Work Out From Home ‘Avengers’ Style: Captain America. Looking to stay in shape or finally get on a solid work out routine instead of lounge around the house? Let’s see how you can train to be one of The Avengers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Today we are going to focus on The First Avenger, Captain America.
Though in the films and comics, Cap gets his powers from the “super soldier serum” Chris Evans had a finely tuned routine created by personal trainer Simon Waterson, that helped him to be “super soldier” ready on camera. We are going to focus on two routines: The actual routines Chris strictly followed according to Pop Workouts and one you can do from home without gym equipment.
Throughout the article there will be lists of the activities and exercises Chris did for his work outs, click on the name of the exercise to see a visual description of the maneuver or exercise.
Captain America Workout:
Chris’ routine followed a strict model to get him bulked up in time for filming, here is how he did it:
Weekly Work Out Synopsis:
Monday
- Plyometric Cardio Circuit: 3 sets
- Back & Arms Workout
Tuesday
- Up-Hill Treadmill or Speed Cardio
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Followed by an abs routine
Wednesday
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Heavy Legs Training
Thursday
- Uphill or Speed Cardio
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Abs Workout
Friday
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Chest Arms & Shoulders Workout
Saturday
- Rest Day
Sunday
- “Catch Up” Day (Details Below)
Detailed Work Out:
Monday
- Plyometric Cardio Circuit: 3 sets
- Back & Arms Workout
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
8 reps each / 3 sets: Rest one minute once you complete a circuit. Then complete the circuit–one set of each exercise– again.
Back & Arms Workout:
- Barbell Deadlifts
- Lat Raises
- Seated Cable Rows
- Shoulder Press (Kneeling)
- Dumbbell Side Raises (Lateral)
- Bent-Over Lateral Raises
- Barbell Bicep Curls
- Dumbbell Hammer Curls
- Triceps Extensions
- Barbell Shrugs
Tuesday
- Up-Hill Treadmill or Speed Cardio
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Followed by an abs routine
You have a choice of either 45 minutes of uphill treadmill (very steep incline with 4.0 speed), or 10-15 minutes of speed intervals (sprint as fast as you can for 1 minute, followed by recovery for another minute)
Chris’ trainer, Simon Waterson shared, “It’s good to switch up between slower uphill cardio, and speed intervals. Each cardio workout focuses on fat-burning, but does so by utilizing either fast-twitch or slow-twitch muscles. 15 minutes of HIIT (High intensity interval training, or speed intervals) is preferred by most when it comes to fat-burning. But, not everyone has joints that can handle that type of activity on a constant basis. Research shows that it doesn’t matter if you go fast or slow. If you’re going to go slow (uphill treadmill) then make sure to go for a longer period of time.”
Weeks before filming began Chris wanted to ramp up his cardio and added both cardio exercises to his routine on Tuesdays.
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
8 reps each / 3 sets: Rest one minute once you complete a circuit. Then, do 2 more circuits.
Video Demonstrations:
Abs Workout – Detailed Explanations
Simon Waterson would have the Captain America actor do abs every other day as a cool-down. They would switch it up, to work different sections of the abs group. 3 sets of 30 of each:
Abs workout: Waterson would have the Captain America actor do abs every other day. They would switch it up, to work different sections of the abs group. 3 sets of 30 of each:
Simon also went on to say he should have had Chris do some more sprinting exercises after watching Captain America: The First Avenger.
“The cardio training that Chris did was fairly standard. I’d maybe add a few sprints in there, just to make sure his hip flexors were loose and that he was capable and conditioned. What we forget is when we watch the movie we see the one shot of him running down the street after someone. That shot was done in eight takes: That’s like doing eight 100M sprints right after each other.”
Wednesday
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Heavy Legs Training
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
8 reps each / 3 sets: Rest one minute once you complete a circuit. Then, do another set. Rest one minute. Finish the last set.
Video Demonstrations
Like most of us, super star Chris Evans hates leg day. His trainer Simon shared though a proper leg day will leave them feeling like jelly for a day or two they are some of the most important exercises to keep the biggest muscles in your body working properly.
“If you are doing it properly it is the most painful session there is. Legs never hurt just for a day afterwards – it always lasts into the week. But your legs and glutes are the biggest and strongest muscles in your body so you must train them hard to get bigger and leaner everywhere else. So many men ignore legs because they want big arms, but pushing your lower body to the limit will transform your upper body faster than anything else thanks to a big growth-hormone response.”
Thursday
- Uphill or Speed Cardio
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Abs Workout
To start, you have your choice of:
- 45 minutes of uphill treadmill (very steep incline with 4.0 speed), or
- 10-15 minutes of speed intervals (where you sprint as fast as you can for 1 minute, followed by recovery for another minute), then:
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
8 reps each / 3 sets: Rest one minute once you complete a circuit
Video Demonstrations:
“Within that routine, I would have maybe a high and low pulley woodchop when a cable’s at the top or bottom and you’re pulling down or bringing up a cable and twisting, so it’s mimicking what you would have to do if you were throwing an object. I wasn’t getting a five-kilo plate and getting him to throw it down the gym. That would have ended in tears. Not cool,” shared Simon speaking about the Wood Chops.
3 sets of 30 reps:
- Weighted Knee Raises
- Abdominal Twists
- Dumbbell Lateral Flexions
- Wood Choppers (Oblique Twists)
- Leg Raises
Friday
- Plyometric Circuit Training
- Chest Arms & Shoulders Workout
Plyometric Circuit Training
8 reps each / 3 sets: Rest one minute once you complete a circuit
Perform this workout in circuit format. That means do 1 set of each, then repeat 2 more times. Although you only need to do 8 reps, you can do more as your conditioning improves.
For plyometric circuit training, Evans does one set of each exercise until he’s done one set of everything. Circuit training helps get the blood flowing throughout your entire body. In turn, this helps to burn fat.
For heavy weight training, Chris Evans does all sets listed for each exercise, before moving onto the next exercise. Chris Evans does all sets listed for each exercise. He rests for at least a minute between exercises, before moving onto the next one.
- Close-Grip Incline Bench Press
- Incline Pec Flys
- Incline Push-ups
- Shoulder Press (Kneeling, see quote below)
- Dumbbell Side Raises (Lateral)
- Bent-Over Lateral Raises
- Barbell Bicep Curls
- Dumbbell Hammer Curls
- Triceps Extensions
- Barbell Shrugs
Saturday
- Use Saturday as your rest day. Focus on recovery, nutrition and finding motivation for your next workout.
Sunday
- Use Sunday to have fun at the gym. Evan’s trainer says they use Sunday to fatigue any body part they think still needs some work.
Is there a body part that you think needs extra work? Then, focus on it until you’re fatigued. If nothing else, at least do Chris’ plyometric cardio circuit, below:
If all of this seems daunting to you, don’t fret! Chris felt the same way.
Chris shared, “Grueling, it was brutal, and I’d find any excuse possible not to go. But I had to do it. Once I got going, I actually enjoyed being there. Once I put my headphones on, it was a sort of meditation.”
Don’t have barbells, weights, or proper exercise equipment at home? Don’t worry! Here are some of the exercises you can do from home to help condition yourself before returning to the gym:
- 30 secs Run in place (aim for 120 steps)
- 80 Punches
- 10 Knee Jumps
- 20 Sit-Ups
- 10 Butt-Ups
- 10 Leg Lifts (with circle rotations)
- 10 Push-Ups
- 10 Back Rotations
- 20 Bodyweight Rows
Circuit Training:
Circuit training means that you do the workout over and over. You do one set of each exercise, then move onto the next exercise. Using your own bodyweight becomes harder the more circuits you do. The number of circuits right for you depends on your fitness level. Try to start with Level I or II, and work your way up to Level III or beyond.
- Level I: Do 3 Circuits
- Level II: 5 Circuits
- Level III: 7 Circuits
- Advanced Goal: 10+ Circuits
Catch your breath (rest) for up to 2 minutes between each round. Reduce this amount of time to unlock and harness the true power of bodyweight circuit training. You will find that shortening your rest periods turns this into a HIIT workout. HIIT workouts are the best way to burn fat. Increase the fat-burning aspect of circuit training by slowly minimizing the amount of rest between circuits.
*Pro tip from Pop Workouts: Switch up the at-home routine to prevent boredom/lack of interest. This will also wake up your body instead of repeatedly going through the motions.
There you have it! Though not everyone is built like Chris Evans is, this exercise guide is a good start if you are looking to see similar results. Remember, it’s not just the exercises themselves that are important. Be sure to look at your nutritional intake and make sure you are eating healthy and drinking plenty of water before attempting these workouts.
We hope you enjoyed this article as much as we did and found some extra motivation to either stay or get back into shape. Did you enjoy this article? What other “Avengers” workouts would you like to see? We would love to see your thoughts, in the comments.
Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Marvel!
Featured Photo Credit: Marvel Studios/Paramount
Source: Pop Workouts/GQ
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