Celebrity Muscle

1. Celebrity Muscle

Contents
Chapter 1: About Celebrity Muscle ................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2: Chris Hemsworth’s God-like THOR Workout .................................................................................................. 3
An introduction to Chris Hemsworth and his transformation for his role as THOR ..................................................... 3
Chris Hemsworth’s THOR workout plan ....................................................................................................................... 5
Your Turn – Thor’s Exercise Plan ................................................................................................................................... 7
Your Turn – Thor’s Nutrition Plan ................................................................................................................................. 8
Chapter 3: Christian Bale’s ‘The Dark Knight’ workout ................................................................................................... 10
An introduction to Christian Bale and his transformation for his role as The Dark Knight ........................................ 10
Christian Bale’s the Dark Knight workout plan ........................................................................................................... 12
Your Turn – Batman’s Exercise Plan ............................................................................................................................ 14
Your Turn – Batman’s Nutrition Plan .......................................................................................................................... 15
Chapter 4: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Rock-Hard Hercules Workout ...................................................................... 16
An introduction to Dwayne Johnson and his transformation for his role as Hercules ............................................... 16
Dwayne Johnson’s Herculean workout plan ............................................................................................................... 17
Your Turn – The Herculean 6 Month Exercise Plan .................................................................................................... 19
Your Turn – “12 labors” 6 Month Nutrition Plan ........................................................................................................ 20
Chapter 5: Zac Efron’s Navy Seal workout & diet ........................................................................................................... 21
An introduction to Zac Efron and his transformation for his role in Baywatch .......................................................... 21
Zac Efron’s pre-Baywatch bulk workout plan ............................................................................................................. 21
Your Turn – Efron’s 1 month rolling Exercise Plan ...................................................................................................... 23
Your Turn – Efron’s 1 month rolling Nutrition Plan .................................................................................................... 25
Chapter 6: The Celebrity Mindset ................................................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 7: The Star’s Secretes to Motivation ................................................................................................................. 30
Chapter 8: Star Struck ..................................................................................................................................................... 34
Chapter 9: Exercise & Nutrition Diary ............................................................................................................................. 38

2. Chapter 1: About Celebrity Muscle

Welcome to Celebrity Muscle – your one stop guide to become as fit and strong as your favourite actors.

When an actor takes on a role, he has limited time to get into the best shape of his life so he can to fulfil all pre-
conceptions of the character and how the adorning fans perceive how the actor should look. These actors are seen
by millions, all over the world, so they have to look their very best - Photoshop or clever graphics isn’t going to cover
up everything, so they have to look PERFECT to be able to wow audiences and viewers alike.

But how have they done it? They are human too and weren’t born with rock hard abs or bulging biceps.

Celebrity Muscle has been created to share the information about these celeb transformations to help you
understand their programmes, diets and mentality that helped transform them into their version of a crime fighting
hero. In this book, you can find reviews of four well known celebrity endorsed fitness programmes that are still very
popular with those looking to transform themselves. The only way to be the best – is to learn from the best, so in
this guide it will show you exactly how to use and learn from different workouts, diets, supplements, philosophies
and of course there are some celebrity secrets to help you become faster, leaner and stronger as they did. This guide
focuses on four different actors and how they prepared for their role; Chris Hemsworth and his god-like Thor,
Christian Bale in his role as the Dark Knight, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson in his role as the greek demi-god Hercules
and Zac Effron’s transformation before his up and coming role in Bay Watch.


The fitness programmes reviewed in Celebrity Muscle were chosen because they were seen as being both very
popular by the general public and generally being four of the best freely available programmes at this present
moment. There are plenty of other versions of the four being reviewed, but the ones used were found using
respected sources. Many people would swear by the programme that they used, which is great, but this book is not
intended on taking away the results that some may have achieved from others that maybe available to the general
public. It also holds no affiliation with those that designed or published the programmes, it is simply a review of what
is has already been published.

3. Chapter 2: Chris Hemsworth’s God-like THOR Workout

An introduction to Chris Hemsworth and his transformation for his role as THOR
Ever since Thor came onto the comic superhero scene in 1962, he’s been portrayed as having a largely sized
muscular physique, after all - he is based on a Norse God. However, no one has received more attention in regards to
his physical appearance as Thor more so than Chris Hemsworth.

When cast for the iconic part in the 2011 film “Thor”, Chris Hemsworth took it upon himself to re-sculpt his already
muscular frame to build a far bigger and fuller foundation of mass. He wanted to feel comfortable in his portrayal of
Thor, son of Oden - the hammer-wielding, hot-headed and outright kickass heir to the throne of Asgard, who has
been well loved and admired by so many from the popular portrayal of his antics and adventures within both the
Marvel comics and feature films over the years. It has been said that Hemsworth put on over 20lbs of muscle before
filming started, but it was because of the way he did it in a way that should be truly respected. Thanks to his
noticeable bulk-up when he showed off his more ‘husky’ physique to the world, it boosted his stardom
astronomically and his muscular look has remained a talking point ever since. Hemsworth clearly took on the task of
building size to create his own version of Thor like no other had done before when preparing to be a widely known
comic icon, which was especially daunting because of fans already having specific judgements on how the character
should look before the film had even been scheduled. It was obvious when he appeared topless in the film that
Hemsworth had worked extremely hard to have a much bigger frame than he previously showed in all the parts he
had played before hitting it big.

For the first Thor film, Hemsworth hit the gym HARD and also ate his way to success, but it was with the help from
his trainer (former Navy SEAL Duffy Gaver) that gave him the results many have admired since 2011. Hemsworth was
clearly helped by the guidance Gaver offered throughout his transformation, mostly because Gaver ensured he got
MASSIVE results but made sure Hemsworth remained motivated and had clearly goals in mind. Gaver applied an old-
school bodybuilding approach for the film star’s training method, with special attention given to his arms and
shoulders. Thor often appeared sleeveless when sporting his infamous fighting attire, but he rarely appeared
shirtless, so arm and shoulder definition and size played the biggest part in the star’s goal setting stage. Hemsworth
still wanted to have clearly defined chest and abdominal muscles, but achieved his goals by forming a much ‘thicker’
foundation of muscle and in doing so created a much more “life-like” physique that even us mere mortals could
achieve, which in many cases allowed views to relate to the character much more than him being overly toned and
too bulky. Hemsworth managed to keep in peak condition for all his future films where he played the same
character; Thor: The Dark World and all the ‘Avenger’ films, highlighting that the actor really put his all into his
training, diet and overall attitude when playing the part that got him noticed.

Because of his distinctive size increase and noticeable change in his physique, the “Chris Hemsworth Workout” has
become the top search suggestion when you type in the actor’s name. This shows that people are interested in how
he achieved what he did and want to follow in his footsteps. However you feel about his acting skills or the
Thor/Avenger films, the work ethic and how he approached his workout plan should be noticed and respected.

How did the trainer make it work for his client?
With this programme, Gaver embraced a simple approach and kept to a more ‘bulking’ training plan that used well
practiced old-school bodybuilding techniques to achieve a noticeable increase in muscle mass to his client’s already
toned frame. Gaver refrained from adding in new aged equipment or funky exercises that are often used just to keep
the client motivated when they are sore and tired. This made sure Hemsworth kept up with his goals and was not
overrun by complicated movements or workouts that left him feeling that he could have done more. Gaver is a well
respected trainer and saw the potential in what Hemsworth offered as a client. It was a clear mix of cleverly
prescribed exercises from a hardened and trusted trainer with a distinct willingness to succeed by a hardworking and
enthusiastic client. You can guarantee that leading up to the topless shot that people always talk about, Hemsworth
put in even more effort to get that chiselled look that made people stop and stare, but Gaver made sure Hemsworth
didn’t throw in anything wild or adventurous and kept to the overall goal rather than just trying to get that one shot.

How did Hemsworth benefit from his training?
After the screening of the first Thor film, Hemsworth became very well known for his consistency throughout his
training and willingness to work hard during a workout session. This is how he clearly benefited from a specific style
of training that was based on adding mass through old-school body building techniques and showed others that it is

4. possible for those wanting to follow in his god-like transformation to also pack on decent amount of size by following
the same programme. However, Hemsworth highlighted that there is a real need to keep in mind that it requires
persistence, consistency and a clear mental toughness to keep going though the bad days.

Were any “enhancers” involved?
Even the ‘haters’ can admit that Hemsworth put in a huge amount of effort to build his new muscular build and
suggesting that he used enhancers is just a way of trying to dull down his achievements. No one can deny that
Hemsworth put in the effort required to become his version of the god-like character and his efforts should never be
damped down by throwing in negative comments or threats to his honesty, when these commentators typically
don’t know what steroids actually do and definitely don’t have share a similar work ethic as someone like
Hemsworth has.

5. Chris Hemsworth’s THOR workout plan
By using proven and legitimate sources to find this programme (ignoring regurgitated versions by trainers that
weren’t actually there), it is obvious that Hemsworth benefited from using an old-school bodybuilding style of
training to build a more robust and ‘husky’ look. This helped him to pack on serious bulk pre-filming, almost proving
that if you want to follow a successful programme and are aiming your training towards gaining ‘mass’, this
programme could be worth trying. Typically, old-school bodybuilding programmes are a brilliant way to pack on
mass and have been proved by so many to have worked time and time again, showing how even the skinniest of
people can obtain a fuller and thicker look by using this specific type of training. The best way to pack on a similar
amount of size that Hemsworth did, is by focussing on gaining mass and using simple and proven exercises that
make your muscles grow, rather than yo-yoing between these movements and ones that help you ‘tone’. By
following this method, your muscles will hopefully look fuller, become more mature and give your body a more
stable base to be able to define and shape as you so wish at a later stage.

Hemsworth already had a good muscular physique that was seen in his earlier role in ‘Home and Away’, but for his
role as Thor, he wanted to pack on as much mass as possible without wanting to appear overly shaped or toned.
Given that he put in a huge amount of effort into his transformation, it can be said that he achieved this thanks to
him following this prescribed workout and diet programme that was later published and marketed quite heavily.
However, he should mostly be admired because of his work ethic, as this is the biggest reason for him achieving his
results.

Can an everyday gym goer get results like Hemsworth?
It could be said that most people wanting to put on mass would benefit from following this programme or at least
from following this style of training. This is because it is a very well used style of training that has been seen to get
results over and over again. Even if you’re a hardened gym goer and haven’t tried using this style of training before,
you should be able to use this programme and see results. There isn’t any real difference between this and any other
old-school bodybuilding programmes, it’s more that Hemsworth showed he had a very positive attitude throughout
his transformation and held a consistent approach to what Gaver prescribed for him. It was this that ensured he
benefitted fully from the programme, not just the exercises he did.

If you went into the gym and performed this programme on a softly-softly approach, had days off for no reason,
didn’t leave the gym with that feeling that you achieved something or didn’t approach the nutrition seriously, you
really won’t benefit fully from this style of training. It takes more than lifting weight when you train like this, you
need to be consistent with your training and diet, therefore enabling the workout to shock your body to build
muscle. If you don’t take your training seriously, then this style of training could in fact put you back from achieving
your goals and could even cause injury. This programme needs you to approach it like Hemsworth did - full on or not
at all. If your goal is putting on mass over a short period of time, then cut out the bull and get on with it! Think like
Hemsworth - show you have determination, can work hard at achieving your goals, show yourself you can progress
during your workouts, push your mind as well as your body and stick to a good workout ethic throughout your
transformation - it will really pay off when you see an increase in your body’s size, thickness and muscle density.

Benefits of this programme:
Small equipment list
The best thing about this workout programme is that pretty much anyone can do it in almost any gym. You should be
able to do all of these exercises in even the most poorly equipped gym, as all you need is to slightly modify the
exercises to fit with what equipment that is available e.g. a bent over row instead of the Hammer Strength two arm
row. It might have a slightly different affect on the muscle compared to the desired result that Gaver had in mind,
but you often have to make do with what you can get your hands on. There is NO reason why you should modify the
basics, skip past a move just because you don’t have the right kit and definitely NEVER risk an injury from doing
something wild, just because you think it will add to the workout. The majority of the exercises being prescribed only
require the user to have access to the simplest of equipment that most modern gyms offer and can be performed
without the need of a spotter or trainer, however, many commercial gyms don’t offer a wide range of specific kit or
have limited weights and many people today simply don’t know how to perform the basic movements safely. It is
worth finding ways of doing the exercise in alternative ways, whilst still gaining from what made Gaver’s use this
specific move in the first place and ALWAYS ask a professional (NOT your gym buddy!) to ensure you are doing the
move right. Remember; you can simply get round the need for heavy weights by picking up a lighter weight and
doing slower ratio’s (1 up – 4 down) or use a kettlebell if all the dumbbells are being used (remember to do it safely).

6. If you are in a gym that mostly offers machine weights, and have a very limited amount of free-weights, you can
always ask a fitness professional to show you how to safely perform the same move in a different way. You could
also ask if you could bring in some resistant bands into the gym, BUT that will depend if the gym is willing to do a risk
assessment and if their insurance covers it - it’s better to ask first. REMEMBER: this style of training isn’t just about
moving a super heavy weight from one point to another, it’s all about proper movement, making the muscle work
properly and doing the move RIGHT! Make sure you are squeezing your muscles every step of the way and make
each rep counts.

Simplicity
This programme is pretty simple to follow as it doesn’t have any complicated systems, random numbers of sets or
exotic moves that are called unpronounceable names, plus there is no need to be surrounded by 10 different sets of
weights or the need to be waiting in line for that one piece of equipment that everyone else uses. Remember that
you need to follow the programme exactly how it has been planned out and stay totally focussed right up till the
end. Just think of yourself as becoming a GOD at the end and don’t give up till you get there.

Proven training style
This programme is not all that different to many other celebrity programmes that allow people to follow a proven
success story, but there is a ‘realistic’ feeling behind this workout as the results Hemsworth achieved can be
achieved by that people following the programme. With this programme, people can admire Hemsworth from
seeing his results and can be inspired by what they potentially can achieve too. Because Hemsworth is now a well
known actor (mostly from his role as Thor), it gives people a certain confidence behind how the workout was put
together and the possibilities from following it themselves. An important thing to know is that this programme is not
just a reworked programme as Gaver chose each exercise to truly benefit his client, which can be transferred into a
‘generic’ programme and be relatable by many who share the same goals as Hemsworth. Gaver is a well known, well
respected and well practiced trainer to the stars, but he didn’t make it easy on Hemsworth and you can’t take this
programme lightly either. This style of training has been around for years and is a well known method for many in
the bodybuilding circuit, actors and fitness models. They use this training method to put on lean muscle every time
they want to add mass or size to their muscles, therefore, you can take on this programme with the knowledge that
there is meaning behind how each exercises is used as good way to get bigger muscles.

Issues with this programme
If you don’t take this programme seriously, then you won’t benefit from it. Without a clearly defined mental attitude
towards remaining consistent, all you would achieve is have moved some heavy weights around. If you follow it with
a light hearted attitude e.g. follow it for one week and then have a week off, you really won’t get the full benefits
from doing a programme using this style of training and your workouts will just lack progress. You need to remember
why you are doing it and in reality, that isn’t hard to do if you have realistic and achievable goals in mind. These are
exercises that most people do in a gym anyway, all Gaver has done is put it together in a tough, yet achievable
programme. If you think that you will turn out looking like Thor and don’t put the effort into your workout, diet and
ultimately your lifestyle, it will be easy to become disheartened before reaching the end. However, most people that
follow this programme and keep their mind on the goal will finish a level of achievement and results that show off
their hard work.

Do we recommend this programme?
YES... If you want to pack on muscle mass, feel good about your progress and finish the programme with mental and
physical benefits, then we would suggest you try this programme. It is a programme that requires you to be really
focused on doing what is being asked, but you should be totally competent with how to perform the exercises
correctly before starting and follow the set in the programme until the end. This style of training is a very beneficial
style of training for those that want to get a thicker look with more density and strength in their muscles, this
programme just requires commitment, consistent motivation and possibly being taught how to perform the
exercises correctly.

7. Your Turn – Thor’s Exercise Plan
Before the first Thor film, Hemsworth needed to gain a large amount of mass to push him from having a skinnier
‘surfer dude’ style physique to having the recognizable ‘god-like’ appearance we have grown to know him as having.
The following programme is the one that Hemsworth followed before filming the first Thor movie and was sourced
from the Muscle and Fitness magazine. It is important to know that after finishing the film and during the time
before filming “Thor: the Dark Work” and the Avenger’s movies, Hemsworth needed to strip down his size to play a
leaner ‘James Hunt’ in the film ‘Rush’. He then bulked back up again to his ‘Thor’ weight, meaning that any other
Thor related workout programmes may have slightly different goals, methods and results. Post-Thor 1 workout
programmes don’t seem to change from having an underlying old-school bodybuilding training style, apart from
having a bigger emphasis on bodyweight exercises. There is a much clearer contrast to Hemsworth’s frame when
you compare his pre-Thor roles and his well known god-like physique, meaning the programme that follows could be
perceived as being a better method for an average gym goer to follow that also wants to pack on mass by using an
already successful programme.

Note: Complete any exercises paired A and B as supersets. Complete any exercises marked A, B and C as trisets.

Day 1: Back
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1a General Pull up 5 20, 15, 12, 10, 10 Pull up bar
1b General Push up 5 20 Nothing
2 Hammer Strength two-arm row 4 12 Dumbbells and multi-angle bench
3 Dumbbell Row 4 12 Dumbbells and bench
4 Swiss Ball hyperextension 4 25, 20, 15, 15 Swiss ball

Day 2: Chest
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Barbell bench press 8 12, 10, 10, 8, 8, 6, 4, 4 Bench and barbell
2 Warrior fit incline dumbbell bench press 4 12 Dumbbells and multi-angle bench
3 Hammer strength chest press 4 15 Dumbbells and multi-angle bench
4a Weighted dip 4 10 Dip station and ankle weights
4b Cable flye 4 12 Cable machine

Day 3: Legs
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Squat 7 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3 Squat rack and barbell
2 Leg press 1 To failure Leg press machine (start at your heaviest weight & rep till failure, take a
plate off each side go to failure again - continue until all weights are gone)
3 Walking lunge 4 20 Nothing
4a Leg extension 3 20 Leg extension machine
4b Single-leg curl 3 20 Leg curl machine
4c Standing calf raise 3 20 A box

Day 4: Shoulders
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Military press 7 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3 Dumbbell and bench if needed
2 Arnold press 4 12 Dumbbell and bench if needed
3 Barbell shrug 3 12 Barbell
4a Dumbbell lateral raise 3 15 Dumbbells
4b Dumbbell front raise 3 15 Dumbbells
4c Dumbbell rear delt flye 3 10 Dumbbells

Day 5: Arms
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Barbell bicep curl 3 10 Barbell
2 Skull crusher 3 10 Barbell/dumbbells and bench
3a Ez-bar preacher curl 3 10 Ez-bar and preacher bench
3b Dumbbell lying triceps curl 3 10 Dumbbells and bench
4a Dumbbell hammer curl 3 12 Dumbbells
4b Rope press down 3 12 Cable machine and rope attachment

8. 5a Barbell wrist curl 3 20 Barbell
5b Barbell reverse wrist curl 3 20 Barbell

Abs circuit
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Plank 1 60 seconds Mat for comfort
2 Hanging leg raise 1 12 Pull up bar
3 Side plank 1 60 seconds Mat for comfort
4 Toes-to-bar 1 12 Pull up bar


Your Turn – Thor’s Nutrition Plan
Unfortunately, there isn’t much written in regards to an authentic ‘Thor diet’ that Hemsworth would have followed
personally, therefore, it is hard to clearly define if Hemsworth’s diet is a good one or not. From looking at respected
sources online, there is one diet plan that has been published that could have be used to bulk the actor up and this
one can be followed alongside the programme used in this book.

It is a pretty well known diet method that feeds the muscle with enough protein, carbohydrates and fat. The best
way to follow this diet plan, whilst still being able to tailor make it for yourself, is to use the simple and well known
rule of 2:1:1. Remember to fuel your body with clean foods that match whatever your budget can afford. The benefit
of this type of bulking diet is the plan’s overall simplicity, meaning most people have full access to what food is being
prescribed. The only real issue is that many people may not be able to afford good quality food or know what is good
or not. Hemsworth would have been able to buy top quality products and source the best food from further afield
than most people, so it’s important for you to think “is this the best that I get and could I afford better?” Most
protein manufactures offer a “bulk” protein blend, but in reality - do you really need it? If you follow a good diet
plan, you typically get enough carbohydrates from better sources than if you just rely on what is in a tub. You need
to look on the labelling and read what is in the product you are buying. If you don’t know anything about it, isn’t it
about time that you did? It’s not as daunting as people expect and once you know, it makes life that little bit less
stressful when searching the shelves for something that fits in with your diet plan. The good thing about this
programme is that it can fit into most people’s lives with only a small amount of adjustment and the emphasis is on
eating ‘clean’.

BREAKFAST
OATMEAL x 1 CUP
BANANA x 1
SULTANAS x 1/2 CUP
FAT FREE MILK
EGG WHITES x 4
EGG x 1
CHEESE x 50 GRAMS
PROTEIN SHAKE
ORANGE JUICE

BRUNCH
TURKEY ROLL
COTTAGE CHEESE
MIXED NUTS
YOGURT
PROTEIN SHAKE

SNACKS
BEEF JERKY

LUNCH
CHICKEN BREAST x 3
BROWN RICE x 100 GRAMS
BROCCOLI x 1 CUP

9. KIDNEY BEANS x 1 CUP
FAT FREE MILK x 1 GLASS

DINNER
SALMON x 3 FILLETS
QUINOA x 100 GRAMS
ASPARAGUS x 100 GRAMS
YOGURT
FAT FREE MILK x 1 GLASS

SUPPER
BOILED EGGS x 2
BROWN BREAD x 2 SLICES
PROTEIN SHAKE

10. Chapter 3: Christian Bale’s ‘The Dark Knight’ workout

An introduction to Christian Bale and his transformation for his role as The Dark Knight
With the added pressure building for Christian Bale to make each Batman film even better than the last, it was
obvious that in order to succeed, Bale needed to improve his physique after every release of a new film to develop
his acclaimed role within this ever popular new-age and ‘darker’ version of the Batman franchise. Bale is possibly the
best known actor to have ever played Bruce Wayne and his crime fighting alter ego in recent times, so to keep the
popularity of the film saga going when the ‘Dark Knight’ was released, Bale had to keep on the ball and show off his
physical development, along with his increase in muscle size and maturity, every time he became the masked
vigilante. However, forever the perfectionist, Bale had to do this after dropping down to match the smaller body
sizes required for his other roles, which of course are in total contrast to Batman’s more muscular frame. Bale is well
known for his ability to pack on serious mass before staring in the action packed Batman films, then shedding all his
size to become a scarily thin character in one of his thriller based role, then bulking right up again to become even
bigger and more improved than ever before. Just look at the difference between his 124lb skinny frame in ‘The
Machinist’ and his upper limits of 185lbs in ‘Batman Begins’. If anyone should be hailed as one of the hardest
working actors when it comes to changing his physical appearance for a role, then it is Bale.

There is a big trend for actors taking on a more ‘buff’ physique for their new roles, so it was important that Bale kept
up his muscular appearance as the masked vigilante, with the caveat of still improving by showing up on set bigger
and with a far more developed muscular physique for each of his 3 Batman films. This determination to match the
role to his body development goes with his acting style, showing that he wanted to make his character appear more
true-to-real-life and have his muscular development work along side his character’s psychological maturity. He made
Bruce Wayne almost become real, showing that his body would have grown, matured and developed because of his
late night activities in Gotham. Bale did this exceedingly well, mostly because he changed up his workout style and
put in the high levels of effort needed to develop into the well-loved comic book character, giving him a far more
realistic feel compared to some of his predecessors and other comic based heroes also being put on the big screen.

Bale will go down in history as one of the most believable and relatable Batman’s, seeing as he portrayed the
character as it was intended; an ordinary man that takes on real world bad guys with gadgets and bulging muscles,
rather than super powers or special abilities compared to others around him. Yes, Bruce Wayne was orphaned by
the wealthiest family in the fictional city so did have more money than sense due to him being a billionaire
industrialist and full-time playboy, but he isn’t a god compared to other characters being brought to life out of the
comic book stories that we know and love. Batman is just Bruce Wayne in a costume, with all sorts attached to his
utility belt, but the man behind the mask is also something of a mastermind. After all, he isn’t just an extremely well
dressed man, he is also extremely well educated (Cambridge and the Sorbonne), a talented chemist, criminologist,
forensic scientist, gymnast, escape artist and of course martial artist. Wayne picked up a host of practical and
technical skills that demanded physical supremacy, to the point of being able to best even an Olympic Champion
athlete. During a long travelling period, somewhat shown over Bale’s 3 films, he practiced a range of martial arts,
learned man-hunting skills under Frenchman Henri Ducard, stealth and reconnaissance under the Japanese ninja
Kirigi, hunting skills under the African Bushman called the Ghost Tribes of the Ten-Eyed Brotherhood and was
tutored in hand-to-hand combat by Ted Grant (a heavy weight World Champion Boxer) and David Cain (the world’s
most premier assassins). He also learned traditional healing techniques by Nepalese monks and was even taught
archery by the ‘Green Arrow’, Oliver Queen. Bale’s unique take on the character showed his own personal
determination to be fitter and stronger, done through simple hard work and awareness of how the body grows by
using different training styles, thus making him have a believable size and shape compared to having an
unachievable physique that most people wouldn’t relate to in the real world. In ‘The Dark Knight’ he does appear
more ‘buff’ than in the past, but it isn’t like he is flaunting it off all the time. The best thing about his portrayal over
the entire saga was that Bale showed how Wayne’s body would have naturally changed and become stronger over
time. It’s not like his costume showed off amazingly defined abs either, but you can tell that his body is more than
capable of beating up the bad guys of Gotham and still be able to do a workout in the evening – after all, nothing
could get in the way of Bruce and his workout.

11. So how did the Batman benefit from his training?
Bale is a known runner by those who work around him and his busy schedule, and he openly admits his love of
getting out on the road and pounding out the miles to get over a hangover. His take on the training style was to
become fitter and stronger at the same time, not just pack on the muscle mass and look good for certain shots.
Because of his ever changing size for different roles, he needed to be careful and intelligent about how he trained,
reducing the risk of getting injured or causing a possible delay in filming if he couldn’t become the iconic image in
time. Because of this, Bale become far more lean, agile and robust as the films went on, lowering his overall muscle
mass and gaining a body shape that the comic book hero would likely to have had. He needed to show that he could
take a beating as well as dish it out and if he just looked brawny, it wouldn’t have been as believable. His muscular
frame is one to be admired and desired by anyone dreaming about becoming a ‘superhero’ and not just a body for
looking good when out of the black armour. Because of the bigger demands the actor placed on himself to bulk, strip
then bulk even more, he needed a programme that not only pushed him, but kept him interested. For this film, he
used very explosive moves, progressive sets and reps, intense training methods e.g. intervals and sprints, and a
combination of strength training mixed with cardio exercises e.g. swimming and running. This gave his body the
chance to build an impressive amount of lean muscles over such a period of short time, filling his body out to
become the iconic picture of health, wealth and ass-kickery that morphed him into the hero to Gotham’s citizens
that we will forever know him for.

12. Christian Bale’s the Dark Knight workout plan
It’s obvious that Bale succeeded in his goal to become a well-rounded and capable (non-godlike) superhero, but he
did so whilst still allowing his character to be fully accepted as being a regular man. His ability to pack on serious lean
mass, then to drop down to a scrawny insomniac and then become even bigger than he was in the previous Batman
films is highly respectable and not many other could have done it quite like him. It’s not easy for anyone to pack on
thick and dense muscle fast, but more so for Bale as he is over 6 foot and doesn’t seem to have a naturally big frame.
It would have been even harder to look as dense as he did in such a short period of time without clever training
programme, so it shows that anyone can pack on huge amounts of mass, without getting bloated or looking out of
shape, if done right. That means he would have had to be extremely motivated to keep up with the workouts, but
also chosen a way of making it enjoyable and interesting. That meant he had to be educated and versatile with the
exercises, showing that this programme worked by adding in more real-to-character ‘goal setting’ workouts, which in
turn made him do exercises that were based on him achieving the physical results that a real-life Bruce Wayne would
have had too.

So can an everyday gym goer get results like Bale?
In many ways; yes, but in many ways; no! Bale’s body naturally puts on lean mass very easily and looks good in the
process, but many other body types just won’t react in the same way. However, this programme will help get some
level of results regardless of body type, as it set very heavily based on simply making anyone become a far stronger
and healthier version of themselves. The workout programme contains only a few exercises, but it is the style in
which they are performed that makes the difference towards transforming someone’s physique when comparing it
to say a bodybuilding mass-building programme. It also only requires 3 days of exercise, 1 day of cardio and then 3
days off, meaning it will fit in with many people’s (if not everyone’s) regime who isn’t a billionaire playboy. The diet
plan is very simple to work out, so anyone following it will find it easy to calculate exactly what their body needs and
be happy to continue with it throughout the programme. This means there is less chance of slipping up with the diet.

Benefits of this programme:
Become a superhero
This workout uses a brilliant system of simplistic and commonly used exercises, but makes you perform them in a
way that enables your body to become faster and more agile, run and jump higher and hopefully react as fast as
lightning, the same way Batman does when dealing with all the bad guys he has to contend with. In reality, you don’t
need to be a billionaire that moonlights as a vigilante, who is trained by ninja’s in the mountains or wear that black
suit to benefit from doing this workout. If your goal is to be a bigger, leaner and a healthier version of yourself, then
this is worth trying out. It won’t automatically make you into a superhero, but if you really want to look good in
spandex, believe you could physically take on Gotham’s underground and feel like a billion dollars, then you just
need to put in the time and effort like Bale did to achieve greatness.

If you’re a beginner:
Because it uses fundamental strength building moves that have just been amped up, you may find it slightly daunting
to be throwing a heavy bar up into the air to have to catch it again. It is well advised to have someone with you
whilst trying out the more ‘complex’ moves that the programme asks of you, but in all reality - it is just about
becoming more confident with your body and how you move the weight in the right way. There is nothing in the
programme that you should not be able to master in a short period of time and in all honesty, the moves are basic
exercises that are used in a lot of workout plans – its more about how you do it that counts. The programme runs a
lot like plenty of other successful programmes out there, but the difference is the increased agility compared to
doing the same moves in a more typical ‘bulking’ routine. Make sure you get a professional to show you how to
perform both the basic move before tackling the advanced way of doing the exercise and always have someone to
spot you if you feel unsure/unsafe. Don’t just dive in and tackle this programme without being supervised or being
competent that you won’t get hurt simply because you don’t know what you are doing.

If you’re a regular gym goer:
You may already use the majority of these exercises in your daily routine, but no doubt you won’t be doing them in
the same way as prescribed in this programme. Maybe your ability to do the moves safely needs a little tweaking,
but you can rest assured that you can still gain from doing similar to what you probably already do. All you need to
do is change the way you do it and by following this routine it shouldn’t be difficult to see difference in your results.
By adding in more explosive methods of doing the exercises, you will keep your muscles firing and it won’t be long
before you notice how following this alternative method of doing an exercise will leave your muscles feeling totally

13. different at the end of a workout. Be sure to ask someone for help or to spot you when mixing it up, plus you will
definitely need to drop the weights down from your PB or usual weight limit. Remember; if you’re pushing yourself
to perform a weighted exercise using traditional methods (non-explosive), you won’t be able to do the explosive
version of the same exercise at the same weight (“leave the ego at the door!”).

If you’re a seasoned gym junkie:
No matter how experienced you are in the gym, this programme will help mix things up and even build further
aspirations within your fitness goals. Most people that go to the gym regularly have used a similar programme to this
to get their muscles developed in the early stages of their gym life, but this version is different due to how the
exercises are performed. There is no reason to feel like you are going back a stage, as this programme is sure to
make you think twice about how well you know your body and is designed to add strength and agility to your overall
physical performance. By putting in these variations to a similar programme that you probably use regularly, you will
noticeably see a change in how flexible you are during these typically used exercises. You may even have to drop
your weights down, GOD FORBID...!, but then again you should always leave your ego at the door! It’s a wise way to
learn that even a slight change in how you perform an exercise will require a change in the weights you use and that
is nothing to frown about. Even the great heavyweights drop the weights to perform the same exercise in a different
way, as it all adds to the overall versatility of the muscle and how the body performs overall.

Issues with this programme
Because of the type of explosive movements used within a typically heavy weighted exercise, there really has to be
confidence and competence towards how the body needs to move safely, in order to cater for the explosiveness that
the exercises requires. Each exercise needs to be performed safely and correctly to truly benefit from it and reduce
any risk of injury. It would be more than advisable to get a professional to help you understand the movement of the
body during the exercise, plus there should be someone to spot you when doing some of the more dynamic and
explosive moves. The last thing you need is a heavy bar falling down on your chest, just because your ego got in the
way of dropping the weight to a safe amount or not asking someone to give you a spot. Also, don’t try the moves
using free weights as you may get yourself in to trouble, both with them hitting you or others around you!

The diet found to go alongside the programme is very basic. It doesn’t specifically set anything out for the user, so
that means there is a need for self awareness, self control and being able to work out what your body needs. It will
require doing some research into what food contains the best quality proteins, carbohydrates and fats, but there a
lot of useful information available, so this shouldn’t be too difficult and would be a benefit rather than a chore. The
only issue people will have to find the determination to fight the desire to cheat and eat whatever they want, which
would have been more avoidable if the programme is strict and precise.

Do we recommend this programme?
Definitely! This programme has been cleverly designed so that most in the regular world could take this on and
achieve great results from it. Because it is easy to follow, doesn’t take up too much time per workout and is only 3
days of strength training a week, it will fit in into a normal lifestyle than many of the other programmes available for
people to follow. If you are a beginner and non-regular gym goer, you might feel too pressured to change your entire
life if the programme was 6 days a week, so this one should fit into the majority of people’s lives without too much
change It is also very flexible when it comes to the diet, so you just need to pick the best quality foods you can buy
(as well as do a little research into what is better for you) and just keep it up till you’re happy with the results.

14. Your Turn – Batman’s Exercise Plan
The workout used consisted of a lot of explosive, dynamic and powerful movements to build his body back up to size
in a safe and ‘controlled’ way. The programme contains typically used compound exercises as well as agility and
speed training to push his muscles into hypertrophy, whilst maintaining flexibility and dexterity. It really is a workout
aimed at producing a superhero out of a man, but he is Batman after all.

One of the biggest differences when comparing this programme to many others is the consistent use of explosive
movements within standard muscle mass building exercises e.g. the explosive movement at the top of a Bench Press
(this requires the use of a Smith Machine for safety reasons);

Start at the upper ‘locked out’ part of the exercise, lower the weight slowly to your chest and then EXPLODE through
the move so that the bar just leaves your hands. You then catch the bar and slowly lower the bar back down (with
the momentum being controlled as you lower the bar back to your chest). Once the bar safely reaches your chest,
repeat the movement again. You must keep full control of this and don’t use a weight that you can’t control the
returning momentum.

Note: remember to perform the move correctly and safely to avoid risks of injury.

Day 1:
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1a Chin up 4 12 Pull up bar
1b Seated cable row 4 12 Cable row machine
2 Clean Pull 4 10, 8, 6 Barbell and mats (Explode up from the starting position, getting the bar as high as
possible and then explode up with maximum force to the finish position)
3 Power clean 4 10, 8, 6 Barbell and mats

Day 2: Chest
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Sprints 5 10m, 30m
and 40m
Safe space to sprint (run 10m x 5, rest 120 seconds, then run 30m x 5,
rest 120 seconds and finally run 40m x 5)
2 Freehand Jump squat 4 10, 8, 6 Dumbbell/kettlebell or weighted vest
3 Barbell lunge 4 10 Barbell

Day 3: Legs
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Dumbbell flyes 3 12 Dumbbell and bench
2 Smith machine Bench press 3 12 Smith machine and bench (perform this with an explosive push a the
end of the movement)
3 Barbell Bench press 4 10, 8, 6 Barbell and bench (if done with explosive movement at the end, use
a squatter and lighter weights)
4 Richochets 30 mins 2 mins Mark a 2 foot wide square on the floor and jump from corner to
corner as fast as you can, jumping to different corners each time.
Perform this for 2 mins, with 30 seconds rest, for a total of 30
minutes.

Day 4: Active rest
Active rest is a way of being physically active at a less demanding level compared to the days you are performing exercises on a
regular training day. It still requires you to perform at a good level, but you can go swimming, for a run or join in with a group
session at your gym.

15. Your Turn – Batman’s Nutrition Plan
Seeing as Bale had very little time between filming the Machinist and getting back in Batman ready shape, the diet
he used had to be strict and on the ball. If you too want to bulk up with lean muscle over a short period of time, you
need to fuel your body the right way. Bale’s diet plan consisted of eating every 2-3 hours, with each meal consisting
of a distinct balance between his proteins, carbohydrates and fats (2:3:1). He used a formula that worked out what
he needed, which was 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. This method calculated his dietary need,
which then worked out the other parts quite easily, meaning that the diet plan didn’t seem boring or difficult to
grasp.


If you follow this link, you will be able to use the online calculator that bodybuilding.com provides for their readers:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dark_knight_training.htm

16. Chapter 4: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Rock-Hard Hercules Workout

An introduction to Dwayne Johnson and his transformation for his role as Hercules
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is well known for kicking ass in the ring, but it is his extremely resilient and clearly
distinctive ethics towards fitness that has shone through. For the blockbuster film “Hercules”, Johnson took his
training to another level, that not only produced a mighty build worthy of any demigod, but he pushed himself past
his previous fitness goals to achieve even more personal ‘greatness’.

Johnson didn’t want to just look good for the camera, he set his mind to become the biggest, meanest and baddest
version of Hercules that has ever been seen. More importantly, he wanted to be forever known as the most
definitive version of the character that has ever been played. Johnson challenged himself by making his already
massive 6 foot 5, 260 pound frame into a bigger and more muscularly defined version of himself, which still allowed
people to believe he was ‘real’, whilst still able to have gone through all “12 labors” that the son of Zeus was known
to have undertaken. This meant that he still needed to be agile, fast, flexible and still relatable to the average person
in regards to muscularity and size. This role was a labour of love for the star, but of course, he had all the weapons in
his arsenal to become the greatest ever sword swinging, lion fighting, monster brawling, ancient Greek demigod.

Johnson has spent the majority of his life training for physical feats that many would dream to be able to master.
From being a professional American Football player, performing athletic moves as the world-renowned professional
wrestler and now being one of Hollywood’s highest-ever grossing movie stars, Johnson can seemingly do it ALL when
it comes to fitness and strength. Johnson already had a physique to go with his larger than life charisma and always
seems to be able to bowl people over with his charm and magnetism, but he still started this role with clear goals in
mind to become a bigger, faster, stronger, leaner version of himself. If there is anything that should be taken away
from Johnson’s success with his Herculean workout programme, is that you get out what you put in. It really isn’t
down to just lifting weights, it is your dedication to achieving your goals, how much time you put in and proving to
yourself that the effort put in creates overall success. All you need to remember is; Johnson was already in great
shape and he chose to challenge himself to make sure he was in peak physical condition every time he stepped onto
the film set, regardless of any distractions, periods of low-motivation or drama going on around him.

Johnson is a towering figure of muscle that demands respect and admiration simply because of the Herculean effort
he put into his 6 month training schedule to get ready for this film. If anyone deserves respect for determination and
dedication towards giving maximum effort and achieving definitive mental/physical goals, it is Dwayne “the Rock”
Johnson. He is admired the world over for his ability to put his heart into his ability to look the part, whilst keeping a
commanding attitude and character. Therefore, it is always wise to follow what he preaches about and if you too
want to get into god-like physical shape, then this could be the programme for you!

So how did the Rock stay focused?
Just from watching him, it shows how important keeping ‘focus’ is to Johnson. In order to look the part, Johnson had
to elevate his usual training methods well in advance of the demanding shooting schedule. He chose the formulated
6 days on, 1 day off system to help him bulk up over a 6 month period. There was always a 50 minute cardio session,
followed by a strength training session that sculpted a specific body part each day. He chose to add in an extra leg
day a week too, as this was a specific way to get his body bigger and stronger.

Obviously Johnson’s demanding and specific schedule is different to most of us in the ‘normal world’, so having to
get up at 4am for a run is not necessarily everyone’s first choice, but the moral of the story is; if you want to succeed
- you must make the time! Johnson doesn’t stop training between filming and believes that physical exercise and
training anchors him mentally to get on with whatever is going on in his life.

So how did the Rock benefit from his training?
Getting as big as Johnson could seemly be totally unachievable for those just starting out, mostly because Johnson is
often portrayed as being far bigger than his acting counterparts, however, this programme isn’t about becoming a
huge muscle bound demigod. This programme is designed to push yourself past what is already your greatest
achievements and become something greater than you thought you could ever be. In many ways, this is more
psychological than physical, but seeing as Johnson’s goals were to become the biggest version of Hercules ever seen,
you will need to push yourself really hard to achieve your own goals.

17. Dwayne Johnson’s Herculean workout plan
So what is the difference between this programme and others available in the fitness world today? This programme
is quite unique, because of the; length of time and how much it requires you to keep mentally focused, the need for
specific goals set from the beginning, the mental fortitude to keep going with the demanding 6 days of workouts and
the physical demands it all has on your body. Many programmes are 6 or 12 weeks long, but this is 24 weeks that
also has a very strict 22 week diet plan. This means the programme is mentally and physically demanding, meaning a
clear focus is necessary to fully benefit from this programme. It’s easy to think you will not see immediate results,
but seeing as people typically ‘fail’ to get results for short-term goals, this programme is far more beneficial for long-
term personal and physical development.

People’s minds typically take 3 months to change habits, so a 6 month programme will get you past bad habits and
moving forward into a more positive outlook, see consistent success and continue towards a more positive future
after the programme is complete. Johnson is known for his positivity, charisma and confidence, which is partly due
to never failing at becoming a better version of himself, backed up by achieving greatness in whatever he does. This
is shown from his noticeable muscle gain from following this programme, but it was his positive attitude behind the
camera that shows his true nature for life. Johnson always uses his time in the gym to deliver what he has promised
himself and that shows by his body of work in this film.

So can an everyday gym goer get results like Johnson?
Obviously, most of us don’t start a new programme already looking like a chiselled hulk-like Greek sculpture, but
that isn’t the point of this programme. Johnson had goals of becoming bigger, stronger, faster, agile and more
defined, which is the real benefit others can gain from completing this programme. If done right, the programme will
help you build lean muscle, but the programme is 6 months long, meaning you need to be more focused and
determined. This new attitude can then be related to other aspects of life outside of the gym.

The programme is based on a very simple method of combining old-school bodybuilding techniques to build size,
mixed in with exercises that can be seen within an American Football training programme. If you want to bulk up,
whilst becoming more agile and flexible, you can be assured that this style of training could help you achieve your
goals. Training for 6 months is highly demanding and takes a huge level of commitment, so it isn’t something you just
start and try for a few weeks. This programme requires a focus and dedication, as it requires 50 minutes of tough
cardio, followed by a strict and gruelling workout, but it is worth it if you can do it, You would have to be prepared to
put aside certain lifestyle related activities and pledge yourself in becoming a better version of yourself, but if you
can keep your mind on the task at hand, then this workout programme could be your way of changing yourself
physically and mentally.

Benefits of this programme:
Cardio
Many people don’t consider the importance of keeping up with cardio training during a strength building
programme, but Johnson rejects negative thoughts on the matter by showing that even a bigger framed guy still
needs put time in to keep the heart healthy. It is this view that contributed towards his monstrous, yet lean, figure in
the film. Many bulking programmes only mention cardio as a side note and don’t inform people of the importance in
keeping up with it, meaning most people don’t realise the benefits of it. It’s almost like some gym goers think cardio
is unnecessary unless you are trying to lose weight or if it isn’t written down to do it, you don’t need to do it. This
programme shows how important it is to get your heart and lungs fit alongside putting on size and shape.

Long-term achievements
This programme is designed to achieve fitness goals, but also gives self-assurance that you have fully achieved
something amazing from all the effort that has been put in. Doing 6 months of demanding fitness routines will help
achieve long-term goals as well as offer mental strength, gained from keeping focus and achieving long-term goals.

Agility
In the programme, there are a lot of exercises focus on agility and flexibility, meaning the body will develop
differently compared to programmes that focus solely on building mass. The benefit is that it you don’t just use the
commonly over-used compound movements, but do moves that make the body grow more flexibility as you put on
size. Yes Johnson used old-school bodybuilding exercises, but he also used moves from his more physically

18. demanding past (professional American footballer and wrestler), giving him a far more believable and realistic look
of a man that has the ability to overcome crazy physical challenges, compared to just being huge and muscular.

Issues with this programme
A 6 month programme is a long time for some people to grasp, with many people thinking looking good only
requires you to go to the gym a few times a week. It doesn’t help that there are too many programmes stating that
you can drop a dress size in only a few weeks or get killer abs from 10 minutes of exercising. This programme could
be out of touch with the masses, with one of today’s major issues being that people want immediate results. Not
only that, but many people don’t keep up a regular gym membership, so it could be hard for people to take on this
programme and keep it up for the time required due to budget etc.

Do we recommend this programme?
YES...! This sort of programme is brilliant for those wanting a programme that will help achieve specific goals or for
those needing helped to achieve something more long-term. The programme itself is well structured, giving non-
experienced gym users the ability to benefit from it both physically and mentally. The overall purpose of the
programme is to get bigger, stronger, faster and be more agile, but it has psychological benefits too. Because the
moves require little or no equipment, it can be done by those that go to a less-well equipped gym too. The only issue
is keeping focus on the 50 minutes cardio before working out, but is achievable if done progressively.

19. Your Turn – The Herculean 6 Month Exercise Plan
Monday: Chest
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Dumbbell Bench Press 4 10-12 Dumbbells and flat bench
2 Flat Bench Cable Flyes 3 Failure Dumbbells and flat bench
3 Barbell Bench Press (Med-grip) 4 10-12 Barbell and flat bench
4 Incline Dumbbell Press 5 10-12 Dumbbells and incline bench
5 Cable Crossover 4 10-12 Cable machine
6 Barbell Incline Bench Press (med-grip) 3 10-12 Barbell and incline bench

Tuesday: Legs
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Leg Press 4 25 Leg press machine
2 Barbell Walking Lunge 4 25 Barbell
3 Leg Extension 3 20 Leg extension machine
4 Seated Leg Curl 4 20 Seated leg curl machine
5 Smith Machine Calf Raise 3 Failure Smith Machine
6 Thigh Abductor 3 15 Thigh abductor machine
7 Barbell Lunge 3 20 Barbell

Wednesday: Abs and Arms
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Barbell Curl 4 10-12 Barbell
2 Hammer Curls 4 10-12 Dumbbells
3 Spider Curls 4 Failure Dumbbells
4 Triceps pushdown 3 10-12 Cable machine and triceps attachment
5 Dips - Triceps 3 Failure Dip machine
6 Hanging leg raise 4 20 Pull up bar or dip machine
7 Rope Crunch 4 20 Cable machine with rope attachment
8 Russian Twist 4 20 Mat and med ball

Thursday: Back
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Wide-grip Lat Pulldown 4 10-15 Lat Pulldown
2 Barbell Deadlift 4 10-15 Barbell
3 Barbell Shrug 4 15 Barbell and squat rack
4 Pullups 4 15 Pullup bar
5 Hyperextensions 4 15 Back extension
6 One-arm Dumbbell Row 4 15 Dumbbell and bench
7 Inverted Row 3 Failure Dumbbell or barbell

Friday: Shoulders
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 12 Dumbbells and bench if needed
2 Front Dumbbell Raise 4 12 Dumbbells
3 Side Lateral Raise 4 12 Dumbbells
4 Standing Military Press 4 12 Barbell
5 Standing Military Press 3 10-15 Barbell

Saturday: Legs
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
1 Leg Press 4 25 Leg press machine
2 Barbell Walking Lunge 4 25 Barbell
3 Leg Extensions 3 20 Leg extension machine
4 Leg Extensions 3 20 Leg extension machine
5 Smith Machine Calf Raise 3 Failure Smith Machine
6 Thigh Abductor 3 15 Thigh abductor
7 Barbell Lunge 3 20 Barbell

Sunday: Rest

20. Your Turn – “12 labors” 6 Month Nutrition Plan
It’s not all about throwing the weights around and Johnson would be the first to admit that you need to good diet
plan too. For this film, he worked with a nutrition team to create the “12 Labors” diet that accompanies his training
programme. To get his muscles to develop to the desired size, he ate 6-7 times a day and had to make sure he got
the necessary amount of protein to aid with his lean muscle growth. He used this 22-week diet plan, that may seem
quite full on, but the results showed when he was on set.

MEAL 1
STEAK x 10OZ
EGG WHITES x 4
OATMEAL x 5OZ

MEAL 2
CHICKEN x 8OZ
WHITE RICE x 2 CUPS
BROCCOLI x 1 CUP

MEAL 3
WHITE RICE x 2 CUPS
HALIBUT x 8OZ
ASPARAGUS x 1 CUP

MEAL 4
CHICKEN x 8OZ
BAKED POTATO x 12OZ
BROCCOLI x 1 CUP

MEAL 5
HALIBUT x 8OZ
WHITE RICE x 1/2 CUP
ASPARAGUS x 1 CUP

MEAL 6
STEAK x 8OZ
BAKED POTATO x 9OZ
SALAD

MEAL 7
CASEIN PROTEIN x 30 G
EGG WHITES x 10

21. Chapter 5: Zac Efron’s Navy Seal workout & diet

An introduction to Zac Efron and his transformation for his role in Baywatch
Zac Efron has gone from being a teenage heart throb to a noticeably popular actor, known for his charming good
looks and great physique. Starting out in roles where he mostly portrayed that athletic teenage guy that won over
the hearts of the girls, Efron became the poster boy for being active, sporty and healthy. Even during his ‘Disney’
days, there was a clear emphasis on him having well defined muscles and taking on the demands of being fit and
healthy. Later roles saw him often being topless, with his colleagues mentioning his physique often, which is not a
knock on his acting skills, but more that he clearly works out and has done a good job of it. You can definitely
compare his youthful body to his now more muscularly mature adult’s body, with him recently hitting magazine
headlines thanks to his noticeable increase in size for his latest roles in “The Lucky One” and during filming for
“Baywatch”. It’s clear that Efron put in a lot of effort into bulking up and has now achieved a fuller and well-
developed body shape. Some have stated that Efron is a ‘hard gainer’, meaning he would likely find it hard to put on
size due to a high metabolism, with him naturally staying leaner compared to packing on mass like other body types.
Through a lot of hard work, Efron was able to develop mass and lean muscle, whilst keeping a good proportion to his
frame. It was harder for him compared to those that simply put on weight by just looking at food, but it shows that
he really put in a high level of effort into his workouts and keeping to his diet.

Efron says that training is more about feeling good than just looking good, with it is always being better to enjoy
working out. By having a programme that makes you feel good is a positive way to achieve your goals, as it keeps
you interested and focused. It’s important in life to enjoying yourself during a workout programme as it keeps you
motivated to take on life and deal with whatever you have to be happy.

Zac Efron’s pre-Baywatch bulk workout plan
Efron was able to keep his lean and toned physique throughout filming, but it may have been expected that he could
skip a workout or two and still look great. This is not the case as for a hard gainer to put on as much mass as he did,
diet is incredibly important. The work out style used in this programme is a great method of staying healthy and
strong, whilst developing mass and having fun whist doing it too. If you are a hard gainer, following this profile will
help achieve a fit and healthy lifestyle compared to doing a programme that just involves heavy lifting.

Can an everyday gym goer get results like Efron?
This programme is a great way to be healthy and get fitter over a realistic time frame. It cleverly adds cardio into the
workout plan to get the heart pumping and reduces the need to fit cardio in before or after a strength workout. If
you are a hard gainer, a programme like this will get you fitter before you know it. What is needed is to have a
decent daily calorie intake, as food is a big part of bulking up. The rule of 1g of protein per pound of body weight is a
well used technique across a range of exercise programmes. It is worth finding out your ‘metabolic rate’ and once
you know this, you can figure out your ‘basal metabolic rate’. Try to eat as healthy as your budget allows, bearing in
mind that refined products are not typically healthy.

Benefits from this workout
3000-4000 kcal
In the article used to find this programme, it states that Efron uses the rule of 0.6-1g of protein per pound of body
weight. This is well known and typically used when trying to put on mass. All the article says is that he eats ‘a lot’, but
keeps it healthy by eating mainly fruits, veggies and protein. It states he eats between 3000-4000 calories per day,
which is a typical bulking amount, but a difference of 1000 calories is quite big. It’s important to find out your ideal
calorific intake rather than risking it with trial and error.

Eat 6-8 meals per day.
This is a good way to help when doing a mass building programme. You don’t have to be a body-builder to follow this
type of diet and eating 6-8 meals a day will increase energy levels, keep your metabolism running and stop the desire
to snack on sugary foods when you’re hungry.

Do the workout during quiet times
This is recommended for this programme as it will not only benefit you, but others in the gym too. There is nothing
worse than having to wait for someone to finish using a bench or a set of weights that you want or having to watch

22. as someone is constantly checking their phone when you could be using the bench to work out on. By changing the
time you go to the gym, it you can move around more and not tread on anyone’s toes..

Issues with this workout
Move the bench near the cardio equipment
One of the biggest issues with this workout is the need to keep moving from the strength area to the cardio zone. If
you go at busy times, you will struggle to leave a bench to go to the cardio area. There are only a couple of times
where you need to do the same type of work out twice, but if you have a pretty well-equipped gym you can always
find alternatives ways to do the work out e.g. bring weights over to the cardio area, being careful of course.

Do we recommend this programme?
The benefits gained from doing this programme are clear, but there is a level of inconvenience caused from taking
up a lot of space in a gym. It is a great workout programme that gets you fit, healthy and lean, with the biggest
benefit being the mixture of cardio and strength training, but the problems that it could cause may put users off
during busy times at a gym. If done right, this programme would increase overall health and fitness, whilst adding on
lean mass naturally.

23. Your Turn – Efron’s 1 month rolling Exercise Plan
Efron used a specific style of training that combines strength exercises and cardio. Efron used ex-Navy SEALS Logan
Hood and Ramona Braganza to help him bulk up, with them designing the programme to enable his body to cope
with more intense workouts, whilst keeping up a solid lean and toned look. During his role for The Lucky One, where
he played a US Marine, Braganza got Efron to use the 3-2-1 workout plan. The 3-2-1 workout is performed using 3
circuits: If you’re at an exert level, perform all three sets, for intermediates only do 2 sets and beginners only do 1
set. This way you can strive to get to the next level and see positive results, rather than struggling to finish the
workout.

Note: Complete any exercises paired A and B as supersets. Complete any exercises marked A, B and C as trisets. Remember
there is a one minute rest between each set.

Monday: 3-2-1 Upper Body
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
Cardio 1 Low grade 1 Jog: 2mins, Run: 6mins, Jog: 2mins
1a Dumbbell bench press 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
1b Dumbbell flyes 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
1c Bar dips 1 20 Dip machine or bench
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 2 HIIT training: Medium 1 Sprint: 30secs, Jog: 30secs Repeat for 10 minutes total
2a Dumbbell bench press 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
2b Dumbbell incline press 1 20 Dumbbell and multi-angle bench
2c Tricep extension 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 3 High grade 1 Jog: 2mins, run: 6mins, jump rope: 2mins
3a V-sits 1 20 Mat
3b Bicycle crunches 1 20 Mat
3c Russian twists 1 20 Mat and med ball
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times

Tuesday: 3-2-1 Lower Body
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
Cardio 1 Low grade 1 Jog: 2mins, step ups: 6mins,
Jog: 2mins

1a Forward lunge with dumbbell bicep curl 1 20 Dumbbells
1b Squat thrust 1 20 Barbell
1c Squat press (push press) 1 20 Barbell
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 2 HIIT training: Medium 1 Sprint: 30secs, Jog: 30secs Repeat for 10 minutes total
2a Walking lunge with dumbbell bicep curl 1 20 Dumbbell
2b Squat thrust 1 20 Barbell
2c Squat press (push press) 1 20 Barbell
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 3 High grade 1 Jog: 2mins, run: 6mins, jump
rope: 2mins

3a Ab crunches 1 20 Mat
3b Bosu ball knee tucks 1 20 Mat and Bosu
3c Plank 1 Hold 30second (repeat twice) Mat
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times

24. Wednesday: 3-2-1 Back
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
Cardio 1 Low grade 1 Stair climb: 2mins slow, 6mins fast, 2mins slow Stair machine
1a Dumbbell rows 1 20 Dumbbells
1b Bent over dumbbell flyes 1 20 Barbell
1c Dumbbell lateral raise 1 20 Barbell
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 2 HIIT training: Medium 1 Stair climb: 2mins slow, 6mins fast, 2mins slow Stair machine
2a Dumbbell rows 1 20 Dumbbell
2b Bent over dumbbell flyes 1 20 Barbell
2c Dumbbell lateral raise 1 20 Barbell
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 3 High grade 1 Jog: 2mins, run: 6mins, jump rope: 2mins
3a V-sits 1 20 Mat
3b Bicycle crunches 1 20 Mat
3c Russian twists 1 20 Mat and med ball
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times

Thursday: 3-2-1 Upper body
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
Cardio 1 Low grade 1 Jog: 2mins, Run: 6mins, Jog: 2mins
1a Dumbbell bench press 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
1b Dumbbell flyes 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
1c Bar dips 1 20 Dip machine or bench
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 2 HIIT training: Medium 1 Sprint: 30secs, Jog: 30secs Repeat for 10 minutes total
2a Dumbbell bench press 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
2b Dumbbell incline press 1 20 Dumbbell and multi-angle bench
2c Tricep extension 1 20 Dumbbell and bench
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 3 High grade 1 Jog: 2mins, run: 6mins, jump rope: 2mins
3a V-sits 1 20 Mat
3b Bicycle crunches 1 20 Mat
3c Russian twists 1 20 Mat and med ball
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times

Friday: 3-2-1 Lower body
Exercise Sets Reps Equipment
Cardio 1 Low grade 1 Jump rope: 10 mins Jump rope
1a Forward lunge with dumbbell bicep curl 1 20 Dumbbells
1b Squat thrust 1 20 Barbell
1c Squat press (push press) 1 20 Barbell
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 2 HIIT training: Medium 1 Sprint: 30secs, Jog: 30secs Repeat for 10 minutes total
2a Walking lunge with dumbbell bicep curl 1 20 Dumbbell
2b Squat thrust 1 20 Barbell
2c Squat press (push press) 1 20 Barbell
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times
Cardio 3 High grade 1 Jog: 2mins, run: 6mins
3a Ab crunches 1 20 Mat
3b Bosu ball knee tucks 1 20 Mat and Bosu
3c Plank 1 Hold 30second (repeat twice) Mat
Intermediate – repeat twice, Expert - repeat tree times

25. Your Turn – Efron’s 1 month rolling Nutrition Plan
When trying to look for legitimate sources for Efron’s diet plan, only one was available that showed simple rules to
follow if you too are a hard gainer. Therefore, it is hard to truly follow a diet plan that the actor took himself. With
what was posted online, there are some issues that would need to be addressed if you did follow what was written
online (check ‘issues with the programme’).

It is said that Efron used the 0.6-1g of protein per pound of body weight formula in order to get the desired amount
of protein and aimed to get around 3000-4000kcal per day (split over 6-8 meals per day). This is often used by
programmes aimed at hard gainers as it fuels the body, but also gives the body more energy to help build lean
muscles when done alongside a muscle building workout programme.

26. Chapter 6: The Celebrity Mindset

Believe it or not, nothing actually comes easy to anyone. Becoming great at something takes time, discipline,
perseverance, a lot of hard work and the right mindset. Even the best athletes in the world have their ups and
downs, but it is their determination to reach their goal that is what makes them great. Fitness is a journey,
sometimes a very hard one, but if the focus is on yourself, your self-achievement and your overall goal, then the
effort you put in will be paid off in full when you see how your physique has changed and how much your body and
your abilities have grown.

Going to the gym is often a very daunting experience, but what makes it worse is finding out how best to achieve
your goals of getting into shape. With the HUGE number of fitness programmes available to all, it can be so
overwhelming and puts people off even going to the gym. When people start looking for a user-friendly programme,
“what worked best for them must work best for me” often comes to mind. Is that the best attitude to have? What if
it doesn’t work for you? Does that mean you have failed??? NO.... The programme just didn’t fit your body type,
your goals or your lifestyle. Many programmes posted on the internet are far too general, aimed at everyone getting
results, but are you really going to get killer abs in a matter of 3-6 weeks? The simple answer is no. Not because you
haven’t worked hard, it’s because the programme is just not the correct one for you.

It has become popular for actors and actresses to share their success after working extremely hard for that perfect
shot on camera. Many have been supported, guided and pushed by the top fitness professionals out there, so they
try to pass on what they have learned to help the masses achieve even the smallest of changes. Are you likely to get
the killer body that these celebs have? If you put in the time, effort and learn from what it is you are doing, you too
could enjoy the massive benefits of achieving a health and fitness goal, but don’t set your goals purely on looking like
the pictures that go along with the publication.

Celebrities push their body to their greatest limits on set, plus they need to feel comfortable when seeing
themselves on a 50 foot wide cinema screen. How do they do it? Mindset... Yes they have trainers, chefs, ample time
and of course the money, dedicating their pre-filming lives to the task at hand, but they also need to do all the hard
work to get the results. After all, it is them that pick up the weights and finish the workouts day in and day out. They
too need to dig deep and find the way to keep the right attitude so that they can give it their all.

What is mindset?
Mindset is all about how you think about yourself, your body image, your fitness levels and the perceptions of
yourself in relation to others. It works in your favour or against your better judgement. It’s a bit like the stories we
tell ourselves; “I was never good at sports when I was at school, so I’d never be able to run a mile now” or “I used to
be so much fitter when I was younger, but now I wouldn’t be able to swim as fast as I used to be able to”. It’s a bit
like having that voice in your ear that tells you; “you are no good, so don’t even bother trying”.

Mindset is our own personal fixed set of inner beliefs, which rule how we are going to react to any given situation.
We all think we know ourselves well enough to accept our given levels of intelligence/talent, which we believe are
set in stone. However, nothing is permanent. With hard work, commitment and achieving goals that we set
ourselves, our mindsets can evolve and change.

Carol Dweck, a researcher at Standford University, spent years studying mindset and in her book “Mindset: How You
Can Fulfill Your Potential”. Carol says;

“When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world (the world of fixed traits) success is about
proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other (the world of changing qualities) it’s about
stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.”

This results in the concept of ‘fixed’ or ‘growth’ mindsets, meaning you can believe that you are going to have a hard
time getting fitter just because of ‘failures’ from past experiences or assumptions that you are only going to ‘fail’.
These are the main reason why you avoid taking action.

When it comes to getting fit, getting into the right mindset is 99% of the challenge. Life is full of challenges, so maybe
it is time to stop fixating on the past and changing your focus to help you achieve more out of life. After all, how you

27. think about a situation will determine how you react to it and of course how you deal with it. On the other hand, we
also skip the thought process behind how to achieve goals and jump ahead to the presumptions of how we will feel
once we finish e.g. getting that beach body in 5 weeks, getting those six pack abs whilst still eating our body weight
in pizza, losing 10 pounds without knowing how much 10 pounds actually is. Yes ‘wonderful’ goals are important, but
becoming and then staying fit is a process, which requires you to have and maintain the right attitude.

Mindset Exercises
An integral part to success is the understanding of how important having the right attitude is. Here are some ways to
help you understand your own mindset before starting a fitness programme:

Stop negative attitudes
The next time you find your mind wondering towards reasons not to train... STOP...!!! Tell that little negative voice to
be quiet. You’re not being disrespectful to your feelings - you’re simply telling yourself that you’re not going to listen
to those negative thoughts anymore. A good way of coping with negative thoughts is by pausing your mind and
thinking of a way to reframe and re-think what is being said. This is a way to apply the ‘growth’ mindset e.g. instead
of thinking “I had a bad workout today, I need to stop thinking I can get fit”, pause and say to yourself “That was a
challenging workout, but that sometimes happens. However, I learned that I could do ____ and should try to avoid
doing _____ in the future. I am going to keep up with my fitness programme as I want to achieve ____ in the future.”
Thoughts are not actions and you always have the choice to take whatever action is needed to succeed.

If you find it hard to clear your mind and stop yourself from always thinking negative thoughts, change your
surroundings. A good way to deal with it is simply by getting up and going outside for some fresh air, especially right
before you feel that giving up is the only way you can cope with it.

Remember: successful people surround themselves with likeminded people. Positive attitudes are boosted when
you are around others that are positive too. Mindsets are boosted by the attitudes of others around us, with
positivity being addictive. It’s always best to be around those that push you to be positive about yourself, rather than
being around others that just bring you down. It’s always good to be around others that are into fitness too, seeing
as those that have never tried to get fit have never felt how hard it can be.

Visualisation
Visualise yourself going through the steps needed to get fit. It helps evoke positive associations with what you are
about to do and offers personal guidance through the tougher times. Visualisation is more than just thinking about
what you are going to do, looking at pictures of fitness models or thinking about how hard you need to push yourself
during an exercise, it is about picturing yourself going through the whole process; getting up and going to the gym,
working hard during each set, feeling strong during and after the workout, feeling great about how much effort you
put in and how much closer to achieving your goal you now are.

What makes a celebrity programme different?
What are the real benefits of following a celebrity programme? For most, even the thought of going to the gym
scares them to the point that they ‘fail’ even before putting on their trainers, but having something to follow could
give them the incentive and motivation to try. Celebrity programmes are a great way to open up the mind to a new
style of training, educated people how to attack a workout efficiently and of course – achieve some personally set
goals. There are some issues associated with it of course, but those are mostly down to the individual and how they
view their own success. An individual’s success will also rely on how serious they take their training and diet and if
they know how to perform the exercises correctly. The most important thing to think about when embarking on a
new fitness programme is the full understanding of how to perform each exercise safely, correctly and efficiently
whilst maintaining a good level of motivation throughout the workout. Diet and nutrition are hugely important, but
that can be affected by the individual user’s understanding of food, their body, any dietary requirements and their
personal budget. Therefore, it is important to aim to follow the diet programmes that go along any generic
programme, but use it more of a guideline and to always consult a professional when it comes to personally
prescribed diet plans.

In order for you to understand more about how to follow a celebrity programme, here are some hints and tips about
how to choose the right one for you and how to follow them with a clear and defined mindset:

How to interpret a celebrity programme

28. The best way to view a celebrity programme is that it can help anyone, if the exercises are done right and a clear,
realistic and achievable goal is set. In general, it is worth trying to follow a workout plan that can be written quite
generically (meaning that it is not set out to the individual’s goals, their starting fitness levels or what equipment
they have to hand). By following a ‘celebrity programme’ it can unearth many new goals that the user may have not
considered or thought were possible. The user just needs to bear in mind that they will need to push themselves
very hard to see ‘perceived’ results if they base their success on looking as the celebrity did. Remember; photos will
be taken by a professional, using clever lighting techniques and touched up to make them look ‘at their best’, so
don’t feel down heartened when you don’t look as good in your mirror at home as these celebs do in the glossy
magazines. You need to set yourself long-term goals, with simple and achievable steps that keep you interested in
the overall goal (e.g. completing the programme and then furthering your fitness levels). Also – never judge yourself
on how others look (easier said than done for many), but thinking that you will turn out looking like someone else
after a 3 month programme will not help you in the long-term. Set your goals around achieving something that will
benefit yourself e.g. ‘I want to be healthier after finishing this programme’ rather than ‘I will look like the Rock if I
finish this programme’.

How to follow a programme in a gym
Remember; if ‘Monday is Chest day’, it might be the same for everyone else in the gym. Maybe you should think
about doing your chest day on a Wednesday, cutting out the waiting time for someone to finish with the bench etc.
You need to go into the gym, get your workout done and be out without any time wasted in between exercises. You
can’t do that if you’re spending most of your time waiting around for someone to finish or playing on your phone.
It’s also nice not be constantly asked “how many sets you got left?” - especially when you’re clearly in the groove.
Remember, it is off putting when someone is sat on their phone whilst on the most popular pieces of equipment. If
you rely on your phone for music etc., then a good way to stop distractions is by turning off the internet when you
get into the gym.

You can follow a programme which ever way best fits you. You can use a workout diary, have a piece of paper with
the exercises scribbled on it, link the programme with your phone or just remember what you need to do. Find out
what works best for you and use it! Writing down your progress throughout the weeks enables you to see progress
and mentally it’s nice to see how well you’ve been doing.

About your “Diet”
Our bodies require a certain amount of energy from food just stay alive, which is called your ‘Basal Metabolic Rate’.
If you think about it simply, you need to use this amount of energy every day to just function. You need energy from
food to breath, walk around, go to work, to digest the food you eat during the day and you even need energy to sit
down and to sleep.

If you eat more than your BMR, you typically store it, causing your body mass to increase over time. With today’s
society pushing people to have ‘the perfect body’, many want to lose this added weight and getting fitter helps this.
“Diet” is a dirty word to some people, but what ‘diet’ actually represents is your body’s daily dietary need that allows
your body to function efficiently at a desired effort level. Going on a ‘Diet’ congers up fears of; feeling like you are
always starving, that ever yo-yo effect of losing weight and putting it straight back on again, not being able to eat
anything other than boring foods and not feeling like you can enjoy a meal with family or friends without feeling like
you are sticking out like a sore thumb. However, by asking more of your body than you usually do, whilst still giving it
the amount of energy it needs to function efficiently, you will use up the stored energy and therefore lose overall
body mass (“lose weight”) in a far healthier way. On the other hand, for those that want to put on ‘muscle mass’, if
you eat more food than your body needs for the day, you will store what is left over and increase overall body mass
(“put on weight”).

What a diet actually should represent is the amount of energy you put in to your body compared to the amount of
energy your body uses to function during the day. Simply put; if you put more energy into your body that it actually
needs, it typically stores it somewhere, as your brain thinks “well I must need it if you’re making me digest it,
perhaps I should keep it for later!” Likewise, if you put in less energy than you actually use throughout the day, your
body cries out for energy and typically uses the stored energy you already have in your body to make sure it can
cope with the demand.

Supplements and Powders

29. Labels are there to give you all the information you need, but many companies make the language hard to
understand and plaster you with marketing to try and get you to buy their products over their rivals. If you aim for
around 24g or protein per serving and only have to use one normal size scoop to get that, you’re onto a winner. This
simple rule doesn’t need any real nutritional science and requires you to simply think; ‘how many scoops do I need
to get the recommended amount of protein?’ If the product makes you use 3 large scoops to get around 24g of
protein, there could be a lot of fillers and that is often bad for you, plus you have to buy more powder a lot sooner,
adding to the overall cost of the programme.

When it comes to supplements, remember that they are a supplement to your diet and you should in never replace
real foods for a powdered drink. Your body requires food to grow and you have a digestive system for a reason. If
you live a very fast paced or busy lifestyle and can’t get time to eat whole foods, then a shake may come in handy,
but even the best powders on the market should never be used as a way of replacing a good and healthy meal.

Technique over heavy
When using heavy weights, it’s best to know that you are doing it correctly and keep strict form, so you don’t put
your joints through the agony when you lift poorly. There are plenty of videos around that highlight the people that
think they know it all, but clearly are in need of some guidance. Leave the ego at the door is a must when it comes to
a programme, just pick a heavy enough weight that you can cope doing the move efficiently and doesn’t cause you
to lose form and posture. Likewise, gyms are often full of ‘experts’. These people typically make professional trainers
cringe, yet won’t even use the simplest of tips themselves to make sure they aren’t doing things wrong. Don’t be one
of those people – if you don’t know how to do something correctly, ask someone that does. If they can’t help, ask
someone else until you find out exactly how to do it safely and properly.

30. Chapter 7: The Star’s Secretes to Motivation

Everyone needs to be motivated to do something and to do it well, especially when you know what lies ahead is hard
and challenging. Working out requires motivation to lift the weight, move the weight efficiently and then do it again.
But what is motivation?

Motivation is the mind’s way of coping with the work before even starting the action required to deal with a
challenging moment. Many of us struggle with motivation, stopping ourselves from doing the things we love or
enjoy, just because it feels easier to stop before risking ‘failure’. Therefore, we typically either lack motivation or
have no motivation towards working at something. Changing your mindset is a constant effort, even for those that
workout regularly or do something constantly, but once you start finding motivation to continue - it gets a lot easier
to enjoy what it is your actually trying to do.

A key part to motivation is setting yourself up for the challenge, rather than setting yourself up for a ‘fall’. Its far
better to identify what will stop you from achieving something to then put things in place to not let them affect you,
rather than jumping into something that you will never truly get satisfaction from at the end. This way, nothing will
get in the way of keeping you motivated and you will be able to monitor your progress rather than always think
about what will go wrong.

It is human nature to think about the negative things in life, but its overcoming these reasons not to do something
that helps you achieve your goals. Not having the time, not having the energy, having no one to share it with, not
being able to afford it or it being someone else’s responsibility, are not good enough excuses to stop you achieving
your life goals or dreams. Yes, life does get in the way and we all have obligations that require us to manage our
workouts around what it takes to just ‘get on with living’, but you can’t barricade yourself behind things just because
you think you haven’t got the time, money or patience to cope with the demands of a workout. Write down the
things inhibiting you from doing a workout and then take the time to problem solve a way to overcome them; You
don’t have the time, yet you have time to watch your favourite TV programme; You don’t have the time after work,
so take your gym kit with you and leave it in the car; You don’t have the time for cardio, then walk to the shops
rather than drive there. There is always an alternative that will help you towards achieving your goals e.g. take the
stairs rather than the elevator, workout whilst watching the TV, get up early and go to the gym in the morning
(easier said than done!).

Once you’ve identified the obstacles, you can start to find the solutions to the problems. There are very few things
that actually stop you from doing anything in this world, it is just about overcoming the pre-conceptions that you
can’t do something and that starts with motivation.

How did the celebrities in these programmes stay motivated?
One clear motivational aspect is how they feel about being chosen to play that character. Many celebrities are fans
of the books, comics, characters long before they get to play them in the films. The Rock used his love for the
Hercules character long before playing the part, so when he got the role, he kept his focus on becoming the best
actor to ever play mythical character – and that’s a big part to how he achieved what he did.

By having focus and keeping this mindset on the goal at hand, it makes you consistent, persistent and driven. If you
only think “I want a six pack”, you might never get one and will feel disappointed and give up, however, if you think
along the lines of “I want to be as fit as I have ever been”, then it is a foregone conclusion that you can achieve that
by putting in the hard work needed. It will also help you overcome those bad days as you would want to make up the
time and put in more effort in the future.

Some motivational techniques
Discover inspiration
Being inspired is a simple and effective way of getting motivated. By using things like mantra’s, quotes from personal
hero’s, blogs, magazine articles, inspiring stories in books, transformational photos or sticking up a written note that
states your goal, you make your mind feel more positive and motivated towards achieving something.

Write down the solutions to your problems

31. Take the time to think about what is stopping you from achieving your goals, then write down the solutions you
think are the best way to overcome your issues. This way, when negative thoughts like “I haven’t got the time” come
back into your mind, you have an easy way to overcome, solve, challenge or rectify the issues you might have.

Have a backup plan
Some things in life just don’t work out the way we plan, maybe someone cancels on you or you have to work late,
but if you have a backup plan that gets you moving towards your goal, there is really no excuse for you to not
achieve your goal. This is not a different plan, more like a way of overcomes issues that come up e.g. workout out at
home or go for a long walk after everything is finished. It is all about finding away to still achieve something, but
maybe just in a slightly different way.

Sign a contract with yourself
People always find it harder to give up if there is some sort of contract involved, so why not make one up with
yourself! Put down what you have set for yourself to achieve, what your intentions are and when you hope to
achieve them by – then sign it. Putting it down on paper makes it feel official.

Set realistic expectations
It’s great when you feel super motivated, but feeling like you can climb Everest is different than actually doing it. By
setting yourself up for a fall means you eventually will do just that, however, by setting achievable and realistic goals,
you can visualise, measure and motivate yourself to continue to achieve more after the original goal has been
completed. Remember; just because you completed the first goal, doesn’t mean it stops there. Set yourself weekly
goals, so when life gets in the way at week 4, you only need to put in more effort to keep yourself going, rather than
scrap the whole 16 week programme.

Reward yourself
The hardest thing to do is go through a tough time, knowing that you still need to keep challenging yourself
physically and mentally. There is no harm in rewarding yourself for overcoming something that was difficult, in fact
these rewards keep you motivated and on the right path. Obviously they have to be well-deserved and well-suited,
but taking care of yourself mentally is incredibly important. You need to feel good about what you have done and
that will show when you have to deal with something else that is difficult, both inside and outside the gym.

Mindset in the gym
It’s all about YOU
Even if you want to shed a little weight, maybe tone up before summer or put on some serious mass, following a
strict programme will give you the tools to achieve your goals. But which one do you follow? That is a difficult
question to answer as it totally depends on your own goals and how far you are willing to go to get the results you
dreamed of. If you want to have a dramatic weight loss, you wouldn’t follow a programme that was made to bulk
you up. It’s important to check what sort of person is endorsing the programme, how long it took them to do their
transformation and if they kept it up after it was finished. You need to forget about looking exactly like the models
posing in magazine after 3 months, as have had more time to get to where they are, would have started in a
different place to you and may have more support, time and funds than you do. A top Personal Trainer can cost
hundreds per hour and they often have a style of training depending on their role. Having a trainer that understands
you, your goal, different training methods and advises you about a range of things is a massive advantage. However,
following a simple, yet affective, professionally designed programme will give you more from your time in the gym
than just going on a static bike for 5 mins and not even breaking a sweat. The best advice is try a programme for as
long as you can and if it works - follow it, if it doesn’t - find another that will. Of course... HAVE FUN...!!! Your time in
the gym needs to be gruelling, but if the programme doesn’t make you want to go back the next time, what’s the
point in following it? You need to be able to leave the gym with a feeling of satisfaction and motivation to keep going
time and time again.

“Do I need a trainer?”
For most people, the answer is a resounding yes. Lifting weights of any kind needs to be done right. Even if you do
body weight exercises (e.g. press ups), doing it wrong because you think you’re doing it right is just not the thing to
do. Remember; doing 1 rep correctly is better than doing 1000 wrong ones! To be a competent trainer takes years of
development to fully understand how the body works. It can take years of research and professional development to
get to the stage where you are able to offer a safe and well-rounded service to clients, especially when you are
offering up a niche service. Unfortunately, there are some very poor trainers out there, but there is no point in

32. delving into that side of the industry, but it is important to make you aware of the benefits of having a good trainer.
If a trainer just sits back, twiddles their thumbs or gets distracted by others in the gym, it’s not worth spending the
money on them, but if they correct your form, motivate you though the tough parts and offer up competent
guidance to why you should do that move - they are worth their weight in gold. Having someone to say “hold it a
little further forward” or “go a little further down”, makes the difference between you doing the move correctly and
potentially hurting yourself. It is more about what the trainer offers you than what you get out of it in many cases, as
going to the gym isn’t just about becoming ‘gym fit’, it’s about putting in the effort to make changes to your life
outside of the gym. At the end of the day, it takes a lot of time and effort to become a good trainer, plus the job
requires constant research, development and hard work to keep abreast of what happens in the industry. Taking on
a trainer who has a passion for health and fitness will offer you the support needed get moving forward.

So do you need a trainer? Only you can answer that question for yourself. Firstly, if the trainer is good, they will
understand the benefits to this sort of programme and offer up guidance rather than re-designing the programme.
They may ask you to do this programme on your own and offer up a different programme while they train you, but
that will only add to the benefits by showing you something new. Hemsworth and Efron had Navy SEALs to push
them through the rough points (and cause a few ones too I’m sure), but they had to deal with the programmes on
their own too. Every trainer has their own style of training, but if you find a trainer that understands old-school
training methods, the benefits of compound movements and how to get the best out of your workouts, then you’re
on to a winner. If you start throwing in too many exotic moves, too many exercises that actually cause your body to
stop growing, use too many machines, then it will take longer to give you the desired results or may not work at all.
You need to keep to the programme and just add in different factors to make it harder e.g. ratios, chains or bands
and never let your workouts plateau. That way the muscles will constantly be thinking and growing.

Some may say that you need to shock the muscles every time you train. Yes that has its benefits, but simply changing
your lifting ration to 4:1 will make your muscles fatigue quicker and have to work much harder during the set. Don’t
just add something into the workout that you think will help, but if you don’t think that set was hard enough you
could rethink your ratio to think “yep, that’s it”, rather than pushing up the weight and causing you to be out of
form. There are other ways to make ‘gains’ too e.g. making your rep range bigger, doing slower reps on body weight
exercises, adding on a weight belt, using chains or bands or just adding in a pause rep or two. You’re not changing
the programme, just making your body work harder and keeping your form and posture right during the move.

Going it alone
Make sure you ask a fitness professional to show you how to do the exercise correctly. Many trainers offer some of
their time for free, especially if they think it will lead to you becoming a paying customer. You don’t have any
obligations to get a trainer, but if you can budget for it - it often helps by someone being there to help you through
the workouts, especially when the weights get heavier or if you are that type of person whose motivation levels dip
over time. For those that don’t know how to do a certain exercise, it always wise to pay for a session with a
competent and knowledgeable trainer that will educate you about how to contract your muscles, position your body
and show how to do the move safely. This money is well spent if it puts you on the right path to achieve your goals,
after all, trainers are there to share their knowledge and guidance. Well that’s what they are supposed to do! These
training programmes need you to push yourself very hard and remain consistently driven till the end. The exercises
themselves are simple enough to do on your own throughout all the four programmes mentioned in this book, but
you need to do them all correctly to reduce the risk of injury and get the most out of the programme.

Stop thinking sit ups will give you perfect abs
A standard sit up won’t make your unwanted belly fat disappear. The body stores excess energy in places where it
feels safe and can access again efficiently. Ever body stores “fat” in different places and it won’t take a few sit ups for
this to go away over night. You use this stored energy during every exercise you do, plus we use our abdominals as a
stabilizer in almost every exercise (if you do it right!) e.g. when doing a squat - you will get rock hard abs too, by
doing a press up right - you can get that six pack you want for the beach. By doing an exercise with a strong core, it
will reduce the risk of injury and strengthen your body so you can perform the move more efficiently and stronger
next time. P.S. sit ups actually work the hip flexor, which is why they are performed in the military as it enables the
soldier to hold more weight in a backpack.

“Do I need to lose wait to then bulk up again?”
No... Why lose all the stored energy, to simply put the weight back on? Yes “fat” that tends to be stored is not often
gained from ‘clean’ sources of food, but you can do a mass building workout whilst being heavier. You must

33. remember that everyone following a programme will achieve a different result. The best thing to do is aim to
complete the programme and appreciate what ever results you personally get, rather than thinking you will look
exactly like the person being pictured alongside the workout. When following the majority of weight loss
programmes, you may be left feeling lethargic, fatigued, have low-self esteem issues relating to not looking like who
is pictured in magazines and forever thinking that you could lose more. Why not turn your workouts into a positive
experience and do something to benefit your health, regardless of your current size? The problem most people
suffer from, is never feeling that ‘satisfied’ feeling perceived being skinny gives you, especially if you constantly try to
look like someone else. If your goal is to get bigger muscles after you become ‘skinny’, you will forever think that you
are not good enough. Therefore, isn’t that skinny stage really unnecessary, especially when you can lose weight at
the same time as filling out your muscles? The whole process of losing a large amount of weight before gaining size
does have benefits of course, especially if you have always suffered from negative effects from being overweight e.g.
mental health, your state of mind or health issues.

Following a ‘bulking’ workout programme requires a lot of eating and even more hard work to make the food fuel
the muscles, rather than be stored. You also need to be consistent, so you can’t skip a day because you “are too
busy” or think you can have a ‘cheat meal’ because you “deserve it”. You can guarantee that the celebrities in this
book had cheat meals, but it was probably still really healthy and they were scrutinised about everything whilst
under the watchful eye of their trainers.

‘Tone’
The word ‘tone’ is typically misused. It is actually the way of making your muscles work much harder than they
currently do, increasing the muscle’s efficiency at using energy. This causes them to fill out and become more visibly
noticeable – therefore getting that toned look. If you eat enough energy for your body to do all the natural functions
it does, but are in a ‘caloric deficit’ compared to the amount of energy you need to perform a workout, you will use
up the energy you have stored to power your muscles that little bit further. This needs to be continuous over a given
time, meaning you lose weight and fill out your muscles at the same time. What you can’t do is think that 10 minutes
of cardio will change your muscles from being “fat” to “toned” or doing 20 sit ups will instantly give you a six pack.
You need to make each muscle work harder that it normally does and put your muscles through a higher level of
effort to make it work harder than it typically does it in a day. “Hypertrophy” is where you make your muscles act
more than it’s ‘normal’ use by putting stresses on the muscle to make it grow and ‘thicken’. You do need to make
sure your body fat content is low enough for the muscle to show through, but remember, everyone has abs – they
don’t just grow out of thin air.

34. Chapter 8: Star Struck
Chris Hemsworth
Pre-Thor Thor





http://savvystrength.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/chris-hemsworth-thor-300x183.jpg
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/chris-hemsworth-looks-distinctly-un-thor-new-role

35. Christian Bale

36. The Rock

37. Zac Effron

38. Chapter 9: Exercise & Nutrition Diary

Use this food and exercise diary to help you track your progress.

Food Diary
Date:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Breakfast





Lunch





Dinner





Snacks







Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Supplements


Water 2L

39. Exercise Diary
Date:
This week’s weight:
Workout name:

Exercise Sets Reps Max Weight

40. Transformation Photos: