How to Get Jacked Like Nick Jonas:
Nick Jonas’ body is a lot like his career:
It just keeps getting better. You wouldn’t have predicted it back in the
day, but this teen singing idol has exploded into not just a Hollywood
star but also a physical powerhouse—which is all the more impressive
when you consider his grueling schedule and the demands of living with
type-1 diabetes. Here, his get-ripped regimen.
His master plan
For Nick, there’s never time for trial and error in the gym—he needs a compact, fail-safe routine. This is it.
Cookie-cutter workouts don’t build Hollywood-worthy
physiques—smart, calculated, efficient routines do. Due to the work and
travel demands of a megastar, whatever time there is needs to be maxed
to the fullest. This comprehensive strategy will put on muscle, break
plateaus, and build absolute strength.
Jonas’ workout is just half the plan—check out the
Nick Jonas Muscle-Building Diet.
How it works
Phase one of trainer Gregg Miele's program centers Nick’s training
around “holistic trisets.” Essentially, these are groups of three
exercises, back-to-back, that stress the same body part or movement
pattern with a variety of intensities, loads, and tempos. This allows
you to “target a wide range of muscle fibers and get a large volume of
work per session,” he says. The first exercise is performed with heavy
weight for low reps at an explosive tempo. The second exercise is
moderate weight and midrange reps that are performed smoothly. The third
exercise is performed with light weight, for high reps, and done slow
and controlled.
Greg Miele is the owner of Heart & Hustle Gym in L.A.,
heartandhustle.com.
Directions
You’ll work out every other day. At the end of each triset or
grouping of three exercises (marked as “A, B, and C”) you’ll rest 3-5
minutes, then repeat for 3-4 sets.
DAY I: Upper Body Pull/Push/Core/Flex
1A. Explosive Weighted Pullup
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
Hang from a pullup bar with your hands just outside shoulder width. Explode up until your chin is over the bar.
1B. Dumbbell Row
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Rest your left knee and hand on a bench and grasp a dumbbell with your right hand. Slowly row the dumbbell up.
1C. Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
Attach a bar to the top pulley of a cable and grasp it with hands at shoulder width. Bend at the hips and pull the bar down with your arms straight.
2A. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
2B. Dumbbell Chest Press
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Lie back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the
weights at shoulder level and then smoothly press the weights straight
up over your chest.
2C. Cable Flye
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
Attach a D-handle to each pulley of a
cable station. Keep your elbows slightly bent and step forward so
there’s tension on the cables. Slowly squeeze your hands together out in
front of your chest.
3A. Roll Out
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 0
Kneel behind at barbell loaded with 10-pound plates. Brace your abs
and roll forward, reaching until you feel your hips are about to sag.
Return to start.
3B. Stability Ball Knee Tuck
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 0
With the ball under your shins and your hands out in front. Pull your knees toward your midsection while contracting your abs.
3C. Stability Ball Crunch
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
With your feet flat on the ground and your lower back on the ball,
place your hands behind your ears and curl your body up until you’re
sitting straight.
Day II: Lower Body Pull/Push/Core Emphasis
A1. Kettlebell Deadlift
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
A2. Barbell Hip Thrust
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Rest your upper back on a bench and sit on the floor with legs
extended. Roll a loaded barbell up your thighs until the bar sits on
your lap (you may want to place a towel or mat on your hips or attach a
pad to the bar for comfort). Brace your abs and drive your heels into
the floor to extend your hips, raising them until your thighs and upper
body are parallel to the floor.
A3. Stability Ball Leg Curl
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
*B1. Super Cat Squat
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
B2. Rear-foot Elevated Split Squat
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
B3. Terminal Knee Extension
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
C1. Body Saw
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
C2. Paloff Press
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Attach a band to a sturdy object at stomach level. Hold the other end
with both hands and step away from the attachment point, turning your
body perpendicular to it to put tension on the band. Pull the band in
front of your chest and then press it out with arms straight. Bend your
arms and draw your hands back toward you, resisting the band from
twisting your torso. That’s one rep.
C3. Lateral Plank (20-30 sec)
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
Get into pushup position and simultaneously move your left hand over your right while your right leg steps out wide.
Day III: Press/Arms/Core Emphasis
A1. Dumbbell Overhead Press
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with palms facing in front of you. Brace your abs and press the weights overhead.
A2. Front Raise
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your arms in front of your body to shoulder height.
A3. Lateral Raise
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise the weights out 90 degrees to your sides.
B1. Weighted Dips
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
B2. EZ-Bar Triceps Extension
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Set an adjustable bench to a slight decline and lie back against it
holding an EZ-curl bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Press the
bar overhead and then let your upper arms drift back so they're at an
angle to your torso. Bend your elbows so you lower the bar behind your
head. Keeping your upper arms stationary, extend your elbows to lock the
bar out.
B3. Cable Triceps Pressdown
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
C1. Straight Bar Fat-Bar Curl
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
C2. Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your sides. Keeping
your upper arms against your sides, curl the weights at the same time.
C3. Preacher Curl
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
Curl the bar, keeping the backs of your arms against the bench. Take three seconds to lower the bar back down.
D1. Med-ball Wall Throws
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 0
Stand in front of a wall holding a 20-pound medicine ball with both
hands at your chest. Set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned
slightly out. Squat down until your hips are below your knees, keeping
your lower back flat. Explosively come up and throw the ball upward and
against the wall, aiming for a spot about 10 feet up. Catch the ball as
it comes down and immediately begin the next squat.
D2. Cable Rotations
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 0
D3. Land Mine Rotations
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 3-5 min.
