Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 08:01 am
Mehcad Brooks got INSANELY jacked.
Like we’re not just talking shredded like a Kumail Nanjiani or even Rob McElhenney, we’re talkin’ HUGE.
Like the kind of jacked where you can stand next to Dwayne Johnson and not look small….!
You may recognize Mehcad Brooks from some of his roles like Desperate Housewives, True Blood, Necessary Roughness, or even most recently: Supergirl.
Speaking of which, Brooks gets to be added to our list of CW Star Workout Routines we’ve hosted at SHJ; which is more then FIFTY!
Well, Supergirl aside (where he played Guardian, by the way), Brooks hit the weights and transformated his physique for his role in the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie where he’ll play Jax Briggs!
Mehcad Brooks Stats:
Height: 6’4
Weight: (approximate) 195 lbs.
Age: 40 years old
Remember when I name dropped Dwayne Johnson up there? Well it was for a reason.
Brooks come in as one of the tallest male celebs we’ve seen, right there with Johnson, Momoa, and some others.
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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Mehcad Brooks Diet and Nutrition
Mehcad Brooks has been pretty shredded for the large majority of his life.
You can likely chalk that up to genetics while factoring in the part that he’s 6’4 and can tack down calories while staying lean (on top of the fact that he’s always been fairly active as well, turning down 26 scholarships for basketball to pursue acting).
Brooks is the son of former NFL wide receiver Billy Brooks, so athleticism runs in the family.
In an past interview he stated:
“I just work out more days than not…or try to at least. I also am on a strict regimented french fry and pizza diet. Depending what you put on the pizza, one can cover all the major food groups. (Laughing). Actually I grew up in a healthy household. Mom cooked fish, turkey, chicken, etc. Fresh veggies. I lucked out. Food is fuel for the body and if you can put good fuel in your car then you should do the same for your body.”
He’s also quoted saying:
“I like the simple things in life. I’m very close to my family and keep positive people in my life. I also love to meditate. It centers me and it’s a great way to relieve stress. I love being out in nature and traveling. Seeing the world firsthand forces you to understand how we are all interconnected and makes you more responsible about giving back to the Earth and protecting her gifts. And you can always find me on my guitar, on my Wii and recently on a surfboard.”
So he’s all about being active and sustainable, for the most part.
BUT, we have to also make a note to the fact that he has recently tacked on A TON of mass to become Jax Briggs.
That’s going to take purposefully increasing calories and intake while hitting the weights. There will be no more eating whatever you want and fueling your overall activity, because obviously Brooks has always been able to shred through that.
So, he likely kept going with the protein he was used to getting from things like fish, turkey, chicken and such, but also was more meticulous about his actual intake like we’ve seen from celebrities in the past who go through phases of more strict transformations.
That being said, it does seem that he is fairly lenient and lax with his nutrition outside of this extreme transformation.
We see a lot of celebs opt for a sustainable approach like this.
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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Mehcad Brooks Workout Routine Research
Mehcad Brooks unfortunately has not done any big interviews sharing the exact details of his training program for Mortal Kombat.
That being said, there are a handful of sources out there I’ll be pulling from in order to piece this together.
The first thing we should take into account is the fact that Brooks is an Onnit athlete.
So although he did a TON of gym training with typical bodybuilding style, he also incorporated a lot of non-typical training methods as well, including some work with maces and clubs.
In one picture Brooks posted to social swinging a weighted club he wrote a bit about his role in Mortal Kombat, stating:
This didn’t really hit me until I was on the plane to Australia Sunday and I mouthed the words “I’m in Mortal Kombat”. I’ve been playing this game since I was a kid with #Scorpion and #Jax I played it most days after homework, sometimes before and up all night at friend’s places at sleepovers. My friends parents would ask us why we hadn’t slept and we just kept saying shit like “fatality” and “finish him”. We were nerds. Video game junkies they called us. Now y’all are called #gamers and get paid for it. I was before my time I guess. #MortalKombat was kind of the violent uncle I never had. I love you MK. You raised me. Don’t tell Mom. #justakidfromaustin
As you can tell he is extremely excited for this role, which likely is a large part of why he took his training so seriously.
I was able to string together 3-4 different training videos that piece together different clips Brooks has posted on his own social media of himself training.
Within these I am going to pull a handful of different workouts to use to piece the entirety of the training style together.
Movements Brooks has shown himself utilizing on his social:
- Heavy Cable Rows
- Cable Shoulder Front Raises
- Cable Shrugs
- Push Ups on Medicine Balls
- Overhead Tricep Extension with Weighted Plate
- Renegade Row Push Ups
So nothing TOO crazy about his overall lifting regime, but you can definitely tell there are some more typical bodybuilding hints in there, and then also some more circuit/calisthenic style movements in there as well.
But we love a good mix up, so I’m excited to build around these!
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Mehcad Brooks Workout Routine
Training Volume:
6 days per week
Explanation:
For this one we’re going to be taking a page out of Dwayne Johnson’s book. I made the comparison to Brooks getting HUGE like The Rock earlier, and they’re the same height, so we’re going to take what we know about Johnson’s training throughout tons of research we’ve done and combine it with what we have for Brooks! Get ready for some heavy lifting and a ton of volume.
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Mehcad Brooks Workout: Sample Schedule
Monday: Chest and Cardio
Tuesday: Shoulders and Cardio
Wednesday: Triceps and Cardio
Thursday: Back and Cardio
Friday: Legs and Cardio
Saturday: Biceps and Cardio
Sunday: Rest Day
Mehcad Brooks Workout: Chest and Cardio
Cardio
30 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer
Chest
Barbell Chest Press:
4×12
Incline Dumbbell Press:
4×12
Cable Crossovers
4×12
Dumbbell Flyes
4×12
Dips
4×20
Push Ups on Medicine Balls
4×20
Mehcad Brooks Workout: Shoulders and Cardio
Cardio
30 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer
Shoulders
Barbell Overhead Press
4×12
Cable Front Raises with Bar on Cable
4×12
Dumbbell Arnold Presses
4×12
Cable Shrugs
4×12
Rear Delt Cable Raise
4×12
Pull Ups
4×12
Mehcad Brooks Workout: Triceps and Cardio
Cardio
30 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer
Triceps
Skull Crushers
4×12
Overhead Tricep Extension with Weighted Plate
4×12
One Arm Reverse Grip Tricep Extension
4×12
Tricep Push Downs
4×12
Close Grip Bench Press
4×12
Cable/Dumbbell Kickbacks
4×12
Mehcad Brooks Workout: Back and Cardio
Cardio
30 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer
Back
Deadlift
4×12
Wide Grip Lateral Pull Downs
4×12
Close Grip Lateral Pull Downs
4×12
Heavy Close Grip Cable Rows
4×12
Wide Grip Cable Rows
4×12
Wide Grip Pull Ups
4×12
Mehcad Brooks Workout: Legs and Cardio
Cardio
30 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer
Legs
Squats
4×12
Calf Raises
4×12
Dumbbell Weighted Lunges
4×12
Leg Press
4×12
Hack Squat
4×12
Box Jumps
4×12
Mehcad Brooks Workout: Biceps and Cardio
Cardio
30 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer
Biceps
Preacher Curls
4×12
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
4×12
Spider Curls
4×12
Overhead Cable Curls
4×12
Zottman Curls
4×12
Chin Ups
4×12
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