People say there are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Marvel movies grossing over $100 million in box office sales. Well, maybe not the last one, but it still seems to be true. Marvel Studios has been dominant in the filmmaking industry for the past decade and currently includes the highest grossing movie franchise ever.
Its newest movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, is coming out this month and features Peter Parker struggling with the fact that his secret identity has been exposed. Spider-Man movies are always packed with action, romance — and, lately, Tom Holland’s shirtless brilliance. Ever since he flashed fans with his washboard abs in his second Spider-Man solo movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Holland has been respected in the workout community as a true athlete.
The British actor took over the role from Andrew Garfield, and has been a staple in phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the main reasons he got the role of Spider-Man was because of his athletic prowess that came from being a gymnast.
As we get into the holiday season, it’s tempting to bulk up on cookies and junk food galore. In light of that, The Varsity has curated a special workout based on the routines that Holland’s trainers implemented throughout his movies, which will keep both your spidey senses sharp and your fitness on track throughout the winter.
The circuit
In an interview with Men’s Journal, Tom Holland’s trainer George Ashwell revealed that he trained Holland through four exercises that each comprised five rounds. The article recommends that you take a 30-second break in between exercises to make sure that you have enough energy to continue. While Ashwell’s exercises differ from the ones listed below, we think they’ll do a great job of keeping you fit during the winter break.
Running a mile on the treadmill
Warming up for a long exercise period on a treadmill burns a decent amount of calories to pair with the muscle gain that the rest of the exercises focus on. Ashwell also suggests that mobility movements are good to prime the joints before the intensive workout begins.
Dead bugs
After you warm up, the next thing you need to do is get your core involved. The first step is to lie on the floor with both your shoulders and lower back on the floor. Once this is done, lift both your legs so your knees are above your hips and raise your arms high. Lastly, lower your right arm and left leg till both touch the floor and alternate. Do this for 10 reps. If your core doesn’t burn after, you’re not doing it right.
Dumbbell curls
In order to do dumbbell curls, place your elbow on your knee, choose a relatively light dumbbell, and curl it till it hits your shoulder. The main focus here should be maintaining good form. Squeezing your biceps is the main objective here.
Dips
Holland incorporates a lot of dips in his daily weightlifting workout. Usually, to do dips, you need a dip stand, but they can easily be done at home with any two equally leveled surfaces — if you make sure that they are about waist level so you aren’t hitting your feet when you go down — and a little bit of creativity.
To do a dip, you want to put your hands on the parallel bar, jump up, then lower your body by bending your arms and leaning forward; dip down until your shoulders are below your elbows. Then you lift your body by straightening your elbows again.
Dips are great for strengthening your shoulders and chest. If you’re feeling like a superhero, you could even wear a weighted vest to increase the gains and the pain.
Bear crawls
This workout is really good for your chest, triceps, biceps, and even your legs. A bear crawl is done by channeling your inner bear, getting on all fours without allowing your knees to touch the ground. It can be done going forward and backward or side to side, and you should do three sets each worth 10 seconds.
There you have it. We won’t promise that you’ll be swinging from buildings if you follow the workout, but it will definitely help you get in shape in no time.
