SIGNING UP TO play a character like He-Man comes with a lot of pressure. The comic book character quite literally goes by the nickname of ‘The Most Powerful Man in the Universe’ and possesses superhuman strength, stamina, durability, endurance, speed, agility, reflexes and wisdom. He is immortal, indestructible and can even shapeshift. He’s also been played by Dolph Lundgren, who embodied the character and whose physique needs no introduction.
If you’re playing He-Man, an average build simply won’t do. That presented a challenge for Nicholas Galitzine, the star of Masters of the Universe. The 31-year-old actor wasn’t exactly new to working out – he’d been an athlete growing up and played rugby – but he had never had to bulk up quite as much as he would need to in order to portray the most muscular man in fiction.
So, Galitzine got to work. He enlisted the services of Hollywood strength coach Jason Walsh, who told Men’s Health US that the pair took on a split that included squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses and rows for up to five days a week for three months.
All in all, Galitzine managed to go from 80kg to 105kg, before cutting back down to 91kg. He found both the workouts and the nutrition to be challenging, and recognises that what he accomplished isn’t achievable for most people. “A lot of people think this is quite attainable, but it was a full-time job for me,” he said.
Nicholas Galitzine's He-Man workout
Galitzine share a full-body session from his training block with Men’s Health US. It blends isometric holds with compounds in supersets, and includes a vicious circuit at the end. It won’t give you all of He-Man’s abilities, but it will go a long way toward delivering super strength.
Zercher Squat Superset – 4 sets
Isometric Zercher squat – hold for 8 seconds
Zercher squats – 6 reps
Row Superset – 4 sets
Isometric inverted row – hold for 8 seconds
Pendlay row – 8 reps
Chest Superset – 4 sets
Isometric dumbbell bench press – hold for 8 seconds
Dumbbell press – 8 reps
Dumbbell Complex – 5 rounds
Do 6 reps of each move, then rest for 1 minute. Do 5 rounds. Aim to get through each round without putting down both dumbbells.
Upright row
Dumbbell snatch
Overhead press
Bent over row
Dumbbell snatch
