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I t w or k e d for W olve r in e
B. C. t rainer put act or Hugh Jackm an t hr ough t ough regim en for X- Men
By LORRAYNE ANTHONY The Canadian Press
AS SEEN I N ;
AFTER WHI PPI NG Hollyw ood hu nk Hugh Jackm an int o even bet t er
Ca n a da Ea st .com
shape for his X- Men 3 role as Wolverine, t rainer St eve Ram sbot t om
fine- t uned his wor kou t regim en for ot her people who want t o add Aol. ca
m uscle m ass wh ile k eeping t he body lean and agile. 2 4 Hours
Metro
" When Hugh cam e in - he's a pr et t y fit guy alr eady - I st uck t o m y
philosophy and did an assessm ent and asked him his goals," said D iscove r y H e a lt h
Ram sbot t om from his gym , t he Per form ance I n st it ut e in Bu rnaby , M e d Br o a dca st
B.C.
Te lu s

" Hugh is a dream client ." Th e Ch r on icle H e r a ld

Th e H a m ilt on
While t he rigorous Wolv erine w orkout is sur e t o garner r esult s, it has Spe ct a t or
t o be t weak ed f or t hose who aren't able t o t rain m ore t han five days a CTV
week for f ive m on t hs for t heir big role.
Ya h oo

" They are unrealist ic goals in t h at not everyon e has t he body t ype t h at Ca n a da .com
can achieve t h at level," said Lor raine Hendry, m anager of Th e Ca lg a r y Su n
physiot her apy at t h e Universit y of Ot t awa 's Sport s Medicine and
Physiot herapy Cen t re. Edm o n t on Su n
Sh ow Biz D a t a
She said t hat when people are m ot ivat ed t o get fit - at t he begin ning M SN
of a new year or aft er hearing abou t a w ork out u sed by Hollyw ood
Ok a n a ga n Cla ssifie d
st ars - t hey t ackle it wit h a v engeance.
Ca n oe N e t w or k
When t hey don't see result s right away , t hey get frust rat ed and oft en quit . Or worse, t hey t ake on
t oo m u ch and inj u re t h em selves.

Hendr y, a m em ber of t he Canadian Phy siot herapy Associat ion, said t hat if people st art slowly t o
at t ain t heir fit ness goals t h ey t end t o hav e bet t er luck seeing t h em com e t o fruit ion .

Oft en people w ill j oin a gy m or hire a personal t rain er t o help get t hem st art ed.
Once you find a club an d t rainer wit h w hom you are com fort able, Ram sbot t om said a phy sical
assessm ent is t he first order of business. The process should t ak e j u st un der an hour and t h e
t rainer should ask y ou abou t specific goals.

While fit n ess assessm ent s can v ary from gym t o gym and t rainer t o t rainer, Ram sbot t om is quit e
specific. He looks at body com posit ion w hich includes skin - fold t est ing t o m easu re body fat ,
post u re an d alignm en t of t he pelvis t o see if t here will be any back issues. He also looks at
flexibilit y , core st rengt h , aerobic and anaerobic t est ing. This allow s t rainers t o underst and wh ere
t he body is at befor e you em bark on a program .

As for Jackm an, he want ed t o get leaner and pu t on m ore m uscle. No on e would believ e Wolver ine
as a less- t han - sleek m u t ant wit h powerf ul lim bs behind h is kn ife- like appen dages.

The first t h ing Ram sbot t om did was get Jackm an int o t w o diff erent phases of w eight t raining.

The first phase was focused on building m uscle m ass by alt ering t he t em po or speed of t he lift .
Ram sbot t om had Jack m an lift t he weight t o a t h ree- second count up and t hen a one- second count
down.

" I t 's a lot m ore dif ficult and what it does is it increases t he t im e under t ension t hat you hav e on
t hat m uscle so you force adapt at ion and force breakdown in t he act ual m uscle and, in t u rn, it ends
up grow ing, " said Ram sbot t om , who added Jack m an gain ed 15 pounds of m u scle during t h e
t rainin g.

The second phase focu sed on m axim um st rengt h where Jackm an w as lift ing really heavy weight s,
wit h out an y at t ent ion t o t em po. Th e goal of t his phase is t o increase st rengt h, as opposed t o m ass.

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Each phase last ed from six t o 12 weeks depen ding on resu lt s and t hen w as repeat ed. During each
phase, Jackm an w ould lift weight s for one t o t wo hours, five day s a w eek. But during t he last week
of t he phase, Jackm an w ould lift only one day and fill t h e ot her day s wit h y oga, pilat es, running
and st ret ching.

But Wolverine isn' t supposed t o look lik e a bodybuilder.

" I t 's a very at hlet ic role t hat he has t o play. So h e needs t o look t h e part bu t he needs t o m ove
properly so we t ried t o focus on at hlet ic m ovem en t s. Things t hat w ould not m ak e him m ove like a
bodybuilder but m ov e lik e an at hlet e."

So ev ery Friday, he would h ave Jackm an t ak e part in an hour- and- a- half boot cam p work out class.

Ram sbot t om said t h at t hese t ypes of classes are a really great way for bot h m en and wom en t o
get lean and really fit at t he sam e t im e, alt hough he n ot ed m en t end t o becom e lean m ore quickly
t han wom en.

He also said t hat var ying t he work out is an im por t ant fact or in get t ing r esult s.
" People st ick wit h t he sam e program t oo long. I f t hey adj ust t he differen t variables - set s, t em po -
t hat 's going t o force changes and get people m ore fit . "

I n addit ion t o t he exhaust iv e workout , Jackm an w as ext rem ely disciplined about n ut rit ion . He at e
six m eals a day m ade up of lot s of veget ables and lean prot eins.

He also had m assage t herapy every day t o help his body recover.

And if t her e was ever a w eek where Jackson was really sore, Ram sbot t om adj ust ed t he five- day
rout in e t o include anot her day of w orkin g out .

" I f you've pushed so h ard y ou are sore, t he worst t hing is t o act u ally sit t h ere and do not hing."

The t askm ast er does have a heart . I f Jackm an w as sim ply burned out and t ired, Ram sbot t om
would give him t he day off. St ill, t he Au st ralian act or isn't put off by harsh w ork out s. I t 's t he t hird
t im e he t r ained wit h Ram sbot t om .

W 0 LV ERI N E W ORKOUT

I f you've been w eight t raining but not get t ing t he result s y ou're seeking, St eve Ram sbot t om ,
owner of t he Perform ance I nst it ut e in Burnaby , B.C., suggest s t rying t his t hr ee- day pr ogram . I t
includes som e of t he t echniques he u sed t o t rain Aust ralian act or Hugh Jackm an for his role as
Wolverine in X- Men 3.

Ram sbot t om recom m en ds get t in g pr ofession al advice from a cert if ied t r ainer before st art ing a new
program and get t ing w ell acquain t ed w it h t he equipm ent at y our gym . He also su ggest s t alk ing t o
your doct or before st art ing any program .

Day 1

( 1) Du m bbell Chest Press ( Swiss ball an d dum bbells required) :

 While holding a pair of dum bbells, get int o a t able- t op posit ion w it h ch est u p an d back t o t he
floor, and w it h head rest ing on a Swiss ball and kn ees bent ( im agine doing bench presses
wit h out t h e bench but using your cor e m uscles and feet t o st abilize your w eigh t
dist ribut ion) .
 Keep hips up and sh oulder blades pulled down and back t oget her .
 Perform 12 r eps ( pick a weigh t so t he 1 2t h r ep is har d) ; 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down.

( 2) Push- ups:
 Do im m ediat ely aft er chest press.
 Keep head in line w it h t he spine and support lower back by pulling belly but t on in t o t he
spine.
 Can be done fr om knees or t oes.
 Perform 25 r eps ( t ake a break if you hav e t o, but fin ish 2 5) .
 Rest 1 m inut e and repeat Dum bbell Press and Push- ups for 3 set s.

( 3) Lat Pull Downs ( m odular lat pulldown m achine r equired) :

 Wit h palm s facing away from t he body, grip hands on t he bend of t he bar.
 Pull bar down below ch in, k eeping shoulder blades pulled down and t oget her.
 Perform 12 r eps; 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up.

( 4) Ext er nal Shoulder Rot at ions ( t ubing requ ired) :

 Do im m ediat ely aft er Lat Pull Down s .

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 Use t ubin g wit h palm s facing up and elbows in t ight t o body .

 St ret ch ou t band, holding elbows at 9 0 degrees, t hum bs out ward.
 Perform 20 r eps; 2 seconds ou t and 2 seconds back.
 Rest 1 m inut e and repeat Lat Pulls and Ext ernal Shoulder Rot at ion s for 3 set s.

( 5) Cable Side Raise ( adj ust able cable pulley m achine required) :
 Grip a cable in front of t he body w it h one arm , wit h a slight bend in t he elbow.
 Hold post u re, keep shoulder blades down and back .
 Perform 12 r eps; 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up.
 Do ot her arm im m ediat ely .

( 6) St raight Bar Curl ( f ree- st anding bar requ ired) :

 Grab bar sh oulder- w idt h apart and curl, holding a soft knee bend and wit h out arching back .
 Perform 12 r eps; 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down.

( 7) Close Grip Bar Push- up ( free- st anding bar and squat rack required) :
 Do im m ediat ely aft er St raigh t Bar Curl.
 I n a squat rack, set up bar at w aist h eight .
 Perform a pu sh- up wit h elbows in t ight . Do 1 2 reps; 5 seconds down and 5 seconds up.
 Rest 1 m inut e. Repeat St raight Bar Curls and Close Grip Bar Push- ups for 3 set s.

Day 2

( 1) Leg Squat :
 Slowly low er t he body on one leg, brin ging t he hips back so t he front knee does n ot go
beyond t h e t oes and squat unt il upper t high is parallel t o t he gr ound.
 Perform 12 r eps on each leg; 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down .
 Rest 1 m inut e and repeat for 3 set s.

( 2) Balance Board Lunge ( ex t rem e or roun d boar d is requ ired) :

 Place one foot cen t red on balan ce board, back foot on t oes behind in a lu nge.
 Slowly bend bot h back and front knees int o a lunge unt il front t high is par allel t o t h e
groun d.
 Perform 12 r eps on each leg; 4 seconds down and 4 seconds up.

( 3) Split Leg Box Jum p ( do im m ediat ely aft er balan ce lunge) :

 Plant one foot on t op of a box/ bench t h at holds t h e fron t knee at 9 0 degrees.
 Wit h weight m ainly on t he t op leg, j um p and swit ch legs. Do 3 0 j um ps.
 Rest 1 m inut e. Repeat Balance Board Lu nge and Split Leg Box Jum ps - 3 set s.

( 4) Jack Knife:
 St ar t in a push - up posit ion wit h t oes on t op of a Swiss ball.
 Raise hips up slight ly and draw t he belly- bu t t on int o t h e spine.
 Pull knees up t ow ards chest .
 Perform 20 r eps; 2 seconds in and 2 seconds out .

( 5) Swiss Ball Cr unch ( do im m ediat ely aft er j ack knife) :

 Lie on t op of ball wit h low back support ed; pull in belly bu t t on t o spine.
 Perform crunch, exhalin g as you com e up wit hout allow ing st om ach t o " pop up."
 Perform 20 r eps; 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down.
 Rest 1 m in and repeat Jack Knife and Crunch 3 set s.

Day 3

Do 3 set s of t h e followin g ex ercises wit h no rest in bet ween .

1. Walking Lu nges: Hold dum bbells at sides. St ep t hrough front heel an d bring back knee
t owards f loor . Do 30 st eps.
2. Push - ups: Do 100 .
3. Swiss Ball Cr unch: Do 50 .
4. Sprin t : Ou t side or on t readm ill, sprint 1 m inu t e at 80 per cent int ensit y .
5. I nch Wor m s : I n a push - up posit ion, t ake t in y st eps so t he feet com e t owards t he han ds.
Keep walking unt il you feel a gen t le st ret ch t hr ough t he ham st r ings. Do t h is 30 t im es.
6. Lat Pu ll Downs : Do 50.
7. St airs: Tak e ev ery second st ep. Perform 20 r eps ( up and down is 1) .

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