Shia LaBeouf Workout Routine and Diet
“You don't want to be standing next to Harrison Ford and not be jacked also.” –Shia
LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf is an interesting character.
He got his start playing a bratty kid brother on the hit Disney Channel show, Even
Stevens. Now, he’s one of the biggest male celebrity names out there. His
transformation from geeky kid to Hollywood star is the result of some big roles in
popular movies such as Transformers and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
However, he has also undergone a physical transformation. For his character in
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, he got jacked and has maintained
his physique over the past couple of years for his role in this summer’s third
Transformers movie: Dark of the Moon.
LaBeouf put on about 15 lbs of muscle for his role in Indiana Jones.
This isn’t easy to do for someone who is only 5-9. His workout routine was similar to
many other celebrity routines I have researched. One thing they have in common is a
lot of time spent in the gym. He worked out hard 7 days a week with no rest days.
This is not something I recommend for the average person. In my last post, I
discussed a minimalist method of strength training which I am currently experimenting
with. Regardless, celebrities do have the luxury of training for several hours a day
since it is their job, so more power to them. For a more practical approach to muscle
building that’s better suited to the everyday person, check out Visual Impact.
To emphasize large muscle gains, Shia LaBeouf’s routine consisted of lifting heavy
weights with sets of 8-10 repetitions. He would focus on one muscle group each day
for five days a week and for the remaining two days, he would do plyometrics. He
also focused on compound exercises during his weightlifting days, which is something
I do recommend because it stimulates more muscle growth than isolated exercises. A
couple of examples of compound exercises would be bench press (for chest day) and
squats (for legs day).
Run, Shia, run!
Another typical trait of celebrity fitness routines is a lot of cardio. Shia’s case is no
exception. He did about an hour of running every day before his two hours of strength
training. The main purpose of this was to boost his metabolism. I actually prefer to do
cardio immediately after training with weights to enhance fat burning. Many trainers
who place an emphasis fat loss would recommend doing this as well. However, other
celebrities such as Tiger Woods also utilize the cardio before weights method. I would
personally struggle with this because after a long run, I’d probably be too wiped out to
lift properly. However, I don’t have any issues going for a long run after lifting hard.
Fitness Breakout Page 1
Shia followed a typical bodybuilding diet during his mass building phase.
This consisted of six meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner with three protein
shakes in between meals. He ate a lot of high protein meals with a moderate amount
of carbs and limited fats. So for example, his daily meal schedule would be something
like egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast, a mid-morning protein shake, chicken and
pasta for lunch, a mid-afternoon protein shake, steak with a baked potato and broccoli
for dinner, and a night-time protein shake. This is a pretty high calorie intake, but you
need to eat to build muscle and remember, he was also working out 3 hours a day. I
wouldn’t recommend this kind of meal plan for an average cubicle worker like myself.
Try Eat Stop Eat instead.
On-set workouts, beach time, and… cigarettes?
The Shia LaBeouf workout routine probably isn’t for everyone, especially the average
office worker. As I said, Shia LaBeouf is an interesting character. Recently on the set
of Transformers 3, he was seen doing clap pushups, jumps, and smoking a cigarette
between takes. In his leisure time, he has also been spotted bodyboarding at the
beach, and then eating a slice of pizza and again, smoking. So maybe his dedication
to fitness isn’t so much a dedication to overall health. Either way, he is still pretty
ripped. It just goes to show that an active lifestyle and a disciplined workout routine
can give your body a little bit of slack.
Fitness Breakout Page 2