Did Hugh Jackman really eat 8,000 calories to get into shape for his Wolverine role in the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie?

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Firstly, I loved the movie. Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman did a fantastic job bringing this Marvel movie to life. Hugh Jackman also showcased a pretty incredible physique in some of the scenes. Anyone that can get into shape like that at 50+ years of age deserves respect. But there are a lot of click-bait titles floating online about how many calories he ate in a day to achieve his physique, some of which are saying he ate 8,000 calories daily to get into Wolverine shape. So, what did Hugh do to get into shape? I am going to share my thoughts below.

As with most celebrities, there is always an interest in what they did to get into shape for their roles. What and how much did they eat? How did they train? What is their routine? How long did it take them? And the big one... did they take steroids to help create their amazing physiques?

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"With great power comes great responsibility." And rightfully so. Celebrities can influence a lot of behaviors with their fans, and as Spider-Man says, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Do I think celebrities share everything they did to get into shape?

No. Why?

Because I know what it takes to get to those low body fat levels. I have been there multiple times myself. I have also helped a lot of clients get into crazy shape in a short amount of time.

But did Hugh Jackman eat 8,000 calories daily to get into shape?

I have had a client actually eat 12,000 calories to get into shape... and he had a full six-pack. But... he was training 3 hours per day and had a labor-intensive job. So it is possible if the output is very high and you need the energy to support the demand.

I personally think that Hugh may have had a period of time where he ate more calories to put on more lean body mass. I also think that he had a time where he went a lot lower in calories to peak his physique for the scenes you see in the movie. Having a period of time where you consume more calories with the goal of building more lean muscle mass can really make an impact on your look. Some of our clients have been with us for many years, and we would do this exact same strategy to change the look of their physiques. Have a certain time with food very high to build as much muscle as possible (Lean Building Phase), followed by a time with food lower and output higher with the goal to get as lean as possible (Fat Loss Specific Phase).

I think Hugh would have done a similar strategy so that he could really stack on the lean body mass, followed by a fat loss phase to melt away all the body fat.

So how many calories did he eat to get 'shredded' in Wolverine?

Everyone is a bit different, but I would have imagined to peak he would have been a lot lower and also improved the quality of foods eaten to prevent stomach bloating. Calories are one thing to help with weight loss, but the quality of food can also improve the look of your physique. I don't think we will know the exact amount of calories he ate to peak for some of the scenes, as once again, it may have been quite low at acute times.

What about Hugh's workouts?

I think he would have had a specific regimen to shape the look of 'Wolverine.' Once again, if you look online, there is a bit of information, but sometimes the information in these cases is underwhelming or over the top. Lifting weights to look 'strong' but also to sculpt the body a certain way would have been necessary. I would also imagine a focus on upper body exercises would have been a priority. Similar to when we have physique competitors or clients that want a certain 'look,' I focus on the body parts that are either required or desired. I would say he would have lifted heavy, had compound movements (squats, deadlifts, bench) to create a functional, strong look, focused on upper body shape with specific exercises to enhance the Wolverine look, and also added cardio to help with fat loss. Hugh would have spent a decent amount of time on his workout routine. Dedication must be respected in any case.

What about steroids? "With great power comes great responsibility."

I know why celebrities need to be careful about what they let out. Do I think Hugh used steroids? To be honest, I am not 100% sure. I do think his physique can be achieved naturally with hard work and dedication. He is on record for saying he didn't use steroids to get into shape, but there are many other performance enhancement drugs that aren't labeled as 'steroids.' Regardless of whether he did or didn't, he put in the work. With certain camera angles, pump-up, and other details, you can enhance someone's physique to look bigger than it is.

Closing thoughts: It's always fun to think about what celebrities actually did to get into shape. I don't think we hear the truth all the time, especially as I know what it takes to get into next-level shape. Like anything in Hollywood, treat it as entertainment. Inspiring work from Hugh to get into that shape at his age. Hopefully, there is another Wolverine & Deadpool on the horizon!

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