FITNESS: Get Jacked Like Jackman(Article)

Hugh Jackman, star of the X-Men movies, Australia and now Real Steel just made the front page of Bodybuilding.com for his work on Real Steel and the training he did to get there.

According to the article Jackman frequently bulks up and cuts down to meet the criteria for his roles. For example for the 2009 flick X-Men Origins Wolverine he would alternate between four weeks of heavy training and then high volume workouts. New studies show that training all three different types of muscle fibers in your body yields maximum gains.

Everyone has three different types of muscle fibers named Type 1, Type 2a, and Type 2b fibers.

Type 1 Fibers (slow twitch) are slow contracting, and hold out for longer periods of time making them more suited for endurance training. They don’t fatigue easily, however they don’t output as much power.

Type 2a Fibers (fast twitch) are a fast contracting fiber. They can yield explosive power for a short while, then they fatigue. Fast movements for a short time trigger growth in these muscles.

Type 2b Fibers (fastest twitch) is the fastest contracting fiber. These are the last muscles fibers in your body to be used when under stress. They are only activated after fatiguing both Type 1 and Type 2a fibers. Type 2b fibers yield the most explosive strength.

By swapping his training routine between heavy weights and then high volume exercises Jackman is able to achieve maximum muscle gains.

Get Jacked Like Jackman
Muscle Fibers, How Do They Differ?