I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There’s nothing I love more than a celebrity workout challenge. While us mere mortals have to work out at home to clean, wash, and work from home, celebrities seem to have unlimited time to devote to sculpting and perfecting their bodies at the gym, and as a fitness editor, I see that it’s my duty to discover its secrets. I tried Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Training , Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Training and The Taron Egerton workout to test my mettle.
With all that in mind, when I saw how many people Googled “Ryan Reynolds workout,” I had to know more. Sure, the Deadpool star looks pretty fantastic, but what does it What does he do to get in superhero shape?
In an interview with men’s diary
What is Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool Abs Workout?
In his interview with Men’s Journal, Saladino pointed out that strong abs don’t come from doing endless sit-ups, but from full-body strength training. “The undeniable fact is that the abs are one of the first muscle groups that people look at to see if someone is fit. There is a lot of temptation to overtrain them,” Saladino said.
Instead of giving you ab-specific workouts, Reynolds will focus on full-body moves like deadlifts and squats. “They are still two of the best ab exercises I know of because your whole body is forced to prepare and stabilize. So because you’re using more muscle, you can lift more weight, which in turn will affect your core,” he said.
Saladin shared two killer main circuits that he would add to Reynolds’ routine:
Abs workout 1:
Hanging Leg Raises: 4 sets of 8 reps
To do a hanging leg raise, grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip; it’s safer to use a pull-up bar in a gym, rather than one strapped to a door frame. While hanging from the bar, slowly raise your legs so they’re straight in front of you. You should strive to get them parallel to the ground, but don’t worry if this is too difficult to begin with. Lower your legs back to their starting position, that’s one rep.
Cable Crunch: 4 sets of 12 reps
To do a cable crunch, you’ll need to start by kneeling in front of a cable station with a pulley attachment. Pull the rope handles toward your face, so your hands are just above your head. Engaging your core, keep your hips and arms still and lower your elbows toward your legs — the crunch should come from your abs, not your arms. Pause at the bottom, before raising your torso back to the starting position.
Landmine: 4 sets of 10 reps
After loading a landmine bar into the gym with an appropriate weight, start facing the landmine, grabbing the bar with both hands. Feet should be shoulder-width apart and arms extended. Pivot on your right foot to rotate the bar to the left side, then return to your starting position before rotating to the right.
Up/down transport: 4 sets of 25 meters
Do an up/down carry, you’ll need two kettlebells or dumbbells (we’ve hand-picked the best adjustable dumbbells
Abs Workout 2:
Reverse Crunch (with lift): 4 sets of 12 reps
To do a reverse crunch, start by lying on your back, with your lower back, head, and neck pressed to the floor. Bend your legs at the knees, press your feet into the mat, and contract your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine. Keeping your knees bent, inhale and lift your legs, hips, and buttocks off the mat. Pause at the top of the movement, using your core to keep your hips lifted off the mat. Your head and neck should remain imprinted on the mat. As you exhale, lower your hips back to the mat. Here is more information about how to do a reverse crunch
Abdominal roller: 4 sets of 12 repetitions
For this exercise, you will need an ab roller, which you should be able to find at most gyms. Start on your hands and knees on the back of your exercise mat, holding the ab roller with both hands. Holding the bars on either side of the wheel, roll the roller away from you, bracing your abs. Move your arms and torso away from your knees until you feel like you can’t get back up, then use your core to roll the roller back to its starting position.
Heavy load: 4 sets of 40 meters
A loaded carry involves walking with a heavy set of weights. It should feel challenging. This is a brilliant compound move as it targets multiple muscle groups. Start by loading yourself up with heavy dumbbells or a barbell and walk forward for 40 meters.
Short side plank: 4 sets of 60 seconds
The side plank is one of the best exercises to work your obliques. For a short side plank, you’ll keep your knees stacked on top of each other on the floor, allowing you to focus on keeping your shoulders, hips, and knees in a straight line. Keep your core engaged and lift your hips up and off the ground.
(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
I Tried Ryan Reynold’s Ab Workout – Here’s What Happened
I’m going to preface this training review by saying that I’ve been sick with a chest infection for the last two weeks, so I’m definitely not at my best right now. I did each of the workouts on separate days and did not add squats or deadlifts to the routine as a warm up, sorry Ryan.
On day one, I was upbeat about my challenge when I got back into the gym. I was finally feeling better and was pretty rested after a couple of weeks off. This all changed five minutes later when I struggled to do a hanging leg raise, let alone 32. In the end, I conceded defeat and switched to lying leg raises. A humble beginning to superhero training.
Cable crunches, landmines, and up/down carries all went by like a blur and were pretty far removed from the normal ab exercises I do at the gym. I see what Saladin means: I was still working my core, hard, but I wasn’t lying on a mat doing sit-ups, I was also working my legs and arm muscles at the same time. I left the gym feeling like I had a good workout and my stomach muscles ached a few hours later.
By the second day, I was already feeling a little sore when I returned to the crime scene and looked for an ab roller. Starting with reverse crunches was intense, especially since there were 48 to complete. By the time I finished all four sets, my core was on fire and I had to take longer breaks between each of the 12 sets of crunches. I hate abs, but I worked my way through 48, while seriously questioning my life and career decisions.
Once again, the heavy carries reminded me that it’s not just ab exercises that build a strong core, something I’ll definitely be taking from this hellish experiment. I also realized that 40 meters is a long way and that after a few sets, I had weighed too much and had to lower the weight to avoid arching my back while walking. Finishing up in side planks, another exercise I often try to avoid, was the ultimate cruel blow and I left the gym vowing never to work out like a celebrity again.
A few days later, my core is still sore, and while I don’t have a Ryan Reynold six-pack, I can see why these sessions worked. Will I rush back to the gym to try both workouts again? Absolutely not. But I will definitely be incorporating more compound strength exercises into my ab routines and will make an effort to try some of Saladin’s exercises in my workouts. I’m sure I’ll be feeling like a superhero in crunches in no time.
Looking for more exercise inspiration? We have hand-selected some of the best abdominal workouts to do from home, the best way to strengthen your back without doing pull-ups and one of the The best exercises to work the muscles of the arms using only your body weight. .
