Having made a successful transition from a comic actor to a comic book superhero, Ryan has trained for the past eight years to develop his jaw-dropping physique. In this article we’ll take a look at Ryan Reynolds’ workout routine and what he does to get that aesthetic look.
It’s been a long time since Van Wilder came out in 2002 and a lot has changed in Ryan Reynolds’ career. But one of the most obvious things that changed drawing the most attention is his body. During his Van Wilder days, Ryan Reynolds ate and lived like a typical frat boy would and admitted to being unhealthy.
However, getting his next role as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity forced him to get his act together and start eating and training properly. After enduring 3 grueling months, filled with six-days-a-week workouts, and eating a 3,300-calorie daily diet, Ryan has managed to add impressive 25 lbs of muscle to his frame.
He says it was a life-changing event since it taught him about achieving things, otherwise thought of as impossible, if you put enough effort in them.
One of the feats he managed to do was completing the New York City marathon at a time of 3 hours and 50 minutes. He says he still has Machu Pichu to climb which is at an altitude of 8,000 feet.
Reynolds’ career has skyrocketed since gaining all that muscle for starring in Blade. He has since starred alongside Denzel Washington as well as Sandra Bullock and he has appeared in two superhero films such as The Green Lantern, as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and lastly in his own Deadpool spin-off which has proved to be an enormous box office success.
He says that he has been a life-long fan of Deadpool, so it was unthinkable for him to allow any other actor to play him. In regards to starring in Wolverine he says because he was a last-minute addition he had to bulk up fast in order to be ready for the role. He says it felt like he ate a ton of food daily.
Ryan Reynolds has now switched to a less intense workout regimen, functionality and aesthetics being his primary goals. He says the reason is being maintaining his health during rough days of filming.
Sometimes numerous takes of a physically-demanding shoot are done, so as the years go by, mobility and endurance should be a top priority.
RYAN REYNOLDS WORKOUT ROUTINE
The personal trainer that has followed him through his eight-year journey has been Bobby Strom. He says that the goal is to make him look always a bit different between roles. You might think it’s more or less the same physique, but it’s not.
Reynolds’ preparation for The Green Lantern which lasted for almost a year was akin to what a professional bodybuilder would do getting himself ready for the Mr. Olympia contest. One of the strategies he used on the actor was that he kept changing the workout exercises every day in order to keep the body guessing.
First MUSCLE GROUP: ABS
You will begin every workout an ab workout lasting 20 minutes. You will do it in a circuit mode. That means doing one of each set consecutively, then repeating it four times:
FIRST SET
| Exercise | Reps |
| Wood chops on cable | 15-20 |
| Hanging leg lifts | 15-20 |
| Decline Bench situps* | 15-20 |
*Use a 10-lb plate. Hold it behind your head.
SECOND SET
| Exercise | Reps |
| The Wheel from Knees** | 15-20 |
| Decline Bench Body Bar twists* | 15-20 |
| Swiss Ball crunches | 15-20 |
*On your ascent, twist the bar to the right, go back, and only extend 45 degrees, come up again and do the same process but this time on the left side. You can switch with 7 pound dumbbells in each hand, in case you don’t have a bar.
**Extend as far as you can with a one-second pause. Then, return to the top again. When you do this from the knees it decreases the pressure off your lower back.
HEAVY LEG DAY
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Walking lunges* | 3-4 | 50 |
- Use 45-pound dumbbells. Hold them in each hand, 25 steps up, 25 steps down.
HEAVY UPPER-BODY DAY
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Flat Bench | 3 | 10-15 |
| Incline Bench | 3 | 10-15 |
WHOLE BODY DAY
On this day core and stability training is implemented to give the tired muscles enough time to recover. Tools used are TRX (suspension training), kickboxing, use of BOSU balls, bands, plyometrics etc. Strom says he implements these in his clients’ routines so that their bodies don’t adapt to the stimulus and keep their mind fresh and focused.
