Joe Manganiello, known for his roles in ‘True Blood,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ and the ‘Magic Mike’ series, has garnered attention for his impressively chiseled physique. Born on December 28, 1976, the 6’5″ actor weighs approximately 236 pounds. Manganiello’s approach extends beyond mere aesthetics, encompassing a balanced exercise regimen and a mindful dietary strategy. He emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded program that focuses on all muscle groups rather than isolating just a few.
Manganiello's Fitness Philosophy
Manganiello’s training philosophy is centered on achieving a balanced exercise regimen. He emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded program that focuses on all muscle groups rather than isolating just a few. Manganiello doesn’t believe in rest days. His workout schedule is a relentless six-day-a-week commitment that would make even the most dedicated gym-goers howl. “I train like I’m trying to win a gold medal in an Olympic event that doesn’t exist,” Manganiello once quipped. Manganiello’s approach to fitness isn’t just physical; it’s a mental game too. “The mind is the real muscle,” he often says. This mindset has helped him maintain his impressive physique even as he approaches weight loss goals in a sustainable way.
The Intense Workout Routine
Manganiello’s workout routine is a testament to the actor’s commitment to maintaining peak physical fitness. However, it’s essential to remember that while his routine can serve as an inspiration, each individual must tailor their exercise regimen to suit their unique needs and capabilities.
Here's a glimpse into his demanding schedule:
- Mondays and Thursdays: Dedicated to sculpting that imposing upper body. Manganiello’s chest and back routine is a symphony of supersets, pairing exercises like barbell bench presses with lateral pulldowns. The first circuit was a combination of barbell bench pressing and lat pulldowns. "This means you press 20 times and pull down 20 times, then press 15 times and pull down 15 times, and so on. It means that, as you get tired, you do fewer reps, which makes sense, but then, for no reason, you start going back up. This is not normal. This is not what people do."
- Tuesdays and Fridays: All about building those tree-trunk legs. Manganiello’s leg workouts are not for the faint of heart. “Leg day is like paying taxes,” he jokes.
- Wednesdays and Saturdays: Focus on shoulders and arms, the finishing touches on Manganiello’s impressive physique. From Arnold presses to hammer curls, each exercise is carefully chosen to sculpt and define.
- CrossFit Integration: Manganiello doesn’t just lift weights; he embraces the functional fitness philosophy of CrossFit. He incorporates challenging WODs (Workouts of the Day) like “Helen” and “Grace” into his routine.
Diet: Fueling the Beast
Remember, your diet plays a significant role in your fitness journey. While a good workout routine is essential, it’s your diet that fuels your body and helps you recover. Joe Manganiello believes in a balanced diet aimed at building and maintaining muscle mass. His dietary strategy revolves around consuming high amounts of protein, very low carbohydrates and sugars, and a variety of vegetables.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Protein is a crucial component of Manganiello’s diet, acting as the primary source of nutrition for his muscle-building endeavors.
- Post-Workout Meal: After his workout, he consumes egg whites, which are a great source of protein, along with a ham and cheese omelette with bacon or sausage.
Supplements are integral to Joe Manganiello’s diet, helping him maximize his gains and maintain his energy levels throughout the day.
A Humorous Take on the "Evolution" Plan
Joe Manganiello is one of the most earnest humans who has ever lived. He believes in himself and he believes in you. He probably believes in you more than you believe in yourself. Once he read The Fountainhead, and it inspired him to go work at a quarry for a time. How could you fail to love the sort of man who reads Ayn Rand and takes it so literally that he takes a job moving rocks because he wants to make the most of himself? When it came time to prepare for True Blood, he watched hundreds of hours of footage of wolves in the wild.
What Joe outlines in Evolution is, like it says on the tin, a six-week workout and diet routine. It purports to be the exact plan he followed to get in shape for True Blood. As you can imagine, I had a lot of feelings about this, and sometimes the best thing to do with too many feelings is to embark on an extremely grueling six-day-a-week workout regimen and refuse to eat any carbs that aren't sweet potatoes, a starch I personally loathe in all its forms.
There are a few things that a trained observer will immediately grasp, looking at this list. One is that Joe Manganiello is a very tall, very large man, so he can put "cheddar cheese block" on his diet plan and assume that will work out just fine for everyone. Another is that this is a very specific list. Cherry-and-fig balsamic vinaigrette! Think Thin bars, but only the peanut butter flavor (this was a problem, as stores seem to now carry only the CHUNKY peanut butter flavor, which has a different nutrition profile from the OG peanut butter variety). There are no meal plans. There are no portion suggestions.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Mental Fortitude and the Destroyer
Alcohol, Joe Manganiello says, is "the destroyer." No alcohol. During this phase I remember watching "The Battle of the Bastards" episode of Game of Thrones and saying "…pussies" dismissively as men were gored to death by bayonets. This is when the wheels really start to come off in your brain. Fasted cardio was added to the plan. Daily, fasted, cardio. I no longer spoke at the gym, a place where once I shared confidences and humorous ripostes with my friends and trainer and loved ones. Now I just muttered things darkly and rolled my eyes.
The Grueling Reality of Drop Sets and Food
Everything was a drop set. So many drop sets. Things hurt less as I did them, but parts of me would just stop working. I wouldn’t say "I don’t think I can do any more push-ups." I would just lower myself and then fail to get back up again. I looked beautiful, but took little pleasure in it. These two weeks had to be endured. Food lost its appeal almost completely. My cheat meal came, and I grimly opened a can of corned beef hash and ate it, cold, with a spoon, pausing only to dump in a bunch of hot sauce after being told it looked revolting. I was Yoshimi, battling the pink robots. In the morning, my eyes would open and I would take a quick inventory of my body and which parts were sore. The last few days were like that video of the guy pooping and falling at the end of the marathon. There was no majesty in it, only the tired satisfaction of it being over.
Results and Reflections
Numbers bum everyone out, so I will tell you only that my weight remained basically flat over the six weeks, while my strength went up rather impressively along all metrics and muscle groups. Should you do this workout plan? I don't know, I'm not your mom. It was nice to know what I had to do every day to win at something, after having lost at something that mattered to me. It was nice to open my fridge and put something in my face without making any decisions. The glorious specificity of cherry-and-fig balsamic vinaigrette was a balm to my soul. It was a transition tool between something and the unknown. That might be something you could use. It also gave me cum gutters. I cried only once, during the first week, driving from the gym to the grocery store, when Sleater-Kinney's "Modern Girl" shuffled up on my phone. I don't think it was because I couldn't buy a doughnut, but maybe it was.
Building a Physique Like a Greek God
Obviously, Joe Manganiello is subjectively attractive. If you were to ask a typical woman, they’d agree that he’s a modern-day Greek God. Any man who’s older than 40 can have Joe’s body with the right approach. Manganiello has thick muscle in the best places to accentuate his physique: his shoulders and back. Through the Greek God Program, you’ll specifically engage in targeting the same muscles that Joe Manganiello has developed to look so great. The program focuses on strength gains through relative strength. Relative strength is different than absolute strength; it’s strength relative to your own bodyweight. Absolute strength is your overall strength. It’s much more impressive to be able to bench 315 pounds while weighing 175 pounds than it is to bench 315 pounds while weighing 220 pounds.
Recovery and the Greek God Program
Like I said, being in your 40s and having a stellar physique is possible, but you really need to focus on your recovery above all. That’s why the Greek God Program is perfect! With the Greek God Program, you only train three days a week. With the updated Greek God Program, you will end with a three-day split. You will have a workout A, workout B and workout C. This will allow you to hit key muscle groups with more volume per session. Only lifting three days a week doesn’t sound that bad. New to intermittent fasting? This workout routine is perfect for men 40 and over. With it, you can build the physique of a 20-something athlete. The gold of this Joe Manganiello-inspired workout protocol comes from the amount of recovery. As I mentioned previously, recovery is mandatory for muscle growth, especially for older men.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
tags: #joe #manganiello #diet #and #workout