Charlie Cox Workout and Diet
Actor
Born: 1982
Charlie Cox was grew up in Sussex, England. He attended boarding school and did not seriously consider acting until he his final years of school. Cox trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and landed a role in the film Dot the i when he was 18. His breakout was in Stardust, and he had a recurring role on Boardwalk Empire, but he is probably best known as Daredevil which ran from 2014-’18. Cox also acts on stage in New York and London. In 2018, he married Samantha Thomas, a producer at Marvel TV. They have 2 children together and live in Connecticut. Cox does not engage much on social media. He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 165 lbs.
Known For:
Charlie Cox’s Diet
Summary
Cox says he didn’t have a typical superhero physique when he was hired to play Daredevil. Naturally slim, he had to eat a lot to make gains. This meant eating every couple of hours, up to 7 meals per day. Things like egg whites for breakfast and then usually a piece of fish or chicken for his other meals along with plenty of vegetables and complex carbs. Water was another staple to keep him hydrated during those lengthy training sessions.
Estimated Macros
- Medium Carbs 30%
- Medium Fat 30%
- Medium-High Protein 50%
Diet Details
Eat to Gain
Cox was on the slender side when he landed the role as Daredevil. To bulk up, he had to add a lot of protein into his diet, and just eat more generally.
Protein Power
Cox often has egg whites for breakfast and he eats lots of fish. He also has chicken but will only have steak or a hamburger once a week.
Eco-Conscious Eater
Cox says that, for environmental reasons, he will only eat meat once a day and the other two meals will be vegetarian.
What to Eat
Egg Whites
Fish
Chicken
Legumes
Vegetables
Leafy Greens
Fruit
Complex Carbs
Red Meat (once/week)
Water
What to Avoid
Junk Food
Fast Food
Artificial Ingredients
Trans Fats
Processed Foods
Chemicals
Cox on What he Did to Get Ready for Daredevil
‘When I got the role in 2014, I had to completely reinvent how I live.’
Cox on Gaining Weight
‘One of the difficulties for me is that I’m naturally very skinny, so that the problem that I have is trying to keep weight on, [and] put weight on.’
Cox on Protein
‘When I got the job, I quickly became aware of my protein intake.’
Cox on his Daredevil Diet
‘For the first season, I was trying to put on weight instead of losing it.’
Charlie Cox’s Workout Routine
Weekly Routine
Serious Regimen
For Daredevil, Cox followed an intense schedule of fight training, muscle building, and acrobatics to become chiseled yet agile.
A Helping Hand
Cox’s trainer for Daredevil was Naqam Washington, whom he describes as ‘awesome.’ Cox only had about a month to get ready before the first season started shooting.
True Vigilante
Cox didn’t want to just do the easy parts of the job. He wanted to do as much stunt work as well and worked closely with the stunt coordinator.
Daily Dose
Cox worked out like a devil at first to build muscle, but it wasn’t a classic bodybuilding routine. Instead he did compound moves, jumps and multidimensional movements in addition to fight training. After he built himself up working out 5-6 days a week, he scaled back to about 4 days a week of training.
Night Owl
Cox loves working out at night and can often be seen hitting the punching bag in the wee hours.
MMA Fan
Cox says his favorite part of training is for the fight scenes. He does Thai boxing, jiu-jitsu, bag work and shadowboxing. His character developed his own martial art.
Yoga Rocks
Cox says pre-Daredevil, his exercise consisted of running and yoga. These days, he’ll still fit in a hot yoga session, swim or run on the days when he’s not lifting.
Exercise Style
A Charlie Cox Routine
Work out 1+ hrs./day, 3-6 days/week. Mix up compound moves with plyometrics (jumping).
Sample strength exercises:
Load vector decline fly with rotation
TRX seesaw
Goblet squat jumps
Some of Cox’s cardio workouts:
Treadmill: increase incline from 5-12 every minute.
Rowing machine: minimum 500m/minute.
Prowler (football apparatus that you push)
Cox on Cardio
‘I love to do cardio. I like to run and sweat a lot.’
Cox on Going To The Gym
‘It was interesting because I’ve never really been a gym head before. I’d never even had a gym membership!’
Cox on Doing his Own Stunts
‘I learned everything and tried to do as much of it as I could.’
Cox on Training
‘When I first started…I just did what I was told. But then I gradually developed an interest in it.’
Cox on Why He Has Continued to Train
Now I really enjoy it, and get a lot out of it.’
Charlie Cox’s Supplements
protein powder
beta alanine
greens supplement
probiotics
omega-3s
multivitamin
Charlie Cox’s Lifestyle
Humble Hero
Cox says fame is a scary thing because he fears people won’t like the man behind the role. He doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity, and has never forgotten what it’s like to be out of work.
Macbeth Isn’t a Musical
Cox says that when he was in grade school, it was all musicals, even MacBeth, which was very frustrating to him because he wasn’t a singer. He always wound up in the chorus because the leads went to singers.
London Loyalist
Cox says that while he likes aspects of living in the US, he misses the history that one can see everywhere in his native England.
Not an Act
Unusual for a superhero, Daredevil is Catholic, like Cox himself. He says he enjoyed how it added to the complexity of the character.
Kind Praise
Daredevil is blind, and to better understand how to move and react as a sightless person, Cox worked regularly with a man who is blind. In 2015, Cox was honored by the American Foundation for the Blind for his portrayal of a blind character.
Cox on His Yearnings
‘I’m a London lad, but I’m fascinated by America. I want to take a motorcycle trip across the country and see those wide open spaces.’
Cox on Work
‘I’m grateful I know what it’s like to be unemployed for long periods of time.’
Cox on Himself
‘My reaction when I hear the word “celebrity” is, “Who me?” It doesn’t feel like I’m famous.’
Cox on Being a People-Pleaser
‘I think the danger is to try and please everyone.’
Recommended Products
Daredevil
