What actors actually do

14 March 2024
Adarsh Gopal

The single most clickbaity bit of journalism is chronicling how actors get jacked for roles. Especially when the said actor has something to sell: movies, books, workout plans, gym memberships etc.

Actors are rarely candid about how they actually train or eat. But they do ‘glam’ their training for adverts to sell memberships. Be it Chris Hemsworth hawking Centr or the zillionth actor smashing ropes.

What gets them results is boring, repetitive and makes for bad content. The closest thing to insight you will get is a fridge filled with vegetables, eggs, chicken breast and protein shakes.

But my key takeaway from celeb training: they are terrific at reducing friction. Be it training, nutrition or sleep. They make it as simple as possible to get the job done.

Get paid to train. A lot of money. And there’s a deadline with sets, crew and cameras waiting. This ensures adherence and sets reasonable timelines.
Looking lean and defined on camera is not the same as looking big and muscular in reality. There are exceptions. But actors focus on leanness and appearance on camera.
Narrow the goal down. The goal is to look a certain way with your shirt off. No one cares about legs, calves or how much you squat or bench. You use tools and exercises that get you to a better physique. Actors are not strong men, power lifters or Olympians. They know this and train for the cause without a rep wasted.
Low body fat is the goal. Precise calorie intake means precise food planning and macronutrient targets. Chefs, customised meals and nutrition on point for most meals until the cameras are rolling and shirt comes off. Zero needless calories.
Whatever it takes to ensure the right anabolic environment in the body. It’s simplistic to say all actors use testosterone. But it helps and it is used smartly by some.
Maintain a reasonable baseline of strength and low body fat. Even when the cameras are not on and there is no movie in sight, maintain low enough body fat levels to be able to achieve lower levels within months.
Understand the ephemeral nature of mild dehydration, right angle, low body fat, baby oil and the magic of good lighting.
Sleep to ensure they look good.

Takeaway

Simplify your food choices with anchor foods and some understanding of calorie requirements.
If low body fat is the goal, it helps to have never gained too much fat to begin with.
If you are carrying over 25 percent body fat levels, give yourself months or years to reach the 15-20 percent levels. And don’t let that number creep up too far up again.
Rather than training for a look, train for quality of life and joint health. The ‘look’ comes free with training for strength and robust joints. There’s a big difference in how exercise selection and training volume looks.
You don’t need every muscle to pop. Given time and energy is limited, training every muscle group is almost impossible for the general population. Pick your exercises carefully.

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