Matthew McConaughey Workout Routine & Diet

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Matthew McConaughey’s workout routine has always been a highly trending search topic on the Internet.

After all, this renowned actor has a pretty impressive physique despite being slightly older.

On top of that, Matthew McConaughey’s workout for Reign of Fire and Fools Gold has been popular amongst fitness enthusiasts.

McConaughey has even undergone numerous body transformations, where he has played diverse roles, from being overweight to underweight and even insanely ripped.

So, if you’re wondering what the Matthew McConaughey workout routine looks like, you’re in the right place!

Time to dive into the Matthew McConaughey workout and diet plan you can use to workout like this iconic actor.

About Matthew McConaughey

Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor who has been part of several incredibly popular movies like The Wedding Planner, U-571, The Lincoln Lawyer, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Killer Joe, Bernie, Magic Mike, Mud, and lots more.

Matthew McConaughey

McConaughey actually began his acting career in 1991, and he had to take on some serious physical changes for certain roles.

McConaughey won his first-ever award in 1996 for “A Time to Kill” (MTV Movie Award for the Best Breakthrough Performance).

Matthew McConaughey continued to win acting awards over the next few years, and honestly, he’s one of my all-time favorite actors.

Now that you know a bit about this celebrity artist, it’s time to view his personal and body stats and his impressive workout routine.

Matthew McConaughey Bodybuilding Stats

Before we jump into the Matthew McConaughey workout routine, here are some stats so you understand more about this actor and how he approaches his fitness goals.

  • Date of Birth: November 4th, 1969
  • Age: 53 years
  • Birthplace: Uvalde, Texas, USA
  • Weight: 181 pounds or 82 kg
  • Height: 6 feet or 183 cm
  • Chest: 46 inches or 116 cm
  • Waist: 34 inches or 87 cm

Matthew McConaughey Workout Routine

Matthew McConaughey’s incredible workout routine features tons of compound movement exercises.

The exercises he does involve activating more than one muscle group for each exercise, such as squats and lunges.

This is a similar premise to plans like the Chris Bumstead workout routine or Tom Hardy’s workout plan; compound movements are always your friend!

Matthew McConaughey’s workout routine is split over 5 days, with each day focusing on cardio or a specific body part.

However, even on his weight training days, McConaughey does a bit of cardio for 30 minutes to stay on top of his body mass index (BMI).

So, here is what Matthew McConaughey’s workout plan looks like:

Monday: Chest And Shoulders

The first day in Matthew McConaughey’s workout routine is a chest and shoulders day, or push day.

A lot of compound exercises are involved here that engage many muscle groups:

  • Dumbbell chest press – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Overhead shoulder press – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Lateral dumbbell raises – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Dumbbell flys – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Stability ball climbers – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Medicine ball push-ups – 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions

Tuesday: Legs And Core

Tuesday is a really important day as most people usually underestimate the need for doing leg workouts, thus ending up with the lollipop effect of skinny legs and bulky arms and chest.

  • Calf raises – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Dumbbell forward lunges – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Dumbbell squat – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Stability ball leg curls – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • One-legged squats – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Leg extensions – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions

Pro tip: Experiment with drop-sets if you want an even more intense leg day for part of your training split!

Wednesday: Core And Cardio

The third day in Matthew McConaughey’s workout plan is to solely work on core and cardio.

For this workout, expect circuit training with a combination of sprints, jump rope, cardio machine, and finally kettlebell work.

  • Twisting planks – 3 sets of 20 repetitions
  • Abdominal twists – 3 sets of 20 repetitions
  • Reverse crunches – 3 sets of 20 repetitions
  • Leg lifts – 3 sets of 20 repetitions

Thursday: Back And Arms

On this day, Gunnar Peterson, Matthew’s personal trainer, only makes him focus on the glory muscles at the gym.

If you’re a fan of back and arms training, this is definitely the best part of Matthew McConaughey’s workout routine.

  • Pull-ups – 3 sets of 15 repetitions
  • Push-ups – 3 sets of 20 repetitions
  • Dumbbell bicep curls – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Dumbbell rows – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Triceps Kickbacks – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Bench dips – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions

Friday: Full Body Workout

The final day of training in Matthew McConaughey’s workout plan is to hit the entire body.

This is really the ultimate mix to stay flexible and provide the ultimate push of the entire week for your exercises.

Granted, this amount of volume is pretty tough to sustain, so don’t feel too bad if you only do this full body workout after taking an extra rest day.

  • Bicep curls – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Dumbbell squats – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Dumbbell side lunges – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Incline chest press – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Medicine ball push-ups – 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
  • Walking planks – 3 sets of 60 seconds
  • Forearm plank – 3 sets of 90 seconds

Saturday/Sunday: Active Rest

Even if it’s Saturday and Sunday, you shouldn’t just sit and laze around on the couch feeling sorry for your sore muscles.

Just get up and do some walking and light training on cardio machines to boost muscle recovery.

Extra Reading – The Cam Newton Workout Routine.

Matthew McConaughey Workout Principles

Matthew McConaughey has always stated that it’s vital to stick to clean eating and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Whenever he preps for a movie role, nutrition is a massive part of how McConaughey prepares.

As for working out, McConaughey has worked with celebrity trainer Gunner Peterson for several movies, and he always focused on doing compound moves like squats to make the most of his gains.

Although his workout routine significantly relies on compound exercises, it isn’t geared towards maximizing muscle growth.

So far, his movie roles have called for low fat, but he has not starred in movies where he was required to be some sort of a villain or a superhero-fit.

This signifies he works out to keep his shoulders broad, abs tight, and chest and arms well-formed to give it a fit and healthy appearance.

This, along with his acting expertise, has earned McConaughey a permanent spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Matthew McConaughey Diet Plan

If you plan on following Matthew McConaughey’s workout routine, then you should best a considerable amount of thought into what you should eat.

Here is an example of what Matthew McConaughey’s meal plan looks like:

  • Breakfast: Have 4 scrambled or fried eggs for breakfast, with whole-grain toast.
  • Early Snack: You can have a cup of unsalted nuts and some fruit salad with seeds and Greek yogurt as an afternoon snack.
  • Lunch: For lunch, you can prepare fresh fish like salmon or cod for yourself, along with a side of sweet potato fries and mixed veggies.
  • Evening Snack: For an evening snack, chomp down on a protein bar or protein shake.
  • Dinner: For dinner, you can have beef or chicken, together with a side of steamed veggies and a large salad bowl.

And just remember: you don’t have to follow the Matthew McConaughey training routine and diet perfectly.

At the end of the day, this star actor focuses on compound movements, a lot of volume, and eating healthy to get in shape for his movies.

Matthew McConaughey Diet Principles

McConaughey is highly cautious about his diet plan, so he always sticks to following a healthy lifestyle to stay in excellent shape.

This means he consumes low glycemic foods (i.e., food items with low sugar) and avoids all types of junk and highly processed foods.

People who struggle with weight regardless of working out every day of the week can certainly not out-train a poor diet.

Fitness begins with a proper diet and in the kitchen as they say, so you should definitely follow Matthew McConaughey’s advice on this front.

Supplements Matthew McConaughey Takes

Matthew McConaughey’s workouts are intense, and same with his meal plans.

Therefore, using supplements to assist with your caloric intake and recovery can help you sustain this workout plan long term.

Here are the supplements you should consider taking to support this intense workout routine:

Pre-Workout

Most people underestimate the importance of taking pre-workout supplements.

However, when you train 5 days a week, even a minimal boost in performance can make a huge difference within just a few months.

Protein Shakes And Supplements

The significant amount of training and workout calls for consuming adequate protein to support your recovery times.

At best, you can pick quality whey protein to boost you up on the amino acids that your muscles need after intense training.

Matthew-McConaughey-Ripped

Some other supplements that McConaughey follows to help fuel his gains include:

  • BCAA
  • Glutamine
  • Vitamin B6
  • Green Tea Extracts
  • Multivitamins

Fun Fitness Facts about Matthew McConaughey

  • Despite being a busy father of 3 kids, Matthew still takes time to work out, even if it’s at home.
  • A usual home workout for McConaughey comprises sprints in the backyard, pull-ups on the children’s swing set, and free weights.
  • Matthew is a fan of surfing and mountain biking. He prefers his workout sessions to be as spiritual and mental as they are physical.
  • He enjoys paddling around the lakes, running on the beach/sand, and cycling on hills.
  • Whenever he goes out for a run, Matthew stops halfway to do some strength exercises such as intermittent crunches and push-ups. He then continues to run in the second half.
  • When it is raining and cannot work outside, he will do some hardcore shadowboxing for 20 minutes.

Extra Reading – The Logan Paul Workout & Diet Plan.

Final Thoughts

I hope this breakdown of the Matthew McConaughey workout routine gets you excited for a new training split and to hit the gym!

There’s no denying that you’ll have to put in a lot of work to look like Matthew McConaughey, which is why this workplace regime will probably not be suitable for everybody.

However, with the right diet approach and dedication, you will see your fitness improve over time.

Try out this workout routine for some weeks and take advantage of the changes to keep you motivated.

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