Chris Pratt in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” / Marvel Studios
Chris Pratt gets jacked. The former actor on Parks and Recreation and current son-in-law of Arnold Schwarzenegger, went from sitcom star to superhero. In 2012, he revealed in an underwear selfie how he transformed himself into a diesel Navy SEAL for a role in the movie Zero Dark Thirty. That convinced Marvel that the actor could play Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star-Lord) in Guardians of the Galaxy. Let’s see how the now-44-year-old Chris Pratt trained and dieted for those roles and others and how he’s maintained a SEAL/superhero physique ever since.
FROM BEACH BUM TO GALACTIC SUPERSTAR
Born June 21, 1979, Chris Pratt grew up mostly in Washington state. In high school, he excelled at wrestling and was also a shot putter. After dropping out of community college, Pratt was a literal “beach bum” in Hawaii, living in a tent or van on a Maui beach. Improbably, actress Rae Dawn Chong discovered the handsome 19-year-old when he was waiting tables and cast him in her directorial debut, a short film. That brought Pratt to Los Angeles, where he threw himself into acting. He nabbed small acting parts before his big break—the role of Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation (2009-15).
Film roles like a baseball player in Moneyball (2011) and Navy SEAL in Zero Dark Thirty (2012) followed before his superstar breakthrough in the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He’s maintained his A-List status since with starring roles in three Jurassic Worlds, two more Guardians of the Galaxy, and appearances in other Marvel movies. Meanwhile, the 6’2” Pratt has been celebrated for getting in and out and in shape. His weight fluctuated from 220 all the way up to a flabby 295 for the comedy Delivery Man to a jacked 230 in Zero Dark Thirty and Guardians of the Galaxy. In 2020, Pratt married Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger. They have two daughters. He currently plays a jacked Navy SEAL (again) in the popular Prime Video series The Terminal List.
CHRIS PRATT GUARDIANS WORKOUT
After playing a Navy SEAL in Zero Dark Thirty, Chris Pratt was paired by Marvel with an actual ex-Navy SEAL, Duffy Gaver, as his personal trainer for Guardians of the Galaxy. Gaver has worked to tone-up numerous mega-celebrities, including Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, and Chris Hemsworth. Preparing to play the wise-cracking star of the film, Pratt worked out under Gaver’s tutelage for five months, training four to six times weekly.
Gaver told Muscle & Fitness: “Chris’ athleticism is amazing. He is incredibly disciplined and his work ethic is phenomenal. He isn’t the client you have to push; he’s the type of client you have to pull down. If you were to walk into the gym when he was training, you would have thought for sure you’ve got a guy getting ready for the NFL Combine. He wanted more muscle, to be much leaner, and to be more fit. He wanted to do justice to the role.”
The five months broke down like this:
First two months: bodybuilding-style workouts.
Next two months: equal parts bodybuilding and conditioning.
Last month: mainly conditioning, consisting of cardio circuits, swimming, mountain biking, and faster timed sessions. These conditioning workouts frequently included a treadmill/rower circuit mixed in with weightlifting or calisthenics.
CHRIS PRATT WORKOUT ROUTINE
This is an example of Chris Pratt’s bodybuilding-style workout routine. It’s a version of a push-pull workout split: Monday (pull: back & biceps), Tuesday (push: chest & triceps), Thursday (legs), Friday (push & pull: delts & traps). Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are off days. Each workout is preceded by stretching and 10 minutes on the treadmill.
Monday: Back, Biceps, and Abs
deadlift — 4 x 10, 8, 5, 3 reps (pyramided)
pull-up — 4 x 10 reps
pulldown — 4 x 10 reps
Hammer Strength row — 4 x of 12 reps
one-arm dumbbell row — 4 sets of 12 reps
hammer curl — 3 x 12 reps
barbell curl — 3 x 12 reps
plank — 3 x 60 seconds
hanging leg raise — 3 x 15 reps
sit-up — 3 x 25 reps
Tuesday: Chest and Triceps
bench press — 4 x 10, 8, 5, 3 reps (pyramided)
incline press — 4 x 12 reps
cable crossover — 4 x 12 reps
dip — 3 x to failure
pushdown — 4 x 12 reps
Hammer Strength narrow-grip press — 4 x 12 reps
cable kickback — 4 x 12 reps
Thursday: Legs
squat — 4 x 10, 8, 5, 3 reps (pyramided)
leg press — 4 x 12 reps
lunge — 3 x 12 reps
kettlebell stiff-leg deadlift — 3 x 12 reps
standing calf raise — 4 x 12 reps
glute bridge — 3 x 10 reps
Friday: Deltoids and Traps
military press — 4 x 12, 10, 8, 5 reps (pyramided)
side lateral — 4 x 12 reps
machine rear lateral — 4 x 12 reps
front cable raise — 3 x 10 reps
barbell shrug — 4 x 10 reps
one-arm dumbbell snatch — 3 x 10 reps
superset with
kettlebell swing — 3 x 10 reps
dumbbell shrug — 3 x 10 reps
CHRIS PRATT GUARDIANS DIET
Chris Pratt’s Guardians of the Galaxy diet was designed by sports nutritionist (and former competitive bodybuilder) Phil Goglia, who implemented some fundamental changes. Pratt actually increased his overall calorie (and water) intake while simultaneously spending more time working out. As a result, he was able to build muscle and then strip away fat to reveal his gains. This is a standard bodybuilding approach.
The key was to change what Pratt was eating. He swapped out high-fat, empty calorie foods for lean-protein and nutrient-packed alternatives such as chicken, steak, fish, eggs, and vegetables. He also dramatically cut down on refined carbs and opted instead for complex carb sources like brown rice, steel-cut oats, and sweet potatoes. He also consumed supplements such as whey protein and BCAAs. Chris Pratt’s diet plan also involved a dramatic increase in water consumption.
CHRIS PRATT DIET FUNDAMENTALS
Foods to eat: steak, fish, chicken breast, whole eggs, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, steel-cut oatmeal, brown rice, nuts, berries, grass-fed butter, avocado, coconut oil
Foods to avoid: fast food like hamburgers, fried food, sugar, dairy, hash browns, refined carbs like white flour, processed foods
Supplements: whey protein, BCAAs, testosterone booster, fat burner
CHRIS PRATT TERMINAL LIST WORKOUT
Chris Pratt met another Navy SEAL while filming Zero Dark Thirty, Jared Shaw, who was an instructor at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, CA. They remained friends and then work together on The Terminal List (which Prime Video recently picked up for a second season). Both are producers and actors on the series. Shaw was also Pratt’s trainer and training partner, joining him during Navy SEAL workouts, performed without weights or other equipment but instead relying on bodyweight exercises.
Shaw told Men’s Journal: “There were so many locations we were going to, it would have been impossible to ship gym equipment back and forth, so I had him train just like we did when we were down range. There is a different kind of strength that comes from training like we do in the SEAL teams. It’s not about how much you can curl. It’s about if you can carry your teammate to safety if he gets hit. Or can you sprint with your pack to the extraction point if something goes wrong?”
The SEAL-style routines consisted of the “Murph” CrossFit WOD (1 mile run followed by 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 air squats, and another mile) and 8-count body builders. These were done daily Monday through Thursday with just bodyweight. Then came “Frogman Fridays” with Pratt and Shaw doing the routines wearing full combat kits. “Since Chris had a lot of scenes with his gear on, it only made sense for him to train that way—and man did it suck,” Shaw said.
8-COUNT BODY BUILDERS
8-count body builders are a staple of SEAL training. During their workouts for The Terminal List, Shaw and Pratt did anywhere from 100 to 150 of them a day. They’d run for 100 yards, then do 10 8-count body builders, and repeat this until they hit their target amount in brutal endurance and resistance workouts.
Here’s how to do 8-Count Body Builders. Begin by standing with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. For added difficulty, wear a weighted vest.
Count 1: Drop down into a low squatting position with hands flat on the ground, just outside your feet, directly below your shoulders.
Count 2: Kick your feet straight back into a pushup position.
Count 3: Lower into the bottom phase of a pushup.
Count 4: Raise yourself to the top of a pushup.
Count 5: In the up top pushup position, jump your legs out to a wide spread position (as if doing a horizontal jumping jack).
Count 6: Jump your legs back to the top of a pushup position.
Count 7: Hop your feet forward into position 1.
Count 8: Rise up to the starting position, standing tall with arms straight at your sides.
CHRIS PRATT TERMINAL LIST DIET
To once again get into shape worthy of a Navy SEAL in The Terminal List (which Prime Video recently renewed for a second season), Pratt sacrificed even more of the fun of eating than he usually does. The superstar actor committed to intermittent fasting, with only a six-hour feeding window between noon and 6:00 P.M. daily. During those hours, he would eat a lot: skinless chicken breasts and other lean proteins, corn tortillas with eggs, vegetables, avocados and other healthy fats. And the rest of the day he wouldn’t eat at all, though he did drink lots of black coffee to stay alert.
CHRIS PRATT’S FITNESS JOURNEY
Last year, Pratt reminisced with Men’s Health about his journey from sitcom star to superhero: “I can’t believe I would eat five cheeseburgers for lunch [in his Parks and Recreation days]. I lived in a constant state of ‘Oh, god. I’m freaking sick. I’ve eaten so much.’ And that was happiness at that time. Now, it’s the exact opposite. Now, eating is boring. But, the times between eating, I feel great. Before, eating was fun, but in the times in between, I felt like crap.” The days of junk food bliss from his Parks and Recreation days are in Chris Pratt’s past, as buried as his “beach bum” youth. He’s part of the Schwarzenegger clan now. He regularly plays a superhero, and he regularly plays a Navy Seal. Between projects, he gets, as he says “A little soft, because I like to eat.” But then he gets back on the workout and diet program because he wants to look right for the role, and the role frequently demands that Chris Pratt gets jacked.
CHRIS PRATT WORKOUT & DIET FAQS
How many hours does Chris Pratt workout?
Each of Pratt’s workouts lasts about 60-90 minutes, often starting with a warmup of stretching and a 10 minute brisk walk on a treadmill.
What exercises did Chris Pratt do?
For Guardians of the Galaxy, he did most of the standard weight-training exercises, mostly with free weights but some with machines. For conditioning, he combined weightlifting, calisthenics, and a treadmill and/or rower in circuits. He also did swimming and mountain biking. More recently, for The Terminal List, he’s been doing Navy SEAL calisthenic exercises.
How much can Chris Pratt bench press?
300 pounds (136 kg.). Pratt reportedly benched 10 reps with 210 pounds in circuits while training for Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), which equates to 300 pounds for a single rep.
How long did it take Chris Pratt to transform?
For Guardians of the Galaxy, it was five months.
What did Chris Pratt do to get buff?
Weight-training and cardio, and a diet focused on lean protein and complex carbs.
How often does Chris Pratt workout?
When preparing for a muscular role: four to six days per week.
How long did it take Chris Pratt to build muscle?
Pratt was muscular in high school where he was a wrestler and shot-putter. He adds muscle during the early phase of his training for a role, but the diet and cardio are the key for stripping away fat to reveal the muscle.
When did Chris Pratt get muscular?
In 2012 and 2013, first for Zero Dark Thirty and then for Guardians of the Galaxy (released in the summer of 2014).
How heavy did Chris Pratt get?
In late 2012, between the filming of Zero Dark Thirty and Guardians of the Galaxy, he got up to 295 pounds for a role in Delivery Man.
Did Chris Pratt do Navy SEAL training?
Yes. To play a SEAL in The Terminal List, he does training that approximates that of a SEAL.
