As a fitness editor, there’s nothing I love more than digging into the workout routines of Hollywood’s most famous faces. Next up on my list: Paul Rudd. As the actor speaks about his workout routine in interviews ahead of the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, TikTok has gone into a meltdown after the star revealed a longer shirtless scene was been cut from the first Ant-Man movie.
Speaking to Men’s Health, the actor said, “On one hand, I was annoyed because I put in a year's worth of hard work. On the other, if I had to look at myself shirtless in a Marvel movie, I would just want to make fun of it in every single way. Ultimately the movie was running long, and the scene wasn't essential.” Shirtless scene or not, we did get a glimpse of Rudd’s impressive physique in the 2015 movie. Yet how did the star get in fighting shape ahead of the newest release from the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
His secrets? Sleep, cardio, and strength training. In the interview with Men’s Health, Rudd said sleep was “the most important part of training,” saying he opted for eight hours of shut-eye a night in order to let his muscles repair and grow.
What was Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man workout routine?
Regarding his workout, the 53-year-old gearing up to play the tiniest hero in the MCU said: “I do cardio before I eat anything. I never would’ve done that before [Ant-Man]. I lift weights, hopefully at least three times a week,” he said, later sharing that “if you make fitness a part of your lifestyle, you’ll just feel good.”
To find out more, I set out to replicate one of Rudd’s workouts by heading out for a fasted run, then lifting some weights. Andrew Slane, Sports Conditioning Specialist and instructor at Fiture put together a super-hero worthy weights session for me, which went as follows:
Circuit 1:
Incline Bench Press: 3 sets x 12 reps
Renegade Rows: 3 sets x 16 reps (8 per side)
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
Side Plank Crunches: 4 sets of 20 reps (each side)
Circuit 2:
Front Rack Dumbbell Squats: 3 sets x 12 reps
Dumbbell Lunges: 4 sets x 16 reps (8 per side)
Dumbbell Deadlifts: 4 sets x 10 reps
Russian Twists: 3 sets of 16 reps
I tried Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man workout — here’s what happened
I'm a fan of the fasted-cardio
As a marathon runner, I'm used to doing fasted cardio and find it works for my body, so setting out on a five-mile run without eating anything was fine. In his interview with Men’s Health, Rudd said, “I’ve learned so much about how my body reacts to foods, how it reacts to exercise, and where I’m happiest and how much it affects me mentally.” And I can’t help but agree — it’s taken me a long time and four marathons to work out how to fuel my body correctly, so if fasted cardio doesn’t work for you, don’t worry about it.
Slane agrees, saying, “it's important to remember that every person's fitness needs and goals are different. An effective workout routine for one celebrity, like Paul Rudd, might not be appropriate for someone else.”
I enjoyed doing the weights after cardio
I tend to break up my strength sessions, saving them for days when I’m not running, but to really feel like a superhero, I grabbed a set of the best adjustable dumbbells after getting in the door from my run. Slane said to opt for ‘moderately heavy dumbbells’, so for me, this was two 15-pound dumbbells.
I found circuit one, which focused on the upper body, a lot harder than circuit two, but by the end of the session, I felt like I’d worked my entire body hard. Paired with a run, I was exhausted, and spent some time lying on my exercise mat, contemplating my career choices.
According to the American Council on Exercise, if your goal is endurance, you should do cardio before strength training, whereas if your goal is to lose weight and burn fat, you should do cardio after weights. With this in mind, I’ll be doing strength sessions after an easier run going forward, as I build strength for my next marathon.
I skipped Paul Rudd’s go-to breakfast
In the Men’s Health interview, Rudd revealed his post-workout diet includes eggs, which he eats every day, a lot of salmon, protein shakes that are just protein and water, and no fruit. I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs, so the only part of this I could replicate was the protein shake/water delight. My normal shake would include fruit and oat milk, but in the name of good journalism, I put my frozen blueberries back in the freezer and tried a few sips of vanilla protein and water.
After half the shake, I decided I’d never be a Marvel superhero, and had an oat-milk latte and some granola — sorry, Paul.
Although I will be sticking to his sleep schedule
One part of Rudd’s routine I can well and truly get on board with, however, is his sleep schedule. I love tracking my sleep with my Oura Ring, and make sure I get at least eight hours most nights. I’m very boring about my sleep, but according to the experts, sleep is something worth focusing on. Slane says, "Along with fitness and nutrition, getting enough quality sleep is essential for anyone looking to achieve optimal health. Sleep plays a crucial role in physical recovery and performance, allowing the body to repair and grow muscle tissue, especially after strength training.
Additionally, sleep helps reduce inflammation and regulate hormones, metabolism, and energy levels, which are essential for athletic performance and overall physical and mental health. Without adequate sleep, the body may not recover fully from workouts, leading to decreased performance and increased risk of injury. Thus, good sleep is essential to a successful fitness and training routine.”
You heard it here first — being a superhero means getting to bed by 10 pm.
Looking for more superhero workout inspiration? Here’s what happened when I tried Tom Holland’s Spiderman workout — and failed, and when I tried the exact resistance band workout Chris Hemsworth used on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder.
