In 2012, audiences could barely contain their excitement when Channing Tatum burst onto the big screen as Magic Mike, wearing little to no clothing as he gyrated and performed the kind of dance moves few could even find replicated on TikTok. The success of the film was instantaneous, leading to one of the biggest franchises in movie history as the story of Mike Lane – a character derived largely from Tatum’s own life after working as a stripper before finding fame in acting – transcended past the screen and even became a touring dance act around the world.
For the rare few who have yet to see Magic Mike, the film follows Mike Lane, a roofer by day who turns to the strip club stage as his side hustle at night. Now, the famed series is set to get a third instalment after the success of 2015’s Magic Mike XXL. As Tatum revealed in an interview on The Graham Norton Show, the third film will be the biggest one yet, as he explained: “We decided to make a third movie, and I was like, look, two goals, and I’d say the first goal was I want to make the Super Bowl of stripper movies. And second, I wanted a really strong, equal female role.”
With its heavy emphasis on dance and the physicality required to perform, training for such a film is no easy feat and saw Tatum put in months of gruelling gym sessions, sometimes as many as three a day. For the second film, Tatum worked with long-time trainer Arin Babaian to help get results, and as he embarks on the third film he’s not slowing down. While Tatum has always been an actor you can expect to be in great shape, he admits that he gets a little excessive with it when it comes to Magic Mike, telling the Kelly Clarkson Show “To be that kind of in shape is not, it’s not natural. It’s my full-time job, and I can barely do it.”
Speaking about the workout regimen he’s embarking on to prepare for Magic Mike 3, Tatum expressed: “We’re dancing in a garage in the Valley doing very despicable things for about two, three hours a day. Then I go home and do cardio, and then I work out late at night.”
With that in mind, here’s the routine Tatum follows to get in Magic Mike shape.
Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike Workout Routine
• Morning bike ride: 20 miles (road)
• Breakfast: 6 eggs; green smoothie
• Morning workout: 5 water burpees (lap in a pool, jump out of the water, 10 sit-ups, jump back in for another lap)
• Lunch: Chicken, vegetables, yams, and a green smoothie
• Weight training: Shoulder presses; squats; bench presses
• Conditioning workout (Arin changed the circuit every day to keep the body guessing): Run a quarter-mile on the treadmill at 7 mph, jump off and do about 10 push-ups, then 10 pull-ups, 15 dips, 20 alternating jumping lunges, 30 sit-ups, 15 knees-to-elbows. Repeat 4 rounds.
• Dinner: Grilled chicken and vegetables
• Night run: 6 miles, some sprinting at the end
