When Kumail Nanjiani was cast in Marvel's Eternals, he was determined to step up his game
to play the samurai Kingo Sunen and challenged himself to look the part. Here are the secrets
the star and his personal trainer Grant Roberts have revealed behind his bulking up journey.
After seeing Kumail Nanjiani's photos of his physical transformation, plenty of people
wondered how he got those incredible results — and if they could potentially recreate his
success on their own. However, Nanjiani has been open about the fact that his
results would not have been possible if he wasn't in a position of immense privilege.
He worked with personal trainers and nutritionists throughout the year,
all of whom were focused on creating a custom program for his body, goals,
and lifestyle. Nanjiani wrote in his Instagram caption,
"I would not have been able to do this if I didn't have a full year with the best trainers and
nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world. I'm glad I look like this, but I also
understand why I never did before. It would have been impossible without these resources and time."
Over the course of his fitness journey, Kumail Nanjiani worked with many top
personal trainers and nutritionists, all of whom played an important role in helping
him achieve his goals. But he spent most of his time training with Grant Roberts,
who has also worked as an actor — you might have spotted him in Sully, or in films like
Million Dollar Baby. Being in front of the camera himself meant that he understood
exactly what Nanjiani needed to do in order to prepare for Eternals. Roberts told Page Six,
"My process is completely individualized and starts with the gathering of information.
Current lifestyle, body composition tests, etc. I also have a 3D scanner that's particularly useful
for goal setting [...] and strategizing the nutrition and training program."
The 3D body scanner that Roberts uses probably doesn't come cheap, but these machines
create accurate pictures of his client's body composition, posture, and how their measurements
change as they work out. It was an invaluable tool for creating Nanjiani's training program.
"He scares me. Me too. But he's an excellent motivator."
So, if you want to get muscles like Nanjiani,
how often do you have to hit the gym? Nanjiani generally worked out for a little over an hour,
four to five days a week. However, recovery time was an important component
of his fitness program. He consistently took two or three days off each week.
Many people think that they need to push themselves to work out without taking a day off
if they want to bulk up or lose weight, but having scheduled rest days so that
your muscles can heal is actually crucial. Roberts definitely wanted
Nanjiani to commit to a rigorous workout schedule, but as a professional trainer,
he also understood that regular rest days would be the key to long-term success.
Spending time relaxing outside of the gym is just as important as spending time in the gym!
They say that abs are made in the kitchen, and this was definitely true for Nanjiani. Getting fit
wasn't just about burning calories in the gym — he also had to ensure that he was
fueling his body with healthy foods. Sure, you can technically lose weight
while eating sugary desserts or savory comfort foods, but when it comes to building muscle,
you need to start with the right building blocks and put nutritious foods on your plate.
What was included in Nanjiani's food pyramid? He went with the low-carb approach to dieting. He
also made sure to eat plenty of protein, which is essential for building muscle and having a
sustained source of energy for workouts. Nanjiani also focused on adding healthy fats to his diet,
particularly sources of omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, he made sure to
drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. If you're exercising as often as he was,
you don't want to forget your water bottle when you go to the gym.
Many people find that sticking to a consistent, healthy diet is even more difficult than finding
a form of exercise they enjoy. But for Kumail Nanjiani, this wasn't the case. He was so
dedicated to his fitness program that he didn't want to take cheat days. In fact,
one of the nutritionists he worked with basically had to force him to take a day
off from his diet and indulge every once in a while. Nanjiani credits David Higgins for
giving him permission to enjoy his favorite foods and stop being so hard on himself.
What did Nanjiani reach for on cheat days? He grew up in Pakistan,
and he loves Pakistani food — but he admits that this cuisine is very carb-heavy,
which meant that it wasn't appropriate for his usual meal planning. But he says that
traditional Pakistani food, like biryani, naan bread, and rice, was his, quote, "go-to cheat
meal" — and he would often feel so full after eating it that he had to take a nap afterward.
When Roberts designed Nanjiani's workout program, he had a philosophy in mind:
"No weak spots."
Yes, they would target certain muscles, but overall, he wanted to create full-body workouts.
His goal? Help Nanjiani look like a real bodybuilder. He encouraged Nanjiani to
concentrate on "the symmetry of the musculature" so that he would see improvements all over.
Roberts admits that he pushed Nanjiani in a way that he had never been pushed
before — but Nanjiani was always up for the challenge. Roberts says
that Nanjiani was genuinely enthusiastic about getting fit, telling Men's Journal,
"I was excited to work with Kumail because I could tell he was ready to dedicate himself to
the process. I have literally thousands of text messages to prove that point.
Getting these kinds of results [doesn't] happen without maximum effort."
When it comes to helping his clients, Roberts clearly likes to stay on the cutting edge and
utilize new technology in the world of fitness. While working with Nanjiani, Roberts regularly
used electric stimulation, or e-stim, to target certain muscles. Your average gym-goer
may not have used this tool, but apparently celebrity trainers like Roberts are big fans.
So, how does electric stimulation work? Basically, Roberts would place
pads hooked up to electric wires on Nanjiani's back over specific muscle groups. Sometimes,
he would deliver a zap, which helped quote "fire up" the muscles. It may sound strange,
but Roberts is a fan of using this method with clients. He used electric stimulation with
Nanjiani about twice per week.
When you start working out and eating healthy, you don't see results overnight. The waiting game is
frustrating, but it takes a while to notice the results you really want. However, according to
Roberts, Nanjiani really didn't have to wait long to see results. This is because Roberts went right
in with workouts that were focused on intensity — packing lots of action into a short timeframe.
This leads to fast muscle building and weight loss,
which was probably quite motivating for Nanjiani. Roberts told Page Six,
"Kumail responded very quickly — as most people do — when introduced to training
that shocks the system, whether it be for fat loss or muscle gain or — as in Kumail's case — both."
When Nanjiani started working out to get ready for Eternals, he felt like he had spent years
holding himself back from his full potential. He had generally worked in comedy — he was best
known for Silicon Valley and The Big Sick — but he knew if he wanted to try something different,
he would need to transform his physique. He had no idea just how strong he could get
because he had never tried to figure out what his physical limits were.
At one point he was getting so muscular that Marvel told Roberts and Nanjiani to scale back
and slow down a bit — apparently, he looked, quote, "too big and too cut" for the role.
Therefore, Roberts lightened up on Nanjiani's workouts. This probably wasn't the kind
of feedback that Nanjiani expected from the studio, but it had to be flattering.
"How do you feel?”
“Taller."
The key to seeing amazing results in the gym isn't just physical exercise — it's also about
your mindset. Kumail Nanjiani said that his perspective and sheer level of concentration
on his goals were necessary to achieve the look he wanted. He told Men's Health,
"When I'm exercising, I'm not thinking about anything else. It's like meditation."
Nanjiani even admitted that some of his friends were dismayed by his new attitude
towards working out. He says that at one point, they essentially, quote, "staged an intervention"
to get him out of the gym for a few days. They were worried that his intense focus on
working out would detract from his skills as a comedian. Nanjiani knew that outlook
might affect his work on funnier projects, but he said that in the end, he didn't care.
"I'm kind of obsessed with it."
Being funny wasn't his only priority anymore — he was ready for a major change,
and he was willing to accept the sacrifices that would come along with it.
In order to achieve the results he really wanted, Nanjiani's nutritionists basically
had to micromanage his diet. He had to be exceptionally careful about eating sugar,
and whenever he ate something sweet, he had to give them a
heads up so they could plan his meals accordingly. Nanjiani told Men's Health,
"They were like, 'If you're going to have a can of Coke today,
let us know in the morning so we can adjust and account for it.'"
Although he was allowed to enjoy cheat days, he soon found that after eating such a clean
diet all week long, going on a sugar binge during the weekends would hold him back when he returned
to the gym. Nanjiani admitted that on one particular occasion, he decided to indulge
in sticky toffee pudding, but came to regret it the next day, saying that he felt so, quote,
"off" that he had to endure "twelve hours of physical pain." He eventually got so strict
with his sugar intake that he ended up going an entire year without eating even a single brownie.
There's a common mistake that people make when they begin working out: they try to go all out and
adopt some extreme habits, which inevitably don't stick. As a personal trainer, Roberts is well
aware of these pitfalls, and he was determined to help Nanjiani avoid them. Instead, Roberts
made sure that Nanjiani was developing habits that would be sustainable in the long-term, even after
he dialed back on his original, intense training schedule. Roberts told The Hollywood Reporter,
"We sent him away in peak physical condition, but he's had to maintain
that. I give him kudos for being able to do that, especially when he was working."
It looks like the new Nanjiani is here to stay — he's come a long way throughout this journey,
and there's no doubt that his skills will impress audiences when Eternals premieres.
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