Category: Celebrity Workouts

Add some variety into your workouts and get a fighters body like the UFC and MMA star Conor McGregor.

Conor McGregor is the biggest name in the UFC right now, known for his fighting ability and also his fighting tongue.

The training these guys undertake is different to other sports. They have to train their whole body in every way, and in every aspect of physical fitness and martial arts to prepare for a MMA contest.

One of the things that makes Conor McGregor stand out from other UFC fighters is his unique style and movement. His physique is built for speed, power and agility in equal measures with a clear emphasis and fascination with the movement of the human body. This focus on movement is what leads to his unique style, and it all starts with his training.

Conor says he doesn’t like to stick to training routines, instead he does whatever he feel like at that particular time, and his training includes a great deal of variety. This includes stretching, cardio, strength building, balance training, movement training, plus all the various styles of martial arts that he practices.

However, for this Conor inspired workout I will only include some of his various resistance and movement exercises in order to focus on building a physique like him. Rather than becoming an actual fighter.

Beginner Conor McGregor Workout

Rest for 1 – 3 minutes between sets and exercises. The example exercise duration’s and reps are set purposely low, you can obviously increase these as your fitness levels increase.

Warm up

Perform each exercise for 1 minute

Arm Circles

Stand up straight with your feet around shoulder width apart, with your arms straight, slowly start to rotate them backwards and forwards.

Hip Rotations

Stand with your feet just wider than shoulder width apart, place your hands on your hips and rotate in both directions for 30 seconds.

Knee Ups

Alternating with your left and right knees, raise each knee up to your stomach or higher at a controlled steady pace.

Jogging on the spot

Bring your knees up nice and high and continue at a steady pace for 1 minute.

Motion Exercise

Lizard Walk – 3 sets of a distance of 20 feet each set

Get yourself in a push up position. Move one hand forward, and at the same time move the opposite leg forward, repeat with your opposite limbs and continue to move forward. If you struggle with this keep your body higher to make it easier until your strength and technique increases.

This is a bit difficult to explain, but you can find plenty of videos online showing the correct technique.

Body Weight Resistance Exercises

Try and complete the total reps suggested, break them into sets if needed.

• Pull Ups – 20 Reps in total
• Press Ups – 40 Reps in total
• Muscle Ups – 20 Reps in total – Rings required (Advanced Exercise)

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Do you want a body like Daniel Craig? this article goes into his workout and diet habits which got him into shape for this role as James Bond 007.

When he took over the role of James Bond in Casino Royal he changed the character. Not only was he the first blond bond, he was also more muscular and more physically capable than ever before.

Daniel Craig’s workout was focused more on circuit training rather than a standard weight training routine. His goal was to gain muscle and to burn body fat, he wasn’t focused on packing on huge amounts of muscle mass. The focus was on getting in overall great shape for this physically demanding role.

What is circuit training?

For anybody that doesn’t know. Circuit training is moving from one exercise to another without rest for multiple exercises. This type of training is great for improving muscular endurance and your cardiovascular system. Plus it will also result in some increased muscle mass.

His Diet

As always your diet is an extremely important part of getting results. If you don’t eat right you won’t get the results.

Based on my research here is an example (not exact) diet that Daniel Craig was following during his training.

• Breakfast – 1 portion of fruit, 2 poached eggs
• Snack – Nuts and protein supplement
• Lunch – Meat or fish including potatoes or rice
• Snack – Yogurt and a protein supplement
• Dinner – Meat or fish with mixed vegetables

He also reportedly drank over 1 and a half liters of water every day as keeping hydrated is very important to getting and keeping a healthy body.

Simple (refined) carbohydrates were limited or cut out completely after around 4pm.

He was able to relax his diet a little over the weekend to make it more bearable which reportedly included even having an alcoholic drink or two. There is not really an issue with drinking alcohol and getting in great shape just as long as you don’t over do it, so it doesn’t affect your training and diet.

Daniel Craig’s Sets & Reps

He normally performed 3 – 4 sets of 10 reps for the following exercises with little rest to no rest between exercises.

• Clean and Press
• Bench Press
• Weighted Step Ups
• Weighted Knee Raise
• Pull ups
• Tricep Dips
• Push Ups
• Dumbbell Flys
• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Lunges
• Bicep Curls
• Lateral Raises
• Shoulder Press
• Hamstring Leg Curls

Daniel Craig’s Workout

His routine included two full body power circuit workouts and three split workouts which ranged from Monday to Friday which looked like this.

Day 1

Full body workout, consisting of 5 – 6 exercises targeting the whole body.

• Clean and Press
• Step Ups
• Pull Ups
• Push Ups
• Knee or Leg Raises
• Tricep Dips

Day 2

Chest and Back

• Bench Press
• Dumbbell Flys
• Pull Ups
• Push Ups

Day 3

Legs

• Squats
• Hamstring Curls
• Deadlift
• Lunges

Day 4

Arms and Shoulders

• Shoulder Press
• Bicep Curls
• Tricep Dips
• Lateral Raises

Day 5

Repeat of the full body power circuit workout in day 1.

The weekend was rest time apart from performing some light cardio and stretching exercises.

For Beginners

This is a fairly advanced routine and circuit workouts are extremely demanding so don’t attempt this if you are a complete beginner.

If you don’t think you are ready for this full workout, just start off with 3 of the workouts for 3 days a week. You can also reduce the amount of exercises and the sets, and then gradually increase as your fitness levels improve.

Hugh Jackman The Wolverine Workout plan and how he developed his Wolverine physique in the short period of time that he did.

Hugh Jackman made huge improvements to his physique from the age of 31 until his mid forties which is most noticeable in his role as The Wolverine in the X-Men movies.

Hugh Jackman was never in bad shape in the first place however his transformation has still been dramatic. He has gone from a guy with a good yet relatively normal physique to near bodybuilding levels of size, definition and body fat.

So how did this happen?

It all started when Hugh began training with David Kingsbury, who is an ex mixed martial arts fighter. David got the chance to work as a personal trainer at Pinewood Films Studios, this is how David became Hugh Jackmans trainer for the part of The Wolverine.

Also note that how he looks in the movies in partly the result of visual manipulations. This includes studio lighting, probably fake tan and make up to improve definition. Plus I guarantee he was training in the gym to get a pump shortly before those scenes were shot.

Hugh Jackmans Wolverine Workout Routine

Hugh Jackmans workout was a combination of low repetition 1 – 5 and High repetition resistance training of 8 – 12 reps per set. David Kingsbury believed this combination of training styles to be one of the most effective to get Hugh Jackman his Wolverine physique in the short time that they had before filming started.

His training was separated into two main parts, the bulk and the cut. During these two phases his weight training actually changed very little, the bulk and the cut was influenced mainly by diet, calorie consumption and cardio exercises.

The first goal was to achieve bulk, strength and size while trying to limit any gains in body fat. Once this goal was achieved the focus turned to achieving definition and reducing body fat.

His workout started with low reps for triggering muscle growth and strength, each week the weight would increase to encourage muscle and strength gains. On the forth week he would decrease the weight so that 10 reps would become achievable.

For example

• Week 1 – 5 Reps
• Week 2 – 4 Reps
• Week 3 – 3 Reps
• Week 4 – 10 Reps

The exercises that this applies too

• Bench press
• Deadlift
• Pull ups
• Squats

These compound exercises should always be the priority of any muscle building workout. Based on this information you should be able to create your own workout based on this 4 week plan concept using these four main compound exercises. All other exercises use the more common higher repetition sets.

As an example I will create a workout myself based on this information. I have tried a few different workout systems in my time, yet never one exactly like this, so I am going to try this workout myself.

Warning these workout are high intensity, these are heavy resistance workouts and a proper warm up is required before lifting heavy to avoid injury.

Workout 1

• Bench press – 4 – 5
• Bicep curls barbell – 3 – 10
• Dumbbell flyes – 3 – 10
• Preacher curls – 3 – 10
• Lunges – 3 – 10 each leg

Workout 2

• Squats – 4 – 5
• Calf raises – 3  10
• Shoulder press – 4 – 10
• Leg Raises – 4 – 10
• Shoulder raises – 4 – 10

Workout 3

• Lat pull downs 3 – 10
• Tricep Extensions – 3 – 10
• T-bar row 4 – 10
• Tricep rope cable pull downs – 3 – 10
• Pull ups (weighted if necessary) – 4 – 5

Workout 4

• Crunches – 4 – 10
• Upright rows – 3 – 10
• Deadlift – 4 – 5
• Narrow grip bench press – 4 – 10
• Single arm dumbbell row – 3 – 10 each arm

Week 2 – increase the weight and reduce to 4 reps, week 3 increase the weight and reduce to 3 reps, and on the 4th week reduce the weight and perform 10 reps per set. Train to failure while maintaining good technique! Remember only to follow this 5 4 3 10 set plan on the 4 main compound exercises which are highlighted in bold above.

Only attempt this workout if you are in good health and if you already have some weight training experience, contact your doctor if necessary.

This Ralf Moeller Workout has been inspired by Ralf Moller’s A Complete Step By Step Guide to Weight Training.

About Ralf Moeller

Ralf Moeller was born on the 12th of January 1959 in Recklinghausen Germany. Ralf got involved in sports at an early age, joining the Recklinghaus SV Neptune swimming club. Ralf continued to swim for several years, he then turned his interest on to boxing however he never fought. He then turned his attention back to swimming and he began training as a swimming instructor.

Ralf also had a strong interest in bodybuilding which he soon took a more active role in. He started to became more serious about a bodybuilding career, and his training increased with the intention of competing in bodybuilding competitions.

Bodybuilding & Acting Career

Ralf Moller was the German Bodybuilding champion in 1984, and competed in some of the biggest stages including competing at the Mr Olympian in 1988. Ralf was one of the biggest competing body builders standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing nearly 300lbs.

During and after his bodybuilding career Ralf got involved in acting. He gained roles in some well known movies such as Best of the Best 2, Universal Soldier and a favorite movie of mine, Gladiator.

Ralf Moeller Inspired Workout

Below is a workout which has been inspired by Ralf Moellers book, “A Complete Step by Step Guide to Weight Training”. This workout is based on the beginners workout which is included in the book. The workout below is not exactly the same as the one in the book, however it’s similar to it in many ways.

Workout One – Chest and Abdominals

• Barbell or smith machine bench press – 3 sets 8 – 10 reps
• Dumbbell flys – 4 sets 8 – 10 reps
• Sit ups – 3 sets of 10 reps
• Leg raises – 3 sets of 6 – 10 reps

Workout Two – Back and Arms

• Seated pulley rows – 3 sets of 8 – 10 reps
• Lat pull downs – 3 sets of 10 reps
• Standing barbell curls – 3 sets of 10 reps
• Standing tricep extensions – 3 sets of 10 reps

Workout Three – Shoulders and Legs

• Shoulder press on press machine – 4 sets of 8 – 10 reps
• Upright rows – 3 sets of 8 -10 reps
• Front thigh leg curls – 3 sets of 8 – 10 reps
• Hamstring extensions – 3 sets of 8 – 10 reps

Ralf Moellers guide to weight training also includes an advanced workout with nutritional advice, diet examples and much more. Definitely a recommended book for beginners and anyone interested in weight training and bodybuilding.

Ralf Moeller Official Website.

This Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding workout has been influenced by the very best minds in bodybuilding.

About Arnie

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947 in Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr. Olympia seven times and he also won Mr. Universe at the age of 20. He is without doubt the greatest and most successful bodybuilder of all time.

The following workout has been inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding. Anybody serious about weight lifting and bodybuilding should get this book, it includes everything you need to know.

The book goes into great detail about weight training and bodybuilding techniques, including information on correct diets, rest periods and just about everything that you would need to know.

The three below workouts can be completed once or twice a week, performing them twice a week will result in six days a week of training. Don’t attempt this if you’re a complete beginner, take care to perform all exercises correctly, using the correct technique and do not lift beyond your ability. Don’t let your ego take over!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Workout

All exercises can be completed with the following frequency, between 3 – 5 sets and 6 – 10 repetitions, with the exception of the abdominal exercises which can be performed with higher repetitions, for example 20 or 30 reps.

Chest and Back

• Barbell bench press
• Dumbbell chest flyes
• Incline dumbbell bench press
• T bar rowing, can be performed with just a barbell
• Deadlift
• Lat pull downs

Shoulders and Arms

• Upright row
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Side shoulder raises
• Standing bicep curls
• Concentration curls
• Standing or seated overhead dumbbell extensions
• Tricep extensions/skull crushes

Legs and Abdominals

• Squats
• Stiff leg deadlift
• Calf raises
• Lunges
• Leg raises
• Decline sit ups

The encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding includes a great deal of information about the following topics.

Nutrition and Diet, it goes into detail about the special requirements for bodybuilders, including information on Protein, carbohydrates and dietary fat requirements. It lists the actual foods to consume, information on muscle building supplements, water, vitamin and mineral intakes.

Other subject areas it covers is our Metabolic rate, how much energy we get from food and how food is used by the body, exercise and energy usage, Glycogen and Ketosis details.

The books talks about how to gain muscle and how to lose body fat. Including information on our body composition, different body types, the effects of age on our bodies and training, how much cardiovascular exercising we should perform. Plus recommended calorie consumption and various other tips and strategies for the correct training and eating habits, plus much more.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding includes just about everything you would need to know and it’s highly recommended.

Find out more on the official Arnold Schwarzenegger website.