Paul Rudd's Ant-Man Diet and Workout Routine

Paul Rudd is an American actor that is best known for his portrayal of Scott Lang known commonly by his alias Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Franchise. Rudd was known for his relatable personality for the majority of his career. However, he switched things up for the MCU movies and transformed his physique into one that suits a superhero. Rudd’s transformation becomes all the more special when you take into account the fact that he achieved the ‘superhero’ physique well into his 40s with no prior background of the process. This is his concise biography, diet, workout routine and statistics.

Paul Rudd Biography

Paul Rudd was born in 1969 to English-Jewish parents. He majored in theatre at the University of Kansas and also studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and also spent some studying at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford. Paul made his acting debut in 1991 with a Super Nintendo commercial and became a popular name with the 1995 comedy movie Clueless. Over the years, Paul starred in many romantic, comedy and drama films as well as sitcoms. For the most part, Paul Rudd was stereotyped into a likeable, funny and relatable face. However, his moment to shine arrived in 2015 when the New Jersey native was chosen to play the Marvel Superhero Ant-Man.

Paul Rudd spent nearly 25 years in the industry before he got the role. While he was, and still is, one of the most unlikeliest actors to play a superhero character, no one can deny that he did full justice to the role. And by justice we mean performance as well as physical transformation.

Paul Rudd built himself from the ground up to get the necessary body composition required to look like a superhero with extraordinary powers. So let’s see how the Ant-Man star nailed the opportunity with a perfect game plan.

Paul Rudd Workout Routine

Motivation to train

Paul Rudd has been active in the industry for close to three decades now. For the majority of his acting career, the Hollywood star was carrying the image of a decent and relatable gentleman. He could be a funny guy, a caring partner or a buddy to hang out with. But if you visualized a muscular, lean and immensely strong superhero, Paul Rudd’s personality would not flash in front of your eyes. However, that changed when he graced the silver screen as Ant-Man. When Paul Rudd showed off his ripped physique in Ant-Man, the miraculous transformation caught everyone off-guard.

But the journey from an average Joe to a superhero was not easy and Paul had to reinvent himself to transform into Ant-Man.

The actor now had the incentive and all the motivation necessary to adapt an arduous training routine to fit perfectly in the role. He took help from personal trainers like Brendan Johnston and Richard Louis to start his transformation journey. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that fitting into the role of Ant-Man has been one of the main driving forces for Paul Rudd to adapt a serious training routine and diet.

Fitness Goals

Unlike the next generation actors like Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd was never known for his musculature and did not have a background of hard training. Therefore he had to start with a clean slate and build himself from bottom up.

Ant-Man is a superhero with an advanced suit that shrinks the wearer to tiny size while increasing his strength, agility, speed and toughness. Therefore, the goal of Paul Rudd’s training was not to get big and imposing but to be more athletic, flexible and fast. After all, Ant-Man has to run, jump, fight, out maneuver enemies in the blink of an eye. Aesthetically, the then-45-year-old actor had to trim down the fat, build fuller shoulders, chest and legs.

Training Routine

Paul Rudd started every single day with fasted cardio to speed up the fat burning process before consuming food. Typically, Rudd did 40 minutes of gym cardio that includes treadmill, rowing machine, bike or stepper. The cardio session was followed by breakfast and strength training. On some days, Rudd would do another round of cardio.

Paul Rudd’s strength training was a combination of functional and weight training. It included compound free weight, machine and bodyweight movements that help improve functional strength for superhero tasks line running, jumping, flipping and also the elements of combat. He would stick to the routine irrespective of the busy schedule and unavoidable commitments. 

Paul Rudd’s functional training routine

Monday: Strength 

• Barbell back squat – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Barbell Romanian deadlift – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Dumbbell bench press – 2 sets of 12 reps
• Wide-grip pull-up – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Jumping push-ups – 3 sets of 15 reps
• Leg raises – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Plank – 3 reps (Holding as long as possible for each rep)

Tuesday: Endurance

• Barbell Shoulder Press – 4 sets of 15 reps
• Rope Pull – 4 sets of 15 reps
• Split Squat – 2 sets of 12 reps per leg
• TRX Bicep Curls – 4 sets of 12 reps
• Triceps Dips – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Calf Raises – 3 sets of 15 reps per leg
• Sit-Ups – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Leg Raises – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Farmer’s Walk – 3 walks of 1 minute stretch

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Explosiveness

• Overhead Clean and Press – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Box Jumps – 4 sets of 10 reps
• Walking Lunges – 3 walks of 1 minute stretch
• Jumping Push-ups – 3 sets of 15 reps
• Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 sets of 8 reps
• Bent-over Barbell Row –  3 sets of 8 reps 
• Side Planks – 3 reps for each side (Holding as long as possible for each rep)

Friday: Speed and Agility

• Timed Sprints – 5 sets of maximum output 
• Weighted Lunges (front, side, and reverse) – 3 sets of 15 reps each
• Calf Raises – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Chin-Ups – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Ab Crunches – 3 sets of 20 reps
• Leg Raises – 3 sets of 20 reps

Saturday: Free mix

• Push-Ups – 5 sets of 20 reps
• Squats – 5 sets of 20 reps
• Pull-Ups – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Walking Lunges – 3 sets of 1 minute each leg
• Triceps Dips – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Timed Sprints – 5 sets of maximum output 
• Ab Crunches – 3 sets of 20 reps

Sunday: Rest