Brandon Routhhad an enormous task ahead of him when he was cast to play Superman in 2006sSuperman Returns, but he put a huge effort into training for the role. Routh was the first actor to take on the role of Superman, long before theDCU, after Christopher Reeve’s quadrilogy which concluded in 1987. Of course, considering Reeve was lauded as the perfect Superman, and his career as the iconic comic book hero was cut short due to a severe spinal injury, the role went unoccupied for a considerable period of time.
Reeve passed away in 2004, and with the world now without it’s Superman, the search for a new man to don the cape began. Routh was eventually cast against a competitive lineup of hopeful actors, but the more impressive part ofRouth’s work on the role came before he appeared on the big screen, or even got in front of the cameras. Reeve was famous for his towering six-foot-four inch frame, and his considerable muscle, andRouth needed to convince the world that he was Supermanafter the loss of this icon.
Brandon Routh’s Superman Movie Workout Routine Explained
Brandon Routh Put In A Lot Of Work To Become Superman
Brandon Routh had always been athletic, and had a passion for sports, as illustrated in an interview he had withMen’s Journal. However, when it came time to prepare to play Superman, Routh had a whole new challenge as he began weightlifting for pretty much the first time in his life.Routh committed wholeheartedly to a strict programwhich would see him train four days of every week with a personal trainer, giving a great deal of attention to his weight training.
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Between movies and TV shows, there have been many versions of Superman. With them came some of the best live-action superhero suits. My favorite costumes when it comes to Superman movies and TV shows have to be Christopher Reeve’s classic Superman suit, Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel costume, Tyler Hoechlin’s homemade Superman suit, and the one I think is the best of them all. Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns suit had the wrong color tone for me and a small “S” shield; however, his Kingdom Come Superman suit from the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths is my favorite live-action Superman costume.
In addition, Routh also adjusted his diet to intake a lot of protein-rich foods, like plain chicken and egg whites, which was a significant change. However,Routh understood that he had some huge shoes to fillafter Reeve, and so he consistently and meaningfully put his focus into training both in the run-up to the movie being filmed, and during the shoot. This resulted in Routh having an outstanding figure for the film, but theSuperman suit he wore largely masked the musclehe gained, which meant much of this work went underappreciated.
What Henry Cavill Said About His Superman Movie Workout Routine
Years later, when Henry Cavill was cast to play Superman in the DCEU, Cavill also committed to an intensive training regimen. However, he supplemented this routine with a calorie-rich diet of about 5,000 calories per day (viaFitmole). For his training, Cavill also trained for an average of 4 days per week, but his larger diet meant he was much more focused on bulking up and adding mass, rather than getting the perfect Superman physique. In fact,Cavill said that his cardio was largely non-existentwhen he went onThe Tonight Show.
And in preparation for whenCavill needed to show off the Superman physiquein shirtless scenes, he would switch from his 5,000 calorie diet to a lean 1,600 diet for the preceding 6 weeks to ensure his muscles were on full display. Ultimately, this was also a huge challenge, butRouth’s workout routine and diet appear to have been more consistent and labor-intensivethan Cavill’s, despite not showing off the results.
How Long Did Brandon Routh Workout For His Superman Movie Role?
Brandon Routh Worked Out For A Long Time To Play Superman
Ahead of shooting the movie, Brandon Routh trained intensively for 6 months with a personal trainer, and he gained about 20 to 25 pounds of muscle. However, Routh did not stop there. Throughout the recording ofSuperman Returns, Routh continued to train and diet extensively in order tokeep up the Superman physiqueand remain in peak condition. All in all, this meant he was training for four days a week for about a year.
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This led to the actor standing out at approximately 220 to 225 pounds for the duration of his role as Superman. For comparison, thelegendary Superman actor, Christopher Reeve, who stood a full two inches taller than Routh, managed to come in at about 230 pounds, with less muscle definition while playing Superman. This means thatRouth effectively pushed his body further, eliminating fat for the role.
How Brandon Routh’s Superman Movie Workout Role Is Different To Other Actors
It Takes A Lot Of Work To Be A Superhero
For one thing, there was a huge emphasis on making the flying look as realistic as possible. In the earliest attempts to create a Superman movie, back in the 1940s and 1950s, having the character fly was a distant dream. Some degree of special effects were used to imitate this, but for the most part, none were convincing. When Christopher Reeve was cast, it wasimportant for both Reeve and director Richard Donner to get the flying right, and it was the first time Superman flew on screen and had audiences in awe.
Brandon Routh trained intensively for 6 months with a personal trainer.
This needed to continue and be enhanced for Routh’s outing as the Man of Steel, and so, Routh employed a chunk of his training doing exercises like Rope Yoga, a specially designed combination from his personal trainer that would help him prepare to be in a harness for extended periods. This, in combination withBrandon Routh’sintense training, weightlifting, cardio, and diet, resulted in hisversion of Supermanbeing one of the most accurate visual representations.
Superman Returns
Cast
Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns follows the events surrounding the hero’s return to Earth after a five-year absence. When Superman (Brandon Routh) arrives back on Earth, he discovers that Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has developed a plan to use kryptonite crystals to establish a new landmass that he intends to sell off to the highest bidder. With Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) now married with a child, Superman must come to terms with everything he left behind in order to stop Luthor’s villainous scheme.
