ABC News' Abbie Boudreau and Brian O'Keefe report:
Get fit this summer with MAN OF STEEL™ trainer to the stars, Mark Twight #TwightTakeover Tuesday, June 18, 2013 The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Soldier of Steel.
The workout plan that turned Henry Cavill into the 'Man of Steel' was a super tough regimen that yields an amazing physique, but it's not just about exercise. It's also about eating a lot, according to his celebrity trainer, Mark Twight.
Twight trained both Cavill and Russell Crowe, who he says dropped 40 pounds for his part as Superman's father, Jor-El.
'What is the secret?' ABC News' Abbie Boudreau asked Twight.
'The secret is a well-kept secret called commitment and self-discipline,' Twight laughed.
Twight says Cavill's transformation started by packing on 20 pounds, sticking to a strict 5,000 calorie intake.
'What was he eating?' Boudreau asked.
'We didn't care,' Twight responded. 'If he decided, 'Look, I can get an extra thousand calories by eating pizza, I'll do it.'
Then the hard part came for the 30-year-old British actor. Cavill endured intense, two-hour workouts, five or six days a week, for a grueling 11 months.
'What we are trying to do is use physical means to basically prepare a person or change them in a psycho physical way so they can actually play a role in this context,' said Twight. 'So you need a guy to look like Superman? It will be better if he feels super in order to transmit that message.
'I would have to say that Henry turned into a man on this show. And not only in terms of physically, he made enormous changes, but in the way that he carried himself in relating and adapting to other people.'
How did actor Henry Cavill transform himself into the Man of Steel? He started with iron, of course. The kind you find in a gym.
In fact, to become a little more super, Cavill turned to Mark Twight, owner of Gym Jones in Salt Lake City—the same fitness expert who transformed the cast of 300 into an army of men with washboard abs. Twight uses a punishing training routine called the 'tailpipe:' a 100-rep workout that'll smoke calories, torch fat, and leave you exhausted.
The tailpipe has two 'sides,' exercise and recovery, explains Dan John, Twight's colleague and fellow strength coach. 'The exercise portion is designed to get you gassed,' he says. 'but the recovery is just as important.'
Twight's tailpipe recovery method: the moment you finish an exercise, calmly take eight controlled breaths in and out of your nose. 'Fight the urge to gasp, throw yourself around, or change songs on your iPod,' says John. Then immediately start the next exercise.
Bonus: The tailpipe can also improve your sports performance, John says, because it helps manage 'the stress of extreme fatigue.' After your final tailpipe recovery, attempt a fundamental sport skill. For example, take three free throws, using three basketballs that you've placed nearby ahead of time. 'Become better at dealing with this stress, and you might suddenly find yourself becoming a clutch player.'
Directions
Use this routine at the end of your regular workout, or as an intense circuit you can do almost anywhere. Perform the exercises in the order shown; a 16-kilogram (35-pound) kettlebell or dumbbell is recommended for the movements that require a weight. (If that's too hard, downsize.) Do 25 reps of each exercise, using the tailpipe recovery technique between each move (and after the last). (For another great lung-busting routine, check out The Spartacus Workout DVD, Men's Health's most popular flab-blasting plan ever.)
1. Goblet Squat Grab a kettlebell or dumbbell and stand with your feet just beyond shoulder width. Cup the weight with both hands and hold it vertically next to your chest, your elbows pointing down. Keeping your back naturally arched, push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body as far as you can. Push yourself back to the starting position and repeat.
2. Kettlebell Swing Bend at your hips and hold a kettlebell or dumbbell with both hands at arm's length down in front of you. Rock back slightly and 'hike' the kettlebell between your legs. Then squeeze your glutes, thrust your hips forward forcefully, and swing the weight to shoulder height. Allow momentum to swing the weight. Reverse the move between your legs, and keep swinging.
![Mark Twight Man Of Steel Workout Mark Twight Man Of Steel Workout](http://henrycavill.org/images/Candids/workout/Henry-Cavill-Mark-Twight.jpg)
3. Squat Thrust Stand with your feet slightly beyond shoulder-width apart. Bending at your hips and knees, squat and lower your body until you can place your hands on the floor. Kick your legs backward into a pushup position, and then immediately reverse the move and quickly stand up from the squat. That's 1 rep. To add to the challenge, jump up from the squat instead of standing up. Want to learn more great moves to sculpt your body? Then check out The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises and The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, where you'll find full-color photos of more than 500 exercises, and dozens of great workouts.
4. Jumping Jacks Stand with your feet together and your hands at your sides. Simultaneously raise your arms above your head and quickly kick your legs out to the sides. Without pausing, reverse the movement. That's 1 rep.