If you’ve seen any of Channing Tatum’s filmography, you’ll probably notice two obvious things:
1) He’s not a very good actor 2) He does however, usually have the lean physique that a lot of fitness enthusiasts are aiming to achieve.
So rather than taking acting lessons from the guy, let’s try and emulate his fitness tactics instead.
His recent summer smash, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” had many heads turning toward his physique. He was not overly bulky, yet he looked like he added a decent amount of lean mass while also slimming his waist down, to portray Captain Duke Hauser. He did indeed get in very good shape for this role, so let’s take a look at his workout plan and nutritional foundation.
Channing Tatum has good physical genetics. He is mesomorphic by nature. Mesomorphs naturally carry a decent amount of muscle and can alter their physique pretty easily. They also have a natural V in their torso which is obviously a sought after physical trait. It creates proportionality. You want broad shoulders, a good sized chest and a slim waist. That’s what creates that Adonis like body shape that is synonymous with the Hollywood Look.
If you have mesomorphic genetics as well, Tatum’s fitness regimen will be right up your alley. Increasing strength while maintaining muscle is what Channing Tatum used to develop that dense, angular shape to his muscles. Strength training involves heavy low-rep weight training.
We will also incorporate HIIT cardio and interval style circuit training into the workout plan, as we’ll also be striving to lean down a bit and lose some body fat to increase definition.
A very popular and effective strength training set and rep scheme is the 5x5 workout Because Tatum already had enough muscle for his frame, this is what was used for his strength workouts. Reps in the 6-12 range tend to increase muscular size, but they didn’t want Tatum too bulky for the role - he had to maintain an athletic physique, not a bodybuilder type. The only steady state cardio he used was briefly after his strength workouts. Other than that, HIIT and circuits kept him lean, as well as the diet plan obviously.
Channing Tatum G.I. Joe Workout Routine:
Resistance exercises performed in a 5x5 set/rep scheme unless marked differently:
Monday - Chest
Gironda Neck Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Narrow Grip Bench Press
Low Cable Fly (3x10)
High Cable Fly (3x10)
*10-15 minutes Steady State Cardio*
Tuesday - Back
Wide Grip Pullups (3x8-12)
Neutral Grip Bent Over Barbell Row
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns
Seated CableRow
Neutral Grip pullups (3x8-12)
*10-15 minutes Steady State Cardio*
Wednesday - Interval Circuit
*Crossfit Style workout or another Full Body Interval Workout*
Thursday - Recovery Day
Friday - Shoulders
Barbell Military Press
Seated DB Overhead Press
Side Lateral Raise (3x8-12)
Front Lateral Raise (3x8-12)
Rear Deltoid Raise (3x8-12)
*10-15 minutes Steady State Cardio*
Saturday - Interval Circuit
*Same principle as Wednesday workout, but use different exercises*
Sunday - Recovery Day
You probably noticed that a “Leg Day” is omitted. Legs will not be worked directly for this routine. People tend to overwork their legs, which causes an unbalanced physiqe. It also makes it hard to fit into normal pants! Leg strength will be improved throughout the use of HIIT circuits. Channing Tatum would have risked over developing his legs had he incorporated a “Leg Training Day” into his fitness routine. Remember we are trying to burn body fat while increasing muscle density. Building muscle in the right places to create that V-Shape Look is a good thing, as opposed to putting mass in the hips and legs, which creates an unattractive physique.
NUTRITION
The biggest factor of Tatum’s look was his diet plan. That’s right. What you feed your body will go hand-in-hand with how it looks. Feed your body crap, and you’ll likely look like crap. Tatum’s diet was based around a high protein, moderate carbohydrate intake, while incorporating healthy fats for health and to maintain hormone levels.
A good guideline for protein is 1 gram per pound of lean mass on your body. A 170 pound guy who has 12% body fat is carrying 150 lbs of lean mass, so he should be ingesting around 150 grams of protein a day.
Tatum's diet mainly consisted of meat and starchy vegetables. Starches and sugars were consumed pre and post workout to aid in glycogen replacement and muscle recovery. If Tatum needed to lean down in a short period, he would reduce carbs even further for a span of time, forcing the body to burn its own body fat for fuel.
For more Celebrity Workouts, including:
- Channing Tatum
- Matthew McConaughey
- Megan Fox
- Fergie
- Sean Faris
- Zac Efron
- Brad Pitt
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Andy Whitfield
Check out ===>Hollywood Body Fitness <===
