Last updated on July 26th, 2020 at 07:20 pm

If you’re unsure why we’re featuring Rob McElhenney’s workout, you probably didn’t realize he got absolutely shredded.

The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star got superhero JACKED.

The It’s Always Sunny stud showed off his new physique not only in episodes of the show, but also in his new role with Apple TV+ for the show: Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet.

The crazy part about his physique is that he not only got insanely ripped, but he was able to do it in just 7 months, going from beer belly to six pack abs and vascularity shown off by only the most in shape celebrities we’ve seen at SHJ.

Rob McElhenney Stats:

Height: 5’10

Weight: (approximate) 165-175 lbs.

Age: 42 years old

Rob McElhenney’s height is usually listed around 5’9-5’10, but I think everyone adds an extra inch or so to their height, right?

Either way this leaves him under the average height marker among male celebrities that we’ve seen at SHJ.

The average height falls in the range of 6’1-6’3 with celebs like Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Adam Driver, Stephen Amell, Clive Standen and so many more.

Guys around 5’10-6’0 are dudes like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Jason Statham, but the ACTUAL shorter range is filled with guys like Mark Wahlberg, Zac Efron, Kit Harington, Tom Holland and more.

Even taller than them are guys like The Mountain, Joe Manganiello, Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Winston Duke, Alexander Skarsgard and a few others.

But, don’t worry either way.

We write these routines to be utilized by any shape and size.

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Rob McElhenney Diet and Nutrition

Rob McElhenney’s diet is pretty straight forward.

He leaves it all out there in an interview with Men’s Health.

Here’s part of what he has to say:

“I’m gonna break it down for you, because it’s actually quite simple, and anybody can do this. Anybody on the planet can do this. First thing’s first: if you have job—like a 9-5 job—quit that. Do you like food? Forget about that. Because you’re never going to enjoy anything you eat. Alcohol? Sorry. That’s out. So what you need to do—you have a chef, right? like a personal chef?—make sure the chef makes you a lot of chicken breast. And make sure you keep your caloric intake at a certain level.”

Simple enough, right?

He continues to stick to this trend on one of his Instagram posts, where he writes:

Look, it’s not that hard. All you need to do is lift weights six days a week, stop drinking alcohol, don’t eat anything after 7pm, don’t eat any carbs or sugar at all, in fact just don’t eat anything you like, get the personal trainer from Magic Mike, sleep nine hours a night, run three miles a day, and have a studio pay for the whole thing over a six to seven month span.

If you want a full breakdown of that, here it is:

• The process took 6 – 7 months
• Weight lifting 6 days a week
• Run 3 miles a day
• 9 hours of sleep a night
• No alcohol
• No food after 7pm
• No sugar/carbs
• Use the personal trainer from Magic Mike

Countering this, Rob McElhenney actual also went through a weight GAIN phase for Season 7 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where he tacked on 50 lbs.

In an interview with The Wrap he has this to say about it:

“As I started off I was doing it with chicken breast and rice and vegetables,” McElhenney told The Wrap. “But when you’re four months in it and you have to muscle down 1,000 calories for the third time or fourth time in a day and you have to either eat three chicken breasts, two cups of rice and two cups of vegetables — or one Big Mac — you start to see the Big Mac and realize it’s a lot easier to get down … And then every once in a while I would eat three donuts. And every day one of my meals was a high-calorie protein shake.”

We generally strive to base our diets around the most sustainable methods possible; and celebrities often fall into that category as well (although clearly not this time).

That’s why our Academy Nutrition Classes (Monks, Minimalists, SuperHumans, Vikings, Spartans, Hunter Gatherers, Greek Gods, Samurais, & Eat Fat, Lose Fat) revolve around helping you find the specific diet that is right FOR YOU.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons to HAVE the strict guidelines.

We’ve seen a lot of celebs opt for specific restrictions. 

For example: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hopper, 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.

And, that’s just to name a few celebs from each, by the way.

You can check out our Nutrition Pillars for more information and articles on all of the above and more.

Curious what the Top Diets Among Celebrities actually are?  Check it out.

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Rob McElhenney Workout Routine Research

We already saw a bit of a breakdown for Rob McElhenney’s workout routine above, which we’ll swing back and analyze a bit more, but he also has a bit more to share from his interview with Men’s Health.

Jumping right back into where we left off, he continues with this:

 You’re good friends with the trainer from Magic Mike? Arin Babaian. So you want to give Arin a call. And you want to make sure he’s at your house and takes you to the gym at least twice a day, because you’re gonna want to do your muscle-building in the morning and then your cardio in the afternoon. Now, do you have a family? Like a significant other or kids? Yeah, forget about them. You’re not going to have time to deal with them.

We knew part of this, but it’s important to share the continuation of the interview because McElhenney is really on the same path here everywhere he talks about this incredible transformation.

And that’s, while joking about how he says it, is making it pretty clear that it takes a TON of sacrifice and does not seem all that sustainable.

He wraps it up similar to the way he wrapped up his Instagram post by stating:

“So that’s really all you have to do. And make sure you have a studio pay for the entire thing, because it could become exceptionally expensive. So, I think if you just do all those things, then you too can have an absolutely unrealistic body type, such as me.”

At least he finally shares a hint of sanity when he calls his body type “absolutely unrealistic”.

He wraps up the Men’s Health interview with this:

“I’m gonna give you a little lesson in biology: the abs are always there. They’re IN there. They’re just behind a bunch of tacos and tequila. I was enjoying myself on vacation. The abs are there. And the second I want to those abs to come back, all it takes is 3-4 months of starving myself.”

So here’s what we’re going to do…

We’re going to replicate the INSANE portions of this entire process and give you exactly what Rob McElhenney says about his workout; whether it’s sustainable or not (and by the looks of it…it’s not!)

That means we’re taking that list from before, and while you’ll need to utilize the nutrition aspects as well for this to work, we’re peeling those back for a second and focusing in on the fitness portion of that list to build out this routine.

I’ll also be taking a look at routines that Magic Mike trainer Arin Babaian has built for others (LOTS of cardio and conditioning which seems to be on par with McElhenney’s 3 miles a day, paired with typical weight training) in the past and utilize that to create the perfect routine for us.

Here’s a recap of the list from before, with the non-workout aspects peeled off:

• The process took 6 – 7 months
• Weight lifting 6 days a week
• Run 3 miles a day
• 9 hours of sleep a night

I left the 9 hours of sleep a night part because you’ll need to adhere to that aspect if you’ll want to full recover from the training you’re about to endure.

Get ready.

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Rob McElhenney Workout Routine

Training Volume:

6 days per week

Explanation:

We’re going to be training exactly how McElhenney explains his workout.  We’ll be weight training 6 days a week and running 3 miles a day aside from our mandatory rest day.  You’ll be training with four days built around compound lifts and two days devoted to core and interval style circuit training.

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Rob McElhenney Workout: Sample Schedule

Monday: Bench Press, Chest, Triceps and 3 Mile Run

Tuesday: Deadlift, Back, Biceps and 3 Mile Run

Wednesday: Calisthenics, Core, Circuit and 3 Mile Run

Thursday: Overhead Press, Shoulders, Traps and 3 Mile Run

Friday: Back Squat, Legs, Calves and 3 Mile Run

Saturday: Calisthenics, Core, Circuit and 3 Mile Run

Sunday: Mandatory Rest Day

Rob McElhenney Workout: Bench Press, Chest, Triceps and 3 Mile Run

Warm Up:

Walk 10 Min or Until Warm

Cardio:

Your 3 miles can be done before or after your training. This can be based on your own preference.

Run 3 Miles

Feel free to start by “running” on and off.

Workout:

Bench Press

4×10

Incline Dumbbell Press

3×10

Overhead Tricep Extension w/ Plate

3×10

Tricep Cable Pushdowns w/ Rope

3×10

Chest Flys on Machine

3×10

Dips

3×15

Hex Press

3×25

Rob McElhenney Workout: Deadlift, Back, Biceps and 3 Mile Run

Warm Up:

Walk 10 Min or Until Warm

Cardio:

Your 3 miles can be done before or after your training. This can be based on your own preference.

Run 3 Miles

Feel free to start by “running” on and off.

Workout:

Deadlift

4×10

Bent Over Barbell Rows

3×10

Bicep Curls w/ Bar

3×10

Hammer Curls w/ Dumbbells

3×10

Back Extension on Machine

3×10

Chin Ups

3×15

Lateral Pulldowns

3×25

Rob McElhenney Workout: Calisthenics, Core, Circuit and 3 Mile Run

Cardio:

Your 3 miles can be done before or after your training. This can be based on your own preference.

Run 3 Miles

Feel free to start by “running” on and off.

Core, Calisthenics, Circuit:

For Time:

60 Plank to Push Ups

50 Jump Squats

40 Sit Ups

30 Clap Push Ups

20 Burpees

10 Chin Ups

Rob McElhenney Workout: Overhead Press, Shoulders and Traps and 3 Mile Run

Warm Up:

Walk 10 Min or Until Warm

Cardio:

Your 3 miles can be done before or after your training. This can be based on your own preference.

Run 3 Miles

Feel free to start by “running” on and off.

Workout:

Overhead Press

4×10

3 Way Shoulder Raise w/ DB

(Outer/Middle/Inner)

3×15 total

Upright Rows w/ EZ Bar

3×10

Hang Cleans

3×10

Barbell Shrugs

3×10

Push Ups

3×15

Kettlebell Swings

3×25

Rob McElhenney Workout: Back Squat, Legs, Calves and 3 Mile Run

Warm Up:

Walk 10 Min or Until Warm

Cardio:

Your 3 miles can be done before or after your training. This can be based on your own preference.

Run 3 Miles

Feel free to start by “running” on and off.

Workout:

Back Squat

4×10

Leg Press

3×10

Calf Raises on Leg Press Machine

3×10

Goblet Jump Squats

3×10

Box Jumps w/ Weighted Vest

3×10

Weighted Lunges w/ DB

3×15 each leg

Cable Pullthroughs

3×25

Rob McElhenney Workout: Calisthenics, Core, Circuit and 3 Mile Run

Cardio:

Your 3 miles can be done before or after your training. This can be based on your own preference.

Run 3 Miles

Feel free to start by “running” on and off.

Core, Calisthenics, Circuit:

For Time:

60 Hanging Leg Raises

50 Push Ups

40 V-Ups

30 Pistol Squats (15 Each Leg)

20 Wide Grip Pull Ups

10 Ring Dips

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