THE CONCEPT OF the ideal male form has changed dramatically throughout history. There was a time when Michelangelo’s statue of David – and the simplicity of its perfectly proportioned muscles and rippling abs – stood as the ultimate physique. The outsize muscles of late-20th century film stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone provided the blueprint for a perfect body that was much larger. Then, in 1999, Brad Pitt debuted a leaner, more chiselled image in Fight Club, and a new standard was set.
At the risk of breaking the club’s number one rule, the now-famous moment that produced the image at the top of this article arrives roughly 45 minutes into Fight Club. Pitt’s character, Tyler Durden, shows the rest of the club how it’s done by pummelling his opponent before rising, shirtless and with a cigarette still in his mouth, exposing his full physique to the audience.
Pitt’s ultra-lean form and crazy-low body fat was immediately transferred from the screen to posters hung up on the walls of impressionable young men around the world. It presented an appealing alternative to the Mr Olympia-worthy rigs of Schwarzenegger and Stallone, which, as it would appear to the ill-informed eye, require a far more rigorous commitment to lifting weights and consuming endless calories. Little attention was given to how Pitt’s physique is just as hard to match.
The thing is, Pitt wasn’t trying to create a new fitness ideal like Schwarzenegger, The Rock, or Chris Hemsworth, whose bodies are all central to their personal brands. As Fight Club’s stunt coordinator Mike Runyard told Men’s Health in 2016, “Brad just turned up looking like that. That was his deal. I didn’t do anything with him. I saw him using hand weights on set, but that was it.”
As someone who appears to be naturally quite lean – an ectomorph, if you will – Pitt likely operates at a fairly low body fat percentage to begin with. That, coupled with a intensive workout regimen and some calorie restriction, created the body we see in Fight Club. That kind of routine won’t be feasible – or safe – for everyone. That said, you didn’t come here to listen to the dangers of pairing extreme calorie restriction with intense exercise, you came here to see Brad Pitt’s workout routine. So, here it is, as revealed by another Fight Club stunt coordinator to Men’s Health UK.
Brad Pitt’s Fight Club workout routine
Monday: Chest
Push-ups – 3 sets, 25 reps
Floor press – 3 sets, 25, 15 and 8 reps
Alternating floor chest press – 3 sets, 15 reps
Chest flies – 3 sets, 15 reps
Tuesday: Back
Pull-ups – 3 sets, 25 reps
Dumbbell rows – 3 sets, 10 reps
Dumbbell deadlift – 3 sets, 10 reps
Wednesday: Shoulders
Arnold press – 3 sets, 10 reps
Lateral raises – 3 sets, 10 reps
Front raises – 3 sets, 10 reps
Thursday: Biceps and Triceps
Preacher curls – 3 sets, 10 reps
Bicep curls – 3 sets, 10 reps
Hammer curls – 3 sets, 10 reps
Chair dips – 3 sets, 10 reps
Friday and Saturday: Cardio
Running – 1 hour at 80 to 90 per cent of maximum heart rate
Sunday: Rest
