Well ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Henry Cavill has done it again.
After getting absolutely shredded for his role in Immortals, Henry Cavill has taken it upon himself to bulk up for the titular role as Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel.
And if you’ve seen any of the recent behind the scene photos, then you’ll definitely notice that Henry Cavill has succeeded in packing on a substantial amount of muscle.
I laid down a detailed overview of the Henry Cavill’s training and diet to help you look like Superman.
Train in all rep ranges to get ripped like Henry Cavill
In order to properly portray Superman, Henry Cavill needed to look both big and strong. And the best way to accomplish this is by lifting in both low, mid, and high rep ranges. When most guys train, they typically either train really really heavy or really really light.
They either lift exclusively in the 3-6 rep range or in the 10-12 rep range.
While lower rep ranges (3-6 reps) are good for increasing your strength levels, they aren’t the best for muscular hypertrophy.
On the other hand, higher rep ranges (10-12 reps) are good for increasing fluid in the muscle which will quickly increase the muscle’s size but it doesn’t necessarily translate to strength gains. To build the best overall physique, you need to incorporate all rep ranges.
As you can see in the pic above, Henry Cavill definitely got ripped for Man of Steel. He has excellent muscular density and body proportions. I can’t stress the importance of body proportions enough when it comes to building muscle.
Henry Cavill has a very “shoulder centric” look to his body meaning he has very broad shoulders and a very tight, lean waist. All guys should aim for this look if they want to look like Henry Cavil.
How to do the Henry Cavill workout
For the Henry Cavill Superman workout, your workout should be spread over 4 days. Ideally, you should be on a 2 day on-1 day off cycle. Or if you can’t swing that, you can do an every other day cycle
Monday (Upper body, strength)
- Incline dumbbell press – 4 sets/5 reps
- Flat dumbbell press – 4 sets/5 reps
- Weighted pull ups – 4 sets/5 reps
- Dumbbell or barbell row – 4 sets/5 reps
Tuesday (Lower body, strength)
- Deadlift – 5 sets/ 5 reps
- Front squat – 5 sets/6-8 reps
- Front lunges – 4 sets/8 reps per leg
- Calf raise – 5 sets/12 reps
Wed (Rest)
Rest day.
Take it easy.
Thrus (Chest and Back, hypertrophy)
- Incline dumbbell press – 4 sets/8-10 reps
- Cable crossover – 4 sets/10-12 reps
- Weighted chin ups – 4 sets/8-10 reps
- Seated cable row – 4 sets/10-12 reps
Friday (Shoulders and arms, hypertrophy)
- Seated dumbbell press – 5 sets/8-10 reps
- Side lateral raise – 5 sets/10-12 reps
- Front Lateral raises – 5 sets/10-12 reps
- Any bicep curl variation – 6 sets/10-12 reps
- Any tricep extension variation – 6 sets/10-12 reps
Saturday and Sunday (Rest)
Note: You can do some soft tissue work (with foam roller or lacrosse ball), some dynamic stretching, and even some walking but don’t do any high intensity activities.
Henry Cavill diet – don’t screw this up!
I’m on 5,000 calories a day. You’ve got to eat protein first, then a little bit of carbs … you’ve gotta keep your hunger levels going.
While the sample Henry Cavill workout above will help you gain muscle like a mother*ucker, it will only work if your diet is on point.
According to various interviews, Henry ate up to 5000 calories per day in order to bulk up for Superman.
I don’t know if this number is over exaggerated but the majority of people will never need 5000 calories per day, even if your goal is to gain weight.
For most people, the following formula tends to work pretty well: Your bodyweight in pounds x 16-18 kcals.
You can adjust up or down by 100-200 calories if you start to gain more fat than muscle.
As for what kinds of foods you should eat…I don’t particularly care.
- Aim to get about 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
- Aim to get 20% of your calories from fat.
- Fill in the rest of your calories with carbs.
You can still eat your favorite foods, but just remember – moderation! You should try to eat more whole foods 80% of the time, meaning foods like potatoes, beef, chicken, pork, whole milk, rice, pasta, fruits, and vegetables.
But if you have a craving for doughnuts or pizza then don’t deprive yourself either, just don’t binge on that shit.
Do you need to take supplements?
I typically don’t recommend supplements because all you need t build a badass body like Henry Cavill in Superman is a solid workout program and good nutrition. But that’s not to say supplements are useless.
If you’re having trouble getting enough protein, then a protein powder may help.
Other than that, a multivitamin is useful to cover potential mineral deficiencies.
And some fish oil is useful to combat inflammation and balance out the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio that is so common in Western diets.
Recommended supplement brands:
- ON Whey (protein powder)
- Garden Of Life Multivitamin for men (multivitamin)
- Nutrigold fish oil (fish oil)
Update (6/14): What if I’m not trying to gain muscle?
I understand everyone has different goals and not everyone is trying to gain muscle. A lot of guys are complete beginners and want to lose weight.
Here’s how to modify the workout and diet above if you’re trying to lose weight and not gain muscle:
- Do the same workout but the each workout but on Monday do 1 less set for each exercise.
- On Tuesday, do 1 less set for each exercise except calf raises (still do 5 sets). On Thursday, do 1 less set for each exercise.
- On Friday, do 1 less set for each exercise, except for the bicep and triceps exercises (only do 4 sets each instead of 6)
- For you diet, the only thing that changes are your calorie requirements.
- Use the following formula:Your bodyweight in pounds x 16-18.
- If you’re a complete beginner, chances are you’ll gain muscle and lose fat (the newbie effect) which is awesome even if you’re in a calorie deficit.
Henry Cavil Workout: Want the exact blueprint to build a “Superman” worthy body?
Look I know a lot of guys who aspire to look like Cavill struggle with losing weight and building muscle.
You’re probably one of them.
So I took everything I know and created a program called Superhero X12 designed specifically for guys who want to get ripped and build a Hollywood “superhero” body.
If you ever wanted the lean, aesthetic physique of a Hollywood actor, be sure to check it out. If you have any questions on the Henry Cavill Man of Steel workout, be sure to leave them below.
Thanks for the insight Keith. Started following you on Twitter and looking forward to future posts, etc. Question for you if I may, after your explanation of the 4-day workout above (2 days on, 1 day off), you say “…but don’t do any high intensity activities.” Does that mean that to gain muscle I should limit/stop running? Up to now, I’ve reduced my running to 5-6 miles 2-3 times per week on days I don’t lift. I don’t want to contradict the lifting I do in the gym, but I’d like to keep my cardio strength as well. Thanks for any & all thoughts.
You can still run, the only main problem with this is that it may tire you out to the extent that you can’t lift with as much intensity in the gym the following day. You can try running but if you find yourself lifting with less effort the following day, then cut back on the running.
Also, for all the extra running you do, make sure you’re compensating all that extra running with extra calories.
I understand, thank you. Follow-on question: again referencing the workout you recommend above, are those the only exercises done on each of the days? I’m not asking to spend hours in the gym, but having not yet done that regimen, it seems fast and easy. Maybe that means I need to use heavy weights and high intensity.
Simply do the designated exercises for each respective day. And yes, you need to use heavier weights. If you’re pushing 5 reps, you need to choose a weight that will exhaust you at the end of 5 reps.
Got it. Thanks again!
I read the diet plan and you covered eating very well, but is this a water only diet? What all can I drink? (I’m not 21 so this isn’t about alcohol lol)
No this is not a water only diet.
So I can basically just drink whatever will give me my calories and such?
No, what made you think this is a liquid only diet? You need to eat real food.
No no no, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m basically asking if I can drink Gatorade and pop and juice and other things like that and still gain sufficient muscle or do I need to cut all that out and drink water and other healthier drinks.
yeah gatorade and stuff like that is fine.
Is there an alternative to deadlift you could suggest?
Rack pulls
I only have partial use of one arm, I cant do right side curls, pull ups, or deadlift. Any advice you can give me for different exercises?
Man that’s tough. Because the problem is if you can’t use one arm, it means you can’t train that side of your body. Your best bet would just do one arm exercises, but honestly I don’t have a good answer. Can you elaborate on your condition more?
Hi thanks to post it i`m gonna try it i just have one question, what about abs? what should i do with this routine?
Just stick the routine. A lot of the compound movements, hit your abs.
Ok thank you i’ll try it
So am I supposed to do these sets of exercises again and again,week in week out, like for few months ? is this sufficient to bulk up even by just doing the same sets of exercises (with gradual increased weights) or there’s a need to alter the exercises ? if yes how should it be ? Thanks .
Yes, you just need to focus on getting stronger and eat enough.
This is one of my favourite workout Keith.
But I have one concern… My chest won’t be too big( a lot of dumbbell chest press) with this workout(Cavill Has very big chest). Maybe I should modify it?
If your chest truly does get too big, then simply cut back on the amount of presses. That simple.
Hey Keith, does time of day affect the results from this workout? With work and school, I usually can’t hit the gym until 8.
That’s fine.
Yeah, I dont know if I’m missing something, but I dont see an info on what weight to use on bars and stuff…
Yea because the weight everyone pushes is relevant to their strength. Higher reps mean lower weights and vice versa.
I’m new to this, so would a weight to use be one that is my max or a little under that? Like should I use one that is a challenge but can still do after 4 sets?
For example if the set calls for 8 reps, you should pick a weight so by the time you finish your 8th rep, you feel like you have ‘one more in the tank.’ Train to near failue but don’t train to failure.
Hello Keith, ive been looking for your guides and page for some times and i want to ask you, with my current situation, what workout should i do?
I always wanted a good looking body and down to 30kilograms already and decide to lift some “real” weights shape my body.
Apparently, my body status from Omron is :
176cm 95kg
Bodyfat 28%
Muscle 33%
Thanks for your help.
Do the workout in this post.
How should I warm up for the first workout (inckine press) or do I just go straihht into it?
I would do 3-4 warm up sets.
Start off with the bar for 15 reps or so then the second warm up set would be 50% of your working weight then increase by 10-15% each subsequent warmup set.
Hi Keith – two questions here:
– As it stand I’m already packing a little too much weight so taking the above into account would I continue with the workout (as I already have the bulk unintentionally) but just eat a normal about of calories? I.e 2500?
– I intend to try this at home and only have dumbells – can you suggest an alternative for cable rows & cable crossovers?
Thanks!
Yeah you could do this workout in a deficit to lose weight. You’ll prob end up gaining some muscle and losing some fat.
You could do db rows and db flyes.
How many reps and sets of dumbbell rows would you do if you couldn’t use a cable crossover?
same reps and sets.
Hey,
Thanks for putting this workout up, I appreciate it a lot. I only have one question. Why is it that some of the other websites have different workouts than this one. They state that Henry Cavill worked out for 2.5 hours a day. Is this the exact workout he followed or is it similar to it and maybe modified?
No this is not the official workout. I put this one up because I hate working out 2.5 hours per day, don’t you?
Hey man! Great article.
You see, im having a rotator cuff injury and im pretty much an ectomorph. Which is why i have some time to study and improve my trainingprogram. So my questions are- is this suited for a guy whos an ectomorph, and afraid of obertraing and also…
I cant get rid of my pain in the ass (or shoulder) rotator cuff injury.
Please help me. Thanks alot.
Thanks.
But what’s the extent of your RC injury? If it’s constant pain, I would get it checked out first by a pro.
Starting using this program for a few weeks and thus far im impressed. 2 questions..is it ok to to 5 minute warm up cardio on each of the workout days? and if I would want to add shrugs, lets say on the Monday work out. .would that be ok? thanks
It’s fine to add warmup cardio but I find it unnecessary, just make sure it doesn’t hinder your strength.
Ya you can add shrugs if you find them to be lagging.