Look, in all honesty we were as surprised as you when Paul Rudd – the guy from Friends – got in the shape of his life as the titular hero in Marvel’s Ant-Man. Where Hemsworth was yoked, Rudd was ripped. And it looked good on him.
Which got us thinking, if everyone’s favourite nice guy can do it – approaching 50, no less – what’s stopping you?
The third Ant-Man film is in cinemas this month and sees Rudd face off against Jonathan Major’s villain Kang. Clearly, getting in fighting shape has never been more important.
To help you channel Rudd, we spoke to his trainer, Richard Louis, a former Mr Universe competitor with 30-years experience in the fitness industry. Now founder of FitSpace NYC, Louis knows exactly what it takes to transform the average Joe from zero to hero.
The Mission
Hailing from Trinidad, Louis came to the US 25 years ago. By 2009 he was the National Amateur Body-Builders’ Association world champion. This sort of thing tends to get you noticed and Louis began training actors for film roles. The call to train Rudd came before the first Ant-Man in 2014.
‘Paul was living in Tribeca. We sat in the lobby [of my gym] and chatted,’ Louis explains of that first meeting. Their first session took place the next day. Already in his mid-forties, Rudd had a specific goal in mind.
‘He’s not a young man,’ Louis says, ‘and he wasn’t using performance enhancers.’ To avoid injury the key was to keep sessions close to 45 mins or an hour, and to not push it, with a focus on a few body parts per session. Thankfully, the studio brief for the character helped. In Ant-Man, they weren’t looking for another Hulk or God of Thunder but a slightly better than average guy called upon to be extraordinary. Rudd’s physique should reflect this.
‘He’s not huge like Chris Hemsworth,’ Louis explains. ‘We focused on building up his shoulders and getting him really lean. We trained five days a week, starting with cardio.’
This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
In The Trenches
With the aim to build muscle shape but mostly lean-out his man, Louis set to work with a strict but not overly strenuous training plan.
We’d like to think that Rudd maintained his reputation for cheeryness throughout. For the most part, Louis confirms this, explaining that days when Rudd didn’t want to train were ‘few and far between’.
Unlike most actors, Rudd didn’t seem to mind the cardio aspect of running, but he met his nemesis in the form of burpees. ‘Everybody hates burpees,’ admits Louis. ‘I didn’t force him into doing them, I just kind of looked at him and said “Let’s get something very clear; burpees don’t like you either.”’
One thing Rudd did have an affinity for was pull-ups. Like most of us Rudd began only being able to bust out one or two, but by the end Louis says he was regularly performing double figures, and loving it.
In terms of injury prevention, the focus was on keeping volume down when it came to free weight work (even superheroes are fallible in middle age, after all). ‘We didn’t go super heavy,’ Louis says, explaining they’d opt for 12-15 sets of lighter weights, performed at faster speeds.
‘I always superset with something, too,’ Louis adds. ‘So he would do chest and arms, or legs and shoulders, and back and tries, you know?’
By working separate body parts in the same session and keeping the energy levels high with plenty of cardio and lighter sets, Louis helped keep sessions interesting and dynamic – a refreshing alternative to the heavy lifting, bodybuilder-style regiments of most superhero transformations, and one that not only shows in the finished product, but reflects Rudd’s energetic performance.
Christopher PolkGetty Images
Ant Food
When it comes to cutting, the temptation is to ditch carbs entirely. This no carbs before Marbs approach might benefit you if you’re heading off to the Love Island villa. But, if you’re heading into the Quantum Realm to save humanity itself, you’ll probably need some energy. Which means carbs.
‘We started off on a rotating carbohydrate diet,’ Louis says – again, this keeps training and diet interesting. ‘It was four meals a day, including a protein shake. Then the next three days it was only carbs at breakfast,’ Louis explains
Training was adjusted to match high or low-carb days, with the most intensive workouts saved for when Rudd had extra fuel in the tank. Not that low carb meant he was running on empty,
‘On days when he was low carbs I would substitute the carbs with flaxseed oil capsules, or other fats.’ This, in essence, is touching on ketogenesis, encouraging the body to use fuel more efficiently while still maintaining a calorie deficit.
‘Portion control is key,’ Louis says. ‘Carbs should be the size of your fist. Protein one and a half times the size of your fist. Veggies, you have carte blanche.’
The Workout
The beauty of super-setting your workouts means that there should always be something you enjoy. Hate legs but love upper body? Louis’ legs and shoulders workout, based on Rudd’s routine, should challenge and exhaust you in equal measure.
Complete five sets of each exercise below, aiming for 20 reps then taking it down to 15 and 12 reps as fatigue sets in. Give yourself 30-secs rest between exercises to keep your heart rate up. Up it to one minute rest between super-sets.
Leg Press
Adjust the seat on the leg-press machine until you can comfortably extend your legs without locking out. Choose a lighter weight to warm up with. Then, push through your heels, moving the weight away from your body. Hold for a second, then slowly bring your knees back towards your chest, feeling the burn through your quads.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides. Tense through your shoulders as you bring your arms out and up to form a 90-degree angle with your body. Hold, then slowly lower for one.
Dumbbell Lunges
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, step forward until both knees are close to 90 degrees. Push through your heel to return to standing, then swap feet.
Overhead Press
Start with your dumbbells resting on your chest, at shoulder height. Extend your arms to push them overhead without fully locking out at the elbow. Keep your chin up, back straight throughout. Reverse the movement for one rep.
Farmer’s Walk
Time to go heavy. Grab a pair of horribly heavy dumbbells and walk slowly, in a straight line, to the other side of the gym and back. Go there and back once before moving on.
Standing Band Row
Lateral rotations are vital for mobility, as well as back and shoulder function. Loop a band around a pole, just above waist height. With a bend in the knee, row the two ends of the band back into your chest. Hold, then slowly release.
Ab Blaster
Abs are important, especially if you’re aiming for superhero status. Rudd’s workouts ended with a particularly nasty pick ’n’ mix ab session, with the actor working through crunches, knee raises, burpees and more. Pick five of your favourite (or, least favourite) no-equipment ab exercises and work through as many 40-sec rounds as possible, aiming for at least three rounds with 20-secs rest between exercises and one-minute rest between rounds.
Read more about Paul Rudd’s training in the March issue of Men’s Health. Out now.
