Page 92 - Men’s Health - USA (December 2019)

BUILD
than Cavill had ever endured, with entire
fi lming schedules coordinated around his
shirtless scenes. He’s always felt like a cus- the role. “But all the time I was writing, I
todian of the heroes he’s portrayed, whether
it’s an Athenian warrior, a Kryptonian
orphan, or a monster-slaying Witcher.
That’s why he subjects himself to such tor-
turous training. “I’m representing import-
ant characters here,” he says. “I don’t want
to be a dumpy Geralt or a fat Superman.”
Cavill swears by high-intensity inter-
vals and bodybuilding exercises. “I know
what it feels like to go from out of shape to
in shape,” he says, “and [afterward] I’ll
look at myself like, ‘Man, well done.’ It’s
not like I’m a golden god—I’m just proud
of what I achieved. And then you can take
your clothes off in front of your signifi cant
other, and they’re like, ‘Goddamn, you look
great!’ Like, ‘Yes! I’m making other people
happy.’ ” Yet some have suff ered for Cavill’s
intense love of the gym. “I wouldn’t say we
‘worked out’ so much as I acted as Henry’s
trainer,” jokes costar Ben Affl eck of their
time on Batman v Superman. “I really had
to help him increase muscle mass—before
my coaching, he looked like Gumby.” He
adds, “In all honesty, we did work out
together. And I hated it.”
AN ALIEN do-gooder stranded on
Earth, Superman was obviously going to be
a bit aloof, and there were times in Man of
Steel when it was apparent that Cavill’s
charms were being buried underneath all
of the brooding. It wasn’t until the big-
screen remake of the TV show The Man
from U.N.C.L.E. that viewers got an idea of
the actor’s innate playfulness. Cavill
played a swanning, conning American
agent named Napoleon Solo. And although
it wasn’t a hit, it marked a crucial moment
in his career. As Solo, he was droll, at ease,
and eff ortlessly sexy.
Watching U.N.C.L.E., says director
Christopher McQuarrie, led him to cast
the actor as the evil-genius villain of Mis-
sion: Impossible—Fallout. “Something in
Henry’s comic timing told me he had tal-
ents that weren’t being exploited,” says
McQuarrie. “I found he had a charming
sense of humor—at which point I knew he
could be a villain. The best villains enjoy
their work.” Cavill’s U.N.C.L.E. perfor-
mance also made an impression on Schmidt
Hissrich, The Witcher’s producer. She fi rst BRIAN RAFTERY is the author of Best. Movie.
talked to him about playing Geralt before Year. Ever. How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen.
94 December 2019 / MEN’S HEALTH
the series even had a script. In the ensuing
months, she met with 207 other actors about
SUPERHEROIC
kept hearing Henry’s voice in my head,” she
says. “In the books, Geralt is fearsome, but ARMS
he also has this amazing dry wit. We needed
someone to play both ends of the spectrum, BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, C.S.C.S.
someone who could see all the trauma of the
The secret to Henry Cavill’s jacked
world he’s in but could also step back and Witcher physique is a trio of moves
roll his eyes once in a while.” that build powerful shoulders, biceps,
and forearms (critical for hoisting
The Witcher combines the sneaky cha-
Geralt’s sword, by the way). Pack
risma Cavill displayed in U.N.C.L.E. and these Cavill favorites into your
Fallout with the sinew and strength he workout for a serious arm pump.
built up for his superhero roles. After
working on Fallout, Cavill was keen to do
his own stunts on The Witcher, including
rigorously choreographed sword fights.
But he was most excited, he says, about the
chance to understand Geralt’s place in the
world. “It’s funny how much he’s actually
like us,” he says. “Geralt has that thing of
trying so damn hard and being miscon-
strued or not appreciated—of people hav-
ing a negative opinion of you, despite you ISO-HOLD BICEPS CURL
Curl 2 dumbbells; hold the up position.
actually trying to do the right thing.”
Squeeze your right biceps as you lower
Which brings to mind Cavill’s lengthy the left dumbbell, then curl it up.
stretch as Superman—the three movies Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep;
that made him an international star while do 3 sets of 10 to 12.
also leaving a large segment of fans unsat-
isfied. He’s cautious when discussing the
fi lms themselves, so consider these assess-
ments the height of his candor: Man of
Steel? “A great starting point. If I were to
go back, I don’t think I’d change anything.”
Batman v Superman? “Very much a Bat-
man movie. And I think that realm of dark-
ness is great for a Batman movie.” Justice
League? “It didn’t work.”
THREE-WAY SHOULDER RAISE
Cavill almost reprised his Superman role Stand holding light dumbbells at your
for a blip-sized cameo in this year’s Shazam! sides. Raise them out to your sides,
but says he couldn’t do it because of his Fall- then lower. Raise them out to your
sides at 45 degree angles, then lower.
out schedule. That absence—coupled with
Raise them out in front of you, then
the fact that The Witcher could wind up as lower. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 5.
a Game of Thrones–like epic that eats up a
huge chunk of his calendar—furthered the
speculation that his time in the cape was
fi nished. “I’m not just going to sit quietly
in the dark as all this stuff is going on,”
Cavill says of the rumors. “I’ve not given
up the role. There’s a lot I have to give for
Superman yet. A lot of storytelling to do.
A lot of real, true depths to the honesty of DUAL CABLE REVERSE-GRIP
KICKBACK
the character I want to get into. I want to
Stand facing a cable machine and
refl ect the comic books. That’s important grab the 2 handles. Hinge forward
to me. There’s a lot of justice to be done for at the waist until your torso is parallel
Superman. The status is: You’ll see.” to the floor—this is the start. Straighten
your arms, flexing and squeezing Pete Sucheski (illustrations)
your triceps; return to the start.
That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 10, resting
just 45 seconds between sets.