But it was his roles in The Legend of Tarzan in 2016 and 2022’s\u00a0The Northman that really got people talking \u2013 not just about his performances – but about his incredibly ripped physique.<\/p>\n
For both films, the actor transformed his naturally slim frame into a muscular, shredded build.<\/p>\n
It was no easy feat, either. His transformation required intense weight training and a strict routine.<\/p>\n
So, how exactly did he do it? After the actor celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday, the Daily Mail looks at how he achieved his head-turning physique.<\/p>\n
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Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd’s intense diet and fitness routine revealed as the his personal trainer reveals what it REALLY takes to achieve his ripped physique (pictured in The Legend of Tarzan)<\/p>\n
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After the actor celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday, the Daily Mail looks at how he achieved his head-turning physique (seen in 2025)<\/p>\n
Before beginning his transformation, Alexander was an avid long-distance runner, regularly completing four 10K runs each week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But to add some muscle to his lean frame, he swapped the miles for weights and embarked on a gruelling three-month bulk-up.<\/p>\n
His most famous diet was designed by Hollywood trainer and nutritionist Magnus Lygdb\u00e4ck, who transformed him for both movies.<\/p>\n
‘I wanted to have a bit more weight but not get too big,’ Alexander said about his physique in Tarzan. ‘It was important to work on looking nimble and flexible\u2013like someone who could move through the jungle like an animal would.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘That’s his natural habitat. There was [to be] no unnecessary bulk that he doesn’t need.’\u00a0<\/p>\n
But for The Northman, Alexander took on a different technique, consuming up to 3,700 to 7,000 calories per day during mass-building blocks.<\/p>\n
This usually includes large amounts of steak, chicken, lamb, fish, potatoes, rice and oats.<\/p>\n
During the cutting phase, the actor is completely dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and alcohol-free.<\/p>\n
For breakfast, he kicks off his day with four to five eggs alongside a hearty bowl of oatmeal topped with honey and berries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a workout, he enjoys a protein-packed shake with 40g of whey protein, nut butter, milk (or water), and a handful of berries.<\/p>\n
He will then enjoy a small plate of shrimp or other seafood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for lunch, it varies between lemon-marinated chicken thighs with hummus, rice and salad, or salmon with sweet potato and vegetables.<\/p>\n
For an energy-boosting snack, Alexander will have a couple of thin crisps topped with smashed avocado, smoked salmon, chilli flakes, and a zesty squeeze of lemon juice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it’s time for dinner, the actor is all about the classics: lamb, sweet potatoes and broccoli.<\/p>\n
‘He [Magnus] gave me these Tupperware boxes of food with cold steak or chicken and potatoes,’ Alexander recalled.<\/p>\n
‘I was constantly eating, constantly full. It was tough. I would get up in the middle of the night and have some protein and potatoes.’<\/p>\n
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For The Northman (pictured in the movie), Alexander consumed up to 3,700 to 7,000 calories per day during mass-building blocks<\/p>\n
Magnus\u00a0stresses that nutrition is just as important as training when it comes to body transformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He told Men’s Health: ‘It’s not a 50\/50 or 60\/40 split \u2013 it’s 100\/100, you have to get on top of both.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘You can’t train and have a poor diet and expect results, you can run a marathon but it’s not going to give you a six-pack’.<\/p>\n
As for his workout regime, the actor trained for one hour, six days a week in the three months leading up to The Northman’s production start date.<\/p>\n
‘You see it in interviews all the time where an actor says, ‘I trained for multiple hours a day.’ That’s not necessarily true,’ Magnus told Variety.<\/p>\n
The trainer said that the Big Little Lies actor’s regimen was ‘a hybrid between plyometrics training and old-school bodybuilding philosophy’.<\/p>\n
For the first ten minutes of each session, Alexander would use free weights and resistance bands to activate his shoulders and glutes.<\/p>\n
He also underwent bear-crawling exercises in order to prepare for climbing stunts and throwing exercises for the scenes in which he was using an axe or spear.<\/p>\n
Alexander worked out in the morning as it set a physical and mental standard that he could take throughout the day.<\/p>\n
A typical workout day for the actor includes a five- to ten-minute warm-up on the rower followed by banded warm-ups.<\/p>\n
He would then do three rounds of farmer’s walks, lat pulldowns and alternating standing rows.<\/p>\n
This was followed by straight-arm lift rotations, tall kneeling halos and rolling knee tucks.<\/p>\n
In his normal life, the actor prefers long-distance running to hitting the weights, but Magnus’s goals required him to boost his testosterone through fundamental lifting; this\u00a0allowed him to gain 25 pounds of muscle.<\/p>\n
‘We didn’t want that generic gym-built body for Alex,’ the trainer said. ‘We wanted to create a physicality close to his primate family, so there was a concentration on sculpting a broad back, huge traps, with less focus on the chest.’<\/p>\n
Alexander\u00a0most recently had a role in Pillion, and is starring in Wicker alongside Olivia Colman, which is scheduled for release in October.<\/p>\n
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His most famous diet was designed by Hollywood trainer and nutritionist Magnus Lygdb\u00e4ck, who transformed him for both movies<\/p>\n
He is also reprising his role\u00a0in the sci-fi comedy series Murderbot, filming its second season in Madrid.<\/p>\n
So far, Apple TV has not announced the release date, but fans can expect the new season to stream in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last year, the actor admitted that fatherhood had made him take a step back from acting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The actor has a son, born in either late 2022 or early 2023, with his girlfriend Tuva Novotny, 46.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The couple confirmed they had become parents when Alexander was seen carrying the baby in his arms during an outing in New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n