Best known as Lucifer Morningstar, Tom Ellis has won over audiences with his charisma and physique. During the Men’s Health Strong Talk podcast, Ellis opens up about his fitness journey and one exercise that really helped him in his transformation.

Filming for the CBS show "CIA" changed not only Ellis’s mindset about fitness but also his goals. His new role required him to look and feel more athletic. Ellis reveals how they had a pull-up bar at the CIA site, which he and co-star Nick Gehlfuss use during shoots.

“In the olden days, I couldn’t do any pull-ups, and that was a challenge that I put on myself when COVID happened," said Ellis. "I bought a pull-up bar to go in my garage. In my good training days, I was like easily doing four sets of 10 to 12, and different grips as well."

Ellis, with the help of his trainer, Paulo Mascitti, slowly introduced pull-ups to his routine. Soon, this exercise became a notable part of his physical transformation for his role at the CIA show.

However, Ellis opens up on how the past year has been challenging for him due to injuries.

“When we talk about bare minimums, push-ups and pull-ups are basically all I’m doing at the moment.”

But of course, maintaining a physique like Ellis' takes more than just pull-ups.

Inside Tom Ellis’ Workout Routine

Ellis’s workout routine included bench presses, squats, and deadlifts, along with pull-ups. However, after his back injury and knee meniscus tear, he was forced to move away from heavy lifting.

According to Jocelyn Solis-Moreira of Men’s Health, Ellis' focus shifted on being well-built and increasing his stamina.

“For CIA, the guy is an operative who has to blend into society,” he says during the interview. He switched up his routine, adding other exercises while keeping pull-ups and push-ups as a constant.

He also included Pilates core workouts to his routine, helping him build a stronger core without further injuring his back. Moreover, he ensures to get 20,000 to 25,000 steps a day.

“Having moved to New York, what I really love about it is that I'm walking everywhere again,” he admits. “Consoling myself about not working out on the weekends, I make sure I get steps in. For mental health, it’s the best thing you can do without a shadow of a doubt.”

Ellis basically worked towards building functional strength while taking care of his injury. Pull-ups became a cornerstone movement, helping him go from ‘Lucifer' physique to Colin Glass, CIA agent.

Do you prefer Ellis’s previous Lucifer physique or the transformation for the CIA role? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Rudra Dubey