In this article, I will be teaching you the Jamie Dornan workout and how to achieve the ‘look’ that Jamie Dornan is sporting in the upcoming and highly anticipated film, 50 Shades of Grey.
But first, why would one want to look like the character Christian Grey?
I mean, he’s not overly buff or shredded by any means. After all, I’ve seen actors bigger than him and I’ve seen actors more shredded than him. But what you have to understand is that Christian Grey is a manifestation of what women crave in a man on a very raw level.
Every aspect of him is crafted to turn women on. All the way down to his demeanor, assertiveness, vocal tone and yes, physical shape. If women desired a muscle-bound bodybuilder, well Christian Grey would have been described quite differently.
How TO Build a Jamie Dornan body
The Jamie Dornan workout will focus on promoting a great looking body. Broad shoulders, square chest and great looking legs. The key exercises in our arsenal are weighted pull-ups, incline presses, shoulder presses, and Bulgarian split squats. Among a few other movements.
These will build a very nice aesthetic. Traditional training compromised of plenty of squats, deadlifts, and flat bench will work well at building strength and size, but it won’t result in a ‘breathtaking body’.
To achieve a beautiful physique, you need to focus on key areas (upper chest and shoulders) while avoiding overdeveloping easy to grow muscle groups like the lower body.
Here’s a workout I would use to build a Jamie Dornan Body.
MONDAY: SHOULDERS, BACK & TRICEPS
- Seated DB Shoulder Press: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Weighted Pull-ups: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Close Grip Bench: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Cable Lateral Raises: Rest-Pause
WEDNESDAY: LEGS & ABS
- Sumo Deadlifts: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets of 6-15 reps (2 mins rest)
- Abs Wheel Roll outs: 3 sets of 6-15 reps (2 mins rest)
- Back Bridge Hold: 2 sets of 10 seconds (1 min rest)
FRIDAY: CHEST & ARMS
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Low Incline DB Bench Press: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Incline DB Curls: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
- Rope Push Downs: 3 sets (Reverse Pyramid)
SATURDAY: LIGHT CARDIO, CALVES & ABS
- Jump Rope or Incline Walking: 30 minutes
- Standing One Leg Calf Raises (on a block): Rest-Pause
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets of 6-15 reps (2 mins rest)
- Abs Wheel Roll outs: 3 sets of 6-15 reps (2 mins rest)
- Back Bridge Hold: 2 sets of 10 seconds (1 min rest)
REST DAYS: TUES, THURS, SUNDAY
On your rest days, you can either rest completely, or alternatively, you can get some light exercise and play sports, go walking, do yoga, practice martial arts…
The options are endless. The idea is to avoid any formal working out and especially avoid any heavy lifting that would interfere with recovery.
NOTES on the Jamie Dornan Workout
Reverse Pyramid means you’ll be performing your heaviest set first, followed by progressively lighter sets for higher reps. I recommend resting about 2-3 minutes between sets.
Your first and heaviest set should be for 4-6 reps, your second set should be for 6-8 reps and your final set should be for 8-10 reps. I recommend reducing the load by about 10-15% for each set.
Learn more about Reverse Pyramid Training here.
Rest pause means you’ll perform your first set for 12-15 reps. Followed by 4 additional sets of 3-5 reps (with the same weight as the original set). The key is to rest only 15-20 seconds between sets.
By keeping the rest periods very short, you can only perform a fraction of the reps on your sets as the original set. This type of training allows for maximum muscle fiber recruitment with a lightweight.
You can learn more about this technique by reading the Muscle Pump of the Gods article.
Every workout you should be striving to either increase the weight or push for another rep. A workout is only as effective as the strength gains in produces. If you’re not adding weight or reps each session, you’re doing it wrong!
Why Is Christian Grey Attractive To Women?
In the book, Christian Grey is described as lean yet muscular and broad-shouldered. At one point in the book, Anastasia says, “he is not merely good looking – he is the epitome of male beauty, breathtaking.”
Interestingly enough, guys tend to get warped into believing they have to build a ton of muscle to look good. This is certainly not the case. Muscle bound rarely makes the cut.
“Lean, chiseled and exceptionally well dressed” certainly did make the cut in the case of Christian Grey. A lean and muscular physique is considered very attractive and stylish, whereas, a meathead look – generally – is not.
What’s more, one of the biggest benefits of getting in great shape without overdoing it is that people associate you with several positive traits and stereotypes.
If you become too big, people tend to label you with negative traits. This is one of the reasons why Hollywood actors opt for the lean and chiseled look for movie roles instead of the “meathead” look.
Stereotypes associated with a Lean, Chiseled and Well Dressed Man:
Successful, smart, socially savvy, athletic and health-conscious, self-disciplined and well rounded
Compare that to a big muscle-bound bodybuilder who tends to get labeled much differently…
Stereotypes associated with a Muscle Bound Meathead (well dressed or not):
Obsessed with his muscles, stupid, compensating, steroids, lives in the gym, one dimensional
I’m not saying that these stereotypes are true by any means. After all, you could be lean and well dressed, yet completely self-absorbed and obsessed with your workout routine and diet. (Know a few people like that?)
Alternatively, you could be huge, muscular and powerful, but have complete core confidence, be very caring, highly intelligent, successful and have a very well rounded lifestyle.
So by no means am I telling you to put any weight into these stereotypes. I’m just explaining that they exist and to be cognizant of that.
There Is A Point of Reversing Returns in Fitness
You see, in fitness and muscle building, not only is there a point of diminishing returns, there’s a point of reversing returns. What this means is that building a good looking amount of muscle and definition comes with a silver platter of benefits.
People associate you with many positive traits, whether they are true or not, and women tend to feel a lot more physical and sexual attraction to you.
Unfortunately, when you take things to the extreme and become excessively muscular, you actually reverse the positive effects and people associate you with negative traits and stereotypes.
Is Getting As Jacked As Possible Really The Best Goal?
When it comes to training, the idea isn’t to get a jacked as possible or as shredded as possible. It’s to build a natural, good-looking amount of muscle while holding a sexy amount of definition.
This is precisely when you get the greatest benefits! So if there’s one thing to take from this, stop obsessing with becoming the biggest guy in your gym. And stop being obsessed with having the lowest body fat.
Achieve a great looking physique, and focus on improving in other areas of your life while maintaining your shape. Work on your social skills, become more present (meditate or listen to Eckhart Tolle books), improve your body language, learn how to box, bring up your style game…
Once you have a good amount of muscle and leanness – you are already 100/100 in the physique department. So look at improving yourself in other areas.
A Breakdown of Jamie Dornan’s Body & Statistics
Jamie Dornan height is 6’0 tall and he weighs around 170 lbs with around a 31.5″ waist. His body fat percentage is a touch under 10%. As far as Kinobody Physiques, Jamie Dornan would fall into the Warrior category.
I’m estimating he has a 41″ chest and 15″ arms (flexed). He could have put on a little more muscle and he would have looked even better. That said, he’s portraying a very successful business owner. And a slimmer look is more believable.
This is also a physique that women find sexy. He’s not full of muscle. He looks fit and defined with a nice amount of muscle development. I highly doubt any woman is complaining that they wanted him to have more muscle.
Jamie Dornan diet
First things first… You need to lose fat!
To achieve the ‘Jamie Dornan look’ the most important aspect is having low body fat. This will allow for great definition and chiseled facial features. Ideally, you want to get your body fat just below 10%.
Getting to a low body fat is predominately achieved through proper nutrition for fat loss. When you have your diet dialed in, fat loss ensues. Cardio can speed up the process to some degree, but it’s more like icing on top of the cake.
There’s no need to aggressively restrict carbs or fats or ‘bad foods’. Getting lean is just about taking in fewer calories than you burn. Hands down, the simplest and most enjoyable strategy is to learn how to fast.
The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting For Fat Loss
Intermittent fasting – Subbing breakfast with black coffee and eating a big lunch and dinner, free of mindless snacking, will allow for easy, sustainable and effortless body fat reduction.
This protocol is amazing for people with busy lives, who get up and go! Moreover, it’s amazing for people that prefer to eat 2-3 big meals than tiny meals every few hours. And it’s great for people that like to maintain heightened mental clarity.
If you want to learn more about fasting you can read my fasting articles on the site here, but your best bet is to invest in my Warrior Shredding Program. This program covers training, fasting, and nutrition in great detail to drop fat and build the warrior physique.
How to achieve the Jamie Dornan physique?
You Need To Build Dense Muscle!
When your nutrition is dialed in and you’re effortlessly dropping fat while supporting training, then you can focus on building muscle. Make no mistake, you can most definitely gain muscle while dropping fat.
This is known as recomposition effect and I see it all the time with my clients and guys following my courses. When you eat and train properly, magical things happen.
For example, look at the transformation by Eli, below. He drastically transformed his physique in four months following the principles of my Warrior Shredding Program.
Intermittent fasting, proper nutrition and a focus on building strength on key movements for a great looking physique.
To build a body like Jamie Dornan, you need to focus on building solid muscle density. This comes from following the Jamie Dornan workout routine which revolves around increasing strength on key movements with a lower volume approach.
Two to three sets per exercise, moderate rep range with full rest periods will build strength and increase the size of the muscle fibers. This will lead to denser and more powerful muscles.
Performing several sets with high reps and short rest periods will trigger sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This is muscle growth from more fluid in the muscles – creating a fuller but puffier look.
Will This Advice Really Get You That Physique?
Everything I talked about in this article, especially the Jamie Dornan workout I laid out, will allow you to achieve Jamie Dornan physique status. I have helped hundreds, if not, thousands, of guys get into the shape of chiseled Hollywood actors.
The beauty is, it doesn’t have to be a 3 hour per day ordeal. Nor do you have to subside on boring foods. Fast, lift heavy and eat big. That’s the strategy. Obviously, there’s a hell of a lot more to it, but at its core, that’s what it’s about.
When you get stronger and hit your nutrition numbers while fasting until lunch each day, magical things happen. Just take a look at Trent McCloskey, who built an amazing physique in a short time by following my programs.
Want A Complete Course for The “Warrior” Physique?
This article only scratched the surface. If you want a full-blown course to get chiseled and build the lean and muscular ‘Warrior Physique’ like Patrick Bateman or Christian Grey, pick up my Warrior Shredding Program.
The results are mind-blowing. You’ll drop fat and build muscle without feeling like you’re dieting. You’ll make the best strength gains of your life while getting leaner than ever.
It’s killer. It’s the program and concepts that I use to hold 7-8% body fat year-round while building strength. Make no mistake, this course isn’t just for the 20-something “young bucks”.
This Program Is Not just For Young Bucks
I get some of my greatest transformations from men in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Guys who have been burnt out following extreme diets and workout routines that kill their testosterone and recovery abilities.
If you’re a 20-year-old with great genetics and sky-high testosterone, you can get away with making a lot of mistakes while still making good results. But if you’re an out of shape 45-year-old, you don’t have that luxury.
This is why my program is so effective, young guys make heightened results because they’re doing everything right. And the older guys make great progress while avoiding the mistakes that would have killed their gains and testosterone levels.
You can start by following the workout and tips contained in this article (which is an awesome starting point and will lead to some very, very good results). That said, there will be a point in time when you’re stuck and you’ve hit a plateau.
This is precisely why I have written my full-blown course called the Warrior Shredding Program, which is the other option for getting started… To give you the full map and teach you how to fish. Best of all, everything is instantly downloadable from the main guide to the bonus pdfs and workout videos.
So the choice is up to you.
Either way, you go – following the Jamie Dornan workout and the advice in this article or jumping straight into the Shredding Program – you now have the recipe to carve out the lean and chiseled body of Christian Grey…
