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Brad Pitt Fight Club Workout
Earlier this year we took a brief look how Brad Pitt’s and Daniel Craig’s training methods differed. Daniel Craig trains to develop larger and bulkier muscles, whereas Brad Pitt looks more like a lean, mean, fighting machine. Brad Pitt’s ripped body is most evident in the films Fight Club (1999), Snatch (2000) and Troy (2004). His appearance in Thelma and Louise in 1991, as JD, was his first main Hollywood role, and also where his body was first seen and admired, but his role as Mickey O’Neil, the gypsy boxer in Snatch, and Tyler Durden in Fight Club, really got people excited about his toned and sexy body. By the time he appeared in Troy in 2004, he had beefed up a little bit, and looked more athletic then in previous roles. However many people criticized his poorly defined calf muscles, so his workout was certainly not complete. But Arnold Schwarzenegger had the same problem in the early days of his bodybuilding career, so we can forgive Brad for not focusing on calves over pecs and biceps.
So, how does Brad Pitt stay in such great shape? Many people, when asked which celebrity they would most like to look like, still say Brad Pitt. We also get asked the question here: “how do I workout like Brad Pitt?“.
Brad Pitt’s Fight Club Workout:
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Many of us have been inspired by Brad Pitt’s character Tyler Durden in Fight Club, so this is what we shall take a closer look at today. How to build a lean and powerful frame, which is essential for a lightweight boxer, Brad Pitt followed this style of workout.
To get a body like Brad Pitt, a combination of intensive interval training and some quality weight training is required. The weight training needs to be specific and also intensive, so it is vital to split the routine up into separate sessions to avoid overtraining and injury.
It is thought that Brad Pitt splits his training into four weekly sessions, each focusing on a separate area, in his case a chest session, a back session, a shoulders session and an arms session. Weekends would be rest days and Friday just cardio. There are no rest days in between the weight training days, as weight training is done Monday to Thursday.
Monday – Brad Pitt’s Chest Workout Day
- Pushups
- Flat Bench presses
- Incline bench presses
- Chest Flyes
Tuesday – Brad Pitt’s Back Workout Day
- Pullups
- Bent over rows
- Lateral Pulldowns
- Upright rows
Wednesday -Brad Pitt’s Shoulders Workout Day
- Arnold presses
- Shoulder shrugs
- Lateral raises
- Front raises
Thursday – Brad Pitt’s Arms Workout Day
- Preacher curls
- EZ-bar curls
- Hammer curls
- Tricep kick backs
- Triceps extensions
Friday
Intensive cardio training:
- Running for Fitness and Weight Loss
- Cycling like Chris Hoy
- Sprinter workouts and sprint training
- Bodyweight circuit training exercises
- Boxing training and plyometric workouts
- Intensive punch bag works
Criticism of Brad Pitt’s Workout
It is thought that Brad Pitt followed this routine from his Snatch and Fight Club days. However, by the time he was working on Troy, he had bulked up quite a lot, but this routine had neglected his legs. A good all round weight training session really should have much more emphasis on the larger compound weight training exercises, such as the squat, lunge and deadlift. Also, if calf muscles are not responding, adding calf raises is essential to avoid have disproportionately large thighs compared to calves. No one wants to see chicken legs on a guy, with giant rugby player calves above skinny stick thin calves!
Also the above workout does not include any core training. Brad Pitt has an excellent set of abs, and must have done some serious six-pack training routines. We must assume that in addition to the weight training routine above, he also did a range of sit-ups, crunches, leg raises and side bends to work his abdominals. Most likely these were incorporated into his Friday intensive interval training routines, and maybe he also used some core bodyweight exercises to warm-up. We recommend that if you want to look like Brad Pitt, also focus on core conditioning exercises.
Fight Club Diet
Some say that Brad Pitt is a vegetarian and that he would consume healthy proteins from pulses and dairy plus supplements to help him beef up for his more athletic roles. However, we have not been able to confirm whether Brad eats meat or not. What follows is a diet that will help you put on muscle, and it includes lean meats, which Brad Pitt did not necessarily eat. Brad, if you are reading this, please let us know if you ate meat when bulking up for Fight Club or Troy. Cheers!
- Breakfast: 6 eggs and 75g of oatmeal with raisins. Occasionally Pitt would replace the eggs with a protein shake, if his schedule was tight
- Midmorning Snack: Tinned tuna in whole wheat pitta breads
- Lunchtime Meal: 2 x Chicken breasts, 75-100g brown rice or pasta and green vegetables
- Mid-afternoon Snack: This is the pre-workout meal: A banana plus a protein bar or whey protein shake
- Post Workout: Whey protein shake and a Banana.
- Evening Meal: Grilled fish or chicken, brown rice or pasta, vegetables, and salad
- Evening Snack: Casein protein shake or low fat cottage cheese (provides a slow release protein).
Also, as Pat mentions below, this is about as much as you should eat every day to be as lean as Brad Pitt.
- Two bowls of protein – beans, nuts, meat
- Tree bowls of grains – oats, rice, wheat germ
- The rest is fruits and veg – spinach, oranges, etc.
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8 Responses to “Brad Pitt Fight Club Workout”
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What about nutrition. What I just read means nothing for the man who wants to follow Pitt’s routine without what food Pitt stays away from and what foods he consumes during his routine.
Hi Rosemary,
We have not yet had the chance to speak with Brad regarding his diet. However, to achieve the lean frame he had in Fight Club, he would have been on a strict “cutting diet”, i.e. packed with lean meats for protein, and no “empty carbs”, i.e. all junk food will have to be avoided.
Also to be avoided are all fruits, fruit juices, rice, pasta, bread. Eat lots of leafy greens. Aim for high fibre food, high protein food, and healthy fats, with lots of protein.
btw it’s Tyler Durden, not Duncan [well spotted - Ed]
I do a search about getting the “Pitt” body ones every second month or so. Often new sites, very seldom new information. Let’s be clear about this: If you have excessive fat, even as little as 15-20% body fat, it will take a huge amount of time, eating right, and working out more than most hobby athletes. And that is more or less worthless if you don’t know exactly how much to eat and of what.
Calories in – calories out = +- fat. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? What I would like to see is the exact amount of food, and exactly what kind of food, he ate during the months of exercise. But sites rather copy paste the same old formula found everywhere else. That (if I where a site teacher) is a D- in effort. Sorry to come down on you, there is some new stuff here but not the nitty gritty that really matters. The exact food intake is the key.
Have a good one,
Linus
Hi Linus, in our defence, this article is 9 months old now, and many people are copying us! But never mind about that. We shall try to find some more information on his diet / eating regime.
It seems that one of the most comprehensive guides to what Brad Pitt ate during Fight Club is on SixPackNow.com. However, remember that Brad was slim to start with, with a naturally fast metabolism, so his main goal was building muscle not losing fat.
Okay, this is exactly how much of what you should eat every day to be as lean as Brad Pitt. Two bowls of protein. [beans, nuts, meat] three bowls of grains. [oats, rice, wheat germ] The rest is fruits. [spinach, oranges, etc.]
It’s motivational to see Brad Pitt’s workout routine but quite something else to look for a secret formula in his training/nutrition. There is good information available all over the net. At no point in history was it easier to get ripped. And yes the abs start showing at 15% body fat and like Shawn Ray said in an article “if you don’t lose that film of fat over your rectus abdominus and obliques, you can go on doing ab exercises till the cows come home and you won’t see your abs”. While I am all for getting inspired by Brad Pitt’s heroic physique and enviable conditioning, learning the basic tenets of bodybuilding training and nutrition will ensure a royal road to the six pack for most people. And if you lift heavy weights in deadlifts, rows, military presses and pull ups where your abs act as stabilizers and will show once you strip away that bodyfat through good nutrition and cardio. No need for additional core exercises.