How Did you train Superman? An Interview

A few months back I was harping on yet another article attempting to espouse the “truths” of how Henry Cavill trained for the role of Superman. It was the same old repeated garbage. One wannabe-relevant writer reads another’s half-ass attempt at journalism and then rehashes the talking points or embellishes the parts that he thinks are attention worthy, steals some photos without giving credit, and there you have it, “fitness journalism.” For the most part, we deny requests for interviews about certain subjects. Mostly because it is a tired subject, but also because very few want to know about the importance of honest self-assessment. They already assume they know, perhaps they just didn’t have the sets or reps right, and so the article that gets written pulls the quotes that support its bait, and the world is no better than what it was. This interview was a bit different.

Over IG, a young person asked if they might interview me for a class project to see if they could help clarify what fitness magazines haven’t been able to for the past decade. She wrote some interesting and meaningful questions, and it led to a much more in-depth conversation than I think “professional” fitness writers are capable of. I’m glad I took the time, and the exchanges afterward have reminded me that sometimes a simple engagement is a worthwhile pursuit. It’s also useful to note this was for a high school class project, there is no agenda, no sales required, no pretense or ad-space. The genuine nature of which, I believe apparent.

HW: Could you introduce yourself? 

MB: Well, by all accounts I am a coach, although that title does little to capture the job requirements. I’m probably best known for a very specific style of coaching that is most often associated with extreme transformations for performance or aesthetic, using psychology and philosophy as creative training concepts. 

HW: What are some of the top/main things you see people get wrong about what it took to get Cavill into Superman shape? 

MB: The most common misconception is that there is a dedicated plan, or an articulated schedule. People conflate understanding a process and the predictability involved with some sort of prescription that might work for everyone. There are common themes involved in achieving performance goals but they are highly individual in application. The most common question is: “what is the secret?” As if a desirable state is simply a lack of knowledge. And I think this highlights the gap in general knowledge of how to change your physiology. 

HW: How did Cavill’s training, nutrition, etc. change between the bulking phase, cutting, and maintenance phases? 

MB: It is pretty simple, and most people understand the basics. In order to grow lean mass you need the signal for growth (training) and you need nutrition to support it. We aim for a specific workload, feed the recovery process, repeat based on evaluation, and use objective measures to make sure it’s working. The cut is very similar, except that the signal changes and the discomfort tends to as well, so we prioritize sleep and recovery in order to tolerate the caloric deficit. We adjust nutrition based on how quickly we need to drop and also as a measure to give enough positive feedback, but with enough sustainability. We use moderate to intense work to elicit a preferred response and really pay attention to mood in order to dial up refeeding or enhance recovery. The science is a starting point—how much protein, carb, and fat, and ensuring sufficient micronutrition is all pretty easy to figure out—the result however, is based somewhere between art and psychology. 

HW: Did you follow what some people consider a typical bodybuilder split 6 out of 7 days training with a push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs or something else for the training aspect? (Could you give a week’s example from each bulking, cutting, and maintenance phase?) 

MB: We didn’t follow a split routine, and the word “routine” is probably the antithesis of what we do. These traditional BB concepts can be useful for consistency in training and mitigating recovery around isolation training practices that tend to over-work specific parts of the body. Although we do some supportive isolation work for aesthetics and complimentary training, we focus on compound movements that involve more attention and intention. We value movements that require this because risk is higher with bigger movements that require skill development. With risk you get attention, with attention you get reward. 

We train every day that we can according to recovery, there are some methods of using HRV and what not but we base it, often, on a singular factor: is the client motivated to train? This is enough to gauge whether you can or should. What gets done depends on what needs to get done and what seems interesting and engaging. Training is repetitive enough that burnout is a factor. So with each client we have a sort of “must do list” objectives that need to be fulfilled in order to “arrive” on the day. This could be a certain number of heavy leg days or aerobic days but a lot of this work can be mixed up so that it is fun and interesting. So we combine the “must do” stuff in with the “want to do” in a way that does not overwrite the original intention. 

Instead of giving a long list of exercises to do that almost no one will a) read b) remember or c) know how to do, imagine your own training. Now consider what it is you want to achieve. Let’s say you want to be stronger. How many days can you train strength and still make progress? What movements measure strength to you? Where are you at with them now? What movements are supportive of these measurements and what movements might hurt their progress? What are some things you know you need to do but don’t like to? Looking at someone else’s program might give an idea of what’s going on, but often it is just a distraction from the real thing that is lacking which is honest self assessment. 

You are reading a training program from someone you admire, possibly taking notes and being inspired by some of the ideas or abilities. You are imagining yourself doing something similar, maybe even getting competitive with this person you’ve put on a pedestal. Now realize that all of that is a waste of time, you are tricking yourself into thinking you are educating yourself. But you aren’t learning about yourself, you are learning about someone else. Training is about self discovery. Someone else’s self discovery means little until you’ve done a lot of it yourself, and even then it’s usually just entertainment. Instead of looking at someone else’s two weeks, look at the past two weeks of your own training and analyze what work or progress you’ve achieved. Did your ideas work? Are you better? Do you see what’s missing or what you did too much of? 

This is the “program,” at least it’s the only one that matters. If you are curious about training, you should be most curious with your own training. If you do this consistently for years, people will start to ask you what the secret is, and you will write down the past two weeks and explain why you like to bench press and squat on the same day, or why you prefer big sets for squats and low reps for shoulders, but none of it will matter to that person because their curiosity is on you and not themselves. They will miss what is important, which is taking the time to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. 

HW: What would you tell people that have a goal of achieving that “superhero” physique in getting as strong, fast, toned, lean, and hard as possible to focus on for both aesthetics and performance? 

MB: Stay curious. 

HW: What are the basics for men and women trying to get that classic “Dorito”/upside down triangle shape with defined, broad shoulders, small waist, and big legs?  

MB: aside from genetics, it’s making concessions. Being strong usually involves building everything around the spine, which means thick torso. If you want to look pretty, don’t worry about being weak. If you want to be strong, don’t worry about winning a pageant. 

To strike a balance, pick a sport that requires high power to weight ratio. These are where you start to see that “Greek idealism”, and statuesque somatotypes.  

HW: To achieve Henry Cavill’s Superman physique did you focus on more hypertrophy, occlusion, or another form of training?

MB: we mostly trained as if athleticism was the goal. Performance metrics kept our ideals clean, and vanity at the horizon where it belongs. If you ever get to the point where you can front squat double your body weight, box jump 54”, row a sub 6:40 2000m, run 7min/miles for an hour, and you support it all by eating high quality food that is nutrient dense, you are going to look just fine. But what’s better is that you feel fantastic, because your look is based on being capable. Confidence that is rooted in self knowledge is the most attractive quality one could possess. 

HW: How important is nutrition in his fitness regimen? 

MB: It is the foundation. 

HW: Nutrition wise, everyone knows that in order to look like a superhero you can’t be on a dirty bulk or have lots of junk food — at least I hope people know that. (Is that a correct statement?) Depending on which phase you were in (bulking, cutting, maintaining) how did macros or calories play in? 

MB: unfortunately, that isn’t a true statement. Achieving a look can be done on pop tarts and milk shakes, just like a painting can look like art using dog shit as paint. From a distance maybe you don’t notice, but when you get close to either of them, it is obvious that something is wrong. 

This is inherently the public’s misconception of “abs = health”. Sure there are some correlations to being lean, but it is not causative of good health. 

The reason to eat high quality food is to respect everything that you can’t see inside the body. All the processes that we are unaware of require nutrients that perhaps we don’t even have measurements for.  This is also an evolving practice. 10-years ago mentioning the gut biome in fitness as a factor for weight loss or health would have you laughed out of most circles, now it’s trying to figure out what it’s not influential of, including mental diseases and even personality.  

Calories are a very basic concept, imprecise and clumsy, but also a foundation for understanding someone’s system. Macros can help you achieve what you want because they can be manipulated temporarily in order to trick certain biological functions, but they are not magic. They often distract from deeper questions and more detailed practices. Both of these are concepts that we use to initiate an idea, but they are quickly moved aside once they reveal what they need to about the individual. Should someone eat low carb? Depends on how they respond and what they need to do. Is fat bad for you? Do you think we could have survived 200k years as a species without it? The “correct diet” is the one that helps you achieve what you want. 

I guess, in essence, the question is much like asking if hammers are good tools, they can be… until everything starts to look like a nail. 

HW: Some trainers say that fasted cardio is an important aspect if not one of the more important aspects of getting “ripped” or in the cutting phase. Would you say that it was applicable for the Superman role and is it applicable for cutting or dropping fat percentages? 

MB: It is certainly not required in order to “get ripped.” We have used it in some form or another but not because it is a secret or does something special. It does have some advantages, maybe even in ways people don’t understand quite yet. Fasted cardio usually refers to very low impact movement, often done in the morning before work or whatever else the day has to offer. Monostructural movement is both meditative and reliant on breath regulation. The act helps flush lymph, clear metabolites, and increases recovery. All of which play an important roll in brain health. When undertaking any endeavor that requires a fair amount of will power, and self regulation — especially considering diets that tend to look to outsiders as deprivation diets — the state of the brain becomes of utmost importance. If it is healthy, I would say one is more willing, to go further, to train harder, etc. it allows for the potential of the human body, which some might see as “getting ripped.”

HW: One thing most people don’t ask about is how did mobility, recovery, and sleep play into not only the aesthetics, but also the performance aspect of the Superman physique? 
MB: it’s true, they tend to gloss over it. For us, it is our first requirement. We ask for 8-10 of sleep, and will often cancel training unless this is met. It can’t be overstated how important recovery is, it IS everything. 

HW: If a female wanted to train for a superhero or warrior role and gain muscle mass and lose fat, would you use the same program/method you used for Cavill or would you take another approach? If you would change your approach, would you be able to give examples of how you would change the training, nutrition, and recovery? 

MB: As we have prepared female superhero types, Gal Gadot, Antje Traue, and a host of Amazons, the answer is that training looks completely different and sometimes eerily the same. I approach it much the same, with an open and curious mind, but am also able to change everything we do in order to match the personality of the client and requirements of the job. 

———

Some of my personal inquiries are the following:

HW: I noticed how some of the training you do yourself is a CrossFit style of WODs and I have been wanting to start CrossFit like workouts, but so many trainers and people in general are always saying “it’s so bad,” etc. It’s hard to know who to listen to… I understand the form problems that have been causing a lot of injuries, but are there benefits from CrossFit that I may benefit from?

• MB: I do some CF style training, but mostly we categorize training by domain or energy system. It just so happens that capacity work fits in and looks a lot like CF. I like CF but any training has an inherent risk of injury. There are some associated downsides to CF. It can be a trap, antagonize injuries, and make you believe that it is functional training. That being said there is probably never anything wrong with dropping into a few CF sessions a week to keep training fun.

HW: For the last 6 years I have been following a few similar programs back to back and have recently realized my body probably needs a shock to my system. Like the quote “doing the same thing expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.” I probably butchered that quote, but something along those lines. I have been trying to mix things up by not following a spreadsheet or program to a T, but changing things based off of my sleep, mental state, how my body feels that day, etc. What are some things to look for when you know you should change things up? Or what are things you look for in clients that you know you should do something new in training that day or go harder, etc.? 

• MB: changing things up can be good, it can also detract from progress. The easiest answer is to ask if you still enjoy training. If you do, train on. If training starts to feel like a chore, mix it up, try a new sport, learn a new skill, sign up for a competition. There is no wrong answer with exploring physicality.

HW: I noticed that your wife, Erin Blevins, is a carnivore chef? Is the carnivore diet what helps you? Have you seen it help others? 

• MB: She has written a book on carnivore, but neither of us subscribe to any one way of eating. It can be very helpful for certain things like resetting people hormonally, getting them to reevaluate their needs, and what foods make them feel like. It can also kill performance in some sports. So it has its specific applications.

HW: What are components that overlooked or that you wish you were asked more often? 

• MB: how important relationships are to the process. We tend to ignore how influential the people we hang out with are. If you want to change the fastest, ditch anyone that does not share that goal and start hanging around those that do what you want to do.

HW: There is a lot of bull in places I’ve tried to find answers for the next 2 questions. 

For women trying to put on muscle what are the basics they need to focus on?

• MB: psychology. Most females have to overwrite decades of cultural narratives teaching them to be small, weak, and quiet. But human capability is for every gender. Once someone moves past the fear of what others think, there is an entire world available.

HW: When trying to lose body fat percentage — for example, going from say 25%-15% what are the basics or main principles you would focus on? 

• MB: really an individual problem, but generally, you have to make sure that someone can tolerate the process — which for something like that could be years. Also keep in mind that body fat percentage is such a bad metric for achievement. When you look lean and muscular, you and everyone else will know it, no one will care about the number attached to it.