Think of Hugh Jackman and two things spring to mind: biceps and yellow spandex suits. What might not be as obvious from his jacked physique though, is that he has peak cardiovascular fitness levels to match, as revealed by his personal trainer.
Strength coach Beth Lewis shared a post rounding up the training process with Jackman, ‘Where we started is completely different from how this Wolverine ended up!’ she shared in the caption.
It’s fair that some may assume from the focus on Jackman’s muscle mass, his fitness levels might be sub par, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. ‘Not only did Hugh get jacked, he also got super strong, stayed healthy for performance, and achieved a VO2 max of 59 mL/min/kg,’ Lewis shared.
The measure of VO2 max is used to gauge someone’s aerobic capacity when exercising. It is the maximum rate at which the heart, lungs, and muscles can effectively use oxygen. To put Jackman’s VO2 max into context, here are some typical VO2 max measures from the ASCM:
This would see 55-year-old Jackman slotting in well above the superior category, which is really quite impressive. Jackman’s trainer wrote: ‘With this level of fitness, he actually will be doing this til he’s 90.’
Jackman recently shared his discipline with his diet during filming for Deadpool 3, and this clearly isn’t where his dedication stopped in order to reach peak fitness. His trainer continued to commend the actor and that ‘Nobody works harder or is more dedicated to his craft than this guy. All across the board, from the macros, the effort, the reps, to the success.’
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
