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I don’t usually cover celebrity workouts. I believe that most celebrity workouts are too unreal for the average trainee. Think about it: you get paid millions of dollars for a role, so why not get a trainer and eat really healthy for a few months to look good on screen. Most trainees do not have the kind of motivation that millions of dollars brings, nor can they afford world class trainers.

But there is one celebrity I admire: Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman has an amazing approach to life, fitness, and acting. Here’s a quote from a Mens Health interview:

“I don’t set goals in life,” he says. “In this country, people are all about goal setting. And I concede, to a point, how it can help you get going. But we limit ourselves with goals. We have far more ability than we give ourselves credit for. You see that in people under pressure. How does someone run a 100-meter race at the Olympics? When it’s once every 4 years, with everything they’ve done leading to that? It can’t just be adrenaline.” Then he nods and smiles. “Maybe it’s just the mind getting out of the way.”

Image by underwire

That’s a very interesting message. There are probably thousands of articles written everyday about goal setting. And one of the most successful actors in Hollywood claims that he never sets a goal. So how does he accomplish so much and so good?

Get Pissed Off

I write a lot about intensity. Intensity is simply getting as close as possible to that “breaking point.” That level of performance where your mind has one choice: give up or risk it all. It’s this level of intensity that separates the men from the boys. According the Jackman, “You either get really pissed off at that weight, or you ask for help from your spotter. It’s that exact point — and every guy reading this article will recognize it — when Wolverine gets not just pissed off, but insanely pissed off. I try to reach that point every day in my workout. And then push through it.”

Image by SplendidCity

I’ve certainly achieved the level of intensity that Jackman talks about. If you can learn how to break past your comfort zone and motivate yourself to a point where you’ve just accomplished something you previously could not, then you’ve learned how to train with intensity. Unfortunately, this is a mindset. There’s no training technique or secret I can teach you that will help you get there. Even if I give you a tough workout, if your mind doesn’t want to do it, you won’t do it.

However, looking back at my training diaries, there are certainly a few things that have helped me push my self to new levels of fitness:

Intensity Technique #1: Get a Training Partner

Get a training partner who is either at the same level of fitness as you are, or slightly better. Design an intense workout, and have your friend go through it. Find a point of measurement, whether it be timing the entire workout, focusing on maximum weight lifted, or counting maximum repetitions. Either way, the goal is to make the workout a competition. You’ll notice that by training with a partner, you both motivate and push each other to new levels of intensity.

Intensity Technique #2: Set a Time Frame

Design a workout and set a time frame for achievement. For example, you can set a goal to achieve 50 burpees in 2 minutes. The time frame acts as a training partner: you need to accomplish the workout in time or else you fail. You can even assign some sort of punishment if you fail, for example you need run an extra lap or you need to perform 30 extra pushups, etc.

Have you used any interesting methods that resulted in an increased intensity level in your workouts?
About the Author

Parth Shah is an average joe who’s tired of all the nonsense he sees in mainstream health and fitness media. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

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