Written by Travis Halena | ACSM CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
Formerly known as Marky Mark, Mark Wahlberg has been known for his lean muscular physique since he was signed as an underwear model for Calvin Klein in 1992. Mark is one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, and his chiseled body is not only instantly recognizable but #gymgoals for many lifters.
He trains and recovers like a professional athlete combined with a bodybuilder and has one of the most insane training schedules you will ever see. Most of us can only hope to accomplish all he does in a day.
But, even if you're not able to work out twice a day, supersetting everything, you can still use his principles and training styles to sculpt your own physique. You're about to learn everything you need to know to follow the Mark Wahlberg workout routine.
Table of Contents:
- Who is Mark Wahlberg?
- What You Need To Know About Mark Wahlberg
- The Mark Wahlberg Workout Schedule And Split
- What Is Mark Wahlberg’s Workout Routine?
- Mark Wahlberg Workout Training Secrets
- Mark Wahlberg Diet Plan
- How You Can Train And Eat Like Mark Wahlberg
- FAQs
Who is Mark Wahlberg?
Does Mark Wahlberg really need an introduction? Our guess is no, but let's talk about him anyway.
Mark Wahlberg is 51 years old, stands 5 foot 8 inches tall, and weighs around 185 pounds. He is an actor who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and is the youngest of 9 kids. His older brother Donnie is credited with getting him started in the music industry, as Mark started his career performing as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
After some success, he transitioned to being an underwear model for Calvin Klein and then got his start in movies. Mark is known for films like Pain & Gain, Lone Survivor, The Fighter, Shooter, and The Departed, to name a few. He and his wife, Rhea Durham, have four children together.
What You Need to Know About Mark Wahlberg
Mark has always been known for his physique and has worked out his entire adult life. His first role in a film was in 1993, and by the early 2000s, he was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Throughout his career, Mark has received multiple awards, including nominations for two academy awards, three golden globe awards, nine Primetime Emmy awards, and three screen actors guild awards.
He even transitioned to producing the hit show Entourage on HBO.
Wahlberg topped the list of highest-paid actors in 2017 and has shown no signs of slowing down as he has multiple business dealings, including his restaurant, Wahlburgers. The accolades and career achievements are impressive enough, but what’s most remarkable about Mark is the crazy schedule that he keeps to this day.
It's hard to believe it's real, but his structure and routine allow him to transform for movie roles and still look like a boss at 51. Let’s dive into what his workout schedule looks like.
Mark Wahlberg's Workout Schedule & Split
Mark’s body has made some wild transformations throughout his career. He has played everything from a bulked-up bodybuilder to a lean boxer, and he even gained 30 pounds for his role in Father Stu before losing it and returning to his standard shape.
To maintain a jacked and lean physique, the Mark Wahlberg workout plan uses multiple training methods to look like a bodybuilder, move like an athlete, and, most importantly, recover as he ages.
He has been working with a personal trainer since 2006 and actively programming his workouts based on his goals for upcoming films.
The incredible thing about Mark is the ridiculous schedule that he adheres to. You have to see it in order to believe it. Here's a snapshot in the day of the life of Mark Wahlberg.
- Wake Up: 2:30 a.m.
- Prayer Time: 2:45 a.m.
- Breakfast: 3:15 a.m.
- Workout: 3:40–5:15 a.m.
- Post-Workout Meal: 5:30 a.m.
- Shower: 6 a.m.
- Golf: 7:30 a.m.
- Snack: 8 a.m.
- Cryotherapy Recovery: 9:30 a.m.
- Snack: 10:30 a.m.
- Family Time/Meetings/Work Calls: 11 a.m.
- Lunch: 1 p.m.
- Meetings/Work Calls: 2 p.m.
- Pick Up Kids From School: 3 p.m.
- Snack: 3:30 p.m.
- Workout No. 2: 4 p.m.
- Shower: 5 p.m.
- Dinner & Family Time: 5:30 p.m.
- Bedtime: 7:30 p.m.
Yes, you read that correctly, fitness fans. His day starts at 2:30 a.m. You would think Mark lives a glamorous celebrity life full of vacation and time off, but this strict routine allows him to have a physique that is as good, if not better than it was in his 20s.
Mark’s training style is a holistic approach to fitness that begins with a method called RAMP. That stands for range of motion, activation, and movement prep. This includes incorporating movements such as the Spiderman stretch and hip bridges into his routine.
The rest of his workout includes strength training, bodybuilding, functional movement, and balance/agility drills. He firmly believes in supersets, circuits, and shorter rest times with his weight training. Even with the high intensity, he still lifts heavy and trains for strength and muscle-building.
He also has his own cryotherapy chamber for muscle and workout recovery. On top of all that, Mark plays golf almost every day.
Let’s check out his split:
- Monday: Chest and arms in the morning; abs, cardio, and stretching in the afternoon
- Tuesday: Legs and back in the morning; stretching, biceps, and cardio in the afternoon
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: Full Body
- Friday: Chest and arms in the morning; abs, cardio, and stretching in the afternoon
- Saturday: Legs and back in the morning; abs, stretching, and cardio in the afternoon
- Sunday: Rest
As you can see, this is not for beginners. Mark follows a 5-day split, frequently working out twice per day. His programming is carefully planned to make sure he recovers properly while still making progress.
For cardio, he jumps rope, runs on a treadmill, spars, uses the versa climber, and does sled pushes.
What is Mark Wahlberg's Workout Routine?
We've gone over his workout split and what a day looks like. Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty of what he does for each training session.
Monday: Chest, arms, & abs
Mark starts his week by prioritizing his pressing movements first, supersetting them with shoulder exercises, like the seated shoulder military press, which makes for a brutal pump. He then finishes off the day by blowing up his triceps.
Later in the day, he goes through his movement warmup, stretches, and moves through 2-3 circuits of core exercises followed by LISS cardio on the treadmill or elliptical.
All these exercises are done for 4 sets of 8-12 reps each with 45 seconds rest. This makes for a crazy conditioning workout while challenging you with compound strength movements. Note: In the workouts below, anytime two exercises are paired together, it means you should superset them.
Morning Chest & arms:
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Flat Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Incline Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Decline Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Shoulder Military Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Parallel Bar Dips |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Lying Triceps Extension |
4 |
8-12 |
Afternoon stretching, abs, & cardio:
After performing the warm-up, you'll repeat this circuit 2-3 times, and finish with 30 minutes of cardio.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Stretch, Foam Roll, Ramp Warm-Up |
|
|
|
Mcgill Curl-Ups |
1 |
15 |
|
Bicycle Crunches |
1 |
15 |
|
Side Crunches |
1 |
15 |
|
Hip Ups |
1 |
15 |
|
Medicine Ball Twists |
1 |
15 |
Tuesday: Legs, back, & biceps
This workout sticks to the same 4x8-12 rep scheme that his Monday workout started with. He begins his leg day supersetting front squats and split squats, creating a massive pump for the quads. In between supersets, he rests 45 seconds, and then repeats.
Next up is the leg press superset with jump squats. This heavy compound lift, mixed with a plyometric exercise, builds some serious power in the lower body.
After that, he moves to walking lunges, which he supersets with calf raises. This is a great combo to work on single-leg stability when the calves are tired and trying to stabilize you in the lunge position.
After that, Mark hits the posterior chain with a superset of barbell deadlifts and alternating leg curls. This superset focuses on strength first using a compound movement and then pumping the blood into the hamstrings during a knee flexion movement.
Finally, he finishes with his pulling movements for the back muscles. He supersets pull-ups with dumbbell rows and then lat pulldowns superset with seated pulley rows.
Both of these supersets do a great job of combining a vertical pulling motion with a horizontal pulling motion. If you prefer more bodyweight exercises, you can even substitute a seated pulley row for an inverted row instead.
Later in the day, he finishes by hammering out three pyramid sets of bicep exercises, hitting them from all angles with different equipment. With his pyramid scheme, the first set is 10 reps, followed by 8, and then 6 to finish. This allows him to increase each set's weight as he drops the reps.
Top that all off with 30 minutes of cardio again. Whew.
Morning Legs & Back:
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Front Squats |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Leg Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Walking Lunges |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Barbell Deadlift |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Pull-Ups |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Lat Pull Downs |
4 |
8-12 |
Afternoon Biceps & cardio:
After finishing this workout, end with 30 minutes of cardio.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Ramp Warm-Up & TRX Work |
|
|
|
Seated Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Dumbbell Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Barbell Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
EZ Bar Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Preacher Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Machine Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
Wednesday: Rest
Take time to rest and recover, especially if you're following a workout routine even close to this one!
Thursday: Full Body
This full-body day is no joke, as Mark focuses on compound strength movements and explosive Olympic lifts. The circuit is 1 set of 8 reps for each exercise repeated 4 times before resting for 90 seconds and moving to the following circuit.
Circuit 1 starts with the king of strength exercises, the deadlift. From there, he moves through several Olympic lifts, including power cleans, the clean and press, a hang snatch, and the push press. These moves are highly technical and are extremely challenging to perform in a circuit like this.
Circuit 2 focuses more on alternating between upper and lower body compound movements. He begins with split squats to focus on unilateral strength. After that is the bench press, the king of upper-body push movements.
Next, the deadlift returns as a posterior chain strength movement. He then finishes with inverted bodyweight rows for a pulling movement.
He finishes with several isolation exercises as a finisher for each body part, performing 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps of each exercise with 60 seconds of rest in between. He blows up his biceps first with cable curls. Next is the seated chest press, which allows him to isolate the pectoral muscles.
Leg press follows that as a quad and glute finisher. The triceps are next, with triceps pushdowns, focusing on cable tension. Finally, he finishes off the lateral delts with seated side lateral raises.
If that wasn’t enough, Mark returns to the gym in the afternoon to perform 2-3 circuits of 15 reps of each ab exercise, followed by 3 minutes of cardio.
Morning Circuit 1 (4 rounds):
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Barbell Deadlift |
1 |
8 |
|
Power Clean |
1 |
8 |
|
Clean And Press |
1 |
8 |
|
Hang Snatch |
1 |
8 |
|
Push Press |
1 |
8 |
Morning Circuit 2 (4 rounds):
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Split Squat |
1 |
8 |
|
Barbell Bench Press |
1 |
8 |
|
Barbell Deadlift |
1 |
8 |
|
Inverted Rows |
1 |
8 |
Finisher:
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Cable Bicep Curls |
2-3 |
6-8 |
|
Seated Chest Press |
2-3 |
6-8 |
|
Leg Press |
2-3 |
6-8 |
|
Seated Side Lateral Raises |
2-3 |
6-8 |
Afternoon Abs & Cardio (2-3 rounds):
After completing 2-3 rounds of this circuit, perform 30 minutes of cardio.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Stretch, Foam Roll, Bands |
|
|
|
Mcgill Curl-Ups |
1 |
15 |
|
Bicycle Crunches |
1 |
15 |
|
Side Crunches |
1 |
15 |
|
Hip Ups |
1 |
15 |
|
Medicine Ball Twists |
1 |
15 |
Friday: Chest, arms, & abs
On Friday, Mark repeats the same workout he started the week with on Monday. Even though he worked some of the same muscles in Thursday’s session, the movements and style are slightly different.
This allows him to hit these muscle groups twice with enough time to recover between workouts.
Morning Chest & arms:
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Flat Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Incline Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Decline Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Shoulder Military Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Parallel Bar Dips |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Lying Triceps Extension |
4 |
8-12 |
Afternoon stretching, abs, & cardio:
After performing the warm-up, you'll repeat this circuit 2-3 times, and finish with 30 minutes of cardio.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Stretch, Foam Roll, Ramp Warm-Up |
|
|
|
Mcgill Curl-Ups |
1 |
15 |
|
Bicycle Crunches |
1 |
15 |
|
Side Crunches |
1 |
15 |
|
Hip Ups |
1 |
15 |
|
Medicine Ball Twists |
1 |
15 |
Saturday: Legs, back, & abs
Mark again repeats the same workout from earlier in the week. Since the day before was entirely upper body, his legs can recover from the challenging circuit from a few days before.
Remember that since the legs and back muscles are bigger muscle groups, they need to be hit twice a week.
Morning Legs & Back:
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Front Squats |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Leg Press |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Walking Lunges |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Barbell Deadlift |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Pull-Ups |
4 |
8-12 |
|
Lat Pull Downs |
4 |
8-12 |
Afternoon Biceps & cardio:
After finishing this workout, end with 30 minutes of cardio.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Ramp Warm-Up & TRX Work |
|
|
|
Seated Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Dumbbell Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Barbell Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
EZ Bar Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Preacher Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
|
Machine Bicep Curls |
3 |
10/8/6 |
Sunday: Rest
Rest up! Come Monday, you're going to start from the beginning with this intense workout routine.
Mark Wahlberg Workout Training Secrets
Let’s cut to the chase. This workout is a ton of volume and will almost certainly burn out or injure a beginner lifter following a resistance training program anywhere close to this.
Mark has been training this way for years and has carefully crafted his programming along with his recovery for his body to thrive with this training style.
Having said that, no matter how long you've been lifting for, you can certainly use some of his tips and training concepts. Let’s go over what you can apply to your workouts.
1) Take A Holistic approach:
Mark isn’t just training to be a jacked bodybuilder, doing cardio to get lean, training for a sport, or stretching like a yogi. He’s doing all of it!
This means that you can follow his lead here and take a holistic approach to your fitness, meaning that your body and fitness are a whole and not just parts.
By carefully programming your routine, you can use these same methods to grow big muscles that move well, ensuring you are pain-free in your 50s like Mark.
2) Use supersets and circuits:
You will elevate your heart rate during strength training by utilizing supersets with timed rest. By the end of your session, you will feel like you got the benefits of lifting heavy and doing an intense cardio workout.
Especially if you are busy, supersets allow you to get much more done in a shorter amount of time. No hour long workout needed!
3) Prioritize compound movements:
You’ll notice most of Mark’s workouts center around compound lifts. These movements work the most muscles and build the most strength.
It can be highly challenging to superset big movements like this, but the results lie in the struggle! Start by giving yourself slightly more rest between sets than Mark does, and try to cut down your rest time a little each week.
4) Stick to a schedule:
You don’t need to have an insane schedule that starts at 2:30 a.m., but routine and discipline make this all work.
You need to prioritize your training, diet, and recovery. Mark is still so fit in his 50s because he has stuck to this routine most of his life.
The Mark Wahlberg Diet Plan
It’s important to notice that just like his workouts are planned out, so are his meals. The system is all one big machine that works together. This means that to work out as hard as he does, Mark needs proper nutrition and correctly timed meals to recover.
Wahlberg famously ate a 7,000-calorie diet to gain weight for his movie Father Stu, but that’s very out of the ordinary for him. His general diet revolves around high-protein meals. He gets 30% of his diet from high protein low fat foods, 30% from healthy fats, and 40% from carbs like whole wheat, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
It’s important to note that someone as busy as Mark has a personal chef that helps prepare his meals, using the best ingredients. This allows him to fit his meals into his day and refuel his body as needed. You may not have a personal chef, but the concept of planning and eating whole foods with strict macros is your main takeaway.
Mark doesn’t have specific macros listed with his diet, but for a man who is 51 years old, 5 foot 8, and 185 pounds, his BMR calculation puts his likely diet at around 3,100 calories with his highly active lifestyle.
Using a BMR calculator to figure out your baseline calories and adjust for activity, you can follow Mark’s plan with similar macro percentages and food options.
Here's a sample meal plan of what Mark eat's in a day.
- Meal 1: Steel oats, peanut butter, blueberries, and eggs
- Meal 2: Protein shake, three turkey burgers, five pieces of sweet potato
- Snack: 10 turkey meatballs
- Meal 3: Grilled chicken salad with 2 hard-boiled eggs, kalamata olives, avocado, pepperoncini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and lettuce
- Meal 4: New York strip steak with green peppers
- Meal 5: Grilled chicken with bok choy
- Meal 6: Halibut or sea bass with vegetables
Looking to add some structure to your daily meals? This 7-Day High Protein Meal Plan can help!
Pro-tip: Use time tested supplements such as whey protein, creatine and pre-workout to boost your gains. These three supplements can help you build muscle, reach your macros, recover faster, gain strength and boost your energy levels. Check out our favorite fitness stack below to help you attain Mark Wahlberg like stature.
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How the Average Lifter Can Train Like Mark Wahlberg
We know his routine looks intimidating, especially if you are brand new to lifting, but this doesn’t mean you can’t train like Marky Mark. First, make sure to prioritize compound movements while building strength.
Over time you can start to superset exercises to add the cardiovascular challenge that his circuits provide. You can work on reducing your rest time as your body gets used to the workouts, which increases the challenge.
Another thing you can work on is focusing on dynamic warmup movements before you lift. Marks' RAMP warmup method is a fantastic idea for every lifter. Most people just hop on a cardio machine for a few minutes or, even worse, skip the warmup altogether.
Focus on foam rolling, mobility movements, and stability exercises using TRX straps. If you have certain problem areas like tight hips, spend a little extra time on them.
Finally, don’t forget to train to be functionally strong. Throwing some athletic movements into your program will have you feeling like an athlete. You don’t necessarily need to jump into barbell Olympic lifts, but you can substitute power cleans for a kettlebell clean and press.
You can also swap an exercise like a hang snatch for a dumbbell snatch from the floor. These movements build power, which happens to be the number one thing we lose as we age.
How the Average Lifter Can Eat Like Mark Wahlberg
This answer is much more straightforward. Mark follows a fairly simple dieting approach. He has pre-planned meals that fit his macronutrient goals, and they are all quality whole foods.
There is no junk, sugar, or alcohol listed in that diet. That doesn’t mean it never happens, but what you do most of the time is more important than what you do a small portion of the time.
Focus on figuring out how many calories you need to eat daily and try his macro split of 30% fats, 30% protein, and 40% carbs. You can learn more about this in our article on counting macros.
Build your meals around protein options to ensure you are building muscle. If you plan and schedule your meals throughout your day, you will follow them. If you wing it and just eat randomly, you are more likely to make bad decisions that won’t get you closer to your goals.
Mark Wahlberg Workout FAQs
Let's discuss any remaining Mark Wahlberg questions you have here.
How many hours does Mark Wahlberg work out a day?
Mark works out for close to 2 hours a day most days. These are split between two sessions, five times a week. That is also combined with playing golf almost daily.
What time does Mark Wahlberg get up to work out?
Mark wakes up at 2:30 a.m. to begin his routine with his early workouts starting around 3:30 a.m.
Does Mark Wahlberg use F45?
F45 is a group exercise class that uses high-intensity intervals and lasts precisely 45 minutes. Mark has been known to drop in from time to time as it is a similar style of training that he implements.
Looking for another great celebrity workout routine? Check out Chris Hemsworth's Workout Routine, the Chris Evans Workout Routine, & The Rock Workout Routine for some more great options!
Images courtesy of Mark Wahlberg's Instagram
Travis Halena
Author