Superman's 'Man of Steel' workout

Henry Cavill as the ‘Man of Steel’

How many of you want to be like Superman? Well, if the Superman workout didn’t get you sweating, ask Henry Cavil what it took to transform himself from Superman to the ‘Man of Steel’.

The workout that required Henry Cavill to look like the ‘Man of Steel’ himself lasted for 10 rigid months. It was a six day routine for two and a half hours every day. The superstar approached Mark Twight, the trainer famous for the 300 workout to help him mould himself into the fictional superhero. Cavill revealed that he had gained 20 pounds of muscle by the end of the rigorous training session.

As ‘Man of Steel’ is supposed to be far superior to the legend Superman itself, so did the workout. Twight used a technique known as ‘Tail Pipe’ which required 100 repetitions and will leave the person grasping for air, hence given the name.

Let’s go behind the scenes of the British star’s workout routine.

Monday- 1st workout (Full body)

Routine: 2 Clean and 5 Kettlebell Squats (One combo every 30 seconds for 5 minutes), 100 Front Squats, 3 sets of 15 reps Box Step-up, 3 sets of 15 reps Deck Squats, 20 Frog Hops and 40m Bear Crawl (4 rounds of this combo), 3 sets of sit-ups.

2nd workout (Chest/Shoulder)

Routine: Any Cardio Machine for 10 minutes, 10 more minutes with Rowing machine, 6 sets of 10 Bench Press, 4 sets of 12 Military Push Press, 4 sets of 12 Arnold Press, 2 sets of 25 Squat Assisted Push Press and 4 sets of 12 Hammer Curls.

Tuesday- 1st workout (Upper body and Back)

Routine: 20 Push Press, 20 Burpee Pull-up, 10 Push Press, 12 Burpee Pull-up, 10 Pull-Ups, 3 sets of 50 Wall Ball with 9kg medicine ball and 3 sets of 50 Ball Slams.

2nd workout (Legs)

Routine: 3x 5 Wall Squat, 100 Squats, 3×5 Goblet Squat, 3x 20 meters Walking Lunges, 3×20 Split Jumps, 2 Dead Stop Back Squat, 2 Explosive Triple Broad Jump, 30sec Box Jump and 60sec Explosive Box Step-up, 30sec Jump Squat and 60sec Quick Step.

Wednesday- 1st workout (Back and Biceps)

Routine: 5 minutes row at easy pace and 5 minutes row at harder pace. Reverse grip Bent-over Row, Hi-Pull from floor, Push Press, Upright Row, Front Squat Push Press, Bicep Curl.

2nd workout (Deadlift workout)

Routine: 4 sets of 4, 2 sets of 2, 1 set of 8, 8 Heavy KB Lunge (4 each side)

Thursday- 1st workout (Upper body)

Routine: 25 Pushups into 30 Side Plank (3 sets), 20 Military Push Press, 4 sets of 12 Arnold Press, 2 sets of 25 Squat Assisted Push Press, 3 sets of 20 reps Man-Makers (with dumbbells), 3 sets of 1-5 reps Pull-Ups Ladder, Dead hangs.

2nd workout (Legs)

Routine: Same as those done on Tuesdays.

Friday- 1st workout (Upper body and Metabolic workout)

Routine: 10 minutes on Rowing machine (warm up), 6 sets of 10 Bench Press, 4 sets of 12 Military Push Press. 2-3 minutes rest and then 3 sets of the following exercises- Man-Makers (with dumbbells), Arnold Press, Squat Assisted Push Press, Hammer Curls.

2nd workout (Full body)

Friday’s 2nd workout comprised of sparrow’s dozen where 12 rounds of the following exercises were done- Deadlift at bodyweight, 12 Pull-ups, 12 Push-ups, 12 Medicine ball slams.

Saturday- 1st workout (Legs)

Routine: Same exercises as done on Tuesdays.

2nd workout (Upper body)

Routine: Bench Press, Resisted Rope Pull, Slosh Pipe Hold OH, Resisted Rope Pull, Arnold Press, Barbell Corner Row, Parallette Push-up, Sit-ups. 3 rounds of these exercises were done for 1 minute.

The Superman workout was wrapped up with 10 reps of Shoulder Dislocate and 1-5 Pull-Ups Ladder.

The Man of Steel’s supplements

Along with the regular diet followed by celebrities for such workouts, the most important supplement that had to be taken was protein. The workout routine, especially with the introduction of the ‘Tail Pipe’ would not have been possible without the consumption of proteins.

Here’s a look at what Cavill took during the course of the workout.

Just after waking up: Whey Protein 20-40 grams, 1 serving of multivitamins, micronutrients for general health and to support muscle gain.

Along with meals: Fish oil 2-3 grams, 3 times per day as it helps with fat loss, reduces inflammation and improves overall health.

Before workout: 1 serving of NO BOOSTER 30 minutes before, which causes blood vessels to widen allowing increased blood flow into the muscles. 20 grams of Whey Protein, 2-5 grams of Creatine which helps in increasing muscle strength, power and endurance. 1.5-3 grams of Beta-Alanine which is required for lifting heavier weights and 5 grams of BCAAs which promotes muscle synthesis and recovery.

After workout: 20-40 grams of Whey Protein, 10-20 grams of Casein Protein which keeps the pumped-up muscle warm overnight, 2-5 grams of Creatine and 1.5-3 grams of Beta-Alanine.

Before bed: 20-40 grams of Casein Protein