These are the Fitness Tips Chris Evans Uses to Stay in Superhero Shape

Chris Evans, best known as Captain America in the Marvel movies and currently voicing Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's Buzz Lightyear, works incredibly hard to maintain a fit and ripped physique, when it's needed for a role. Way back when shooting the first Captain America, he had said of the gym: "It was grueling, it was brutal and I’d find any excuse possible not to go" and added: "But I had to do it." His commitment is just one reason why he's one of the most beloved stars on the planet. How does he stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Chris Evans stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. He Worked With A Trainer

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Everyone needs a little motivation to stay on track, and working with a world renowned personal trainer is certainly a great way to get there. Chris worked with personal trainer, Simon Waterson, to get in shape and build muscle. “For anyone embarking on a new fitness regime, I like to tell people to never make anything too unobtainable. Set your goals low so you always can achieve them, so you then feel that sense of achievement, which in turn will give you motivation which allow you to go to the next steo and the next level. The worst thing you can do is set the bar too high. You’ll never feel…the euphoria of reaching a goal. So if you try to do some bodyweight press-ups, don’t care about setting the goal at 100. Set it at 8 or 9 or 10. It’s about taking incremental steps, and not being unkind to yourself, mentally and physically,” Waterson, who also trained Daniel Craig and is the author of Intelligent Fitness, has said.

2. He Eats Lean Proteins

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Chris Evans likes to adjust his diet and exercise routine to roles that he’s training for. When he was preparing for Avengers: Endgame, he ate plenty of lean protein as part of his diet to bulk up and condition his muscles. "According to the FDA, any seafood, meat, or poultry can be labeled as lean protein when it contains less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams and per labeled serving size," Mascha Davis MPH, RDN, a private practice registered dietitian nutritionist, founder of NomadistaNutrition.com and author of the upcoming book Eat Your Vitamins, tells our sister site Eat This, Not That!

3. He Makes Healthy Choices

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To build his muscle up, he had to be really healthy and ditch the pizza and burgers for a while. Even though he had to take in a lot of calories to build muscle, he still made extremely healthy choices involving plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, supplements, and healthy fats.

4. He Takes Supplements

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He’s big into supplements when needed. “Supplement-wise I used a bit of glutamine, whey protein shakes, branched-chain amino acids, then 500mg supplements of Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids every single meal to make sure that my joints were functioning well—I needed it because the working out was so intensive, especially with things like the gymnastics,” Evans said. According to the Mayo Clinic, “glutamine is a substance naturally produced in the body to help regulate cell growth and function.” Always talk to your doctor before adding any supplements to your diet.

5. He Focuses On Each Muscle Group

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To perfectly carve out and condition each muscle, he focuses on one group at a time. Evans ties in plyometric exercises and acrobatics as part of his routine and claims that this is what helped him prepare for his role as Captain America. "For many athletes, plyometric training has proved to be an effective conditioning program that helps develop power and strength. Though it’s been around since the 1960s, people often ask, 'What is it?' In short, plyometric training involves three types muscle contraction exercises that lead to more forceful contractions. These exercises can have amazing results, but it is important that training be guided and individualized to get the best results and avoid an injury," says ACE.