This year Twilight star Taylor Lautner will do more than just flex his new muscles when he appears alongside Sigourney Weaver, Alfred Molina and Jason Isaacs in the thriller Abduction. But right now he’s still best known for his performance as werewolf Jacob Black, as well as the shape he got himself into for the role. Lautner isn’t naturally big, but his career depended on him building brawn. Between the first two Twilight films, his character had to grow more powerful and the producers wanted to cast a new, bigger actor, with the requisite washboard stomach. His job was on the line and he needed to gain size – and a six-pack – fast. He succeeded, showing that even ‘hard gainers’ who build muscle slowly can reach their goals. Here’s how…
Celebrate your inexperience – it’s your advantage celebrate your inexperience – it’s your advantage
Lautner used to be a 178cm (5ft 10in), 63kg (10st) lightweight before his incredible physical transformation. But getting stacked isn’t just about your genes – it’s about application and determination, too. He didn’t achieve his new physique all by himself: he was trained by Jordan Yuam, a 20-year fitness industry veteran with an A-list clientele to match. “Inexperience works to your advantage,” says Yuam. “The less muscle you have to start with, the easier it is to gain mass quickly.”
Your strategy “If a beginner and an advanced weightlifter were to start training on the same programme, at the same time, the novice would gain almost twice as much muscle as the veteran lifter in the same time period,” says sports scientist and strength coach Brendan Chaplin. This is because your body tends to adapt and respond well to a completely new stimulus. And, the more your muscles are forced to adapt to a new routine, the more they’ll grow. “Eat right and follow a smart, strategic workout regimen,” says Yuam. “This will maximise your genetic potential so there’s no reason you can’t gain 15kg of muscle within a year.” It really is that easy.
Cut down on cardio
“I was exercising so hard that I began to lose weight,” says Lautner. For some this might sound like an ideal outcome, but not if you have trouble building muscle mass. When combined with weight training, cardio can sap strength and limit muscle growth, especially if you do your cardio for longer than 20 minutes before or after lifting, according to researchers at Stephen F Austin State University in Texas. Spending hours pounding the treadmill will force your body to use muscle as fuel, undoing all the great work you’ve just done in the weights room. Take a look at the slimline physique of your average marathon runner if you’re not convinced.
Your strategy Be careful not to overdo it. “If you’re trying to gain lean muscle mass, focus on weightlifting with the proper technique,” Yuam says. If you want to maintain your cardio quota then stick to high-intensity interval training, rather than long slogs on the treadmill. A study in the Journal of Exercise Physiology found doing 10 weeks of sprints boosts your lower body-strength by up to 10%. After your weights session, alternate between sprinting for 6 seconds and walking for 10 seconds. Do this for 10-15 minutes and you’ll be complementing your lifting, not undoing your hard work.
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