Movie-star plan

Action Hero

Big shoulders, chest and arms on a lean body

5 days a week
12 weeks
Intermediate
For men
Gym

About this program

The action-hero look is big shoulders, chest, back and arms on a lean body. Heavy presses and rows, lots of shoulder and arm work, supersets, and daily cardio. Actors get there in 12–16 weeks with a coach and a chef; with this plan, a calorie deficit and 180 g protein, you can too.

Who it’s for

You already train regularly and want more volume and intensity.
Written with men in mind; anyone can follow it.
A gym with machines, cables and free weights.
5 sessions a week, about 55 minutes each.
10k steps a day on top of the workouts.

The week

Warm up for 5–7 minutes first. Rest is the pause between sets. A1 and A2 (B1 and B2) are supersets: do one set of each back to back, then rest. Rest days: walk and recover.

Monday Chest & shoulders: Push

Chest · shoulders · triceps · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Dumbbell Bench Press	4 × 8–⁠10	90 s
Incline Dumbbell Press	3 × 10–⁠12	75 s
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	4 × 8–⁠10	90 s
A1 Lateral Raise	3 × 12–⁠15	—
A2 Rope Triceps Pushdown	3 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Push-UpBurnout: as many clean reps as you can	2 × max reps	60 s

Cardio after: Stationary Bike, 10 min · 20/40 s. 20 seconds all-out, 40 seconds easy.

Tuesday Back & arms: Pull

Back · rear delts · biceps · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Assisted Pull-Up	4 × 6–⁠10	90 s
Seated Cable Row	4 × 10–⁠12	75 s
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3 × 10 per arm	60 s
Face Pull	3 × 15	60 s
A1 Dumbbell Biceps Curl	3 × 10–⁠12	—
A2 Hammer Curl	3 × 12	60 s

Cardio after: Incline Treadmill Walk, 15 min · 12%. Steady incline walk.

Thursday Legs & core: Legs

Quads · hamstrings · glutes · abs · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Back SquatLeg press or goblet squat if racks are busy	4 × 6–⁠8	2 min
Romanian Deadlift	3 × 8–⁠10	2 min
Bulgarian Split Squat	3 × 8 per leg	90 s
Lying Leg Curl	3 × 12	60 s
Cable Crunch	3 × 15	60 s

Cardio after: StairMaster, 10 min. Steady pace, no rails.

Friday Shoulders & arms: Pump day

Shoulders · arms · about 50 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 10–⁠12	75 s
Lateral Raise	4 × 15	45 s
Face Pull	3 × 15	45 s
A1 Dumbbell Biceps Curl	3 × 12	—
A2 Rope Triceps Pushdown	3 × 12	60 s
Hammer Curl	3 × 12	45 s

Cardio after: Stationary Bike, 12 min · steady. Easy steady pace.

Saturday Conditioning: Full body

Full body · grip · core · about 50 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Goblet Squat	3 × 12	60 s
Push-Up	3 × max reps	60 s
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3 × 12 per arm	60 s
Farmer's Walk	4 × 40 steps	60 s
Forearm Plank	3 × 45 s	45 s

Cardio after: Incline Treadmill Walk, 20 min · 12%. Long steady incline walk.

How to progress

Double progression: add reps within the range first. When every set reaches the top of the range with clean form, add a little weight (about 5–10 lb on lower-body lifts, 2.5–5 lb on upper-body lifts) and start again at the bottom.
Stop most sets 1–2 reps short of failure. Beginners stop 2–3 reps short for the first weeks.
Every 6–8 weeks, or when you feel run down, take an easier week: half the sets, same weights.

Food

Eat enough protein every day and match your calories to your goal: a small deficit to lose fat, maintenance or a small surplus to build muscle.

Find your numbers with the free TDEE calculator, the macro calculator and the protein calculator.

Modeled on how actors and models get ready for a role or a shoot. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any actor, model or studio. They also have coaches and chefs, so results vary.