The world was shocked when Robert Downey Jr was selected for the role in Iron Man since he was someone most people would have thought would have been the last man on Hollywood’s shortlist. Not only because of the infamous trouble with drugs that Robert had gone through, but simply his previous roles had nothing to do with being the man of iron.
Unlike Arnold and Sly Stallone who have obviously passed their prime, one would have thought that there were more appropriate choices to choose from. But Robert took the role head on and employed a personal trainer to help him put on 20 pounds of good quality muscle as quickly as possible. The Robert Downey Jr. workout is an effective way to pack on some lean mass.
Before taking on the role of Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr. seemed to have thrown it all away, never one to have been thought of as a tough guy or super hero. Yet Robert Downey Jr. seems not only to have turned his life around and kicked his bad habits, but by becoming a motivated member of OUR iron culture, he has transformed himself into an on-screen super hero, a true man of iron.
The internet is still crammed with many upper body pics that show exactly how successful the Robert Downey Jr. workout has been in achieving this. The movie makers were also very impressed with his improved shape and as a result, we see a lot of him unveiling his physique in Iron Man, the Avengers, and Sherlock Holmes.
When Robert was asked how he achieved his remarkable physique, he said that it was a combination of things. He said that it was not only the use of the “Jacobs Ladder” which is a unique climbing treadmill that utilizes all of the muscles of the upper and lower extremities, truly an all-around fat burning workout, but his weight training as well.
He attributed a lot of his success to his 5-day weight training program and using a creatine supplement created in Sweden. He said that it was the combination of these three items that got him the condition that we see on screen in his latest movie.
The split routine was nothing complicated and his personal trainer not only made sure that he was doing the exercise correctly but also that he was always training with the correct intensity. This is a vital factor in getting the results from hard training.
The Official Robert Downey Jr. Workout:
Day 1: Back
Day 2: Chest
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Shoulders
Day 5: Arms
No, we did not list specific exercises with each muscle pairing because there was quite a bit of overlap with the Robert Downey Jr. workout. In other words: during this type of split, basic compound movements were used, such as the Bench Press for chest, the Deadlift or Power Clean for back, Squats for legs, Military Press for shoulders and Barbell Curls with French Press for arms. It was doing these on a progressive and routine basis that got Robert results. If you are looking to mirror the Robert Downey Jr. workout routine for yourself, we recommend doing these exercises through drop sets (repeatedly going until failure and lowering the weight when necessary).
When doing these compound movements you will stimulate maximum testosterone levels, which aid in stimulating an increased rate in protein synthesis in the muscle. In layman’s terms, bigger and stronger muscles faster. But it goes without saying that this was combined with good nutrition. Eating correctly in order to speed up recovery as well as the speed of the metabolism is vital. Along with the constant advice from his personal trainer on food selection and preparation Robert found that he had soon managed to put on 20 pounds of good quality muscle.
If your goal is to put on some lean mass and build strength while doing just that, then the Robert Downey Jr. workout above is for you. By applying these compound exercises to your routine, you’ll be building mass like a super hero.