August 3, 2026, 6:02 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
After five years, Tom Holland is back on the big screen as Spider-Man. In the new film, the Marvel hero swings from house to house through New York, delivers spectacular fights, and even lifts parts of a building seemingly effortlessly out of the way. Of course, much of this is achieved with CGI and special effects. But there’s no computer trick for Holland’s athletic physique. Behind it is a rigorous workout that would push even seasoned amateur athletes to their limits.
How Tom Holland Trained for His Toughest Role
Spider-Man not only has to look strong. The role demands speed, endurance, agility, and a lot of body control. That’s exactly what Tom Holland’s preparation focused on. Together with celebrity trainer Duffy Gaver, the actor worked on his fitness for months.
Why Holland Didn’t Need to Bulk Up
Unlike many other Marvel stars, Holland didn’t need to become a muscle-bound giant. His goal was an athletic body that is explosive, agile, and resilient. After all, Spider-Man should believably leap over buildings, climb walls, and perform complex fight scenes. Therefore, the training focused primarily on bodyweight exercises, functional strength training, intense endurance sessions, as well as gymnastics and mobility training.
Another advantage: Even before his acting career, Holland gained experience as a dancer and gymnast. The body control he developed from that was an additional benefit for the demanding stunts.
A workout that has gained cult status among fitness fans became particularly well-known. Holland himself explained the routine to “Men’s Health”: “Start with one pull-up, two dips, three push-ups, four sit-ups, and five squats–that’s the first round. Then you work your way up to ten, so the last round consists of ten pull-ups, 20 dips, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, and 50 squats.”
But that’s not all. To push the body to its limits, the sequence is then reversed: “After that, you work your way back down to one. It’s a monster workout.”
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1,500 Repetitions–How the Spider-Man Workout Works
What initially sounds manageable quickly becomes a real test of endurance. With the constant switch between pull-ups, dips, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, the workout adds up to:
- 100 pull-ups
- 200 dips
- 300 push-ups
- 400 sit-ups
- 500 squats
That totals 1,500 repetitions in just one training session.
This enormous overall load is what makes the Spider-Man workout so extraordinary. While the number of repetitions initially increases and then decreases again, the body has little time to recover.
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Why the Training Is So Brutal
With each round, the back, chest, shoulders, arms, abs, and legs are increasingly challenged, while recovery time shortens. Eventually, it’s not just individual muscle groups fighting fatigue, but the entire body.
At the same time, the cardiovascular system is heavily taxed. The focus is on what’s known as strength endurance. Unlike traditional strength training with heavy weights, it’s not about moving as much weight as possible, but about repeatedly delivering performance over a longer period. This mix of strength, endurance, and agility was exactly what Holland needed for the physically demanding filming.
Why Even Pros Respect It
The tricky part of the workout: The first rounds still feel relatively easy. But with each additional level, the strain increases significantly. Arms and shoulders become heavy, and later the high number of squats takes its toll. As the training progresses, it also becomes more difficult to perform the exercises with proper form.
That’s exactly why the “monster workout” is considered a real challenge even among experienced athletes. As technique declines, the risk of improper loading and injury increases.
Who the Workout Is Suitable For
The complete program is an enormous challenge even for many trained amateur athletes. Those who still want to try the workout should initially reduce the volume significantly and, for example, only complete every other step of the repetition ladder. This way, the body can gradually adapt to the high load.
The training impressively shows: For his Spider-Man role, Tom Holland didn’t focus on building the biggest muscles possible, but on a functional training approach. Strength, endurance, agility, and body control were the focus–exactly the qualities that make the Marvel hero so convincing on screen.