How Did Benedict Cumberbatch Get into Shape for His Role as ‘Dr. Strange’?

Benedict Cumberbatch diet and workout routine for Dr. Strange. (Image via Instagram)

Every actor, including Benedict Cumberbatch, has a different technique to prepare for various roles to be played in movies. Before debuting in the superhero movie popularly known as Dr. Strange, Cumberbatch went through a great physical transformation involving both workout and diet changes.

Popular for playing roles such as Dr. Strange and Sherlock Holmes, Cumberbatch has undergone a proper fitness journey to meet the demands of the role. Playing a superhero role such as Dr. Strange required a high amount of resilience and strength.

Let's find out how Cumberbatch got into shape for his role as Dr. Strange.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Workout

The interviews and behind the scenes reveal that Benedict Cumberbatch has worked quite hard to get shredded for Dr. Strange. In an interview, he admitted to have gone through a lot of training, which has been one of the toughest in Marvel Studios history.

Weightlifting exercises are one of the many options Cumberbatch incorporated in his workout sessions to get ripped. If reports are to be believed, he trained with weights at least three to five times a week.

This weightlifting training enabled him to have a super hero-like physique and gain muscle mass. That included exercises such as dumbbell curls, barbell deadlifts and more.

Yoga has always been one of Cumberbatch's favourite workoutd since his teenage years. According to him, yoga is excellent for the power of the mind and has helped him with his overall mental well-being.

Besides building mental strength, yoga also helped him develop core strength. That helped him with some of scenes in the movie where he was suspended through a wire, smashed into a cabinet or flung into a wall.

Besides yoga and weight training, Cumberbatch also included strength training in his workout. These generally included bodyweight exercises for greater stability and body balance. It consisted of exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups and chest dips. Cumberbatch did extensive strength training for at least three to five days throughout the week.

Additionally, to achieve a super hero-like physique of Dr. Strange, Cumberbatch also did lots of cardio exercises, such as running and HIIT. He loved running, but for the character of Dr. Strange, he upped his running routine by a notch by incorporating interval sprints.

Apart from a strict workout regimen, Cumberbatch underwent a few months of physical training in martial arts and combat. That helped the actor to efficiently perform fight scenes of the movie along with his stunt double.

He has said that he did not train so hard solely for the physical aesthetics but to build endurance, efficiently do the fight scenes and take a few knocks here and there without getting hurt. He also tried to perform his own stunt scenes whenever possible, without the help of stunt doubles.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Diet

For the Dr. Strange movie, Benedict Cumberbatch was on a strict diet routine months before filming commenced and also throughout the filming. His diet involved sticking to plant-based foods that helped him burn fuel steadily. The fibre in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables also helped in maintaining the blood sugar in his body.

With the decent hours Cumberbatch spent working out, he also had to increase the number of calories throughout the day. A report mentioned that the actor had to double down on the calories he consumed, coupled with having a high amount of protein shakes.

Even though Cumberbatch was never a heavy drinker, he completely ditched alcohol for the movie. That helped him maximise protein synthesis and gain muscle tone. He describes himself as a 'near-sober' at this point.

In an interview, Cumberbatch said that he can call himself vegan because of his diet, but his clothing cannot always be considered vegan. Moreover, the all-year-round diet of the actor tends to be quite healthy and clean.

Benedict Cumberbatch's co-star Sherlock Holmes reported that the actor often ate only nuts, vegetables, bananas and hummus. He even had a special lunch with highly nutritive content brought in.

Bottom Line

The strict diet and difficult workout routine he followed enabled Cumberbtch to get in shape for Dr. Strange. The actor's workout routine varied from strength training, weightlifting, yoga and combat training.

To get in shape for Dr. Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch undertook a focused approach involving steady workouts and a diet routine over a long period of time. Instead of focusing on doing the bare minimum, he emphasised training that helped him to play the role very efficiently.