Like pretty much everyone else, I often leave the movie theatre wondering exactly what the actor in question did to get in such great shape. One workout that caught my attention was the one Tom Holland used to get in shape for his role as Spider-Man. Tom is said to have gained 7kg of muscle mass in six weeks in the run-up to filming the movie to perfect Spider-Man’s athletic physique, so who wouldn’t want to try his workout?
One thing I wish I’d known about Tom before I set out on this challenge is that he has a gymnastic background, so was no stranger to gravity-defying bodyweight exercises most gym-goers try to avoid. Tom’s goals were to build muscle without bulking up, as Spider-Man is known for being strong, but lean, so enlisted the help of London-based personal trainer George Ashwell.
In an interview with Esquire, Ashwell said, “because we weren’t aiming to bulk up too much we could do more muscle groups in one go. It’d be a whole-body circuit split into perhaps a posterior chain legs exercise with a horizontal push and pull, (so chest and back) then anterior legs (like a squat) with a vertical push and pull.” He also shared the entire Spider-Man circuit, which is what I tried. Read on to find out what happened.
Looking for more weird and wonderful workout inspiration? Here's what happened when I tried the exact resistance band workout Chris Hemsworth used on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder, plus, take a look at these three tricep workouts.
What is the Tom Holland Spider-Man workout?
Ashwell said Tom completed four-to-five rounds of the following circuit:
Deadlifts
Tom would lift two times his bodyweight for the deadlifts, completing 8-10 reps. He’d then have a 30-second break before moving on to the next exercise.
Incline press
For these incline presses, the bench is at 45 degrees, to focus on the upper chest. Tom would press with the equivalent of half his bodyweight in each, completing 10-12 reps, followed by a 30-second rest.
Dip bar straight leg raise
One of the ab exercises that created that famous torso, the straight leg raises performed on the dip bar is a killer for the core. This is a bodyweight exercise, and Tom would do 12-15 leg raises.
Weighted dips
Staying at the dip bar, weighted dips work the triceps, shoulders, and arm muscles, as well as the upper and lower back. Tom would perform 15 weighted dips, before a 30-second rest.
Dumbbell thrusters
Dumbbell thrusters target the quads, glutes, shoulders, and triceps as you squat down, and lift the dumbbells above your head. This move is also said to help work on your balance — something that Spider-Man no-doubt needs in bucket loads. Tom used a dumbbell that was a quarter of his body weight in each hand, and did 10-12 reps.
Bear crawls
A Cross-Fit move, bodyweight bear crawls are said to build core strength, get the heart rate up, and work the shoulders and quads. Tom would do 60-seconds of bear crawls, with a 30-second rest between sets.
Renegade rows
Renegade rows are a full-body exercise that also targets the stabilization muscles of the body. Tom would use a dumbbell weighing one-quarter of his body weight in each hand, and do 10-12 renegade rows on each side.
Chin-ups
Another multi-muscle group exercise, when performed correctly, chin-ups work the arms and back. Tom would do 10-12 chin-ups, with a break of 30-seconds before heading to the final exercise in the circuit.
Running
The cardio element of the circuit involved the following pyramid sprints session:
10-minute jog
Run at 80% effort for 30 seconds-1 minute
Walk at 3.5-4 mph 2 minutes
Run at 90% effort for 30 seconds-1 minute
Walk at 3.5-4 mph 2 minutes
Run at 100% effort (full sprint) for 30 seconds-1 minute
Walk at 3.5-4 mph 2 minutes
Run at 90% effort for 30 seconds-1 minute
Walk at 3.5-4 mph 2 minutes
Run at 80% effort for 30 seconds-1 minute
Cool down walk for 5 minutes
I tried the Tom Holland Spider-Man workout — here’s what happened
Let me start by saying — this one is tough. I headed to the gym with every intention to work out like Spider-Man, but by the time I got to the straight leg bar raises, I realized my own Spider Senses were telling me to step away and get back to my normal workout routine. (This is the one app I always use in the gym).
Lacking the upper-body strength of Spider-Man, I found I wasn’t able to do one dip bar straight leg raise, let alone the 15 Ashwell had on the plan. I wasn’t ready to fail just yet, so unrolled an exercise mat and opted for leg raises from the mat, but I felt much less like Spider-Man as I lay on the floor. Next up came the weighted dips, and I was, once again, defeated by the dip bar. Again, I improvised, opting to do tricep dips against a weight bench.
The dumbbell thrusters, bear crawls, and renegade rows passed in a blur of “wow, I have to do four or five rounds of this?”, but at least I could do the exercise. Then came the chin-ups, which are said to have been Tom’s favorite exercise in his preparation for the role, and I realized I’d never beat The Green Goblin. I skipped onto the running part of the workout, and back in my safety zone, I completed one round of the grueling run-walk workout on the treadmill. It’s also important to add that I was definitely not benching or lifting the equivalent of my own bodyweight, sorry Tom.
After three rounds of the circuit, doing my modifications, I admitted defeat and went home. I’m sure nobody else in the gym knew I was training to be Spider-Man, but it definitely wasn’t a challenge I was going to win. Ashwell said Tom usually spent 30-minutes on the treatment table after each workout, and I can see why. For now, I’ll stick to Pilates, and leave the web-shooting, wall-climbing, superhero antics to Tom.
As for other celebrity workouts, you can see how Taron Egerton built his impressive physique and how Chris Hemsworth gets arms like Thor's and give Ryan Renyolds’ Deadpool 2 ab workout a spin.
