Matthew McConaughey is one of the most versatile actors of our time. He has starred in timeless classics like Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, Gold, True Detective, and A Time To Kill.
Romcom, action, thriller, sci-fi, drama, McConaughey has impressed in every role. The Interstellar star has earned acclaim for his acting skills, variety, and talent.
However, McConaughey doesn’t nearly get as much praise for his physique as he should. He played an extremely underweight Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, overweight Kenny Wells in Gold, and ripped Dallas in Magic Mike. Additionally, his onscreen transformation in Dallas Buyers Club is mind-boggling.
It would be safe to say that McConaughey’s acting skills overshadow the hard work he puts into transforming his physique for every role. But this article is different. This article is dedicated to the Academy Award-winning actor’s physique.
Alright, alright, alright. Let’s get into how the Mud actor transforms his physique every time he has to face the camera in a new avatar.
Matthew McConaughey Current Stats
- Name: Matthew David McConaughey
- Height: 6’
- Weight: 181 pounds
- Birthday: Nov. 4, 1969
- Birthplace: Uvalde, Texas
Matthew McConaughey Workout Program
The Wedding Planner star believes in staying active throughout the day. According to him, working out daily makes getting in shape for a film role quicker and easier.
Training Principles
McConaughey abides by the following training principles:
1. Stick to Compound Movements
Multi-joint movements like the squat, deadlift, and bench press can help build strength and muscle mass and improve your overall functionality. Matthew performs compound movements in every workout to maximize gains in minimal time.
2. Don’t Be Trapped Inside a Gym
McConaughey isn’t afraid to hit the road for a run. He often shares photos of himself on Instagram performing bodyweight exercises in the wild.
“When I work out, I like to run. If I see a tree, I’ll stop and do pull-ups. Randomly, I’ll do push-ups too. This is how I get the body I want.” — Matthew McConaughey on training outdoors.
Workout Plan
McConaughey switches between a resistance training and circuit training-focused workout program depending on his upcoming role. Below you’ll find two training programs that help him achieve his physique goals:
Matthew McConaughey Muscle Mass Building Training Program
Mr. Smooth uses the following five-day training program to put on muscle mass for a role:
Monday: Chest and Shoulders
McConaughey follows a high-volume and high-intensity training schedule. He performs at least 18 sets in each of his resistance training workouts to annihilate his muscles.
- Dumbbell chest press: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Dumbbell fly: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Lateral dumbbell raise: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Overhead shoulder press: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Medicine ball push-up: 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps
- Stability ball climbers: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Tuesday: Legs and Core
While performing the exercises, focus on establishing a mind-muscle connection and contracting your muscles with every rep. Going through the motions just for the sake of it isn’t going to get you too far.
- Dumbbell forward lunge: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Stability ball leg curl: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Dumbbell squat: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- One-legged squat: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Calf raise: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Leg extension: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Wednesday: Core and Cardio Routine
The cardio and core routine helps Matthew improve his conditioning and muscle definition. During the circuit training, do not spend more than five minutes performing a single exercise. Also, do not stop for rest between exercises.
- Circuit training (a mix of cardio machine, jump rope, sprints, and finally kettlebell work): 20 minutes
- Abdominal twist: 3 sets of 20 reps
- Leg lifts: 3 sets of 20 reps
- Twisting plank: 3 sets of 20 reps
- Reverse crunch: 3 sets of 20 reps
Thursday: Back and Arms
Focus on performing the exercises with the correct form. You would be leaving gains on the table if you have to use momentum to lift the weight. Use a weight that makes you hit muscle failure around the recommended number of repetitions.
- Dumbbell bicep curl: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Pull-up: 3 sets of 15 reps
- Dumbbell row: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Push-up: 3 sets of 20 reps
- Bench dips: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Triceps kickback: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Friday: Full-Body
McConaughey ends his training week by performing a full-body workout. As you get used to the workouts, use advanced training principles like progressive overloading to make the most of your training.
- Incline chest press: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Bicep curl: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Medicine ball push-up: 3 sets of 15 reps
- Dumbbell side lunge: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Dumbbell squat: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Forearm plank: 3 sets of 90 seconds
- Walking plank: 3 sets of 60 seconds
Saturday/Sunday: Active Rest
There are no rest days on Mr. Smooth’s training program. Perform a 15-30 minute workout on the days you won’t be hitting the gym. You could switch between LIIT (low-intensity interval training) and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to get the best of both worlds.
Matthew McConaughey Circuit Training Program
The Academy Award-winning actor uses the following program to shed weight:
Day One: Circuit Training and Cardio
Warm-Up:
- Stretch
- 5-mile bike ride
- 3×10 Pushups
- 3×10 Pull-ups
- 3×10 Air Squats
Circuit:
3 Rounds for Time:
- 30 Kettlebell Swings
- 20 Pistol Squats (10 each leg)
- 10 Inchworms
- 5 Burpees
Day Two: McConaughey Style Cager aka Activity Day
McConaughey alternates between a training day and an ‘activity day’ on his shredding program. Use this day to go rock climbing, biking, swimming, or any other outdoor sport of your choice.
However, if you cannot make the time for outdoor activity, utilize the day by performing push-ups, sit-ups, and other calisthenic-type movements throughout the day.
Day Three: Circuit Training and Cardio
Warm-Up:
- Stretch
- 2-3 mile jog
- 3×10 Pushups
- 3×10 Pull-ups
- 3×10 Air Squats
Circuit:
1 Round for Time:
- 70 Double Unders
- 60 Dumbbell Clean and Presses
- 50 Jump Squats
- 40 Push-Ups
- 30 Wall Balls
- 20 Mountain Climbers
- 10 Wall Climbs
Day Four: McConaughey Style Cager aka Activity Day
Day Five: Circuit Training and Cardio
Warm-Up:
- Stretch
- 3×10 Pushups
- 3×10 Pull-ups
- 3×10 Air Squats
Circuit:
5 Rounds for Time:
- 800m run (heavy bag or shadow boxing)
- 25 Bench Press @135
- 15 Clean and Press @95
- 10 Floor Wipers @135
- 5 Burpees
Day Six: McConaughey Style Cager aka Activity Day
Matthew McConaughey Diet Program
McConaughey usually works with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson every time he has to transform his physique for a role. Over the years, The Newton Boys star has found that he can make drastic changes to his physique just by switching up his diet.
“As I’ve gotten older, I realize that being fit and in shape is 90% diet.” — Matthew McConaughey on the importance of an effective diet plan.
Diet Principles
Matthey McConaughey relies on the following dieting principles to get in shape for his roles:
1. Always Start a Transformation With Your Diet
As an actor, McConaughey has to transform his physique on tight schedules to meet deadlines. He believes that no amount of intense training can compensate for a poor nutrition program.
Hence, getting his diet program in order is his priority when starting a transformation program. While choosing a diet plan, Matthew is looking for a program that helps him achieve his aesthetic goals and improves his overall health.
2. Achieve Your Weight Loss Goal By Making Changes To Your Diet
Matthew arguably underwent the most drastic transformation for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. He lost around 50 pounds for the movie in just five months.
“I started off doing a lot of exercise, burning 1,800 calories a day,” revealed Matthew about preparing for his DBC role. “I had to do that for two weeks. My goal was to lose four pounds a week.
“So I was doing that for the first two weeks, lost eight pounds,” he said. “And then I had a week where I had an injury and I couldn’t exercise, and I stayed on the same diet but I lost the same amount of weight. I was like oh, well hang on. Let me see if I can do this without exercise! And I lost the same amount of weight.”
Notably, the Academy Award-winning actor doesn’t rely on crash diets to achieve his weight goal. Even when prepping for the physically-intensive Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey ate healthily. His diet included egg whites for breakfast, fish for lunch and dinner, and small amounts of vegetables with each meal.
3. Consuming Quality Calories Can Make All The Difference
The Angles in the Outfield star eats a nutrient-dense whole food diet when he is trying to transform his physique for a role. Doing so allows him to build a decent amount of muscle mass while maintaining a low body fat percentage.
You could pack on muscle mass by meeting your daily caloric goal by eating junk food, but you would have to offset the excess calorie intake with cardio, which can take time and set you back on a deadline. Sticking to a clean diet program is one of the best ways of putting your transformation on a fast track.
Diet Plan
McConaughey doesn’t follow the same diet program for every movie. His drastic transformations are proof that he is constantly changing his diet to meet his role requirements.
The diet plan laid down below is from Magic Mike where McConaughey had to sport a muscular and shredded physique:
Meal 1: Breakfast
- 4 fried or scrambled eggs
- Whole-grain low GI toast
Meal 2: Snack
- Fruit salad with Greek yogurt and seeds
- A cup of unsalted nuts
Meal 3: Lunch
- Fresh fish
- Mixed vegetables
- Sweet potato fries
Meal 4: Snack
- Protein bar
Meal 5: Dinner
- Chicken or beef
- Steamed vegetables
- A large bowl of salad
- Wine
Foods to Eat on the Matthew McConaughey Diet
The Interstellar actor ensures that he eats nutrient-dense food throughout the day. His go-to foods include:
- Fish
- Chicken
- Whole eggs
- Egg whites
- Beef
- Fruits
- Avocados
- Beans
- Salmon
- Greek yogurt
- Veggies
- Salad
- Nuts and seeds
- Sweet potato
- Wine
Notably, McConaughey loves red wine and has a glass at dinner every day.
Foods to Avoid on the Matthew McConaughey Diet
The following foods are a big no-no on the McConaughey diet program:
- Food items that have a high glycemic index
- Processed food
- Chemical additives
- Junk food
- Sweeteners
- Artificial flavoring substances
The A Time to Kill star is a proponent of eating low glycemic index (GI) foods, meaning — foods that do not cause a spike in blood sugar. Veggies, meat, fish, avocados, and certain fruits such as plums are a few examples of low-GI foods.
Supplements
Matthew McConaughey consumes a variety of supplements to improve his overall health. The following supplements also help power his various physique transformations:
- Multivitamins: Helps meet your daily micronutrient requirements.
- Whey Protein: Aids in building muscle mass and losing body fat.
- Glutamine: Glutamine acts as a building block for making proteins in the body. It is a significant amino acid.
- BCAA: Improves muscle recovery during and after a workout.
- Green Tea Extract: Promotes weight loss and regulating blood sugar levels.
- Vitamin B6: Also known as pyridoxine, vitamin B6 has numerous health benefits.
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Wrapping Up
McConaughey’s transformation program demands disciple, determination, and grit. We hope you picked up a thing or two about carving your dream physique from the master of body transformations.
Finally, it isn’t just about how you look. Your psychological well-being is just as important as your aesthetics.
“Sometimes you can get the body in shape, and the head isn’t in great shape. But it’s real nice if you can coordinate them.” — Matthew McConaughey
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