With bulging bicep veins and a lean, muscular physique, Hugh Jackman was certainly in great shape when he was recently seen jogging in New York with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness.
Jackman uses a combination of bodybuilding, powerlifting, calisthenics, and cardio training to achieve his impressive body composition for a 50-year-old man. While he doesn’t have a specific training routine outside of his Wolverine workout, he does have an Instagram account filled with training exercises.
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Here are our top picks from Jackman’s Instagram to keep you lean and muscular:
Compound Powerlifts
Deadlifts
First is the deadlift, an intense compound lift that works the entire body. This exercise will build strength and stability. As a functional exercise, it will help you perform everyday tasks safely and with ease. And because it builds core strength, you’ll have better posture.
- Stand with both feet under the bar, around the middle of the foot, and shoulder-width apart.
- Bend with a straight back, grabbing the bar with a shoulder-width grip.
- Now bend at the knees, keeping your back straight, until your shins touch the bar.
- Lift your chest up, keeping your back straight.
- Take a deep breath and stand up with the weight pushing your hips forward and keeping your back straight.
- Hold the weight at the top of the lift, with your knees and hips locked.
- Return the weight to the ground by moving your hips back while bending your legs.
- Take a couple of deep breaths, and repeat.
Deadlifts are a very effective exercise, but they can be very dangerous if performed inco
rrectly, and particularly when too much weight is added too early.
Squats
Next up off Jackman’s Insta arsenal is the squat.
Much like the deadlift, this is another intense, compound lift that will improve whole-body strength and stability.
- Stand under the bar in the squat rack, feet shoulder-width apart with the bar positioned so you have to bend your knees to get under the bar, keeping a straight back.
- Stand up straight, lifting the bar off the rack.
- Carefully move away from the rack one or two steps, ensuring that you can perform the squat without hitting the rack.
- Take a deep breath in, then squat down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back, keeping your abdominals tight and tensing your glutes.
- If you have good flexibility, squat far enough so that your hips are lower than your knee. But if you can’t do this without keeping your back straight, don’t force it.
- Driving through your heels, squat back up until your knees and hips are locked at the top.
- Repeat.
Like the deadlift, the squat is a demanding exercise that can be dangerous if performed incorrectly or if loaded with too much weight too soon. For both deadlifts and squats, always perform at least your first several reps under the guidance of a personal trainer.
Calisthenics
Medicine Ball Squat
Jackman also performs a variety of calisthenic exercises. One is the medicine ball squat. This advanced exercise takes exceptional stability and balance.
To perform a medicine ball squat, first you must be able to balance on a medicine ball in a standing position, which is no easy feat! Then you perform a squat while staying balanced on the ball. Don’t attempt this with extra weight.
Clap Wide-Grip Pull-Ups
Never one to opt for easy, Jackman has mastered clap wide-grip pull-ups. Yes, he launches himself into the air above the pull-up bar, then performs a clap, and then grabs the bar again to finish the rep.
If that sounds too hard, start with a traditional pull-up:
- Grab the pull-up bar with a wide, shoulder-width grip.
- Hang from the bar with your arms straight and your legs slightly bent, with your feet crossed over one another.
- Pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar.
- Lower yourself until your arms are straight.
- Repeat.
But if you want to add a clap, you’ll need to be able to perform many reps of a normal wide-grip pull-up before attempting it. When you think you’re ready, definitely first warm up. Then make your pull-up incredibly explosive, giving you the momentum to thrust yourself into the air slightly at the top of your rep; you’ll have a split-second to clap before returning your hands to the bar.
Get Jacked, Man
So, there you have it, our top picks of Jackman’s workout techniques as seen on his Instagram. Do have a look yourself for many more — he’s quite the gym rat. Get training!
