James McAvoy has already captivated fans with his incredible performance (or rather, multiple performances) in 'Split', M. Night Shyamalan's unexpected sequel to 'Unbreakable' 17 years after the first film was released. And while you are probably right to think that McAvoy's physical change for 'Split' must have been brutal, the true torture which the actor suffered in order to become the Beast once more for the upcoming film 'Glass' is something else entirely. The actor's personal trainer, Magnus Lygdback, revealed some details of his extreme workout regime in a recent interview with British GQ: "We had a lot of work to do. The Beast is supposed to be able to flex his veins and muscles and have a freaky look. It was about building as much mass as possible in a short time."
According to Lygdback, the training routine focused on isolating specific muscle groups: "We had a programme with which you go really hard on a couple of muscle groups at a time and then let them rest. So we would do legs one day, back and outside shoulders the second day, the third day the chest, front shoulders and core, and the fourth day, arms. That allows the muscles to recover before you work them again and also means you can do more sets, more reps on each muscle."
As is the case for all actors and actresses who need to make an extreme physical transformation, the real hardship comes with diet. Lydgback described McAvoy's plan, saying, "It's about the quality, the proportion of the macros: fat and carbs are the energy source and protein is the building stone of the muscles and tissue. [...] When you want to build up a maximum amount of muscle without gaining too much body fat, you should eat around two grams of protein per kilo body weight."
Lygdback's Training
It seems that in oder to achieve this type of transformation all you need to do is dedicate your life to the gym, workout until your muscles fail, and maintain a strict diet, all while paying for a vigilant personal trainer to monitor the entire process... Perhaps that explains why we don't all look like superheroes.
When it comes to celebrity personal trainers, there is nobody with more superhero experience than Magnus Lydgback. The professional bodybuilder has been charged with the task of training some of the best actors in Hollywood, including Ben Affleck for his role as Batman in 'Justice League' o Alexander Skarsgård for his role of Tarzan in 'The Legend of Tarzan'.
Lygdback also has worked with several actresses, such as Alicia Vikander, who had to gain 8 kilograms of pure muscle for her role in 'Tomb Raider'. He is currently working with Gal Gadot to transform her once again into Wonder Woman.
If one thing is clear, it is that James McAvoy is sure to impress us all once again with his incredible work (and muscles) in 'Glass'. In order to see the final result of these months of hard training, then stay tuned for the film which is coming to cinemas on 18th January.
