NEWS FLASH: Channing Tatum's 'Fighting' Trainer Shares His Detailed Workout Plan

Last year, I posted an interview I had with Channing Tatum's trainer from his newly released film 'Fighting' where fans learned about the workout routine and diet that allowed Chan to safely lose over 30 pounds in 3 weeks prior to the start of filming.

The fitness site GoHealthyGoFit.com recently took an educated guess at what they thought was Chan's workout for the film. When Chan's actual trainer, William J. Harris from Billion Dollar Bodies, read the article, he felt he needed to set the record strait by sharing an actual account of Chan's workout plan prior to and during filming.

You can check out snippets from the article below...

"When speaking with Dito Montiel, the director of FIGHTING, his main concerns were making sure Channing looked like a “normal” athletic guy, not a bodybuilder or a waify marathon runner and that he was physically capable of handling the rigorous demands of his fight training and shooting schedule. So in essence, Channing had to be trained and fed like an athlete...

With Channing, we followed a 3 day on 1 day off cycle with each session consisting of high intensity, calisthenic based full body circuit workouts which lasted no more than 30 minutes each. We used absolutely NO machines, simply dumbbells, a medicine ball, and a jump rope!...

While Channing’s workouts did systematically allow for proper cycles of work, rest, and recovery, there was not a set “routine”. Routine is the enemy! I say that because in order to maintain consistent change and progress, you can not allow the body to plateau. So for example, a typical workout cycle would look like this:

• Day 1 - 5 sets done as fast as possible of: 10 pull-ups, 30 kettlebell swings, and 50 walking lunge steps.


• Day 2 - 7 sets done as fast as possible of: 150 rope skips and 15 clean and jerks.


• Day 3 - 3 sets done as fast as possible of: 100 mountain climbers, 75 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, and 25 box jumps.

Notice how over the course of a 3 day cycle every major muscle group was targeted, however we did ZERO isolation moves..."

Before discussing Chan's meal plan, Will makes it really clear that he is not a nutritionist, but he simply makes basic common sense meal plan recommendations that have been highly successful with his clients. In regards to eating, for the average person, he believes in using a lot more common sense and a lot less science...

"Once someone understands the function of protein, carbohydrates, fats and why they should or should not eat them in relation to their goals, it makes healthy eating relatively easy. I recommend reading up on the Paleo Diet and creating your personal plan around that philosophy. I also recommend finding a local organic farmer and butcher, and centering your diet around poultry, fish, eggs, lean meats plenty of green veggies, and plenty of fruit. Furthermore, learning to prepare your favorite dishes in a healthier way as opposed to eradicating them altogether helps eliminate those “cravings” which will derail even those of us with the strongest of willpower. In my opinion, the only limitations and restrictions that need to be put in place are on salt, sugar, and refined carbs.

The method I use with all of my clients is to simply measure their daily activity level and fuel their bodies accordingly. So for example, Channing’s morning started with 2 hours of fight training followed by our workout, then script readings, rehearsals, and meetings that didn’t require much physical strain for the rest of the day. Based on that schedule, it was clear that the most physically demanding part of his day was most often before 1pm so that’s when the majority of his fruits and carbohydrates were consumed. The rest of his meals and snacks for the day were comprised of lean protein sources, veggies, nuts, and select dairy products. Of course this is not what he ate every day, but here’s a general outline:

• Breakfast - veggie omelet, multigrain toast, Morningstar vegetarian sausage patties, and orange slices.


• AM snack - apple slices and unsalted mixed nuts.


• Lunch - grilled bbq chicken breast, spinach, and a sweet potato.


• Afternoon snack - string cheese and unsalted mixed nuts.


• Dinner - a turkey burger, broccoli, and carrots.


• PM snack - yogurt and unsalted almonds (and a jell-o cup if something sweet was desired).

He simply ate a clean and well balanced diet. Again, that’s not exactly what he ate every day, but that was the basis of his diet. Channing also ate whole wheat pizza topped with grilled chicken and broccoli, turkey lasagna made with multi-grain pasta and specially made sauces and cheeses, turkey bacon cheeseburgers with sweet potato fries, and other specially made dishes which broke up the monotony and made his diet enjoyable…which is also a key component of maintaining healthy eating habits. It’s all about learning to season your foods without loading them up with salt, sugar, and excess calories."

For those who are interested in trying the above method of training, you can get free daily workouts on Will's blog. For those who want someone to thank for Chan's shirtless scenes in 'Fighting', you may want to start with William J. Harris of Billion Dollar Bodies, Inc., especially since Chan's idea of a good meal includes a healthy serving of cheeseburgers and some beer. I wonder if Will managed to find a healthy alternative for either of Chan's self-professed favs. ;-D

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