Mark Wahlberg is well known for his acting career and is among the best paid Hollywood actors. Far from that, he is also known for his fit and muscular physique. Mark has remained fit since he was a rapper and has kept at it till today. One of his most remarkable physiques was in his Pain & Gain role.
Let’s explore Mark Wahlberg’s workout routine, diet plan, and supplements and get an idea of how he has achieved his fit and muscular build. But first, who is he?
About Mark Wahlberg
The full name of this Boston, Massachusetts actor is Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg. He is the last born in a family of 9 children and was born on 5th June in 1971. His parents divorced when he was aged 11, and this severely affected him as he turned into a juvenile offender.
Aged 14, Marked dropped from school and lived in the streets. During this period, he would steal, sell drugs and engage in other such activities as a means of survival. After two years of living in the streets, he was in jail for a month and a half after assaulting someone. It was during this time that he made a turnaround decision.
His brother Donnie who was already excelling in music decided to help Mark start a career in the same industry. Marky Mark was his stage name, and he went ahead to release an album in 1991, although he wasn’t the most talented singer. After releasing his second album in 1992 and not doing as well in music, he shifted into the movie industry.
Mark’s debut in acting was in 1994 in ‘Renaissance Man’. His first-ever starring role was in 1996 in the blockbuster thriller ‘Fear’.
Since then, Mark has grown to become one of the highest-paid and most successful Hollywood actors.
Mark Wahlberg’s Workout Routine
Mark has been working out for a long time since he was young. He has worked with his current coach, Brian Nguyen, for the last 13 years. Remaining in shape has helped Mark get in shape faster even for some of his most involving acting jobs.
His morning starts at 2:30 am in preparation for vigorous workout sessions for his workouts that begin at 4 am. This early morning workout session lasts for 90 minutes. Mark focuses on weight training exercises. They include reverse lunges, overhead and vertical presses. His discipline and work ethics are remarkable.
After the workout, Mark receives post-workout cryotherapy that helps him reduce soreness and recover faster from muscle soreness. In addition, the cryotherapy session helps reduce body ache and improves sleep.
Before we take a look Mark Wahlberg’s workout routine, check out this video to see if you’re up to it to be able to train like this man:
Monday Morning: Chest & Arms
Mark’s morning workout entails around ten exercises. After his first exercise, he doesn’t take a rest break but takes a 45-seconds break after his second one. Mark does this with all subsequent exercises, which involves taking a 45-second break during one exercise and none in the consecutive one. All the exercises are four sets of between 8 and 12 reps each.
- Flat Bench Press
- Inclining Bench Press
- Raises – Front Shoulder
- Decline Bench Press
- Raises – Side Shoulders
- Standing Shoulder Press
- Parallel Bar Dips
- Cable Triceps press downs
- Lying Triceps Extensions
- Overhead Triceps Extensions
Monday Afternoon: Stretching, Cardio and Abs
He performs 2 – 3 sets for 15 reps of each exercise after his warm-up.
- Warm-up
- McGill Curl-ups
- Bicycle Position Crunch
- Side Position Crunch
- Hip –ups
- Medicine Ball Twists
- Cardio workouts on the treadmill for half an hour
Tuesday Morning: Legs and Back
He focuses on his legs and back and performs four sets of 8 – 12 reps of each of the following exercises. As with Monday, he takes alternating 45 seconds breaks between the exercises.
- Front Squats
- Split Squats
- Leg Presses
- Jump Squats
- Lunges
- Calf Raises
- Barbell Deadlift
- Curls With Alternating Legs
- Pull-ups
- Rows – Dumbbell
- Lateral Pull downs
- Rows – Seated Pulley
Tuesday Afternoon: Biceps and Cardio
These exercises comprise of 3 sets, with the first being ten reps, the next being eight reps and the last being six reps.
- Warm up by stretching, TRX work, bands and foam roller
- Curls – Seated Biceps
- Curls – Dumbbell Bicep
- Curls – Barbell Bicep
- Curls – EZ Bar Exercises
- Curl – Preacher Exercises
- Curl – Machine Bicep Exercises
- Cardio on the treadmill for half an hour
Thursday Morning: Full Body Workout
The first set of Mark Wahlberg’s morning workout circuit comprises five exercises of 8 reps each, and he repeats this circuit four times. In between each circuit round, he takes a 90 seconds break.
First Circuit
- Barbell Deadlifts
- Power Clean Exercises
- Clean & Press
- Hang Snatch Exercises
- Push Presses
Second Circuit
Mark repeats the four exercises in this circuit for four rounds. After the fourth exercise, he takes more intense workouts with one-minute breaks between these last five exercises. The number of sets and reps differ for different exercises.
- Split Squats – 1, 8 reps
- Barbell Bench Press – 1, 8 reps
- Barbell Deadlift – 1, 8 reps
- Inverted Rows – 1, 8 reps
- Cable Bicep Curls – 2 – 3, 6 – 8
- Seated Chest Press – 2 – 3, 6 – 8 reps
- Leg Press – 2 – 3, 6 – 8 reps
- Triceps Press down – 2 – 3, 6 – 8
- Seated Side Lat Raises – 2 – 3, 6 – 8 reps
Thursday Afternoon: Abs, Cardio and Stretching
Mark starts with a warm-up and performs 2 – 3 circuits of the following six exercises.
- McGill Curl-ups – 1, 15 reps
- Bicycle Crunches – 1, 15 reps
- Side Crunches – 1, 15 reps
- Hip-ups – 1, 15 reps
- Medicine Ball Twists – 1, 15 reps
- Half an hour of elliptical or treadmill cardio
Friday Morning: Chest, Biceps and Arms
This Hollywood star performs 13 exercises; 6 in the morning and 7 in the afternoon as follows. Each exercise comprises four sets of 8 to 12 reps each.
- Flat Bench Press
- Declined Bench Press
- Shoulder Military Press
- Parallel Bar Dip
- Lying Triceps Extensions
Friday Afternoon: Stretching, Biceps and Cardio
The afternoon exercises consist of 3 sets of 10, 8 and 6 reps each.
- Curls – Seated Biceps
- Curls – Dumbbell Biceps
- Curls – Barbell Biceps
- Curls – EZ Curls
- Curls – Preacher
- Curls – Machine Curls
- Half an hour of elliptical or treadmill cardio
Saturday Morning: Legs, Abs, and Back
The following exercises for St-Pierre’s Saturday morning exercises consist of four sets of between eight and twelve reps.
- Front Position Squats
- Leg Presses
- Walking Position Lunges
- Barbell Deadlift
- Pull-ups
- Lateral Pulldowns
Saturday Afternoon: Abs, Stretching and Cardio
He starts by warming up then performs the following exercises.
- McGill Curl ups – 1, 15 reps
- Bicycle Crunches – 1, 15 reps
- Side Crunches – 1, 15 reps
- Hip-ups – 1, 15 reps
- Medicine Ball Twists – 1, 15 reps
- Half an hour of elliptical or treadmill cardio
On Wednesdays and Sundays, Mark Wahlberg rests.
Mark Wahlberg’s Diet Plan
Mark takes good care of his body by working out and eating a proper diet. He tries to stick to foods beneficial to his body, but he also frequently changes his diet to fit his current acting roles.
Despite the numerous times he changes his diet, Mark has a feeding schedule he sticks to. His diet is protein-rich and mainly comprises meatballs, turkey burgers, and eggs whites. Proteins are a great SOURCE of vital nutrients for building muscles.
Here’s a typical daily diet schedule that Mark has shared in the past. It comprises 7 – 8meals daily, spreading from 3:15 am when he has his breakfast to 5:30 pm when he eats dinner.
The small meals and snacks spread throughout his days keep his body metabolism going and help him burn calories even when he is not actively working out. He doesn’t eat carbs before his bedtime and relies more on proteins as the source of calories. Below is a brief on Mark Wahlberg’s typical diet plan.
Breakfast
- Steel oats
- Eggs, peanut butter
- Blueberries
Post Workout Meal
- Protein shake
- Five pieces of sweet potato
- Three burgers consisting of turkey
Morning Snack
- Ten meatballs made of turkey
Mid-morning Snack
- Grilled chicken salad
- Two eggs (hard-boiled)
- Cucumber
- Olives
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Lettuce
Lunch
- New York steak
- Green peppers
3 pm Snack
- Grilled chicken
- Bok choy
Dinner
- Fish
- Veggies like bok choy or sautéed spinach
Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Diet Plan for Father Stu
Mark needed to add tons of weight for this role, where he was acting as a bipolar boxer who turned to be a priest. Unlike most people’s assumptions, he did not eat tons of junk food to achieve this. He gained over 30 pounds for this role through eating nutritious meals. Mark achieved this in 20 days which is pretty impressive.
The actor was feeding on 7 -8 meals as per his usual feeding schedule but with higher calories of around 7,000 calories. His diet during this period mainly consisted of eggs, steak, fish and other high protein foods. Mark worked with a team of specialists who ensured that the weight gain program was healthy and safe for this ‘Transformers’ star to ensure he did this safely and effectively.
Mark Wahlberg’s on a Plant-Based Diet
In 2020 during quarantine, Mark switched to a plant-based diet and eight meals a day instead of 7. He attributed the change to a lack of sleep and generally not feeling good. Although the switch was to last for 12 days, he ended up sticking to the plant-based diet for months.
His protein sources shifted from animal proteins to plant-based fish dishes, shakes, and faux burgers.
Conclusion
Mark Wahlberg has been working out since his younger days. He is pretty disciplined and works out throughout the year. In addition, he makes adjustments to his workout routine and diet plan to fit the role he is preparing for.
To follow this Mark’s routine, you need to exercise discipline and patience. You may need to adjust these plans to fit your current body endurance levels and needs. Try it and see the benefits.
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.