Glen Powell Reveals His Love-to-Hate Workout to Get in Leading Man Shape

Glen Powell has been acting for about two decades now, but the 35-year-old is just starting to see his career hit prime time after a scene-stealing turn in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick and a starring role in Richard Linklater's Netflix action-comedy Hit Man, which premiered in September.

Next, Powell will appear alongside "It Girl" Sydney Sweeney in the big screen romcom Anyone But You, further cementing his status as a leading man. But ascending to this new, heightened level of fame means that the Texas native must now whip himself into peak physical shape for his A-list roles.

In a lengthy new profile with Men's Health, in which he showed off his enviable abdominals, Powell was asked what he considers his "frenemy workout," as in a workout that someone may have a love-hate relationship with.

“The sled. It kills you," Powell explained. "It’s a full-body thing—it prevents you from being the guy who just wants to look good."

The sled workout is popular among a variety of athletes and fitness novices alike given that it's fairly simple to learn, pretty much anyone can do it, and the risk of injury is relatively low. In fact, you can even DIY your own sled workout at home using everyday items such as wheelbarrows, tires, and tree trunks.

Men's Health also spoke with Powell's personal trainer Nick Mitchell, global CEO of the Los Angeles-based fitness chain Ultimate Performance, about crafting a "unique look" for the actor. Mitchell says the goal was "not overly muscled" with "eyes drawn to the detail of abs/serratus/intercostals, etc."

To find a balance between "heavyweight lifts that add raw muscle and strength" and "detail exercises that truly finish out a physique," Mitchell trained with Powell four days a week, working off a three-day split. Powell would start each round by focusing on arms, abs, and shoulders, take a day off, and then train his chest and back. Following another rest day he would do a leg workout that was less of a typical leg day and "more for conditioning" and "promoting an athletic look."

Suffice to say, the hard work seems to be paying off, if the recent photoshoot is any indication.