Hugh Jackman has an amazing physique. I don’t need to tell you that. What is interesting to me (and millions of women and a significant number of envious men) is the tactics and training secrets he used to get it. Although he used some fundamental methods for his diet, he did some interesting things mentally to get there.

Hugh has used his close friend Mike Ryan as his personal trainer for many years – although Mike is not necessarily an internationally known trainer, he knows fundamentals – and he deserves a big gold star for the work he has done with Hugh. A nice guy as well.

Here’s the short version of how Mike Ryan built “a new Hugh”:

Oh yeah, he uses deodorant – and he’s not afraid to let you cop a whiff

Nutrition:

Hugh ate 6 meals a day, boiled chicken and veggies. Every day. The guy got up at 4am to eat egg whites before he would go back to sleep for his 6am workout.

Physical:

Hugh’s body is even more amazing if you consider he just turned 40 and is 6’3″. Normally smaller guys put on muscle more easily, while taller guys have to work harder to lay muscle down. It would seem this challenge has been overcome by Mr Jackman, however.

As you can tell, Hugh has taken care of himself quite well. Ok, look away now… go on, you can do it… loooook awwwaaaaayyyy.

Compound movements for 1 hour a day at 6 am, 6 days a week.

The workouts were generally broken down as follows:

Day 1: Upper compound movements

Day 2: Lower compound movements and core

Day 3: Full body.

Repeat for 5 weeks then give 1 week of yoga, pilates and light workouts before changing exercises cycling again – but keeping principles the same.

Here’s what is really interesting about his weight. He actually weighed less than normal for the movie! Micheal Ryan explains how:

“Hugh’s weight has actually dropped over 4 kilograms since we began training for Wolverine. However we use a body scanning machine that has proven we have only lost .3 of a kilogram of muscle through that weight loss period so it is predominantly body fat that has gone. Initially we concentrated on building muscle and there was a significant increase in muscle mass so we’re happy with the results”.

So although Hugh lost 4kg (about 9lbs), he only lost .3kg (1 lb) of muscle along the way. Meaning he kept his muscle relatively steady as he lost fat.

What does this mean to us? It means that if you lose weight, know that a key percentage of that weight loss is muscle loss.

go on. You tell him his haircut looks silly. Dare ya.

Even someone like Hugh Jackman working his tail off cannot keep from losing some muscle as he sheds pounds.

The tough part is that with less muscle you burn less calories, have less energy, lower metabolism and run the risk of being ‘flabby but fit’ meaning you have lost weight but have lost tone along with it.’

The key part of the muscle game: Mental

Hugh trains hard. But he draws inspiration from an interesting source: his character.

“I work out imagining I’m Wolverine,” Jackman told Access Hollywood. “Wolverine to me is the guy that when everybody else quits, that’s where he begins.” The result: lots of bare-chested sceen time showcasing his rippling muscles and a naked scene that reveals (almost) all. His prep work was so successful, says Reynolds, that Jackman, 40, “looked a lot like a guy who was going to make a necklace out of my teeth.”

If you were to think about drawing motivation to get you focused for your workouts to help you get the most out of your body and the time you invested in your workout, what animal would it be?

Would you be a tiger? A gazelle? A wombat?

If we are taking a leaf out of Hughs book, then maybe what matters most is that you live it and live it good. The results will speak for themselves, that is certainly assured. The only question left is this:

Can your ‘inner animal’ lead you over the fences that come from years of bad habits?