Hugh Jackman has made the role his own, and a large part of this is down to his larger-than-life physique with almost comic book proportions.
Wolverine is often seen running topless through forests and hunting down his enemies with his Adamantium claws.
It’s hard to imagine this looking as cool if Jackman had a pudgy soft ‘dad bod’, so being ripped and muscular is a huge part of owning the role.
In particular, Jackman is known for his impressive back and biceps development, so we have detailed below a workout plan for you to forge your own set of biceps and lats, worthy of the big screen.
Now, we can’t promise you that this workout will help you develop an unbreakable Adamantium skeleton, but if you follow this plan you will be well on your way to developing your very own superhuman physique like Wolverine.
We have split the workouts into a beginner workout and an advanced workout, depending on your training experience and ability.
Training of the lats will be separated into 3 movement patterns so the lats can be targeted from every angle:
You will start with the vertical pull. Now depending on your strength level and training experience, this will be either a neutral grip chin-up (advanced) or a neutral grip lat pulldown (beginner).
You should be aiming for 4 sets of 8 reps on this exercise, focused on pulling your shoulder blades back and keeping your chest up high.
Focus on a 1-second pause in the contracted portion of each repetition and a 3-second eccentric.
Next up will be the horizontal pull, this will be dumbbell rows (advanced) or chest-supported machine rows (beginner). Again, focus on a 1-second contraction in the shortened portion of the rep and a 3-second descent. You will be aiming for 4 sets of 10 reps here.
Next we will move onto the biceps, these will also be trained from 3 angles. The stretched, the mid-range and the contracted position. We will start with the mid-range movement which will be standing EZ-bar curls (advanced) or seated 90-degree dumbbell curls (beginner). You will take a supinated (palms up) hand position and focus on a 1-second squeeze at the top of each rep with a 3 second eccentric. 4 sets of 8 reps here too.
The second biceps exercise will be focused on the stretched portion of the lift, which will be seated dumbbell curls (advanced and beginner). Set the bench to a 60-degree angle, and grab the dumbbells with a supinated (palms up) grip. You will keep your elbow behind your torso and come to a fully lengthened position at the bottom of each repetition. You will have a 3-second eccentric and a 1-second stretch on each rep. 4 sets of 10 reps here.
Finally, you will finish with a superset. Standing cable pullovers with preacher curls. These exercises will allow you to focus on the contracted part of each lift.
Cable pullovers can be tricky at first, lean slightly forward with your arms almost completely straight, holding an EZ-curl bar attachment. Think about keeping the angle at your elbow the same, and with an arc movement bringing the bar into your hips. You want a 2-second contraction on each rep and a 3-second eccentric. 3 sets of 12 here.
You will superset this with preacher curls, that means no rest between the 2 exercises. Grab an EZ curl bar and put enough weight on there for you to do 3 sets of 12 reps.
You want a 3-second eccentric and a 2-second contraction on each rep here, make sure you’re not losing tension on the biceps at the top of the rep, this is where you really need to squeeze. So there you have it, your very own back and biceps workout to get you looking like Hugh Jackman in Wolverine in no time.
Combine your high-intensity workouts with a structured meal plan for your goals and you will be well on your way to developing a physique fit for the big screen!
This guide is aimed at trainees with a good knowledge of the exercises and how to train safely and effectively.
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up:
The Movement:
Trainer Tips:
The Set-Up
The Movement
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
The Set-Up
The Movement
Trainer Tips
Save time and money, get our best content and offers before anyone else, direct to your inbox.
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly necessary cookies should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings and for basic functioning of the website.