Ryan Reynolds’ Trainer Don Saladino Details His Deadpool & Wolverine Workout Routine 

Deadpool needs some real muscles to break the fourth wall, and Don Saladino made it happen. 

Indeed, Ryan Reynolds’ longtime fitness trainer revealed how he created the perfect workout regimen for the 47-year-old ahead of shooting Deadpool & Wolverine. 

“I know his body really well,” Don told E! News in an exclusive interview. “I think that's the interesting thing—him and I have 15 years of experience together.”

The fitness trainer—who also trains Blake Lively as well as stars like Anne Hathaway, Sebastian Stan, Dave Harbour and more—knows Ryan so well that he developed a customized nine-week circuit. And, much like the film they were training for, the program is called Deadpool 3 (See the full program breakdown here, and use code e-news15 for 15 percent off). 

While you’ll have to purchase the nine-week program—which consists of five workout regimens per week—to get the full rundown, Don did dive a bit into what the workout sequence involves. Before any intense reps, he had Ryan do a warm up routine he calls flossing—but it has nothing to do with teeth or the viral mid-2010s dance routine.

“It's a term that I kind of made up,” Don noted. “We're just getting a little bit more oxygen into the blood, and we're getting the muscle to move a bit, we're getting in tune with areas of the body that I feel like are going to become weak points.”

Loosening up looked different depending on the day—and what Ryan needed to prep his body for. The Deadpool 3 program, which includes a primer or warm-up week, builds up the heat and intensity throughout, focusing on mobility and elasticity, and unilateral work. 

Each day is broken down into “blocks” and puts a focus on specific parts of the body, including lower body, upper body, and arm and abs intervals—with lots of built-in rest time. 

Some workouts include up to five reps of “rack carries,” or carrying weighted equipment across a specific distance, and “jump, throw, carries” which are short sequences of jumping, throwing and carrying a medicine ball.  

And while the workout program was perfect for priming Ryan to embody Wade Wilson, Don emphasizes that fans can’t expect to develop superhero strength overnight—or even in nine weeks. After all, Ryan has put in well over a decade at the gym with Don—in addition to executing curated programs like this one leading up to prior Deadpool shoots. 

“He's built that foundation, over 15 years,” Don emphasized. “We put together a periodic program, we executed that program up until the shooting of the movie. That's what we did with every film.”

Another important tool to keep in mind? A well-rounded diet.  

“Ryan eats a balanced diet of protein, carbs and healthy fats,” the trainer added. “His meals are going to be things like salmon, chicken, turkey. Carbohydrates are gonna be sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa. He'll consume some green veggies.”

But that’s not to say a little treat every now and then is off the table—even Ryan indulges.

“He'll consume some protein powder with oatmeal—that's a little treat,” Don said. “It's a good protein and carb friendly meal for him.”

Still, Don curated the Deadpool 3 sequence in a way that will allow anyone to get a good workout in—and he has some full-proof tips even for those who don’t fight off the bad guys alongside Hugh Jackman. 

“Consistency trumps intensity,” he said. “You don't have to turn around and do the full workout. If you don't have time, you can cut everything in half, get it done quicker, but always focus on technique.”

And Deadpool 3 workout or not, Don notes that quality is better than quantity. 

“A big misconception is that people come in here and they try and go 110 percent,” he added. “Baby yourself. Go easy—just do the work. It doesn't matter how much weight you're adding to the bar or grabbing with dumbbells, Actually learn the technique. If you start becoming consistent with the days you get in, and moving the way that I'm asking you to move, great things are gonna happen.”

Deadpool and Wolverine is now in theaters.

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