Living Lean and Mean
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Build The Hollywood Body
May 3, 2017 By Victor 1 Comment
In ancient Greece a lean and powerful physique was regarded as a sign of health, vitality and temperance. Over 2000 years later, things remain largely unchanged despite heavy industry efforts to sell us a new ideal.
Apparently, being built like a breeding bull is the "new look".
Most people, however, are still drawn to the sleek lines and proportions revered by ancient cultures. They still prefer symmetry over sheer mass. Quality over quantity.
Hollywood has long since adopted this ideal.
Broad shoulders, chiseled abs and a tight waist are the hallmarks of big screen icons. Yes, lighting, makeup and special effects do their part, but no amount of makeup will get anyone to look like Hugh Jackman in the Wolverine movies or Jason Statham in Death Race. These bodies were forged through merciless dieting and thousands of repetitions in the gym.
As otherworldly as they may seem, however, the majority of these physiques are perfectly attainable for the dedicated. If you're one of the select few, keep reading.
Creating The Illusion: Get Strong, Get Lean
Making Michelangelo proud – Zac Efron
"Weight means nothing. It's how you look." – Vince Gironda
To join the ranks of the Hollywood elite you need to adopt a different approach to fitness. Eating everything in sight in hopes of gaining muscle and lifting like a bodybuilder won't get the job done.
In this game, proportions are everything.
Focus on developing your shoulders, back and arms while getting very lean. Emphasize those key muscle groups and avoid exercises that add excessive bulk in the wrong areas (i.e. heavy back squats).
Having the right amount of muscle in the right places will create the illusion of being bigger even at a relatively low bodyweight.
Don't be blinded by the number on the scale. The mirror and your gym performances are much better advisors.
How do you train for a sleek Hollywood physique?
Do the opposite of what you've been told.
Aim to get stronger, not to burn calories in the gym. Drop the baby dumbbells, pick up some heavy weight and focus on progressive compound exercises. Lightweight, high rep training on a calorie restricted diet is a waste of time (unless you're on steroids). You can't "tone" your muscles. You either stimulate growth or promote tissue breakdown (muscle and/or fat).
Train for strength, eat for fat-loss.
Getting to a low body-fat is a prerequisite to maximizing your proportions and appearance.
But you want to do so in a sustainable way. Some actors look incredible onscreen, only to blow up once their project is rolled. And I'm not surprised. The protocols these men and women follow are complete overkill.
You don't have to train like a maniac every day while eating nothing but carrot sticks and boiled chicken. You want to look good year round, not just for 2 weeks at a time.
Actors have all the support in the world to get the job done. Personal chefs, trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists, etc. You're more or less on your own (Not anymore. Follow my Building the Jason Statham Body YouTube series for a "behind the scenes" look at physical transformation).
Consider yourself lucky. Fewer people involved, less chance of screwing things up.
Steroids in The City of Angels
Every blockbuster starring a muscular male lead is marred by the obligatory steroid rumors. Clinically obese armchair experts chime in to save the public from adopting false idols. And while their arguments are often worse than their blood pressure, they do have a point.
Actors frequently rely on illegal substances to get in shape.
But that shouldn't concern you one bit. You'll focus on you, and you'll let others worry about other people's business.
As helpful as they are, steroids don't do the work for you. They don't help you stick to a very low-calorie diet. They don't drive your ass to the gym and lift the weights for you. They don't forge iron discipline and unwavering work ethic.
At the end of the day, you still have to do the work. No injection, pill, or program will do it for you.
You think it's money? You think it's luck? You think it's steroids?
These individuals aren't successful for nothing. They are at the top of their game. Look at Christian Bale. The crazy bastard lost 29 kg for his role in The Machinist. His diet consisted of a can of tuna and an apple a day (that's approximately 200 calories, in case you were wondering).
He starved himself for 6 months to play a character in a fictional world, while most of us can't even give up snacking on potato chips while watching TV.
After he shot the movie, Mr. Bale gained a whopping 45 kg (100 lbs) to portray the Dark Knight in Christopher Nolan's masterpiece Batman Begins.
Did he use steroids to get there? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless of how he did it, he still had to consume massive amounts of calories and train like an unchained animal.
Talk about a transformation
How many of you would go to hell and back to reach your physique goals? How many of you would eat 5000+ calories every single day, lift the equivalent of a small townhouse at the gym and say no to any and all distractions? Case in point.
You don't need steroids, personal trainers and chefs to get the job done. You need to be willing to do whatever it takes.
What Program Should I Follow?
Unleash your ultimate self
So how do you do it? What should you eat and how much? How should you train to build a Hollywood body?
Patience my friend.
The answers you seek are right here:
Lean Machine – The Ultimate Guide To Physical Transformation
Get it today.
Filed Under: Nutrition, Training Tagged With: diet, muscle-building, training, weight-loss
How to Look Like a Greek God | Living Lean and Mean says:
[…] at the bodies of Hollywood icons like Brad Pitt, Chris Hemsworth and Jason Statham. They're not bulked-up muscle monsters. […]
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Victor Gaspar M.Sc
Victor has researched the fields of nutrition, training, health and performance for over 15 years. A former Muay Thai national champion with a Masters Degree in Business, he teaches people across the globe how to crush their fitness goals while living life to the fullest. (read more)
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