While his role as Wolverine has earned Hugh Jackman millions and countless fans, the rigorous preparation for the role has always cast doubt on his acting future, so it was heartening to see an Instagram post from Jackman’s trainer, Beth Lewis, detailing Jackman’s continued drive to hit the gym and the impressive VO2 Max score the now 55-year-old has achieved so far.
Many, including Jackman himself, felt the star had retired his claws following 2017’s critically acclaimed Logan. [to reprise the role]Every five seconds, including Ryan, it was like, ‘It’s over.'” He told the Guardian last year:But Jackman realized how much fun he’d have doing the Deadpool movies and decided to return: “It was just something I wanted to do, and it just seemed like a natural fit,” he says, adding, “I get to bang Ryan Reynolds every day.”
Since playing Wolverine X-Men Back in 2000, Jackman knew all this fun would require hard work, but it seems he prepared for the film with his trademark passion and wowed trainer Beth Lewis with the effort. “Not only did Hugh gain muscle, he got super strong, stayed healthy for performance, and achieved a maximum oxygen intake of 59 ml/min/kg,” the coach shared in an August 16, 2024 Instagram post.
Hugh Jackman achieves a VO2 max score of 59 ml/kg/min
VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake) is a measurement of the amount of oxygen an individual can utilize during challenging exercise. It is a score that indicates aerobic endurance, and therefore indicates a person’s cardiovascular and performance capabilities. The VO2 max score actually refers to the maximum number of milliliters of oxygen a person can consume per minute, per kilogram of body weight. These results are usually obtained in specialized laboratories, where subjects wear a mask connected to a machine that monitors breathing rate, and a strap that measures heart rate. As the intensity of exercise increases, oxygen uptake peaks (shifting from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism) before the subject is unable to exercise any more, resulting in maximum results.
So what about Jackman’s score of 59? VO2 max score for a 55-year-old man A typical score is between 32 and 35, which puts Wolverine firmly in the “excellent” category, which starts at a score of 40. Simply put, Jackman is right on that level. “At this level of fitness, he’ll be doing this until he’s 90!” Lewis joked.
As the accompanying video shows, the muscular movie star hit the gym ahead of the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, hitting the gym with traditional weightlifting moves like deadlifts, cable work, and explosive power moves. If you want to look like Wolverine, challenging exercises that get your heart rate up, like high-intensity training (HIIT) and strength training, can help increase your oxygen intake and improve your VO2 max score, but be sure to combine this with lower-intensity sessions to allow your body to recover and adapt.
“Nobody works harder or is more dedicated to what they do than this guy,” Lewis adds. “Everything from the macros to the effort to the repetition to the success – I’m so proud of Hugh Jackman.” Despite the rigorous training requirements, Deadpool & Wolverine probably won’t be Jackman’s last rodeo with the lovable clawed character!
