Some Hollywood stars, such as Christian Bale, are famous for their body transformations for different roles they played, while others are well-known for having a fit physique in general. The latter group includes Chris Hemsworth, a.k.a Thor, and Henry Cavill, a.k.a. the Man of Steel. Cavill, who plays Geralt of Rivia (the Witcher) in the hit Netflix series has shared a snippet from his full body workout that got him in shape for the role (yet again).
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After packing on quite a few pounds of muscle mass to portray the Man of Steel in 2013, Cavill once again returned to the gym to do the same for the role of the Witcher, and his full body workout to get in shape this time seems no less intense than that for Superman. If you’d like a body like Geralt of Rivia or, erm, Kal-El of Krypton, you have come to the right place.
Needless to say, if you are planning on bulking up like Cavill, you'll need to eat a lot more than you usually do, and we are not talking about gorging yourself on pizzas and beer. We hope you like eggs and steak. For breakfast. Every day for six months. If you think you are dedicated enough to bulk up and work out like Henry Cavill, read on. Your reward will be broad soldiers, big arms, buttocks tight enough to bounce tennis balls on, extreme handsomeness and a lot of charm.
Henry is famous for his roles in movies such as Mission:Impossible, Superman and most recently, the Netflix hit-series The Witcher. Cavill is also famous for looking like a Greek god in Beast Mode. He reportedly stands 6"1' tall and weighs around 200 lbs. This puts him in the 'obese' BMI category, technically, but we all know the extra pounds are not fat but muscle mass. And lots of it.
Unlike what many people think, Cavill's 'super built’ phase didn't start with Superman: Man of Steel. No, he had a pretty chiselled body in the 2011 movie the Immortals, when he was around 28 years old. Admittedly, he didn't look as big as he does now. Henry Cavill's workouts have got progressively more brutal as time has gone by.
It is worth mentioning straight away that no workout alone would've bulked Cavill up to a level where he is now. To pile on muscle mass, Henry was eating loads and kept a strict diet too in order to speed up his muscle building efforts. According to manofmany, his diet consisted of industrial amounts of protein – some of it sourced from the best protein powders – and carbs, both being essential for muscle building and recovery.
Another source also confirms this by mentioning steaks and eggs for breakfast and multiple lunches to keep energy levels high throughout the day. Keeping the carb and protein levels this high meant that his body was ready for the gruelling workouts, almost 24/7. The system worked, judging from how fit he looked in every role he took since 2011.
And you might think: "I can have steak for breakfast, no problem", just think about it. It's not about having a steak for breakfast once a month; it's having the biggest steak and eggs breakfast every day for six months while working out for hours each day. You have to be strong not just in your body but also in the head to do this.
What is the Henry Cavill Witcher workout and why would you choose it over other workouts that are also equally good for building muscle, such as the 10,000 swing kettlebell workout? At the end of the day, any type of resistance training, combined with a strict diet, will result in the increase of muscle mass, so pick whichever workout you prefer and stick with it, at least for a few months. You will see results soon enough.
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Henry Cavill Witcher workout
According to Men's Health, Cavill's workout was relatively straightforward, which is understandable as he has already been in a good shape for years, so for the Witcher, he 'only' had to accentuate some areas of the upper body, as opposed to starting from scratch.
The exercises mentioned in the aforementioned article are not meant to be performed back-to-back, as Cavill mentions: "Those are moves that we put into workouts, depending on which muscle group or muscle groups we're working that particular day." Meaning that these exercises are highlights from his workouts and not the complete workout itself.
That said, the five exercises below can form a simple full body workout and work most of your body. Maybe instead of the hyperextension, you can do bench presses to grow those pecs and triceps. Or overhead presses for bigger delts. Or both.
Romanian deadlift
Romanian deadlifts are a deadlift variation (surprise!) and they mainly work the hamstrings, glutes and the lower back, especially the Erector Spinae, the muscles supporting the spine. Romanian deadlifts are performed with heavy weights and therefore the incorrect form could result in your lower back muscles being pulled as opposed to gains. Keep the spine neutral, your shoulders wide and lift from your hamstrings/glutes.
The Witcher workout included three sets of 10 reps of this exercise with a four second eccentric (negative) phase and a 2 second pause before the concentric (positive) phase.
Hyperextension
Surprisingly, in the not so many exercises mentioned, there was another one that focuses on the hamstrings, glutes and lower back: hyperextension. That said, hyperextension is an excellent leg day staple exercise and would really bomb the hamstrings, done on the same day with Romanian deadlifts.
The workout recommends three sets of 10 reps with a two second hold at the top.
Oblique static hold
Oblique static holds are similar to planks in a sense that as opposed to moving, they require you to hold a position for a prolonged period of time. And while the plank – and especially the hardstyle plank – targets the whole of the core, oblique static hold focuses on the side of the abs.
The workout recommends doing three sets of 30 second holds per side.
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3-way shoulder raise
Bomb the delts with this shoulder exercise. The 3-way shoulder raise works well because it requires you to work the muscles for longer and from a different angle with each rep. This exercise is not as good for bulking up, rather for accentuating and defining shoulder muscles.
The workout recommends three sets of 15 reps from each position.
Half-iso alternating dumbbell curl
This is a brutal biceps exercise. Usually, with alternating dumbbell curls, you give one side a bit of a break when you curl the weight on the other side. But by adding the iso-hold, you work both sides all the time, loading the biceps way more than 'just' doing curls. Be extra careful when doing this exercise.
The workout recommends three sets of 10 reps per arm.
