Last updated on November 21st, 2021 at 10:58 am

I have now researched over 250 celebrity workout routines and diets, and built more than 400 routines based around celebrities, superheroes and beloved fictional characters for a community of awesome people and nerds here at Superhero Jacked.

Through my research I’ve also taken it and implemented things I’ve found into my own training in a way of making myself a “human guinea pig”.

If you’re a member of The SHJ Army you’ve definitely seen my progression pictures through all of our programs. 

I have a go-to-full-year-progression-pic I like to utilize quite often.

I know you’re probably DYING to see it, so if that’s the case, being the people pleaser that I am, I’ll share it!

This specific guinea pig transformation story was 3 months apart from each program as follows: Bulk and Strength, Cut and Shred, Body Recomp, and Bodyweight Book – all of which have evolved to Volume Two Programs, and their originals have been retired into our Academy.

But anyhoo…

From my guinea pig adventures I take my findings and share them with the community, both SHJ, and others.

I’d be lying if I said there is only one way to transform or look like your favorite celebrity.

One thing I can certainly tell you is that there are many viable ways to transform your body and unleash your inner SuperHuman.

I think a lot of people come to the site initially hoping to find a celebrity’s workout and/or diet for a few reasons:

1. Motivation
2. Knowledge
3. The Hope of a Get Fit Quick Scheme

They find two of three.

There is no get fit quick scheme on Superhero Jacked,  any site like ours (unless they’re all actually Hydra and withholding information from me), or anywhere else for that matter.

It comes from hard work, determination, and the proper, sustainable programming that fits YOUR goals.

But, there are a few key things I’d like to address that you can call the key takeaways after researching over 250 celebrities fitness and nutrition regimes.

And I’d love to go through them with you now.

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All Different Diets CAN Work

This is something I think is really important.

There are a load of celebrities that use so many different dietary guidelines, and that’s because all of them are different.

Celebs generally either opt for what is specifically sustainable for them, or they use an extremely strict diet for a short period of time to obtain a desired physique for a specific role.

The extremely strict diets are generally not as sustainable, and work due to some other factors that I will discuss later on in the article.

But, nevertheless tons of celebrities choose different restrictions to follow every single day, while still obtaining amazing physiques and transformations.

For example: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Terry Crews utilize intermittent fasting(something I use daily as well), Mustafa Shakir and Madelaine Petsch are vegans, Brandon Routh and Frank Grillo opt for paleo, and tons of others utilize their own variations as well.

That’s just to name a handful of celebs from each, by the way.

The key takeaway here is to try different diets and find the one that works for you.

Either way calories matter.

In order to lose weight/fat you need to be in a deficit, and in order to gain weight/mass you need to be in a surplus.

Sometimes more restrictions help (I personally use intermittent fasting as a tool within my diet, and have been for a few years now), and other times people work best just focusing in on calories and macro-nutrients.

2. Your Diet is MORE Than Half The Battle

It’s amazing writing new routines and getting a surge of motivation and learning about tons of celebrities preferred style. 

But, it’s also important to realize that it’s not the only thing that matters.

I really, truly enjoy working out. I feel empty on my off days sometimes and I often am active even when I’m off (whether that’s a brisk walk outside, reading on the treadmill, hiking, playing sports, parkour, doing some mixed martial arts training, or other fun activities; I feel like I NEED to move).

And that seems to be the case for a lot of people that begin their fitness journey and really make it a habit out of it.

Especially when they have the motivation of their favorite nerdy characters.

If only it was as easy as just going to the gym and training in a specific way.

Unfortunately it’s not.

We CAN focus in on specific goals and train for them.

For example: there are ways to focus on strength building, or endurance and stamina, or other goals – including focusing on specific body parts.

The problem is, in order to gain or lose weight (in the form of fat or muscle) we need to rely on our nutrition.

So, we have some people that follow SHJ programs that find it extremely easy to get to the gym, or get their workout in, but don’t see any changes to their body other than some additional strength and functionality (whether that be endurance, overall toning and strength, or just basic movement).

It’s unfortunate, but it needs to be addressed.

It’s almost always due to some type of kryptonite, and 99% of the time that is the person’s diet. I’ve worked with people and figured this out, adjusted the diet and watched the fat seem to shred off their body.

It’s not just celebrities that can do this. We all can unleash our inner SuperHumans.

3. It’s Okay To Be Human

I’m going to go over some workout awesomeness in the next section of topics I want to cover, don’t worry – we’ll get there!

But for now I want to continue our discussion of dieting and nutrition, while also talking about something else you should all realize about celebrities and us alike.  That is the fact that it’s okay to be human. And, when I say that, I specifically mean with cheat meals.

I know a lot of people who start diets and feel like they just can’t stray away from it even in the slightest. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, it makes it unsustainable.

Cheat meals are okay…when they’re controlled, and in moderation.

If you guys follow Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Instagram you’ll know he CRUSHES cheat meals weekly (often consisting of sushi, cookies and Netflix – but pizza and pancakes have also been on the menu quite a few times).

And, it’s not just him!

I’ve researched hundreds of high performers consisting of celebrity actors, athletes, and more – and I have seen more than I can count bring up their favorite cheat meals and guilty pleasures in interviews.

What makes cheat meals and guilty pleasures an issue is when people can’t get right back on track. When The Rock finishes his weekly cheat meal he wakes up the next morning (as early as 4 am, like Mark Wahlberg) ready to crush the gym and be back on track with his diet.

It’s a nice 80/20. Be strict, clean, healthy and on track 80% of the time, and then splurge and be human the other 20. It’s okay to eat a big dinner with your family for a birthday, or a holiday, but directly after you should be right back on track!

Of course there are some other things that I’ve found through my research of the Hollywood Physique, and I’d love to share more.

Starting with what makes celebrities different than us:

1. The Obvious: They Are Highly Motivated People

It’s important to realize that celebrities that go through these amazing transformations are highly motivated people, and hard workers.

They got to where they are in their careers because they want it back and they are at the top of the game for what they do. Transforming their body for the role is part of the job they work hard at, and their body is going to be put on display for millions of people. There is no lack of motivation here.

To find this in ourselves, it’s smart to find a community to hold you accountable and to draw motivation from, and to also find what drives you.

I know some people from our community at SHJ use some scenes from shows like Daredevil and Punisher on Netflix and other Marvel and DC movies. I personally use my own personal progress, the community of people I spend my time with who share stories daily, and also the celebrities I research as motivation. It’s a lot of fun trying new training styles and creating new goals to strive for everyday.

If you can find a way to keep up your motivation levels through the process, once you start you likely won’t stop. Starting is the hardest. Find the motivation, use it, and be that much closer to unlocking The Hollywood Physique.

2. They Are Highly Active

Acting isn’t a desk job. Being an athlete also isn’t one (if that wasn’t obvious).

The top performers I research tend to be highly active regardless of their career, though.

Guys like Jason Momoa and tons of others always talk about how many things they fit into their everyday life whenever possible. Momoa, for example, loves to rock climb (he even made his trainer fit it into his training regime), surf, throw axes, skateboard, and more.

He’s pretty awesome to be honest.

And I’ve seen tons of ladies mention hiking, yoga, and simply getting in tons of walking whenever they’re not on set and/or working.

Sometimes people overlook activity level. Why do you think it’s part of the calculation when you’re trying to figure out your caloric intake?

These celebrities are burning more calories daily, while sometimes we find ourselves very sedentary at work and then after. I know it can be hard, but the lack of calorie burn can result in you having to need much less – which often doesn’t happen. Realizing these top performers activity levels are extremely high ASIDE from their regimes used for their transformations is another thing to take into account.

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3. They Like Structure

This might seem silly at first, but hear me out.

Sometimes these celebrities are working and doing things too often to even have a chance to binge eat and care enough about food which leads to a lot of them sometimes even having to remember to eat (think of celebs like Henry Cavill, Hugh Jackman or Michael B. Jordan who had to tack on a ton of mass).

Still probably sounds pretty crazy. I’m getting there, I promise.

Think about it for a second: Have you ever had such a long day either working or having fun that you forgot to eat? Now compare that to a day that you’ve been bored either while working at a desk or just sitting around on the couch. I definitely reach for the snacks a lot more when I’m stuck with door number two.

Let’s take this a step further.

What would happen if we determined that a lot of people have an unhealthy relationship with food? What if we used it for fuel rather than fun?

Men and women are obviously much different, so I’ll compare a couple of them.

Some of the biggest male transformations come from these celebs either tacking on mass or shredding body-fat and toning. The workouts these celebs use vary, and so do the diets.

One thing stays the same: the structure.

During the craziest routines, these celebs begin to make it part of their job. Their food is chosen specifically for the transformation, and as I said before: it’s not always sustainable.

So, let’s talk about the celebs AFTER they’ve already transformed and begin to sustain their physiques.

Take Chris Pratt and Hugh Jackman. They transformed their bodies and now they continue to look amazing.

But, how?

For one, they love it. They’ve made it part of their lifestyle and they stick to the diet and workouts that they find sustainable.

It’s okay if these things swap around, of course. I know Chris Pratt has dabbled in bodybuilding style training, high intensity training, and even CrossFit WODs (seen doing Murph with John Krasinski on their Instagrams).

It’s also okay if the diets swap, but for the most part these celebrities find what works for them. They know what they like and they sustain it. Sometimes they then choose to make some cuts (Momoa has to cut out Guinness, for example) when it’s time to shred for a role.

Structure is nice when it’s time to look best, but it’s important to always remember that it’s okay to be human.

And now I’ll leave you with some bonus tips to start your journey to a Hollywood Physique:

1. Immediately Choose Your Goal

Knowing your goal is so important.

You can’t lose weight and gain weight at the same time. I have a lot of people come to me asking to lose fat while gaining mass and it’s just not possible. There are a lot of different pitches they come up with to make it seem possible, but it’s just not.

It IS possible to gain strength while losing fat [often referred to as a body recomposition], (and in some cases it can happen for beginners as well) but this is often a tactic used by people who already have a low body-fat percentage and can be a very slow and grueling process.

The best thing to do is choose and know your goal.

Do you want to tack on muscle and mass or do you want to shred the fat/weight?

Once you know this it becomes much easier to begin the next steps in your journey.

That’s why we have quizzes to help choose the best SHJ Program, and even the best SHJ Celeb Workout Routine on the site.

2. Find a Sustainable Workout and Diet that Go Hand-In-Hand with Your Goal

You probably saw this one coming.

I led you right to it.

The next step in the process is to find a sustainable diet and workout plan that go with your goals. Once you know what your goal is you can begin trying out some diets to see what is most sustainable for you.

The same goes for your workout. Try different things and find what style you like best. Some people like lifting heavy and shooting for strength gain and mass while others like high intensity programs paired with a diet in a deficit to shred fat.

There are a ton of different combinations to choose from. It’s important to know which is right for you.

3. Find Your Community and Motivation

I talked about this one already, but I’m mentioning it again because it’s so important.

Tell people about your goal. Find like-minded individuals. Set goals together. Share stories, both good and bad.

Sharing is important, and surrounding yourself with motivating people is important as well.

Journeys are hard alone, and fitness is no different.

Pretend you’re packing up and setting off on an epic quest like Bilbo Baggins.

You’re going to need a party of people to accompany you.

C’mon guys, you know this. History repeats itself, and Lord of the Rings is no different.

And there you are.

I wish you well, and if you’re ever looking for some party members for your epic quest, or just your next video game adventure, don’t hesitate to swing by and invite me.

Or, you could always join our community of nerds and awesome people inside The Superhero Academy…

You know, just a thought….

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Mike Romaine

SHJ’s Nick Fury

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