For those of you who know about the Marvel Superheroes, one of them definitely resonates as a model person to look up to. Captain America!
Actor Chris Evans portrays the Captain America character in the recent movies and what sets him apart is his physical appearance. He is not overtly bulky from a muscular standpoint but he still sports a lean muscular look.
He claims to workout seven days per week and for hours during each workout! Now it is not necessary to work out every day of the week. You can take the approach of working out one muscle group per day and adhere to a strict nutrition plan.
Some guidelines to follow:
1) You must first build your base, this means that you need to combine the lean concept with a solid muscle base. Use the gauge of 2 pounds of lean muscle mass gained each month.
2) You must be lean as it relates to the percentage of body fat that you are carrying. Aim for between 10-12%, because if you are carrying a lot of fat in addition to the muscle, you will not obtain that lean chiselled look.
3) You could focus on the wide shoulders and lean waist look (the ones that have the most visual impact), men gravitate towards it, and women find it very appealing. With your training routine, you want to moderate the squats and dead lifts.
What nutrition is required for a Captain America physique?
A primary focus would be to gain muscle. So this means that on the average if your base caloric rate is 1850 calories per day, you would need to consume an average of 500 calories more over your base per day.
Your protein consumption should increase per day. You can use this formula to calculate how much you need: your current body weight x .45369 (to convert your weight to kilograms), then multiply your kilogram weight by a factor of 1.4 in order to derive your total number of grams of protein per day.
I recommend that you take a nutritional assessment to see if you are deficient in any vitamins and/or minerals, and if you are, you can consume the appropriate foods. Remember to curtail your consumption of empty calories!
The workout for a Captain America physique
The workout schedule encompasses six out of seven days each week. The protocol would be to train one body part per day, which can be classified as a split routine. This allows for an adequate time to recover and mitigates the chances of straining or over exercising a particular muscle.
The level of resistance is gauged by the last three repetitions in a set and pushing you to a point of almost muscular failure.
Here is a sample training program for your Captain America Workout:
Monday – Shoulders
Seated Military Press Machine – 3 sets, 15 reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 3 sets, 6 to 8 reps each
Rear Delt Cable Raise – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Barbell Shoulder Shrug – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Tuesday – Chest
Cable Crossover – 4 sets, 10 reps
Inclined Dumbbell Press – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Push-ups – 4 sets, 12 reps
Wednesday – Legs
Leg Press – 4 sets, 25, 20, 18, 16 reps (Last set is a drop set)
Smith Machine Lunge – 4 sets, 8 reps per leg
Lying Leg Curl – 4 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps
Standing Calf Raise – 6 sets, 12 reps (Last set is a drop set)
Thursday – Arms
Alternating Dumbbell Curl – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Preacher Machine Curl – 6 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 21, 21 reps
Cable Triceps Extension – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 20 reps
Overhead Cable Extension – 4 sets, 12, 10, 8, 20 reps
One arm Reverse grip Triceps Extension – 2 sets, 10 reps
Friday – Back
Wide Grip Lateral Pull Down – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Close Grip Lateral Pull Down – 5 sets, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
One arm Seated Row Machine – 4 sets, 10 reps
Back Extension – 4 sets, 15, 15, 12, 12 reps
Saturday – Workouts for cardiovascular health and abdominals (core) like circuit training, etc.
Sunday – Rest!
So remember, if you are going to take on this high level task of training, then you need to be ready to “suit up”!
Connect here with WatchFit expert Jim Cleveland