How Henry Cavill Got In Shape To Play ‘Superman’ In ‘Man Of Steel’

For a kid that used to be called “fat Cavill” in school, Henry Cavill has surely had a complete physical transformation. From the time in England, when he was teased because of his looks to wearing the Superman suit, it hasn’t always been easy.

In an article published by Men’s Health Magazine in November of 2011, he says, “It’s definitely a sh##ty nickname. But kids are kids. Kids are cruel. Whatever. I was fat.”

Henry seems to have moved on from those days. Now the ultimate icon in the movies he is certainly impressive to look at. Not many can look as fit as he does in Man of Steel. From what we saw, it seems the body is all his, no padding added.

When he was young, at boarding school, he played rugby, field hockey, and cricket, but that wasn’t enough to keep him slim, he was “round”, by his own admission. But Henry Cavill grew out of that chubby stage to become and underwear model and actor, landing the role of Charles Brandon in the successful Showtime miniseries The Tudors in which he had several steamy nude scenes.

Even then, he thought of himself as heavy set and it wasn’t until he was cast in the Greek mythology action film Immortals, in which he plays the human warrior Theseus, that he began to truly work on getting his body in shape.

But whereas for Immortals he had to slim down and get eight packs (not six packs), for Man of Steel he had to bulk up and he did so under the tutelage of Mark Twight, owner of Gym Jones in Salt Lake City, who is the same trainer that transformed the cast of 300.

Twight used a brutal routine called Tailpipe, which is a 100 repetition workout that will, “smoke calories, torch fat, and leave you exhausted. The recovery is just as important.”

Twight explains that with the recovery method, “the moment you finish an exercise, calmly take eight controlled breaths in an out of your nose. Fight the urge to gasp or pause, then immediately start the next exercise.”

This is how Henry Cavill got in shape for Superman, and it is paying off. Not many have looked as chiseled as the Brit does playing the role. Did you see Man of Steel yet?