Chris Evans Workout and Diet
Actor
Born: 1981
Originally from Boston, Chris Evans was a natural athlete and played lacrosse and wrestled in high school. He got his first taste of acting at the tender age of 6 performing in school plays. After graduating high school, Evans moved to New York and studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Working as an intern at a casting company, he made friends with a few agents, and one of them later took him on as a client. He is best known for playing Captain American. Evans is 6 feet tall and weighs about 195 lbs.
Known For:
Chris Evans’s Diet
Summary
Evans is naturally lean, but he packed on 30 pounds of muscle to play the role of Captain America. In order to bulk up, he followed a very strict 3,500 calorie diet using the equation of 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight and ate ‘a lot of chicken.’ But he also had other sources of lean protein, including protein shakes. His fats were pretty limited and included small amounts of olive oil and nuts. For carbs, Evans would have oatmeal, brown rice and sometimes whole wheat pita bread.
Estimated Macros
- Medium Carb 30%
- High Protein 70%
- Low Fat 15%
Diet Details
Clean Eating
Evans ate a ton, but it was kind of boring. He might have 5 egg whites with zucchini and a chicken sausage for breakfast or oatmeal with walnuts, raisins and a side of yogurt and banana.
Lots O’ Lunch
Evans’ lunch was pretty sizable: 2 6oz. chicken breasts, a stack of pita bread, a big bunch of Romaine lettuce, 1/2 a cucumber and a cup of low-fat yogurt. Sometimes he’d swap out the chicken for tuna instead.
Dinner Dilemma
Evans had a tough decision at dinner: chicken or more chicken? He might have it with rice or maybe spice it up and have a Paleo recipe with bacon and chipotle, but either way, he also had a big helping of veggies alongside.
What to Eat
Fish
Chicken Breast
Dark leafy Greens
Oatmeal
Brown Rice
Nuts
Raisins
Low-fat Greek Yogurt
Bananas
Whey Protein
What to Avoid
Sugar
Junk food
Processed foods
Fatty Meats
Refined Carbs
Unhealthy Fats
Evans on Getting Enough Protein
‘That’s achieved with a bunch of chicken.’
Evans on his Captain America Diet
‘The eating is the thing I like the least because I’d feel full all the time.’
Evans on a Secret Favorite Recipe
‘I don’t know if you’ve ever had pesto eggs, but if you haven’t, you’re missing out.’
Chris Evans’s Workout Routine
Weekly Routine
Going Classical
Naturally lean, Evans said he did the classic compound lifts to bulk up for his role as Captain America. He did things like squats, deadlifts, and chin-ups.
Multi-Angle
Evans said he’d do lifts using lots of different angles and grips, including a close-grip incline, incline bench flys and incline press-ups, as well as a doing shoulder presses while kneeling to incorporate more abs.
(Almost) No Rest
Evans worked Monday-Friday and took Saturday off, but on Sunday he’d be back in the gym if something needed extra work.
Agility & Speed
Evans had to do exercises that bulked him up, but he didn’t want to lose his ability to move fast and stay agile so he included plyometrics and gymnastics in his routines.
The Power of Two
Evans would work 2 muscle groups, such as chest and back or biceps and triceps, during each grueling 2-hour workout session.
No Cardio
While he occasionally did sprints to keep himself loose, Evans said he stayed away from cardio-specific workouts and did interval training with his weight circuits instead.
Core Cool-Down
Evans’ cool down from the brutal workouts was core and ab work.
Exercise Style
Some Chris Evans Captain America Routines
Chest/Shoulders
Standing military press: 5 reps x 2 sets
Barbell incline bench press, medium grip: 5 reps x 2 sets
Kettlebell thruster: 5 reps x 2 sets
Close-grip barbell bench press (perform at incline): 5 reps x 2 sets
Incline push-up: 5 reps x 2 sets
Kneeling military press: 5 reps x 2 sets
Push-ups, weighted (plate on back): 5 reps x 2 sets
Biceps/Triceps
Weighted bench dip: 8 reps x 3 sets
One-arm kettlebell row: 8 reps x 3 sets
Incline hammer curls: 8 reps x 3 sets
Overhead cable curl: 8 reps x 3 sets
Incline inner biceps curl: 8 reps x 3 sets
E-Z bar curl: 8 reps x 3 sets
Legs/Back
Barbell squat: 10 reps x 2 sets
Front box jump: 10 reps x 2 sets
Barbell deadlift: 10 reps x 2 sets
Chin-up: 10 reps x 2 sets
One-arm kettlebell swing: 10 reps x 2 sets
Kettlebell sumo high pull: 10 reps x 2 sets
Pull-ups (weighted): 10 reps x 2 sets
Evans on preparing for his role as Captain America
‘The training regimen was based on heavyweight/low-rep sets of the classic compound lifts.’
Evans on his Captain America Workouts
‘It’s a very balanced workout, hitting every single muscle — I think even my toes got bigger.’
Evans on his Captain America workouts, take II
‘I’ve always liked going to the gym, but these weren’t normal gym sessions. I was puking…They were brutal.’
Chris Evans’s Supplements
Glutamine
Evans said he took glutamine to prevent burning muscle for energy, and to give his immune system a boost.
BCAAs
Evans took branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to prevent protein breakdown and keep his muscles bulked up.
Protein
Evans says he’d have about 30g of pure whey protein in his shakes during the day, but before going to bed, he would have one that was primarily casein for a slow-release protein overnight.
Fatty Acids
Evans took a 500mg supplement of omega-3s, omega-6s, and omega-9s at every meal to help ensure his joints were functioning well, especially for his gymnastic routines.
Chris Evans’s Lifestyle
All In the Family
Acting runs in the Evans family. His mom was a dancer and director of a youth theatre, his older sister Carly got Chris started in school plays back when he was just in first grade and his younger brother played on the soap opera One Life to Live.
Hometown Fan
Evans is a big fan of the Patriots. He narrated America’s Game on the NFL network which tells the story of the Patriots’ journey to the Super Bowl championship in 2014.
Fame Comes at a Price
Evans has been plagued with panic attacks and prefers to be back East where his friends tease him as being a bad actor rather than having his every move tracked out in LA.
Near Miss
Due to his increasing anxiety, Evans initially turned down the 9-film, no audition necessary role of Captain America. (By the way, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most lucrative franchise in film history, earning more than even Star Wars.)
Evans on his Family
‘We were like the von Trapps [from The Sound of Music], all singing and dancing.’
Evans on Finally Accepting the Deal with Marvel
‘Just like with other things in life, when you say no, they just pursue you.’
Evans on Captain America’s Influence on Himself
‘When you play a character for a long time, you start to look at your own conflicts through the eyes of someone who might handle it better than you would.’
Recommended Products
Chris Evans movies
E-Z bar
Kettlebells
References
https://www.biography.com/actor/chris-evans
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/chris-evans-captain-america-training-plan.html
https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/chris-evans-mj5-favorite-food-workout-gear/
https://www.mensjournal.com/features/chris-evans-cover-story-avengers-endgame-captain-america/
