Brad Pitt Fight Club Workout: Detailed Routine + Guide to Getting Ripped

The first rule about fight club is that you don’t talk about fight club.

The second rule of fight club, is that you don’t talk about fight club.

The third rule of fight club, is that you work out from Monday to Saturday.

If you’re looking for Brad Pitt’s exact Fight Club workout, then you’re in luck. We’ve got his entire workout together with his diet and the weight of his exercises.

Brad Pitt is both a Chad and a stud even today at the ripe age of 57. The famous Hollywood Star was one of the most prominent actors in the late 1990s. His roles in Troy, Sinbad, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and most especially Fight Club has handled him the celebrity spotlight for the rest of his life.

Although his face is more than enough for the Big Picture, Brad Pitt took his role as Tyler Durden very seriously. The man got absolutely shredded and muscular for his iconic role, dieting down to around 70kg or 154lbs. 

A lot of articles out there claim that he was hovering between five to six percent body fat, but we’re here to tell you that’s false. In this article, we’ll go over Brad Pitt’s extensive workout and talk about other factors that will help you look just as good as him.

Disclaimer:

As always with these sorts of articles, we’re here to write out a short disclaimer.

Brad Pitt is an A-class actor that’s paid to act and look amazing for his part. There’s no guarantee that the actor transformed his body naturally without any steroids or testosterone enhancements.

However, we aren’t saying that Brad Pitt used steroids either, but that—as a reader or average joe—you should always take actor transformations with a grain of salt. Steroids are not bad nor will they destroy your body unlike multitudes of myths would have you believe. 

There are various kinds of steroids or testosterone replacement methods in the market that are actually healthy and prescribed by doctors to cure depression or regulate lacking testosterone. 

Overall, Brad Pitt’s body in Fight Club as Tyler Durden is an achievable physique, with some caveats—but more on that later.

Who is Brad Pitt?

First off, who is Brad Pitt? If you’ve seen Troy, then you might say he’s a demi-god. With a physique like that, I’ve got to say that it’s hard to disagree.

All jokes aside, Brad Pitt is 5 feet and 11 inches (180 cm) tall. In girl terms, he’s basically 5’10. The famous actor is about two inches above the average height for the American demographic.

According to some sources, Brad Pitt was already around 75kg when Fight Club started production, which is the average weight for his height. He got down to around 70kg during the film, which is a relatively big drop considering he was already at the average weight in the first place. 

The actor would have been 35 years-old during the filming of Fight Club, which is still a relatively healthy age for muscle growth, since testosterone production generally declines after age 40. 

Brad Pitt: His Genetics

Up next under the physical magnifying glass is Brad Pitt’s genetics. Here, we’ll look through his skeletal structure, insertions, and other genetic factors that help make him look as good as he does.

If you look at Brad Pitt directly up front, right off the bat you can remove your rose-colored glasses and see that his shoulder to waist ratio is nothing special. The actor doesn’t have that massive v-taper or dorito physique that you see with other actors that have great shoulder to waist genetics. A great example for this would be Tom Ellis or Henry Cavill. 

Although Brad Pitt might look massive in Fight Club, it’s mainly because of the camera angle and the fact that his arms are either raised or he’s positioned side-heavy, which accentuates his thin frame and ripped abs. 

Brad Pitt also has great genetics for muscle insertions, especially with his abs that are symmetrical and clear. 

All in all, even though he looks amazing, his muscle genetics are fairly common. If you think we’re taking a crap at Brad Pitt for saying he has normal genetics, we aren’t. We’re simply comparing him to average everyday joes if they had the same amount of muscle and body fat that he does.

To drive the point home, a person with great genetics is someone like the Rock or Dwayne Johnson. Even at a young age, you can see how broad his shoulders are compared to his waist, which inevitably gives him a much more refined and massive v-taper. 

Brad Pitt Workout Routine

Moving on, we’re finally going to tackle the actor’s in-depth workout routine. Brad Pitt’s workout is very top heavy, focusing on his arms, chest, back and shoulders. For his legs however, he simply sticks to a one-hour treadmill run. 

The actor’s workout routine spans six out of seven days, with Sunday as his rest day. Although he does incorporate a bunch of compound exercises, most of his movements are exercises that isolate the muscle group. 

Monday — Chest

Starting off with the first day of the week, Monday is chest day. Working out the chest is one of the most enjoyable muscles to exercise, aside from the bicep and the shoulders. Considering that Monday is generally seen as the most detested day of the week, hitting it off with chest exercises is a great way to start off the week.

Remember that thing about us having his exact workout? We weren’t joking. Listed below is his entire workout for Monday including the weight he was pulling at every set. For the first day of the week, here’s what we’re looking at:

• Push-ups — 3 sets of 25 reps.
• Bench press — 25, 15 and eight reps at 165, 195, 225 lbs or 75, 88, and 102 kg respectively. 
• Nautilus press — 15 reps at 80, 100, 130 lbs or 36, 45, and 58 kg respectively.
• Incline press — 15 reps at 80, 100, 130 lbs or 36, 45, and 58 kg respectively.
• Pec deck — 15 reps at 60, 70, 80 lbs 27, 31, and 36 kg respectively.

There’s a lot to break down here, so buckle up as we go through each exercise in Brad Pitt’s Monday chest workout. 

Push Ups

Arguably the most famous and recognizable workout, push ups are a staple fitness routine that everyone can and should incorporate to their routine. This exercise targets the chest, biceps, and triceps, but with the emphasis on the chest all throughout the extension. 

There are a variety of ways to do push ups, but we’ll focus on the standard push up for this exercise. Start by lying down on your stomach with your toes bent—as if you were running—and your ankles raised. Place both your hands directly in front of your shoulders, so they should be a shoulder-width apart from each other. With your elbows tucked into your sides, push yourself up while keeping your body completely straight. 

Although this is a simple exercise, take your time with this. Remember: proper form is better than a high number of reps. You want clean and slow reps for this, so go up for 2 seconds and go down for another 2. Do this for 3 sets at 25 reps per set. 

Bench Press

The standard bench press is a famous and traditional chest exercise that gets your pectoral muscles to work for its life.

With a standard bench, lie down and extend your arms perpendicular to your body. Your hands should be right above your shoulders, but outstretched. From there, move both your hands away from each other, at about 6-10 inches of space each. Hold the bar, bring it out of the rack, and slowly bring it down right on top of your chest before pushing it back up for one rep. If you’re worried about getting the form right, visualize the exercise without picking up the bar first. Your hands should be comfortably away from each other wherein your hands are vertically right above your elbow when the bar is at your chest.

Do this for about 25, then 15, and then eight reps at varying weights. Ideally, as the reps decrease, your weight should increase. Brad Pitt does this at 165, 195, 225 lbs or 75, 88, and 102 kg respectively. 

Nautilus Press

Another really good chest exercise, the Nautilus Press is a workout that you can do with a Nautilus Chest Press Machine. If you’re unfamiliar with that, here’s a picture to help you get familiar with the equipment.

It’s basically a bench press, except you’re sitting. With the Nautilus machine, make sure your back is straight and leaned into the chair. Grab the horizontal handles in a pronated grip, which means the back of your hand should be facing up. Push the machine forward just like a bench press, and slowly lower it back down to its original position. Make sure you take advantage of the slow return, since we are stronger in eccentric exercises. 

Repeat this exercise for 15 reps for a total of 3 sets before proceeding to the next one. 

Incline Press

The incline press is a variation of the standard bench press except it targets the upper pectoral muscles more. This helps add definition to your pecs and to your clavicle.

You’ll need an inclined bench for this, preferably raised 30 degrees from its standard lying position. Just like the standard bench press, you’ll want to hold onto the barbell about six to eight inches away from your shoulder width. Once you’re comfortable with your grip, push the barbell directly upwards slowly, before bringing it down at the same speed.

Do this for 15 reps for a total of 3 sets. This will set your upper pecs on fire, which gives that upper body definition that connects to the shoulders. 

Pec Deck

Last but not the least for this Monday’s workout is the Pec Deck. This exercise is used with a machine that stimulates the same movement as a dumbbell fly.

Though there are a ton of machines out there with different Pec Deck variations, there are generally only two ways to do a Pec Deck. For the first one, start with your back against the seat of the machine, hold the handles at your sides, and slowly push the bars in front of you. The key word here is to push and not pull the bars. Let your chest pull the bars to the front. 

The second variation works the same way, except the machine usually has pads that hold your entire forearm. Simply stretch your arms with your forearm and hands facing upwards, like you were surrendering to a cop. Grab the horizontal handle and put your forearms against the pads, before pushing the bars in front of you.

Repeat this exercise for 15 reps for a total for 3 sets. Congratulations! Your chest should burn by the time you’re finished with this exercise.

Tuesday — Back

Tuesday back day, Brad Pitt’s back doesn’t get enough credit throughout the movie, but this workout is going to set your back on fire. 

Here’s Tyler Durden’s full back workout for today:

• Pull-ups — 3 sets to fatigue of 25 reps or fatigue
• Seated rows — 3 sets at 75, 80, 85 lbs or 34, 36, and 38 kg respectively.
• Lat pull downs — 3 sets at 135, 150, 165 lbs or 61, 68, and 75 kg respectively.
• T-bar rows — 3 sets at 80, 95, 110 lbs or 36, 43, and 49 kg respectively. 

Back exercises are generally hard to do, since it’s a muscle group that we rarely get to focus on or workout in isolation. There’s a lot to go through here, so strap yourselves in and get ready for a burning back workout.

Pull-Ups

Starting off with a calisthenic exercise, pull-ups workout a huge portion of your back, particularly around the lats. 

Standing in front of a pull-up bar, make sure that your hands grip the bar at the same space as a bench press. If this is your first time doing this, I suggest trying out a pull-up machine that assists you by pushing you up—thereby decreasing your overall weight. Remember, your back isn’t something that you’re used to exercising, so nailing the proper form should be your first priority. Make sure your lats feel tight as you press up and that your overall back is straining at every rep. 

Pull yourself up with your chin above the bar, then lower yourself down slowly for one rep. Do this for 25 reps each for 3 sets total, or until fatigue.

Seated Rows

Moving on, we have the seated rows, which is done with a machine that simulates rowing on a boat. This works out the lats and posterior deltoids, touching on a little bit of your shoulders.

This is typically done with a cable row machine and a v-bar. Start by putting your feet on the provided pads and grab the v-bar. Your back should be straight while holding the v-bar in a neutral grip. Pull the bar right under your chest with your elbows tucked in close to your torso. Your back should squeeze as you pull the v-bar close to you. Make sure your legs stay in place and that your back remains straight throughout the exercise.

Repeat this for three sets. Brad Pitt didn’t have a rep range for this exercise, so the standard 12 to 15 reps per set should be more than enough.

Lat Pull Downs

Another great exercise to capitalize on an already tired back, lat pull downs are basically pull-ups without using your entire weight. 

You can do this with a wide or normal grip, but sit in front of a lat pull down machine and grab the handles the same way you would grab a pull-up bar. From there, keep your back straight and lean slightly backwards, before pulling in the bar close to your chin next to your clavicles. 

Just like the seated rows, Brad Pitt didn’t have a rep range for this workout, so you can follow the standard 12 to 15 reps per set for 3 sets.

T-bar Rows

T-bar rows capitalize on the same muscle groups that the seated row does. If you don’t have a cable row machine, a T-bar row is your next best friend. 

Position yourself a good one to two feet away from the weights at the end of the bar. Buckle your knees a little and, while keeping your back straight, bend over and pick up the weight. The motion from here is relatively simple. Just pull the weight near your core while keeping your elbows locked close to your torso. Your upper back and posterior deltoids will be the major muscle groups at work here.

Do the exercises for a total of 3 sets, with the standard 12 to 15 repetitions per set. 

And that’s about it! You just survived another day of Brad Pitt’s weekly workout. Time to head on to the next one.

Wednesday – Shoulders

Shoulders are one of the most underrated upper muscle groups when working out. If you think about the beach body, a picture of abs might come across your mind. If you want to think about someone who’s jacked, bulging biceps are probably the go-to image. 

However, shoulders are responsible for extending your frame and making you look larger. Round shoulders go a long way, so here are Brad Pitt’s three shoulder workouts for Tyler Durden:

• Arnold press — 3 sets at 55 lbs or 24 kg.
• Lateral raises — 3 sets at 30 lbs or 13 kg.
• Front raises — 3 sets at 25 lbs or 11 kg.

Remember, you don’t have to follow the weights that Brad Pitt is lifting. These were the weights he used, but you may lift heavier or lighter weights than him. 

Arnold Press

The Arnold press is—you guessed it—named after Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. The seven-time Mr. Olympia winner invented and popularized this exercise as a great all-around workout for all three shoulder muscle groups: posterior, lateral, and anterior (back, side, front).

There are three stages to the Arnold press, which makes it a bit complicated. On the first stage, you start with a pair of dumbbells held in front of you at head level, in a similar position to a bicep curl. Your fingers should face you, meaning the back of your hand is behind the dumbbell. For the next stage, lift the dumbbells up with your shoulders until they’re right next to your head, parallel to your shoulder blades. Your wrist should also rotate, with your fingers facing the same way as your face. At this point, you should look like you’re trying to surrender with both your hands up. At the last stage, raise both your arms up straight right over your head.

Lower down the weight by going back through the stages. Repeat this exercise for 3 sets at the standard 8-12 reps. Do this motion slowly because your form matters a lot with shoulder workouts, especially to prevent injury.

Lateral Raises

The shoulder muscle that accentuates your frame the most is the lateral deltoids, which is the muscle at the side of your shoulders. This makes your frame look much wider than normal, which helps you get the v-taper. 

To do a lateral raise, simply pick up a dumbbell and put it next to your outer thighs with a pronated grip while standing up. After that, slowly raise the dumbbell to your side, parallel to your shoulder blades. Keep your arms straight throughout this exercise and focus on your form rather than the speed.

Like the previous exercise, repeat this for 3 sets.

Front Raises

If your lateral muscles help you look wider, your anterior deltoids sell that rounded shoulder aesthetic. This pairs well with the incline bench press from the Monday exercise, since these muscles are close to each other.

Just like the previous exercise, the front raise is basically a lateral raise except you raise the dumbbell right in front of you. With a pronated grip, raise the dumbbells slowly in front of you while keeping your arm straight. Take your time on the way down to take advantage of the eccentric exercise.

Do this for only 3 sets and that wraps up your Wednesday routine! It’s finally time for the last workout routine on this list, the biceps.

Thursday – Biceps & Triceps

Let’s face it. You were looking for the bicep and tricep workouts while reading through the entire article. Yes. We know. Brad Pitt is a barbarian for having to do Biceps and Triceps so far into the week.

For the bicep and tricep exercises, we’re looking at the:

• Preacher curls — 3 sets at 60, 80, 95 lbs or 27, 36, and 43 kg respectively.
• EZ curls cable — 3 sets at 50, 65, 80 lbs or 22, 29, and 36 kg respectively.
• Hammer curls — 3 sets at 30, 45, 55 lbs or 13, 20, and 25 kg respectively.
• Push downs — 3 sets at 70, 85, 100 lbs or 32, 39, and 45 kg respectively.

We’ve got a handful of exercises to do here, literally. Unfortunately, the number of reps per set is not specified, so we’ll stick with the standard 12-15 reps per set. 

Preacher Curls

Right off the bat we have an isolated bicep exercise. Preacher curls might sound funny, especially if you envision a priest working out in the gym, but this exercise does an amazing job at isolating and targeting your biceps.

First, you’ll want to find a preacher curl bench where you can rest your biceps on. You can do this exercise with either an EZ bar, a dumbbell, or the machine itself. Lift the weight all the way up without raising your arms from the curl bench. Focus on the eccentric motion and slowly raise down the weight you’re using to maximize your gains.

Repeat this for 3 sets at the standard 12 to 15 reps. 

EZ curls cable

The EZ curl cable machine is another great way to workout your biceps. Cable machines have the benefit of providing a much more consistent level of resistance, since you’re fighting against a cable and not just gravity.

To do this exercise, you’ll need to look for a cable machine with an EZ bar. EZ bars provide a different handling position, which affects which part of your arm gets activated in the workout. Even though the bicep exercise is universal, how your arm holds the weight actually influences the secondary muscles. Bring the EZ barbell up just like a regular standing bicep curl.

Do this for 3 sets, with 12 to 15 reps per set. 

Hammer Curls

Moving on to the next movement, hammer curls are an excellent exercise for your biceps and forearms. Although your bicep is the one pulling the weight up with bicep exercises, your forearm keeps that weight levelled. A weak forearm will hinder the growth of your biceps because you won’t be able to carry heavier weights. This is why hammer curls are a great way to target both the bicep and forearms at the same time. 

A hammer curl works like a regular bicep curl, except the weight is held in a neutral position. This means that you hold the weight up in the same orientation as an ice cream cone. Start from the sides of your hips and lift the weight up close to your shoulder, before going back down slowly.

Repeat this for a total of 3 sets with 12 to 15 reps per set. 

Push Downs

Down to the last exercise, it’s time to tackle and workout your triceps. Curls to the bicep are push downs to the triceps. A good tricep push down is all you need to get your triceps fired up and pumped.

Start by going up to a push down machine and picking up the bar or rope. Lean forward a little, keep your elbows close to your body as much as possible, and push the bar or rope down. Keep your back straight throughout this entire exercise. Take your time raising the bar back up to maximize on the eccentric motion.

And that’s it! You just completed Brad Pitt’s Thursday workout for his Fight Club role as Tyler Durden. Now, all that’s left is running out Friday and Saturday off your list.

Friday & Saturday – Cardio

Friday and Saturday are solely dedicated to cardio, which is a great way to lose and maintain weight. Brad Pitt does only one exercise for cardio and that’s:

• Treadmill — one hour at 80-90 percent of maximum heart rate.

Running or jogging is a great way to elevate your heart rate and sweat off the calories. Keeping your pace at 80 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate means you’re pushing your limits and keeping yourself in a working state. Unlike weights that can be measured by how heavy you’re lifting, you can either measure your jogging by your heart rate or the distance traveled within a certain time. 

Brad Pitt and His Diet

Now that we’ve gone over Brad Pitt’s extensive workout routine, it’s time to let you know why he looks superb.

There are a lot of factors here that make Brad Pitt look absolutely amazing in the movie, and it’s our job to take off your rose-colored glasses.

Dieting

Tyler Durden has an incredibly lean physique, which means Brad Pitt was under 10 percent body fat during his role. When you’re trying to look shredded, dieting becomes more than half the battle instead of just working out. 

Brad Pitt clearly went through an incredible diet here to look the part. Unfortunately, while he looks amazing, it’s not something everybody can do. Anything under 10 percent body fat can be a problem to maintain, and only a few out of a thousand people can healthily stay within that shape without starving themselves. 

Some articles say that Brad Pitt was around 5-6 percent body fat, but this is simply not the case. Realistically, he would be around 8-10 percent body fat in Fight Club.

Lighting

Nearly all the scenes with Brad Pitt half-naked are him underneath a singular light source. This alone adds so much value to his physique, because the light accentuates his muscles by casting shadows at every bulge. 

Brad Pitt: Natty or Not?

Before we close the article, let’s first figure out if Brad Pitt’s physique during Fight Club was a natural body transformation. 

Considering that the actor was still 35 at the time, he had enough testosterone to grow the muscles for his role. Also, Brad Pitt has always had a lean physique throughout his career. 

It’s safe to say that Brad Pitt was completely natural during this transformation. 

Brad Pitt: Realistic or Not?

Although we bet he was natural, we’ll have to point out the fact that his physique is not realistic. His physique is attainable, but maintaining it at that level of body fat is unrealistic. 

You can look like him for a couple of days to a week, but it’s up to your genetics if you can handle staying in single digit body fat for a long period of time before you feel starved with depleted energy levels.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brad Pitt Fight Club Workout.

Was Brad Pitt at 5 percent body fat for Fight Club?

No, he wasn’t. 5 percent body fat is incredibly low, nearing the body fat percentage of professional bodybuilders. Realistically, he would have been around 8-10 percent body fat in the movie. 

Is Brad Pitt’s workout hard?

We can say that Brad Pitt’s workout can be considered hard, especially since it’s a Monday to Thursday workout. Although you can recover between Friday to Sunday, the exercises and overall scheduling of his workout is tough.

A Final Word From Energetic Lifestyle

Brad Pitt’s workout is top-heavy, just like most Hollywood actors. Although his routine is a handful, spanning pretty much the entire week, his diet has the biggest contribution to his physique. 

During his time at Fight Club, Brad Pitt was incredibly lean, which can be attributed to his diet. Building muscle is hard, but working out while maintaining a lean level of body fat is an even bigger challenge.

While Brad Pitt does look good, his body fat level is not sustainable for a long period of time for most people. 

P.S. If you enjoyed this, you might also like our other articles in the series:

• Zac Efron’s Detailed Workout Routine (for his Neighbors Transformation)
• Tom Ellis Lucifer Workout Routine & Diet