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But he doesnt just transform movie stars. The 42-year-old celebrity trainer just put together a video workout program exclusively for Mens Health called Superhero Shred. It's a loaded video program that'll get you in superhero shape, driven by the exact same techniques that Saladino's used on his star-studded clientele. You've seen some of those techniques already, too, if you've checked out Saladino's Superhero Fit workouts right here .
Saladino's spent years getting himself cover-guy jacked too, living, eating, and breathing fitness to sculpt the 210 pounds on his 6'1" frame. I started lifting weights when I was 16, he says. And I dove into all of it-hard. I read everything I could get my hands on, even basic shit.
Thats been obvious ever since early 2008, when Hugh Jackman walked into Saladinos New York City gym, Drive 495, aiming to get diesel for Wolverine: Origins. Saladino quickly hired Jackman a chef, assigned him nap times, then planned out workouts. We had nine months to pack on as much lean mass as possible, he says. We had to put in work both in and out of the gym. Hes honed his training philosophies ever since then, and increasingly shares them with his followers on Instagram. And if you follow these tips, hell help you get seriously swole too.
Build Strength
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If you want to look like Wolverine, train like Wolverine (which is also one of the first things Saladino told Jackman). That means doing more than toning up. Lift your heaviest and push the bounds of your strength. People overlook pure strength, says Saladino. Clients sometimes tell me, I dont want to get bigger. But I still want you to get strong.
Saladinos advice: Once a week, on a major exercise like a squat or deadlift or bench press, do your warmup sets. Then do 3 sets of 3 reps each. Just getting under that load and feeling that load once a week is enough, he says. And your heart rate will rise more than you think.
Stay Tense
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Don Saladino (@donsaladino) on Apr 3, 2019 at 8:22am PDT
Want abs? No, you dont need to train them for an hour daily. Just create tension throughout your entire body on every single exercise, from biceps curls to pullups to squats. On every exercise you do, are you really focusing on creating tension? You should, says Saladino.
How? Aim to have perfect posture, tightening your abs, glutes, and shoulder blades on every move. You may struggle to do this at first, but Saladino has an easy fix: A great tip on any move is to envision somebody is trying to knock you over, he says. Sometimes Ill have people get in position for a squat, then Ill try to gently push them this way and that. You always want tension.
Get Carried Away
You may run and jump for cardio, but have you ever justwalked with heavy weights? If not, its time to do the loaded carry , one of Saladinos favorite exercises and a move thats in nearly every single workout for his superhero clientele.
Pick up a pair of heavy kettlebells or dumbbells and walk 25 feet, then walk back. Thats 1 set; aim to do 2 to 3 sets at the end of all workouts. This is going to clean up your posture, and itll really burn strength into your core, Saladino says. And its another way to get you moving with heavy weights.