Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine physique remains one of the most talked-about movie transformations in the industry. Fortunately, Jackman’s personal trainer, Don Saladino, breaks down his Wolverine transformation during a Men’s Health podcast on Strong Talk.

Saladino shares his experience of training Jackman for Wolverine. Jackman went through a massive transformation, putting on 30 lbs for the role. However, when Jackman approached Saladino to ask for help with his upper-body training, the latter had an unusual reply. Ironically, Saladino told Jackman to focus on training his legs, emphasizing squatting and deadlifting.

“Yeah, we gotta train legs,” Saladino replied to Jackman’s request to train his upper body. “He wasn’t really so focused on that. And he was like, “What are you talking about? I said upper body”. I go, “We gotta train legs,” he tells Ebenezer Samuel and Dr. Pat Davidson.

He further explains how he was aware of every aspect of Jackman’s life during those nine months of training. This included his meals, his sleep cycle, his naps, and everything in between.

The combination of heavy squats and deadlifts was crucial in developing Jackman’s strong, muscular physique for Wolverine. These two compound exercises target the largest muscles of the body. Moreover, the compound lifts help develop muscle mass as well as gain strength while boosting anabolic hormone responses.

His strong legs contributed to the overall base look that gave Wolverine his signature strong, muscular, but lean look. The most astonishing part of his transformation might have been his 6,000-calorie diet during his bulking phase.

What Hugh Jackman ate to transform into Wolverine

Consuming 5,000 calories a day was no joke, as Jackman revealed how he was already consuming 5,000 calories a day to bulk up for his role, and was slowly working his way up to 6,000 calories.

During an interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on YouTube, he hilariously admitted to splitting his pants three times during his bulking phase. “I’m just eating and training,” he said.

His typical diet included:

• 2,000 calories of black bass with vegetable rice and herb sauce
• 2,100 calories of Patagonia Chinook salmon with potatoes
• 2,000 calories of two chicken burgers with sweet potatoes
• 2,200 calories of two grass-fed sirloin noodle dishes

These dishes were prepared by his personal chef, Mario, who prepared balanced, nutritious, and healthy meals for Wolverine.

Jackman displays his food prep on X, thanking Chef Mario for the beautiful dishes. “Bulking. A day in the life. Thank you, Chef Mario, for helping me stay healthy and properly fed whilst...Becoming. Wolverine. Again,” the post is captioned.

Jackman’s Wolverine transformation did not happen overnight. It was driven by discipline, smart training, and good nutrition.

What did you think when you first saw Jackman’s avatar in Wolverine?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil