Thanks to the outstanding success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, actor Chris Evans has become synonymous with being a member of The Avengers. But the Knives Out actor had quite a lengthy resume before playing Steve Rogers, including previous comic book movies. And Evans’ trainer recently revealed that he skipped leg day a lot before landing the role of Captain America.
Chris Evans debuted as Captain America when The First Avenger arrived in theaters back in 2011. He went on to play the role a number of times on the big screen, while also showing off his absolutely ripped superhero physique. He obviously put in a ton of hours at the gym in order to pull this transformation off, including adapting more leg exercises into his regimen. Evans’ trainer Simon Waterson recently opened up about this process, saying:
He was quite athletic, but as he said to me, he typically did ‘the college workout,’ so he was a bit imbalanced. He just trained his biceps, and his chest, and his abs, and that was it. He could do a lot of pushing exercises but not a lot of pulling exercises. So he didn’t deadlift, he didn’t do many pull-ups, he didn’t have very overdeveloped legs.
Well, there you have it. Clearly Simon Waterson had some thoughts about the way Chris Evans was working out prior to their collaboration. And while he still looked hunky in projects like The Fantastic Four, he adjusted the actor’s training to help give him the full superhero look. Including some tree trunk-esque legs.
Simon Waterson’s comments to Insider show how methodically Chris Evans’ transformation to Captain America was approached by the duo. He went from fit to superhero ripped during this process, maintaining it for the decade he spent playing Steve Rogers on the big screen. This allowed him to look like he had super strength, and sold sequences like when Cap kept Bucky’s helicopter from taking off in Civil War with just the power of his arms.
Of course, Marvel fans know that Chris Evans wrapped up his tenure as Captain America following the events of Avengers: Endgame. That record breaking blockbuster gave Steve the happy ending he always deserved, living happily ever after with Peggy in the past. As such, Evans might be able to relax his physical training for a bit. Although Simon Waterson’s passion for his client might keep him from falling off the wagon.
While it’s unclear if Chris Evans will ever return to the MCU, he’s been keeping busy with a number of highly anticipated projects. Audiences can’t wait to see him kick ass in The Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man, where he’ll play a badass CIA agent in pursuit of Ryan Gosling’s character. He’s also voicing the title role of Lightyear, which didn’t require him to be quite as physical. Evans was also recently announced to be joining Dwayne Johnson in the movie Red One.
The next installment of the MCU is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6th. Meanwhile, The Gray Man is expected to hit Netflix sometime this year. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
