Hugh Jackman's diet for his comeback as Wolverine
The third installment of 'Deadpool' will be released on November 8, 2024. Leading the cast as the most famous anti-hero of the Marvel universe will be Ryan Reynolds. And alongside him will be Hugh Jackman, who will once again step into the shoes of his famous character Wolverine.
The last time we saw Hugh Jackman playing the steel-clawed mutant was in 'Logan,' back in 2017, directed by James Mangold.
To be able to crawl back into the skin of Wolverine is no easy feat for the actor, it requires dedication by Jackman, of course. He must go on a strict diet, train every day and build muscle, as he told Stephen Colbert in his 'The Late Show' interview.
He has currently been involved in cinema and theater of late. One of his last projects was a play on Broadway, 'The Mysic Man.' "And I’m really fit right now. There’s one thing that about eight shows a week being on Broadway singing and dancing is I’m fit. So I’m healthy. I have a good place to start," he told HBO Max’s 'Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace.'
In the interview with Stephen Colbert, Jackman explained some of the secrets of his routine, which he calls "very physically demanding." He continued: "I'm just eating and training."
In order to achieve this, his diet is focused on gaining muscle volume, so he consumes up to 8,000 some days! Pretty impressive, considering that a normal adult needs between 2,000 and 2,400 calories a day.
The actor, who has finished his work on Broadway, also highlighted the difficulties that being on the stage meant for his diet, since he burned 1,500 calories in each of the shows he offered, which were a total of eight performances each week.
Therefore, Jackman and his trainer had a predetermined amount of calories he had to take in, between 6,000 and 8,000 each day, since he burned a lot of calories working out. In this way, Jackman was able to increase his muscle mass and achieve the look they wanted for Wolverine.
Now that the Broadway show has ended, Jackman is fully freed up to focus on two main things, eating and training, all day long. Which is all he is doing to prepare for his role.
To counteract his huge food intake and not put on weight, the actor is following the 16/8 rule. This is a type of intermittent fasting in which you fast for 16 hours and eat at an interval of 8 hours, in which all the calories are ingested.
For those unfamiliar with this type of diet, people who follow it usually eat at dinner time and do not eat again until lunch the next day, thus skipping breakfast.
In Hugh Jackman's diet, according to 'Men's Health' magazine, he eats no less than six healthy meals between lunch and dinner.
With intermittent fasting, calories are ingested in this way to speed up the body's metabolism. During the fasting period, accumulated body fat is burned to provide the body with the necessary energy.
And as for physical exercise, Jackman's routine consists of continuous work in the gym. His sessions last 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, and are always under his trainer's supervision. The sessions include strength exercises, cardio, and high-speed interval training, which are known as HIIT training, for short.
He also commented on it in an interview with 'Men's Health:' "By the time you're doing your third or fourth set, you actually really want to lift because your body has gotten used to it," he said.
Jackman has also stressed that he has no intention of seeking extra help in his training, in terms of pharmacological help, but rather, that he will do it the old-fashioned way.
In an interview on HBO's 'Who's Talking To Chris Wallace,' Jackman said he was aware of the "side effects" of steroids and vehemently denied ever taking them. "No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine," he explained.
With all these tools in his toolbox, we have no doubt that Hugh Jackman will be able to return to the role, looking fit and fight-worthy, with countless fans waiting to see him on the big screen.