Probably one of the fittest bodies in Hollywood is that of Ryan Reynolds. He made his first real appearance in the popular movie Van Wilder, where he showed off his six pack, and fitly toned body. However, in 2003-2004, Ryan went through an amazing transformation in preparation for his role in the movie Blade Trinity. This transformation is what really got him the attention in the health and fitness industry. In preparation, he managed to shed his body fat from 11% to only 3%, on top of gaining 20 pounds of muscle mass, all within a time period of about 5 months. Now, you ask, how did he do it?
First off, Ryan was given a specific diet. In his own words he says, "I ate something pretty much every 2-3 hours, never "stuffing" myself, but never letting myself get hungry." He also drank a large amount of water continually throughout the day.
The Reynolds Diet:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, some "good" fat like a spoon of almond butter or slice of avocado, and 1 cup of oatmeal with applesauce
Midmorning snack: protein bar
Lunch: albacore tuna wrap or chicken and salad
Mid-afternoon snack: protein shake (whey and water), protein bar, or apple and almonds
Dinner: broiled fish or chicken, brown rice, vegetables, and salad
Evening Snack: protein shake
Ryan ate a protein carb mix every 2 hours, resulting in 8-10 small meals a day. Most of his carbohydrates he ate post-workout and never after 8:00pm. The carbs during the day kept his blood sugar levels even, and gave him the right amount of energy to get him through the intense workouts.
The Reynolds Workout:
Guided by personal trainer Darren Chapman, (both for Ryan Reynolds, and Jessica Biel) he performed daily workouts for 2-3 hours a day.
He would start with about 500-1000 sit ups, because this was very meditative for him. It didn't matter when they were done, but he found it most beneficial at the beginning of the workout. The lower abs are the hardest muscle to develop, so Ryan did a lot of leg lifts with both the exercise ball, and weights, to focus on these muscles.
He would then do heavy weights focusing on one body part a day. It would look something like this: Chest day 1, Back day 2, Shoulder day 3, Legs day 4, with arms mixed in, and a constant rotation of these every day.
Reynolds Supplement Intake:
Ryan went on Creatine to gain more muscle mass, and also took supplements including L-glutamine, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), whey, and a multivitamin.
He notes how important diet played a role in his transformation. He said that 80% of it was based on his diet, when most people believe the workout to be the most vital element. However, 80% of building muscle is eating the right diet. Making sure he had enough calories to gain mass, but not fat, and eating a large amount of protein and carbs was his main focus.
So implementing a specific diet plan and starting your own workout routine can help you on your way to an overall better physique. You may not end up looking like Ryan Reynolds, but you can easily get on the right track to a fit and healthy body.
Ryan Reynolds - His Diet and Workout Plan
