How skinny Chris Evans became Captain America

In www.comicbookmovie.com, an online poll asked for the favorite superhero movie of 2011. Five movies were pitted against each other, The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Captain America: The First Avenger.  Almost 42 percent of the votes went to Captain America with X-Men in second slot with 30 percent.

Most movie houses last week only had Captain America as their featured movie for as many as six of its theaters. So, most likely you have either watched the movie or have heard about it. One of the main attractions was how a serum transformed a scrawny, sickly lad Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) to a bulked-up action hero, Captain America.

While shooting a reed thin man was considered with Evans face pasted on the body, the lead actor did not agree. Hence, they had to use a special technology to shrink the six-foot Evans.  IMDb (The Internet Movie Database), in its trivia section, clarified that a body double was not used for the skinny Rogers. The filmmakers used digital technology to “shrink” Evans. The process left empty spaces in the background, so scenes have to be filmed in front of a green screen so they could superimpose the backgrounds back into the scene.

But while the “before” was a special effect, the transformed body is very real.  Evans had to work hard to put on 20 pounds of muscle for the role.    

This is not the first time for Evans to be a screen superhero. He was The Human Torch in the movie Fantastic Four. But Captain America is a far bigger role. Captain America was the US icon of World War II, the ultimate GI Joe. He was required to look the part, to have a body that will make the audience say wow!

Here are some sneak peeks of the Captain America diet and exercise regimen of Chris Evans:

“The key is dedication,” he told MTV in an interview.

“I didn’t really have to diet. I’m pretty skinny naturally. So for the most part, when I try to get big, I have to eat everything. And that’s tough, oddly enough, when you just don’t want to eat food, you’re just full, but you have to eat another piece of chicken, you have to. It’s the worst,” he added.

Referring to how intense the two-hour-daily workouts for four solid months were, Evans emphasized, “The workouts were exhausting. It’s the workout that, you know, makes you want to vomit. It’s horrible. You try to think of any way to get out of it before you go. And you’re just glad when you’re done. Oh my God, when shooting was done, I just stopped going to the gym completely for about three months!”

He also told PopSugar.com, “We did two hours a day, and it was brutal. I usually like working out. Working out sucked, eating sucked more. You get to a point where you just can’t even look at another piece of chicken. You’re just so bloated, but you just have to keep consuming protein, so that was tricky.”

Evans has maintained a lean, defined look since he entered Hollywood. He has also admitted to pumping iron since his high school days. Unlike a lot of people, he hates the treadmill and prefers playing  basketball, tennis, and even football whenever possible.

Evans’ regimen worked around bodyweight exercises. These also allowed hum to move quickly and improve his balance so he doesn’t get injured while filming. He did admit some minor injuries.  “I don’t think my body is supposed to be as big as it got for Captain America. There was a strain on some joints. After a month and a half of training, I found my right shoulder would click and my left pec would hurt. There are certain things that hurt more than others. But that seems to be pretty universal. Every guy I know has some sort of freak injury in their bod,” he shared.

His program also included plyometrics and strength training.  Experts believe that Evans must have done a lot of dead lifts, bench presses, shoulders presses, and squats.  It is also believed that his personal trainer made him do compound exercises where the core is activated in any movement, helping define the abs.

“It was an ever-evolving workout, in which we always found ways to work around the parts of me that were sore,” Evans summed up in an interview.

In the case of Evans, to grow amazingly larger it was literally no pain, no gain.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.