Channing Tatum has captivated audiences for over two decades, consistently showcasing a physique that commands attention in every role. From his breakthrough in Step Up to the Magic Mike franchise and beyond, Tatum's dedication to his craft extends beyond acting and dancing, encompassing a rigorous commitment to diet and fitness. This article delves into the methods and routines that have helped him maintain his Hollywood-worthy frame, drawing on insights from his personal trainer and experiences shared by Tatum himself.
Channing Tatum: More Than Just a Heartthrob
Channing Tatum is a man of many talents. And while you might not be able to pull off his dance moves (Step Up, Magic Mike, Hail, Ceasar!) or take your top off with quite as much finesse (Foxcatcher, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, another Magic Mike film) you needn’t feel like such a slouch when it comes to getting in camera-ready shape.
There is something a bit mythical about Hollywood golden boy Channing Tatum. For decades now, his career has been both capturing the box office and making all of America swoon. From Step Up to The Lost City to the Magic Mike franchise that is releasing its third film in theaters today, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, there is no shortage of physicality to the roles he plays. And, in signature Tatum style, he’s often playing them shirtless. Heartthrobs aren’t just born, though-they’re made.
The Magic Mike Physique: Hard Work and Dedication
Being a Hollywood leading man is most people’s dream job, but starring in a movie about male strippers means at some point you’re going to have to show the whole world what your arse looks like in a tiny triangle of fabric that’s better suited to flossing your teeth than covering your modesty.
So when Channing Tatum landed the lead role in 2012’s comedy-drama Magic Mike, a story of a young male stripper loosely based on his own experience as a 18-year-old in Tampa, Florida, he knew exactly what he was going to have to do. Get his arse out for the girls. And he did. And they loved him for it.
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Since then Tatum starred in the follow-up - Magic Mike XXL - which meant he had to get into phenomenal shape once again to get his kit off in front of the camera.
Channing Tatum has been appearing on the silver screen for years, but his journey to physically embodying the characters he’s played hasn’t been an easy one at all. In February 2022, Tatum went on the Kelly Clarkson Show to promote his new movie at the time, Dog. On the show, Tatum confirmed that Magic Mike 3 was in the works. However, he also revealed that he wasn’t too stoked on having to do another film as Magic Mike’s main character, Mike Lane. “Trust me. That might be the reason I didn’t want to do a third one is because I have to look like that,” Tatum replied.
Tatum continued to make it very clear that he does not advocate for the steps it took to achieve his Mike Lane-ready body. “‘Well’ is not even - that’s not even healthy. You have to starve yourself,” he said. “It’s my full-time job and I can barely do it.The actor also spoke about his own weight fluctuation over time, sharing that when he was younger, his body size would fluctuate more.
The Role of a Personal Trainer: Arin Babaian's Influence
Esquire has the inside info from the man responsible for a decade of Tatum shirtless scenes, his long-time PT and close personal friend Arin Babaian. “I’m actually dog-sitting Channing’s new puppy right now,” Babaian explains as Esquire joins him via phone.
With a background in physical therapy, Babaian initially transitioned to personal training after sustaining a back injury. A move from his native New York City to Los Angeles followed, where a stunt co-ordinator friend hooked him up with Brad Pitt’s trainer. Along the way Babaian met Tatum, and they’ve been working out together ever since. “He and I hit it off,” Babaian says. “We ended up training for every movie from then on. In the process we ended up becoming really good friends.”
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Unusually for a Hollywood PT, Babaian is less concerned with when exactly his client has to flex his muscles on camera, and more concerned with what character his client is portraying. What is the character’s lifestyle like? How often does he work out? Does he even have time to train?
Tailoring Workouts to the Role
Everybody asks about Magic Mike, but I never meet a client and say, ‘Hey let’s get in the best shape possible and take our shirts off,’” Babaian says.
For Foxcatcher, the film Babaian says he is most proud of, not only did the character have time to train, he was training all day, every day. “It was one of the most grueling films I think both of us have been on,” Babaian says. He describes regularly training with Tatum in a pop-up tent in the rain, at midnight after a full day of filming. “The training was probably the hardest we’ve ever done because it was wrestling training and also becoming this character who was somewhat of an ogre,” Babaian says. “It was very emotionally draining.”
For his new film, Dog - which Tatum is also directing - Babaian was faced with a unique challenge: transforming his client into a former soldier who needs to be physical, but is also healing from battle injuries. “Before production we start getting our fitness in check,” Babaian explains. “We start exercising a little bit just to warm up the body. Channing also had a lot of injuries that we’d been trying to resolve. Even on Magic Mike everyone was injured with back issues and things like that. We’ve changed our training completely to being safe and smart.”
The Intensity of Training
Channing Tatum’s workout routine is all about intensity when training. However, he likes his rest time, setting weekly days for rest and adequate recovery. His exercises combine high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with bodyweight exercises, focusing primarily on compound rather than isolation movements. Channing Tatum starts his weekly workouts with warm-ups. He walks for three minutes and then sprints for thirty seconds. He starts the day with his warm-ups again, doing some walks and sprints.
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Having relocated to Tatum’s Ojai, California ranch when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Babaian and Tatum bunked up, starting each day with a bike ride or run. As their fitness grew, the warm-ups became more and more outlandish. Three to four mile runs turned into ten mile runs.
“We were cycling about 2,000 - 2,500ft up the side of a mountain,” Babaian explains. “It was only about 15 miles but it was uphill and it would not let you out until you were at the top. Everything is a competition between he and I so we would pretty much race to the top of this mountain.”
After a while, Babaian says, Tatum was comfortably winning their uphill races, so he decided to up the ante.
“He was doing well so he decided he was going to put a wagon on his bicycle where he would put his daughter and ride up the mountain with his daughter on the back,” laughs Babaian. “He thought he was going to beat us, but I think he quickly realised climbing a mountain with a seven year old child in a carriage behind you really affects your balance. Let’s say he didn’t make it.”
His forfeit for losing the race? A 5pm snack curfew for the duration of filming.
A Sample Workout
Typically, Tatum’s workouts are broken down into a push circuit one day and a pull circuit the next day. Or even a combination of the two, with a workout never being repeated in the same week.As a taster workout you can do at home, try five rounds of the following:
- Start at a light jog on a treadmill, increasing your speed by 0.5 km/ph every 30 seconds until you max out.
- Then:
- 60kg bench press for 20 reps
- Dumbbell shoulder press for 15 reps (sitting on an exercise ball for added instability)
- Bicep curl for 15 reps (still on the ball)
- Tricep extension for 15 reps each arm (lying over the ball)
- Finish each round off with an ab-crushing circuit compromised of:
- 50 sit-ups
- 75 side crunches (per side)
- 20 leg raises
- 10 ab roll-outs
Finished? Then catch your breath and get back on the treadmill.
High-Intensity Circuit Training
For his latest movie, the emphasis was on being able to lift a moderately heavy weight for several repetitions instead of maxing out.
“We like to do circuit workouts with either three or five exercises were we’ll always have someone doing cardio,” Babaian explains. “We’ll have someone doing a run on the treadmill or skipping rope and they’re not allowed to stop until you’ve done your reps. You’re constantly like, ‘Hurry up!’. If you’re taking it easy you’re hurting your friend.”
Tatum as an Athlete
“Channing is a full-on athlete,” says Babaian. “I have a lot of friends who are stunt performers and they have all said that he could definitely be a stuntman if that had been the profession he chose. He’ll always attempt his stunts if he’s allowed to.”
Despite Tatum’s physical prowess, Babaian jokingly says the entire workout programme consists of him trying to convince Tatum something is his idea.
“I’ll give him choices that I know he hates to get him to do the one I want him to do,” says Babaian. “We developed a large back in Foxcatcher, but doing pull-ups is something he wants to avoid. So we incorporated a row in our workout routine. Or if we were doing a shoulder press, we’d start with a deadlift into the movement to incorporate the whole body.”
The Importance of Diet
Channing Tatum eats clean and aims to build lean muscle mass with his diet. He believes that the key to building a well-defined body isn’t just limited to your time in the gym, but also the quality of what you eat. He tries as much as possible to avoid processed foods, alcohol, frozen foods, salt, and junk. Though Channing Tatum keeps his diet mostly filled with whole foods, he also uses supplements to help increase his gains.
Tatum’s strict diet expectations date back almost a decade to when he was preparing for the first Magic Mike film. As a 2012 article in People notes, the actor went completely dairy-free and gluten-free to prepare for the role of Mike Lane in the movie franchise’s first installment.
For a December 2014 issue of Esquire, Tom Chiarella sat down for an intimate meal with Tatum to discuss his new movie at the time, Foxcatcher-a 2014 film in which Tatum plays an Olympic wrestler. The two dined at a Crab Shack in Georgia-but instead of ordering crab, Tatum went for a skinless chicken breast. “I would like to join you,” Tatum reportedly told Chiarella. “I would like a beer. I would like to have some crab. I love eating.
"So we swapped the unhealthy ingredients in the food Channing likes for healthy ones - we gave him lean turkey rather than beef, for example, and swapped takeaway pizzas for homemade wholewheat ones topped with organic veggies,” William J. Harris, told Men’s Health AU.
Channing Tatum's Weight Loss Journey with Aline Fiuza
Celebrity weight loss journeys always grab attention, and Channing Tatum’s transformation is one of the most talked-about in Hollywood. Known for his athletic roles, Tatum recently revealed he lost 30 pounds, showing off his lean physique on Instagram. The actor, who once gained weight for movie roles, now vows never to do ‘fat roles’ again, saying it’s too hard on his body. Behind his dramatic weight loss is chef Aline Fiuza, who shared the diet secrets that helped the actor achieve his impressive results.
Channing Tatum’s body has changed a lot over the years. For his role in ‘Josephine,’ the 45-year-old actor bulked up to 235 pounds. Later, for the film ‘Roofman,’ he slimmed down to 172 pounds, losing over 30 pounds in the process. Tatum posted before-and-after photos on Instagram, showing how much his body can change for different roles. Tatum now says he won’t take on roles that require extreme weight gain. “It’s too hard on the body and too hard to take off now,” he wrote. He admits that losing weight is much harder as he gets older, and he’s grateful for the support team that helps him stay healthy.
When starting a new diet, Fiuza says Tatum does a 24-hour fast with water and bone broth. After that, he moves on to three healthy meals a day. This approach helps kickstart weight loss and keeps his metabolism active.
Fiuza also makes healthy versions of Tatum’s favourite treats, like low-carb bread and pizza, so he doesn’t feel deprived. She believes in making the “worst thing the best way possible,” which helps Tatum stay on track without giving up all his cravings.
Consistency and Support
Tatum’s weight loss success isn’t just about diet. He works out twice a day and tracks his progress with a special scale that measures body fat and muscle mass. Fiuza adjusts his meals based on these results, making sure he’s losing fat and keeping muscle. Tatum says it’s a full-time job to stay in shape, and he admires anyone who can do it while working a regular job.
Beyond Magic Mike: The Fighting Physique
But it was not the first time he’d put his body on the line for a starring role. Back in 2009 he worked with William J Harris, a New York-based personal trainer who helped the up-and-coming movie star get in shape for Fighting.
“Channing was in decent shape when I started working with him but like a lot of guys, he likes to eat fast food and sink a few drinks,” says William J Harris, the New York-based personal trainer who helped the up and coming movie star get in shape for Fighting.
Bulking up, however, wasn’t on the agenda. “Channing didn't need to get bigger,” says Harris. “In fact, we wanted him to shed some weight to make him look more agile, more like a fighter. The programme I devised help him shift 13.6kg in the three weeks before filming started.”
But rocking up to the set looking like a waif wouldn’t work either. “He needed to have strength, flexibility and endurance so I came up with a routine of rope turns and callisthenic bodyweight exercises, such as jumping jacks, burpees, press-ups, pull-ups and squats, to help him build that. I also threw in some classic compound moves using barbells and kettlebells.”
Tatum was given three exercises to perform each session and had to complete as many rounds as he could within 20 minutes. “Working out at a high intensity keeps the heart pumping and burns more calories,” says Harris. “For the main barbell lifts, such as deadlifts, military presses, squats and clean and jerks, we found a weight Channing could lift quickly and comfortably ten times while maintaining perfect form.”
“We changed what we did every session to keep his mind engaged and his body guessing,” Harris says. “I put him through a three-day-on, one-day-off routine and kept workouts to just 30 minutes. If you keep the intensity high you don't need to train for any longer than that.”
If you're more concerned with putting on muscle than burning fat, add more weight to these lifts and focus on completing four rounds in the session, rather than as many as you can in 20 minutes.
Sample Fighting Workout
Day One
- Warm-up - Five-minute jog.
- Main workout - 20 minutes to do as many rounds as possible of 100 rope skips, 10 pull-ups and five clean and jerks.
- Cool down - Five-minute light jog and stretching.
Day Two
- Warm-up - Five-minutes of skipping.
- Main workout - 20 minutes to do as many rounds as possible of 20 burpees, 15 hanging leg raises and 20 bodyweight squats.
- Cool down - Five minutes of skipping and stretching.
Day Three
- Warm-up - Five minutes of skipping.
- Main workout - 20 minutes to do as many rounds as possible of 400m sprints, 10 kettlebell swings and 10 press-ups.
- Cool down - Five-minute light jog and stretching.
Day Four: Rest day before starting the routine again.
Is the Channing Tatum Body Achievable?
Channing Tatum is quickly becoming a fitness icon, as guys try to discover the secrets to getting a body that women describe as irresistible. According to People, Channing trained 3 hours per day and followed dairy and gluten-free diet. And make no mistake about it, if you train 3 hours per day and eat a super strict diet, you’re going to get results. When it comes to training, I definitely don’t recommend you to train for 3 hours per day. There’s really no reason to follow a dairy and gluten-free diet like Channing Tatutm, unless your body really can’t handle those foods. So there you go - a Channing Tatum workout approach without killing yourself in the gym and a diet approach that actually allows you to live your damn life like a normal human being.