How Paul Rudd Got Ripped To Play Ant-Man

Paul Rudd's seemingly everlasting youth is a topic that comes up often in Hollywood. Fellow actor Seth Rogen even joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live that many would think he was older than Rudd when he is actually 13 years his junior. As well as his youthful appearance, when you think of Paul Rudd, the image of him as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will likely spring to mind. Having appeared in several films in the expansive franchise, Rudd has made the size-changing superhero his own. However, Ant-Man has not always been the go-to role for the actor.

For years before he landed the role of Ant-Man in 2015, Rudd was known for his comedic acting — frequently collaborating with director Judd Apatow" — in films like "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "This Is 40," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and countless others. Whether as the love interest, or goofy supporting character, his previous work didn't necessarily see him in many intense situations, and there wasn't the need to show off his physique. But when you're a superhero in the MCU, physical prowess becomes much more important, so Rudd had to make sure he was in shape for the role. 

Getting that shredded physique doesn't come easily, however, and Rudd worked extremely hard to make sure that he could meet the physical demands of the role and look the part. From his workouts to his dieting and sleep schedule, we take a look at Rudd's journey to becoming ripped for the role of Ant-Man.

Surprisingly, Paul Rudd's most important part of his fitness routine is not the weight lifting, cardio, or diet plan. Instead, what Rudd prioritizes more than anything else is his sleep schedule. Getting plenty of rest is what he credits as his own fountain of youth, the secret to staying healthy, and a trick to a better life as a whole. In his interview with Men's Health, Rudd said, "The most important part of training is sleep. People will set their alarm and then sleep for four hours and they'll get up so that they can train. They're doing themselves a disservice."

Rudd's logic is backed up by science, though, and he is correct in believing that your sleep schedule should be fixed before worrying about dieting or working out. According to the Sleep Foundation, most adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night, yet it is reported that almost one-third of Americans get less than six hours per night. When your sleep is off, your body is more susceptible to negative health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and more. The Sleep Foundation also noted that lack of sleep also causes people to overeat and choose unhealthy foods, as well as not practice working out safely and not having enough time to recover in between workouts. So before you can have the healthiest diet plan or workout in the best way, you have to adjust your sleep schedule and give your body time for recovery and rest.

Even though Paul Rudd hired a nutritionist and trainer, he emphasized that he did not want to change his routine too drastically. The key, he found, was balancing discipline with just living his life and still being able to enjoy food. He made conscious decisions when eating, ensuring he was consuming foods that would be good for his body, help fuel him through his workouts, and were still delicious. There were still foods he had to avoid, however, like bread, fried foods, and sugar to a certain extent (via Men's Health).

Per his "Eat Like" interview with Men's Health, Rudd said he loves french fries, beer, and pizza and admitted that even when you're disciplined with your diet, occasionally you can just have a slice of pizza with friends. Additionally, Rudd explained that he doesn't take any supplements or multivitamins to correlate with his meal choices, feeling that the diet plan he has created provides him with all the nutrients he needs for his daily life.

His typical daily food intake includes eggs, oatmeal, coffee, protein shakes, nuts, salad with protein, sweet potatoes or rice, and another protein with an ample serving of vegetables. This way, Rudd's diet could remain relatively normal and still fuel him, Rudd's trainer, Richard Louis, said to Men's Journal: "This was about making a lifestyle for Paul, so we didn't want to do anything too extreme with his diet. The focus was on cutting down on bad carbs, while adding plenty of protein and good fats."

In addition to his diet plan and focus on the fundamental lifts, Paul Rudd also worked in a good amount of cardio. Rudd is a certified coffee lover who continued to drink coffee throughout his fitness journey. He told Men's Health that he starts every morning with coffee and a side of cardio, saying, "I do cardio before I eat anything. I never would've done that before [Ant-Man]." This cardio typically lasted an hour each day, and then he would eat breakfast and hit the weights. Three times a week, though, Rudd would add an extra half an hour of cardio to help expedite his fitness process.

There are significant benefits to doing cardio first thing in the morning before eating anything. Cardio is one of the only workouts that is always beneficial to do two-a-days with. Some people lift twice a day but lack the time to accurately recover their muscles and effectively harming the fitness process. Getting cardio in on an empty stomach in the morning helps you to burn primarily fat, but also helps with your cardiovascular health. Morning cardio helps with your metabolism, too, by setting the tone for fat burning and eating throughout the day. This then leaves you time in the evening for lifting, which, according to 1Up Nutrition, has some mental advantages. Rudd uses this method for his workout, so in addition to the science of it all, there is living proof that this is effective.

Even though the physical transformation played an important part in preparing Paul Rudd to play a superhero, more importantly, he learned a lot about himself through his fitness journey. According to the Mayo Clinic, fitness can actually be a huge mental health booster. Regular exercise can ease depression and anxiety because of the feel-good endorphins released during working out. It also simply takes your mind off of worries and focuses it on what you are doing for your body, which can help in the moment. Exercising can also help you gain confidence, get more social interaction, and can be a healthy coping mechanism.

Rudd told Men's Health that he has learned so much about how his body reacts to food, how it reacts to exercise, where he is happiest, and how much it impacts him mentally. He said, "If I'm in this suit, running around playing a character who's supposed to be a superhero, I just feel better. And I feel less like an impostor." His transformation certainly paid off physically, but in all of his interviews regarding his fitness journey, Rudd emphasizes how he has become happier since incorporating more fitness into his life — and nothing is more important than the happiness and mental health factor of it all. Rudd continues this zen attitude toward fitness and it continues to pay off — as fans can see in his continued appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.