Brad Pitt is one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. His starring role in many box office hits such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Troy, and Fight Club gives him legendary status in the film industry.
In addition to his acting role, Brad Pitt’s body is another of his strong points. His shredded body motivates many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts to follow his workout routine and diet plan. If you’d want to build carved-out muscles like Brad Pitt, we’re here to give you a sneak peek of his exercise routine and eating plan.
Brad Pitt’s Story
Popularly known for being an American actor and producer, Brad Pitt is one of the most admired men in the film industry – The People Magazine gave him an award for being the Sexiest Man Alive.
He was born on December 18, 1963, and has starred in countless hit movies that have made him cement his Hollywood legendary status. Besides, Brad has also scooped many accolades, including Oscars, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Many people know him in the Fight Club movie while others in Money Ball. Others won’t forget his role in the Ocean’s Eleven film, while others in a River Runs Through It.
In his school days, Brad participated in sports and liked to debate. He was also involved in the school musicals. At the University of Missouri, Brad pursued journalism. He didn’t graduate as he started getting involved in acting.
Before he made a name in acting, he would drive strippers around to make money. His career began to pick pace when he starred in a soap opera called Another World. He then acted in four episodes of the Dallas series as Randy. However, his breakthrough came in the small role he was given in Thelma &Louise.
His star continued to shine when he played a major role in A River Runs Through It, and the rest is history.
He was married to Jennifer Aniston before meeting the beautiful Angelina Jolie, whom he married in 2014 before splitting up in 2019.
Currently, he’s not dating anyone as his custody war took a toll on him. In one of his interviews, he said that dating is not a priority in his life.
Brad Pitt’s Workout Principles
In 1999, Brad Pitt starred in the Fight Club film, and his chiseled physique still inspires many young people all over the world even today. Those into fitness always aim to get a stunning six-pack as the one Brad Pitt flaunted in the Fight Club film.
From his interviews, we can get a few workout principles that Brad followed to get carved out muscles and flexibility, including:
- Maintain a low body fat percentage
- Eat a healthy diet
- Workout the whole body
Some of the whole body workouts Brad does include:
- Compound movements. Everyone has abs, but we rarely notice as a layer of fat covers them. To burn this fat layer, you’ll need to maintain a low body fat percentage. You can achieve this by following a calorie-deficit diet and performing compound movements such as squats, pull-ups, and deadlifts.
- Progressive overload. If you want to have sculpted, noticeable abs, performing bodyweight exercises may not be enough unless you add reps over time. However, a surefire way of developing six-packs is by following the principles of progressive overload, whereby you add resistance over time.
- Cardio. In addition to having a calorie-deficit diet, you’ll need to move your body as much as possible. Therefore, integrate regular cardio exercises.
With that in mind, let’s now discuss the nitty-gritty of Brad Pitt’s exercise plan.
Brad Pitt Workout Routine
Brad Pitt majorly focuses on cardio and says that cardio is the secret to his ripped body. Pitt had a body fat of 5-6% when filming the Fight Club. An average man has a body fat of 12%, and thus this shows how dedicated Pitt was to his exercise plan.
Here’s his workout routine at that time:
Monday: Chest and Shoulders
Pitt starts his workout routine by doing six different exercises targeting the chest. Here are the exercises:
- 1 hour of treadmill cardio
- 1-2 hours of weightlifting
- 1-2 hours of sword fighting
- 3 sets of superman (15 reps)
- 3 sets of side bridge (15 reps)
- 2 minutes of treadmill cardio
Tuesday – Legs
Here are the 8 exercises Pitts does to target the legs:
- 1 hour of yoga and stretching
- 1 hour of martial arts where he does 25 reps of the jab-cross combo, 25 reps of the jab-cross roundhouse kick, 50 kicks of the snap-n-roundhouse combo, and 20 reps of jab-cross-roundhouse combination
- 1-2 hours of weightlifting
- 2 sets of mountain climbers’ cardio intervals (15 reps)
Wednesday – Abs
On Wednesday, Pitt focuses on 9 exercises targeting the ab. Here are the 9 exercises:
- 1 hour of treadmill cardio
- 2 hours of weightlifting
- 1 hour of sword training
- 3 sets of jackknife
- 3 sets of V-up
- 3 sets of plank extension
- 3 sets of lower leg curl
- 3 sets of weighted decline sit-up
- 3 sets of elbow side plank
- 3 sets of hip flexions with a punch (15 reps)
- 3 sets of a bicycle crunch
Thursday – Arms
Pitt focuses on arms on Thursday. Here are the 8 exercises for arms:
- 1-2 hours of yoga and stretching
- 1-2 hours of weightlifting
- 1 hour of martial arts
- 3 sets of pull-over
- 3 seated pulley rows (15 reps)
- 3 sets of concentration biceps curl
- 3 sets of biceps into a shoulder press (15 reps)
- 3 sets of biceps curl with a twist (10 reps)
- 3 sets of triceps skull crusher (10 reps)
- 3 sets of hammer curl (10 reps)
Friday and Saturday- Cardio, Abs, and Yoga
Pritt finalizes his active week by repeating his abs circuit and cardio exercises on Friday and Saturday. After that, he does some yoga and stretching exercises before allowing his body to recover on Sunday.
Brad Pitt’s Diet Plan
One thing about Pitt’s diet plan, especially when he was training for the Fight Club film, is that he eats clean. While he alters his diet to suit the body he wants for a certain period, what has always remained consistent is that he doesn’t eat anything unhealthy. When he needs to slim down or bulk, Pitt eats less or more of his staple foods, which include:
- Eggs
- Fish and lean chicken
- Fruits and berries
- Leafy greens such as broccoli and spinach
- Oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread
Generally, his diet is high in protein but still has a few carbs and some fats to help keep his body fat percentage low.
Pitt doesn’t eat processed foods, high-fat foods, hydrogenated oil, refined sugar, and artificial ingredients.
Also, he quit drinking alcohol a few years back, and his body has greatly rewarded him for this.
He also snacks once in a while with protein smoothies made from bananas, blueberries, and spirulina being his favorite. Kombucha is another of his favorite drink.
A Typical Pitts Breakfast
If you want to get a shredded body like that of Pitt when he was starring in films like Fight Club, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Troy, then here is a meal plan you should follow:
Breakfast – Eggs, almonds, bananas, oatmeal, and maybe a protein shake. When training for Fight Club, Brad is reported to have been taking seven egg yolks and six egg whites for breakfast. He would take protein shakes when he didn’t eat eggs.
Mid-morning snack. Brad had a sandwich (canned tuna in between whole wheat pita bread) to make it to lunchtime.
Lunch. Brown rice, two chicken breasts, green veggies, salad, and raw seeds. The carbs (brown rice) were to power his afternoon workout routine.
Afternoon snack. Before starting his workout, Brad would eat a banana and whey protein shake or a protein bar. After workouts, Brad would eat fruits and take a whey protein shake.
Dinner. Grilled fish or lean chicken rice, green veggies, salad, and brown rice.
Brad Pitts aims to keep his diet as ordinary and clean as possible.
The Supplements Brad Took
Brad supplemented with a few things to help him burn fat and bulk up. Here are a few supplements he used:
- Whey protein. He took this before and after working out to help him bulk up, especially on days when he had intense workout sessions
- Creatine monohydrate to help him build muscle
- A multivitamin to ensure he’s not experiencing deficiencies
- A fat-burning thermogenic to help him slim down. Thermogenic supplements increase metabolism.
Wrapping It Up
Brad Pitt didn’t get his shredded body because of his genes – it was a result of his intense workout routine and diet plan. His workout routine is characterized by working a group of muscles every day and giving it a rest for a week so they can recover.
That way, his muscles build in proportion. Pitt also avoids squats, bench presses, and deadlifts as they tend to add mass in the wrong areas. Instead, his exercises focus on the upper chest, shoulders, middle and upper back.
He also incorporates a lot of cardio workouts to help him burn fat. For diet, brad bulks up on protein and vegetables. He also takes supplements such as whey protein shake.
If you want to get a shredded yet sculpted body, then Brad Pitt’s old workout and diet plan will help you. The good thing is that both the workout routine and diet plan are super realistic and thus practical for many people.
Marko Rakic is a trail runner and fitness enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. He is the lead writer for The Ultimate Primate and believes the best way to live a happy life is through constantly challenging yourself.