Getting into shape is difficult. Even if you have the time and money to get a gym membership and work out a few times a week, there are plenty of things standing in the way - namely, exercising kind of sucks. Sure, going for a run can boost your mood and make you feel better about yourself, but actually crafting a six-pack and building up muscle is a lot less fun than eating pizza and watching Queer Eye.
However, there is one solution to this problem. If you want to be forced into getting the body you've always dreamed of, you just need a monetary incentive. So, all you need to do is sign on to play a superhero in a major Hollywood blockbuster and you'll be sorted in no time at all.
It might not be that easy to get to that level (I'm still waiting for my call to play Arm-Fall-Off-Boy) but it's worked out for plenty of actors. The best example is probably Chris Pratt, who completely transformed himself into a Hollywood hunk for his role in Parks and Recreation.
Josh Brolin also went through a transformation for a 2018 superhero movie - in fact, he did so for two roles in two different Marvel movies. For Avengers: Infinity War, he was transformed into a 8-foot-tall purple alien, but luckily he only had to don a motion-capture suit rather than any serious procedures.
For the other, Deadpool 2, he was acting the old-fashioned way, which meant that he needed to get the look right for the role. Playing Cable, a gruff monosyllabic mutant with a metal arm from the future, he served as the primary antagonist in the movie - and needed to have the muscles match up against Ryan Reynolds' 'merc with a mouth'.
Brolin is 50 years old, making it even more impressive he got into such great shape, considering most other actors working out this hard are in their thirties. He even got a complimentary post from the comic book creator of Cable, Rob Liefeld.
Men's Health interviewed Justin Lovato, the LA-based trainer and former pro bodybuilder, asking him exactly how he got Brolin into shape over an intensive 3-month plan:
"When we got that phone call saying that he booked this role and it was going to be one of the biggest roles for one of the biggest movies, we had to dive right in. He took it real seriously... training three hours a day.
"These workouts changed every single day, so we're consistently confusing the body, changing it up, making it not adaptable, but making him work and learn each day."
The full 12-week workout program was detailed in a comic book-style e-book titled 'Cable Built':
On top of that, Brolin's Instagram page is full of videos of him working out, often with some intense captions to go with it.
Never forget to "scream your manliness" like you're "a lion mating" in the jungle when you're working out. Well, actually, that probably works a little better when you're a celebrity. I don't think regular gyms would look too kindly on that kind of behaviour.