Kumail Nanjiani Shares The Workouts That Got Him Looking Like A Marvel Hero

Kumail Nanjiani went from Silicone Valley nerd, to jacked Marvel superhero. Now he shares the secrets to the workout that got him so jacked.

If you looked at Nanjiani a few years ago, you never would have thought him appropriate to play the part of a superhero. Perhaps he could be the hero’s nerdy sidekick, but he did not seem to have the hero quality, himself. That all changed, when he decided to share shirtless some photos online, where he looked ultra jacked.

View this post on Instagram

I never thought I’d be one of those people who would post a thirsty shirtless, but I’ve worked way too hard for way too long so here we are. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I found out a year ago I was going to be in Marvel’s Eternals and decided I wanted to transform how I looked. I would not have been able to do this if I didn’t have a full year with the best trainers and nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world. I’m glad I look like this, but I also understand why I never did before. It would have been impossible without these resources and time. So big thanks to @grantrobertsfit who started working with me at the beginning of the year and made me understand true physical pain for months and months. Then, once we started shooting, a massive thanks to @davidhigginslondon and his team (@ellispartridge, @thebeardypt, @tomcheesemanfitness) for training me almost every day and making me strong, limber and injury free. I can almost touch my toes now. (And thank you for forcing me to do cheat meals David.) Matthews Street Catering for their delicious and healthy meals. And finally, the biggest thanks goes to @emilyvgordon for putting up with me complaining and talking about only working out and dieting for the last year. I promise I’ll be interesting again some day. #thirstyshirtless (Photo by @markupson.) (edit: I left off one very important person: @lancecallahan who trained me for 6 years and helped me build the foundation I could use to do this. Thank you!)

A post shared by @ kumailn on Dec 16, 2019 at 8:10am PST

Nanjiani spent the better part of a year training, in secret, to build the physique. The reason: he landed a role in the coveted Marvel universe, playing the part of Kingo in the upcoming film The Eternals. As he told Men’s Health, it was this character’s secret identity that led him to take his gym work so seriously.

“He’s not just any superhero, his secret identity is that he’s a Bollywood movie star,” says Nanjiani. “Those guys are super-jacked, so I had to really, really get into shape.”

That was precisely what he did. But how did he go from nerd to hero? With a fine-tuned plan of diet and exercise of course. In particular, he has found some exercises that really work for him, in terms of getting those results he wants.

Working alongside trainer Grant Roberts, this is the workout plan they devised:

Warm-Up

• Power Plate Activation – 30 seconds

Legs

• Zercher Squats – 3 sets/15 reps

Chest

• Low Cable Scoops – 3 sets/10 reps

Shoulders (Delt Giant Set Circuit)

• Dumbbell Front Raise – 3 sets/8 reps
• Standing Lateral Raise – 3 sets/8 reps
• Bent Over Lateral Raise – 3 sets/8 reps

Biceps (Electrical Stimulation Circuit) 

• Cross Body Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets/7 reps
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls – 3 sets/7 reps
• Standard Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets/7 reps

Triceps

• Dips – 3 sets till failure

Back

• Cable Row (Squat Stance) – 3 sets/10 reps

View this post on Instagram

More pics from my @menshealthmag shoot by @emilyshur. I got to recreate some of my favorite action scenes! Link to story in bio.

A post shared by @ kumailn on Mar 10, 2020 at 8:58am PDT

Now of course, like any other workout routine, this has to be adjusted for one’s own personal needs. Moreover, it has to be coupled with the proper diet plan, in order to get the best results. Regardless, this is a pretty solid workout plan from Kumail Nanjiani.