We imagine celebrities have months to dedicate to muscle-building workouts, but Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell had to fit his training around filming the long-awaited sequel. You can follow his seven-move workout to build upper body strength if you’re also short on time.
Glen didn’t have long to get into shape for the film—just seven weeks—so he had to prioritize efficient workouts made up of multi-muscle compound moves, like using one of the best kettlebells and taking on high-intensity kettlebell swings.
Given the high-intensity nature of his on-screen role, Glen had to be in athletic shape to play Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin. He worked with personal trainer and Global CEO of Ultimate Performance (opens in new tab), Nick Mitchell, to develop lean muscle in just under two months.
We’re used to celebrities building superhero-style muscle for their film roles, but Nick’s routine helped Glen take a more sustainable approach, so he didn’t need to dramatically increase his calorie intake or spend hours at the gym each day.
According to Nick, “we only had three or four hours a week to train,” so the pair designed an exercise program that would be as efficient as possible, working Glen’s chest, back, abdominal muscle, arms, and shoulders.
Watch Glen Powell’s seven-move Top Gun: Maverick upper body workout
“It’s a body building program and just normal hypertrophy [muscle-building] principles where you do a few workouts that are heavy, low reps. Then you might cycle into higher reps, more volume, and then… pull it back down to low volume,” explains Mitchell.
“It’s very easy to create a plan that works around you, works around your lifestyle, works around your stresses and your strains. And once you have the plan – go all-in. So, it’s really that simple. It’s a beautiful thing. You get out what you put in.”
We’ve listed all the moves you need below if you want to give Glen’s upper body Top Gun workout a try. Although he and Nick had access to gym equipment, you can use a set of the best adjustable dumbbells and modify the moves for at-home training.
Glen Powell’s seven-move Top Gun: Maverick upper body workout
- Incline bench press x 8 (45-second rest, four sets)
- Semi-supinated pull-ups x 4 (60-second rest, four sets)
- Dips x 8 (60-second rest, four sets)
- Seated low pulley rows x 10 (60-second rest, four sets)
- Hanging leg raises – as many reps as possible (no rest, three sets)
- Swiss ball plank – hold until failure (no rest, three sets)
- Single-arm cable shrugs x 15 (45-second rest, three sets)
Although there’s a set amount of repetitions for most of the exercises, the aim is to do as many hanging leg raises as possible. This is a training technique known as an AMRAP workout, where you complete As Many Reps As Possible.
It’s an efficient way to exercise as you keep the intensity high for muscle-building results even when you’re tight on time. You can also apply an AMRAP approach to other moves, like the best exercises for weight loss.
When you exercise, you cause tiny tears in your muscle fibers that need to be repaired. Nick shared that Glen would use a post-workout shake to aid his recovery. “He can’t have whey protein, so we would give him one of our vegan proteins.”
Your body uses protein to recover from these tears, which improves strength and muscle mass. You can find dairy-based whey or vegan-friendly options to support your goals in our guide to the best protein powder for weight loss.
