We’re so accustomed to seeing Chris Pratt as a bona-fide action star, it’s almost tough to remember he first came to fame as a chubby goofball. Before he was a motorcycle-riding velociraptor trainer in Jurassic World, and before he was a universe-saving superhero in Guardians of the Galaxy—both epic summer blockbusters, by the way—Pratt was Andy Dwyer, the marshmallowy man-boy who fell into a pit on Parks and Recreation.
So what changed? Pratt got shredded. For his star (and star-making) turn as Peter Quill, Pratt dropped more than 60 pounds in six months. He combined a carefully calculated diet plan from nutritionist Phil Goglia, an intense training regimen designed by personal trainer Duffy Gaver, and sheer hard work, he chiseled out a ripped physique you see in the selfie that lit up the Internet.
Gaver trained Pratt for five months, starting with four to six sessions a week in February 2013. Pratt would even do extra workouts on his own if he felt up to it.
“Chris’ athleticism is amazing. He is incredibly disciplined and his work ethic is phenomenal,” says Gaver. “He isn’t the client you have to push; he’s the type of client you have to pull down. If you were to walk into the gym when he was training, you would have thought for sure you’ve got a guy getting ready for the NFL Combine.”
Gaver says the first two months were bodybuilding-type workouts, the next two months were equal parts bodybuilding and conditioning, and the last month was mainly conditioning consisting of cardio circuits, swimming, mountain biking, and faster timed sessions. The conditioning workouts often contained a treadmill/rower circuit mixed in with weightlifting or calisthenics. In terms of goals, Pratt had knew exactly how he wanted to look.
“He wanted more muscle, to be much leaner, and to be more fit,” says Gaver. “He wanted to do justice to the role.”
Check out how Pratt got in otherworldy shape with these upper-body and conditioning workouts.
Directions
Perform the warmup before each workout.
The first workout is designed to be done as straight sets. Items marked with a letter (3A, 3B, etc.) are done as supersets—complete each set consecutively, and only rest once you’ve completed the last exercise in the superset.
Workout 2 and workout 3 are designed to be done as circuits. Complete all exercises in a row, resting only after you’ve completed a full round.
