Hugh Jackman: ‘Wolverine 3’ Howls Superhero Farewell After Workout And Carb-Cycling Diet To Add 20 Pounds Of Muscle

Hugh Jackman is howling farewell to his superhero life with Wolverine 3. And now that he’s made the decision, the actor admitted that he never imagined he would last that long in the iconic role, reported the New York Daily News.

“It is my last time,” revealed Hugh. “It just felt like it was the right time to do it.”

The actor expressed his gratitude to his fans for their support through the years.

“Let’s be honest, 17 years. I never thought in a million years it would last, so I’m so grateful to the fans for the opportunity of playing it. I kind of have in my head what we’re going to do in this last one. It just feels like this is the perfect way to go out.”

It wasn’t easy getting in shape to play a superhero through the years, and the actor, at 46, has played that role for eight movies. Wolverine also marked an expansion of his career in contrast to theater performances, such as The Boy From Oz.

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But to shift from those lightweight dance roles to superhero required adding 20 pounds of muscle, which Hugh accomplished with a trainer, reported Bodybuilding.

Personal trainer David Kingsbury combined diet, supplements, and a rigorous workout plan to achieve that goal.

“Hugh hadn’t done much direct strength work prior to training with me. He mostly worked in the 8-12 rep range. I always encourage low, 1-5 rep heavy work to stimulate myofibril hypertrophy. Then after the heavy work is done we move onto the higher rep schemes to encourage sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.”

In addition, pointed out the trainer, Jackman was able to boost his strength through his carefully designed program.

“By increasing your strength with the low reps, you increase your capacity with the higher reps, so I always plan heavy sets of the compound movements. The combination of the two styles brings the best gains.”

For diet, the trainer analyzed the right number of calories, shifting them to lower Hugh’s body fat while bulking up with muscle.

“I calculated his calories to achieve the leanest muscle gain possible and adjusted them to his requirements every day,” said David. “We used a combination of low-intensity training and intervals to keep bringing the body-fat levels down while bulking.”

In addition, the trainer used the principles of carb cycling. That meant Jackman consumed carbohydrates on days that he was weight training, then used a low-carb diet on rest days.

Hugh isn’t the only celebrity to transform his body for a role. As the Inquisitr reported, actor Chris Pratt lost 60 pounds by using a combination of CrossFit and a Paleo diet for Guardians of the Galaxy.

[Photo by Theo Wargo/NBC/Getty Images for ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’]