Robert Downey Junior’s personal trainer reveals secrets to Iron Man-worthy pecs and biceps

Fourteen years ago he helped Robert Downey Jr. transform into the iconic Iron Man. Now trainer Ted Ryce helps anyone looking for a superhero makeover.

Mr Ryce, who also trains celebrities such as Ricky Martin and powerful executives such as Richard Branson, has detailed seven chest exercises he uses on his male clients to recreate the sculpted body that Mr Downey, now 59, showed in his hit film.

His workouts, aimed at men in their 40s and 50s — like Mr. Downey during his training — target the pectoralis major muscle, the fan-shaped muscle beneath the breast tissue.

Consists of three sections – upper, middle and lower chest – the upper chest is the most neglected, Mr. Ryce said.

And while he said the pecs are one of the most trained muscles, he added that most people don’t know the right moves to target each section.

Aimed at building the muscular arms of Hollywood’s sexiest men, Mr Ryce’s upper body exercises are designed to relieve tension and stress in the shoulder muscles, making them especially suitable for older adults who may have injuries or physical have limitations, but still want to gain weight.

Below, DailyMail.com breaks down the seven exercises Ryce says are backed by science to achieve a superhero body.

Ted Ryce helped Robert Downey Jr. transform into Tony Stark [pictured] for Marvel’s first installment of the blockbuster Iron Man franchise

Incline bench press

The secret of this chest and shoulders exercise is in the name. Lifting the weight bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline allows the bar to be aligned directly above the eyes, reducing the risk of the bar dropping or missing the hook to replace it.

He also recommends squeezing the shoulder blades together on the bench for stabilization while lowering the bar toward your chest to reduce pressure on the shoulders.

Your feet should be pressed into the ground in front of you and pressed down continuously, which will engage the leg muscles even if they are not the target muscle groups.

He said, “The strength coach Charles Poliquin said, ‘You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe.’

‘And what that means to me is that you have to have a nice, stable position to explode from. That’s what all this does, very important.’

Mr. Ryce runs an exercise program called Unstoppable After 40, which focuses on helping older adults exercise safely using exercises that work for them

The incline dumbbell press builds the upper chest and shoulders

Incline dumbbell press

Just like the previous exercise, the incline dumbbell press trains the upper chest and shoulders. Lifting the bench to an incline of 30 to 45 degrees improves the chest workout and protects the shoulders.

He said, “This isn’t just a chest exercise, it’s a full body exercise.”

Keeping the body tight at all times will prevent you from rocking back and forth on the bench under the weight as you raise your arms from directly above your head to chest height.

Although dumbbells offer a greater range of motion, keeping the body firmly in place is crucial to avoid dropping the weights or risking injury.

Meanwhile, instead of letting the elbows flare out to the side, Mr. Ryce recommends keeping the elbows bent at a smaller angle, about 45 degrees.

Barbell bench press

Considered the best overall chest exercise, the barbell bench press targets the mid-pecs with a full range of motion.

It is almost identical to the incline beach press, but with this movement you lie completely flat.

While lying on the weight bench, Mr. Ryce recommends squeezing the shoulder blades while pressing the feet firmly against the floor.

To minimize wrist pain, he keeps his wrists straight in line with his forearms and not bent back when he wraps his hands around the barbell.

He then slowly moves the bar down to his chest and up again until his arm is directly above him.

Dumbbell bench press

Similar to the barbell bench press, the barbell bench press allows for a greater range of motion. This also means that stability is crucial, and that engaging all muscle groups while lying down and keeping the feet firmly on the ground is of the utmost importance for safety.

Mr. Ryce starts sitting up on the bench, holding the dumbbells on his quads. While lying back, he lifts the dumbbells in what becomes the first rep.

“What you want is to keep your elbows within a 30 to 45 degree angle,” he said.

‘I see a lot of people [whose elbows] are either too close or have their elbows out too wide. You want to be in that good place.”

Then bring the dumbbells from above your head to your side, at chest level.

Ted Ryce has said that Robert Downey Jr. thin and slim when they met prior to filming Iron Man (2008). Ryce led the movie star through chest workouts, feet-up push-ups and split squats

Robert Downey Jr. is not Ted Ryce’s only high-profile client. The Miami trainer has also collaborated with singer Ricky Martin

Mr. Ryce keeps his feet planted parallel to each other, while traditional powerlifters may prefer a spread stance

Cable chest fly

The cable chest fly engages the entire pectoral muscle. It’s a standard bodybuilding move and people typically hold a staggered position so that one leg is slightly in front of the other.

However, Mr. Ryce prefers to keep his legs parallel, firmly planted and anchored.

He said: ‘The most important thing is what happens to your upper body. You want to grab the handles and make sure you start in a strong position.”

When the arms are pulled back, it is important to keep a relatively straight line from one elbow over the top of the shoulders to the other elbow, to avoid overextending the arms behind you.

Then, while slightly bent over at the waist, he pulls his arms out in front of him until they touch just below chest height.

Chest dips

This body weight dip builds the lower chest. The exercise requires two parallel bars, pressing the palms firmly down and lifting yourself so that the arms are straight and the feet are off the ground. Then slowly bend the elbows so that they flare out slightly at the sides.

As he does the exercise, Mr. Ryce leans forward slightly.

He said: ‘It takes the pressure off the shoulder joint. If you place yourself deep in that shoulder extension position, most people don’t have enough shoulder extension range of motion to perform this exercise in a way that doesn’t stretch your shoulder joint.

‘I stopped doing dips for about ten years until I started doing them this way… Try this technique as I showed you where you lean forward, bringing your shoulder blades together, and forcefully push up at the bottom. top, keep your abs tight and your feet together.’

Band resistance push-ups

These resistance band push-ups are best for the end of your workout, says Mr. Ryce.

He uses a resistance band that matches his height and arm length.

A properly sized resistance band will stay tight throughout the push-up, while one that is too long will loosen as your chest approaches the ground.

The trainer said, ‘You have to start with the lightest resistance and then work your way up because what will happen is that eventually the bands will become too hard to use, they will be too hard.

“They will feel easy at first and incredibly difficult at the end, depending on the level of resistance you use.”

The band should go behind the body, with each end hooked around each thumb. Once in position, Mr. Ryce lowers and lifts himself up, as in a normal push-up.

This move has similar benefits to the bench press, but can be done anywhere from the gym to a hotel room to a movie set.