a moderate clean bulking phase before the cutting phase as filming starts.

During the bulking phase, he would use heavy strength training work low 1-5 rep ranges (60-90% of 1 rep max). This low rep, heavy weight lifting stimulates myofibrillar hypertrophy.¹ This gives him greater muscle density and growth, increased strength, and the harder more compact look (no puffy muscles).

After doing his heavy low-rep lifting, he would then transition into doing higher reps (8-15 per set). He’d use moderate to lighter weights with shorter rest time between sets (less than 60 seconds). This is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which increases muscle size by enlarging cells in the muscle itself.²

Combining low-rep heavy weight lifting first and then high-rep lighter weight is the best way to build muscle fast, look jacked, and yet stay lean.

Progressive overload is key when Hugh Jackman is strength training. This means making your weightlifting harder over time to keep your muscles challenged, which causes the gains to keep coming.³ So he was always pushing the weight lifted to failure (or near failure) to get bigger and stronger.

Hugh Jackman used a combination of interval training and low-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS cardio) to keep his body fat low.⁴ Interval training causes your body to burn more fat while preserving lean muscle.⁵ During his cutting phase, the volume of low-intensity cardio increased to burn body fat even more.

Exercises to Get Jacked Like Hugh Jackman

For the low-rep heavy lifting, Hugh Jackman would use these exercises:

• Compound Exercises: These are exercises that work more than one muscle at the same time. Targeting multiple muscle groups at the same time boosts mechanical tension.⁶ This stimulates growth hormone and testosterone release in your body, building deep and dense muscle mass.⁷ Deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and weighted pull-ups are the core of his daily routine.
• Isolation Exercises: These exercises focus on working one muscle at a time. This helps to sharpen and define specific muscles like the biceps, triceps, and shoulders. This gives you a chiseled, superhero physique on camera. Great for adding detail and symmetry to a physique. Dumbbell curls, dumbbell side raises for shoulders, and overhead tricep extensions are examples.
• Rowing Machine: Hugh Jackman would use the rowing machine for intervals in his cardio routine. It’s low-impact yet intense to get that high-level cardio while still easy on the joints. It works both your upper and lower body, helping you burn a lot of calories. And it uses strength training elements combined with high-intensity cardio, making it great for fat burning.
• Low-Intensity Cardio: He most likely used the treadmill and the exercise bike for his low-intensity cardio work post weightlifting. Light cardio after lifting weights makes it easier for your body to burn fat stores since glycogen has been depleted.

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Workout Routine

Hugh Jackman would use a 4-day weightlifting workout split, alternating between upper body and lower body.

He’d start the workouts lifting heavy weight compound exercises for low reps. Then halfway through the workout, move to moderate weight isolation exercises for higher reps. He’d finish out with some high-intensity interval cardio, followed by low-intensity steady-state cardio.

Periodization is key to structuring his training to build muscle growth first and then cut fat while maintaining size and definition. He’d do more heavy compound movements for 3-6 months before filming to build muscle mass and strength.

Then 6-8 weeks before filming, he’d enter the cutting phase to drop body fat while keeping the muscle.

He’d still do the compound lifts, but for higher reps and less weight during the bulking phase. He’d add more isolation exercises, supersets, and circuits. The volume of cardio also increased for more fat burning.

About 7-10 days before filming started, he’d change his workouts to look as shredded and defined as possible on camera.

More lower volume, higher reps for “muscle pump” work. Mostly isolation exercises to bring out the definition and preserve muscle fullness. Shorter workouts to prevent excessive fatigue and burnout.

Cardio is usually cut to very light sessions with only a week before filming.

He’ll be dieting harder so want to keep the blood flow, reduce water retention, and avoid stress induced cortisol spikes. Low-intensity steady state cardio only (like slow biking or incline treadmill walking). And then cut it out nearly completely with a few days before filming starts to fully rest, carve, and fill out his physique.

12-Week Wolverine Bulking Workout Plan

The key is to determine your one-rep maximum for these exercises.

I wouldn’t try lifting the heaviest weight once (can be risky for injuries). But instead, use a submaximal test with moderate weights. The Epley Equation can help you determine your 1-rep max with submaximal lifts.⁹

Pick a weight you can lift for 6-10 reps with good and proper form. For example, you bench press 135 lbs for 8 reps. Use the Epley equation by plugging it into this formula. It’ll give you a safe estimate of your one-rep max.

Use the Epley Equation Calculator below to find your 1-Rep Max using submaximal testing:

Now you can use the Wolverine workout plan below by finding the percentage of weight to use after determining your 1-rep max.

Below is a rep scheme for all major lifts.

After completing the first four weeks, you’ll repeat but this time add an extra 5-10% to the 1RM weight. If you have progressed well and strength improved then go with 10%. But if plateaued and haven’t gotten stronger then go with 5%.

Day 1 – Upper Body (Power)

• Bench Press
• Weighted Pull-Ups
• Overhead Press
• Isolation Exercises (3×8-12): Dumbbell Flyes, Face Pulls, Hammer Curls

Day 2 – Lower Body (Power)

• Back Squat
• Romanian Deadlift
• Walking Lunges (3×8-10 per leg)
• Isolation Exercises (3×8-12): Leg Curls, Calf Raises

Day 3 – Upper Body (Hypertrophy)

• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Barbell Rows
• Seated Dumbbell Press
• Isolation Exercises (3×10-15): Cable Lateral Raise, Tricep Pushdowns, EZ-Bar Curls

Day 4 – Lower Body (Hypertrophy)

• Front Squat or Goblet Squat
• Hip Thrusts
• Bulgarian Split Squat (3×8-10 per leg)
• Isolation Exercises (3×10-15): Leg Extensions, Seated Calf Raises

Rest on Wed, Sat & Sun (active recovery or light mobility)

6-Week Wolverine Cutting Workout Plan

After the 12-week bulking phase is over, it’s time to enter the 6-week cutting phase to get as lean as possible.

You’ll follow the same 4-day upper body and lower body split. The goal is to preserve muscle, increase calorie and fat burn, sharpen definition.

• Primary lifts switch to higher rep, moderate-weight work
• Add supersets, shorter rest, and finisher cardio
• Add low intensity steady state cardio on off days

Below is the rep and lifting scheme based on your 1 rep max:

Day 1 – Upper Body (Strength & Supersets)

• Bench Press
• Superset: Pull-ups + Push-ups (3x(As Many As Possible each))
• Overhead Press
• Isolation Superset (3×12): Cable Fly + Face Pull

Day 2 – Lower Body (Strength & HIIT)

• Back Squat
• Romanian Deadlift
• Superset: Walking Lunges + Kettlebell Swings (3×10/15)
• Finisher: 8 x 20 sec. rower sprints (40 sec. rest)

Day 3 – Upper Body (Hypertrophy & Metabolic Work)

• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Barbell Row
• Superset: Lateral Dumbbell Raises + Tricep Extensions (3×12)
• Isolation Exercises (3×15): Hammer Curls & Cable Pressdowns
• Finisher: 8 x 20 sec. bike sprints (40 sec. rest)

Day 4: Lower Body (Hypertrophy & LISS)

• Front Squat or Goblet Squat
• Hip Thrusts
• Superset: Leg Extensions + Hamstring Curls (3×15)
• LISS: 20-30 min incline treadmill walk or easy rowing

Inside Hugh Jackman’s Diet: How He Ate to Get Shredded

Hugh Jackman’s diet stacked multiple dieting strategies to amplify their effects in a short amount of time.

You have to be strategic with hybrid diet stacking so you maximize results without getting burned out. But when you do it right you’ll customize your nutrition strategy with an integrated diet approach to get lean and ripped.

Here are the diet methods he used…

Intermittent Fasting

Hugh Jackman would use intermittent fasting as a tool to lean out while preserving muscle mass.¹⁰ Fasting helps control calories naturally¹¹, improves insulin sensitivity¹², increases fat-burning hormones¹³, and boosts stubborn fat loss.¹⁴

He’d follow the 16/8 fasting method (16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of feeding) with a fasting window from 8 PM to 12 PM noon the next day. Hugh Jackman would work out fasted in the morning to burn more fat.

Ideally you’ll work out towards the end of fasting window (1-3 hours before) to maximize fat burning. If timed right, you’ll have 1-2 hours of riding the fat-burning train post-workout before eating a meal and breaking your fast.

He’d take 10g of BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) before and after fasted workouts. They’ll technically break your fast but don’t stop fat burning, and help preserve muscle.¹⁵ Take about 5-15 minutes before training to prevent muscle breakdown and fuel performance during the workout.

You could also use EAAs (essential amino acids) when fasted to better stimulate muscle protein synthesis. They contain all 9 essential amino acids (BCAAs only 3) and provide the full building blocks to preserve muscle when fasting.

Add C8-MCTs to your morning coffee when fasting. They’re instantly converted into ketones via your liver. This ketogenic process kickstarts fat burning and flips the “metabolic switch.”¹⁶ You won’t break your fast but will get more fat burning, energy, mental clarity, and less hunger.

Carb Cycling

Carb cycling alternates between high-carb days, low-carb days, and sometimes moderate-carb days. Strategically manipulating your carb intake can maximize fat burning, preserve muscle mass, elevate metabolism, and increase fat burning.

He would have high-carb days on weight training days and low-carb on rest or low-intensity cardio days.

High-carb days replenished glycogen, fueled intense training, and supported muscle growth. Low-carb days force the body to use fat as fuel, keep insulin levels low, and promote enhanced fat loss.

You can check out my carb cycling guide here.

High Protein

A high protein diet builds and preserves muscle, especially when you’re cutting calories to lean down.¹⁷ Protein elevates your metabolism due to its chemical structure, your body has to work harder to process it resulting in more calories burned.¹⁸

Protein also is satiating, which helps keep you fuller for longer.¹⁹ This helps to curb hunger when your cutting calories and fats to get lean. And protein is much needed for recovery with all the intense training Hugh Jackman.

In general, studies have found at least 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight will give the best results.²⁰

But when you’re training hard, cutting carbs and calories, then you’ll need more protein. He was most likely consuming up to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight on low-carb days leading up to filming.

If combining with carb cycling or calorie restriction then be sure to prioritize your protein intake. Protein is going to be the most essential macronutrient when training like Hugh Jackman if you want to get the Wolverine ripped body.

Low-carb protein shakes are very useful when trying to get lean like Wolverine. You can get a lot of high quality protein (without the junk carbs) in one quick drink. Make sure you use a low-carb protein powder that is clean and doesn’t have a bunch of fillers or additives.

I recommend this low-carb protein powder

Calculated Macronutrient & Calorie Intake

Hugh Jackman didn’t consume a ton of calories when training for Wolverine. His goal was to get the leanest muscle gain possible since he only had a handful of months to train before filming started.

His calories intake was higher in the beginning during the bulking phase of his training program. It’s said he consumed up to 6000 calories a day in the beginning when bulking. This high amount is needed with mesomorph body types, but endomorphs probably shouldn’t go this high.

But calories would soon be lowered a couple months before he had to be as ripped as possible for the movie.

Hugh Jackman is 6’2″ tall and weighs around 200 lbs. When cutting, he was consuming around 300 grams of protein on low carb days and 200 grams on high carb days. This comes out to 1200 and 800 calories from protein respectively.

So on high-carb days he’d have 300 grams of carbs (1200 calories) and very low fats. On low-carb days he’d have 50 grams of carbs (200 calories) and some more fats with 70 grams (630 calories).

He had around 3,000 daily calorie expenditure when he was training. So by the end of his training he was probably consuming around 2,000 calories daily to get shredded.

These numbers were gradually tapered down with time with them starting higher when bulking in the beginning, and then dropping a lot when cutting down.

Meal Timing & Frequency

Hugh Jackman would eat 4-6 meals a day when bulking to hit his high-protein and calorie targets. Eating every few hours helped him get enough nutrients in to also maintain protein synthesis and to stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the day.²¹

More frequent meals with his training regimen made it easier to:

• Eat enough clean calories
• Digest food easier
• Recover faster

But since he also used intermittent fasting then he’d have to eat all these meals during a 8 hour feeding window. His first meal came post-workout to break the fast and was his highest carbohydrate rich meal for the day. This helps to reduce fat storage since your body will use the carbs for muscle glycogen replenishment instead.

When cutting down, He’d only need to eat 3-5 meals since he didn’t need as many calories. He was very disciplined eating clean and healthy foods and staying within his calorie and macronutrient needs. It’s easy to overeat when having that many meals during the day.

Hugh Jackman had a professional chef who would prepare all his meals for the day so all he had to do was eat them. But we’ll have to food prep since many of us don’t have our own personal chef. This makes it a lot easier to stick with your targeted calories and macronutrients if the food is already pre-made and ready to go.²²