Superheroes Need Muscle
The hero has always been a flawed version of the ideal. Courage is his (or her) most prized attribute, along with honor. From Boewulf to Lancelot. William Wallace to King Arthur. The hero’s physical skill and stature rivals the strength of his spirit.
He’s never a mindless brute, as Wallace displayed time and again winning battles with his mind as much as his tennacity, heart, and will. He’s also rarely merely a brain. If he is, he requires pieces around him to carry out what he seeks to accomplish.
Today’s heroes have taken new form. Gone is the sword, in its stead: x-ray vision, flight, and superhuman strength. But the characteristics remain. Strength of character and vulnerability to accompany the hero’s physical prowess.
As I sat down last night after a long day’s work, I looked at my video collection. The Gladiator, Braveheart, the Godfather, Goodfellas, the Patriot, We Were Soldiers, 300, Batman Begins. Instead of choosing one of those fine films, I decided to watch something new: the Amazing Spider Man.
I liked the movie. It was fun, entertaining, the acting was fine, the plot as well. There was, however, one major flaw: Spider-man, when in costume, looked like a bulemic runway model, not an action hero or a superhero. With recent films like Thor, the great Batman Series, and even Ironman being portrayed by actors who respect every aspect of their craft – physical transformation included – the Spider-Man movie, and it’s lead, was a dissapointment.
His acting was good, but he cared nothing for the physical transformation that Peter Parker was supposed to have gone through after having been bitten by that wonderful little spider. With the physical transformations of Christian Bale (Batman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Henry Cavill (the Man of Steel – AWESOME transformation), and Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk) – who amazingly turned green and put on a few hundred pounds mid-scene – Andrew Garfield’s lack of commitment to his craft and his character was disheartening.
It would be like me showing you how to build muscle if I still weighed under 150 lbs. Or showing you how to lose fat if I was an obese 300 pound human being. Or writing articles and books without ever studying how to become a better writer. And thus, for a movie to be believeable – yes I’m talking about films where the heroes fly around in tights and turn into green, muscular Hulk’s – the actor needs to pack on a respectable amount of muscle.
Garfield lost some of my respect. Maybe he was given bad advice. Spider-Man is a smaller hero, but he still has muscle. He’s still ‘above the average man’ from a physical standpoint. And the character should have been treated as such. In his suit Garfield looked sickly. He didn’t in any way resemble a hero, or even an 8th grade bully. He looked more like the gangly pre-teen girl who’d started her growth spurt before the boys.
Lucky – and I say that with a massive smile on my face – Henry Cavil, the start of the new Superman movie, The Man of Steel, takes more pride in every aspect of his craft (I may sleep outside in my Superman costume for this one).
So What Could Garfield Have Done?
If he actually took some pride in his character, and attempted to build a Spider-Man-like physique, what physical attributes would he focus on? How would he train?
How Spider-Man Should Have Trained
PS. After every superhero movie the men’s magazines – Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health – always come out with the story of the lead actor’s transformation. Garfield’s, being non-existant, was the obvious exclusion from the recent actor transformation-related articles.
#1 He should have focused on his grip-strength.
Strength is essentially what a human can lift. Spider-Man, being a climbing and swinging type of a guy, would need to be able to swing from ‘vine to vine’, climb up tall buildings completely vertically, and often hold on to an adversery, or a car, with his hands.
There is but one program – actually an all-encompassing site focused on grip strength training – that focuses on grip strength – that I would recommend. It’s a skill and talent we all need. As men, grip strength is important. It’s awesome to lift a lot with the use of straps, but in the real world straps aren’t available.
If you need to come to the aid of someone in REAL LIFE, you’re most likely going to need to have a strong grip. Check out how this unique site will help you get there (it’s created by one of the strongest guys around, a real life action-hero in his own rite)…
The Grip Authority (THE Grip Strength Site)
#2 He should have build lean, athletic muscle.
Why focus solely on hypertrophy when you get get stronger, and in better shape at the same time? Double and triple sets. Fast-paced workouts with an explosive cadence, followed by short workouts with a slower cadence. The PowerHowse Challenge would have helped Garfield pack on the lean, ripped muscle that would do the Spider-Man suite some justice.
Yes, this is the program that helped me gain 32 pounds of lean muscle. I created it. So I clearly love it, but it’s a great program and hundreds of guys – and a few ladies – are getting awesome results doing the program. Find out more about my transformation here:
#3 He should have focused on his nutrition.
One part of building superhero muscle is doing the proper training. The other part – and a large portion of the solution – is in the diet. Garfield clearly didn’t follow a “bulking” or muscle building training program, and he sure as hell didn’t get on a meal plan that would help him build muscle without experiencing many fat gains.
A good buddy of mine, Kyle Leon, is one of the foremost minds in muscle-building nutrition. He’s put together a program that he customizes for each individual’s goals, body, and obstacles. It’s a program like no other. Learn more about Kyle’s unique story, plus a few of the secrets that have helped him help thousands (not a misprint) of skinny guys pack on lean muscle.
