Hollywood’s in-demand personal trainer David Higgins has exercised alongside countless men and women during their fitness journeys over the past 20 years. Devastated after an injury derailed his passion for Aussie rules football at age 19, Higgins became his own first rehabilitation case. He developed an approach focused on strength, conditioning and a Pilates hybrid workout, using a reformer machine—and relocated to London, where he opened a chain of gyms. Higgins eventually began working with film and TV clients, and word of mouth spread about his jaw-dropping results and deep knowledge. “It’s always, ‘Who’s the guy?’ and currently I’m supposedly that guy, which is nice,” says Higgins. “You get these waves that come through your career, so I don’t get carried away; cool, I’m the guy, for now.”

It’s a level-headed perspective for “the guy” who has moulded the physiques of Simu Liu, Kumail Nanjiani, Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson and David Harbour—as well as Margot Robbie, Gal Gadot and Naomi Campbell—to name a few. These stars are just like us in some ways; they may seek relief from chronic muscle pain or get intimidated by a new workout routine. But Higgins also stresses key differences in motivation and timeline. For us mortals, he encourages tapping into a strong motivation like Han’s desire to live a healthier life and feel better as he continues to age.

“I’m a big believer in lifestyle change,” says Higgins, adding that aesthetic change will come as a by-product; he has found a motivation like wanting to look good for a beach weekend rarely leads to lasting improvements. In his book The Hollywood Body Plan, Higgins also recommends making a commitment to yourself; drumming up the support of family and friends to keep you on track; and introducing incremental, realistic behavioural changes.

With his actual Hollywood clients, however, the motivation is clear and comes with the potential to make or break careers: a bikini or shirtless scene is typically looming. Higgins and his team work with actors closely over an intense period that would be dubiously healthy to sustain in the long term. “It’s a very mechanical operation; it’s not a lifestyle choice,” he says. “It’s funny how the elite athlete or movie star’s body becomes the aspiration when it’s legitimately extremely difficult, even when I own you and you do exactly what I say for six months, versus the average individual who works behind a desk and has a family to deal with.” Higgins observed that actors find these regimens can improve their craft as much as their sex appeal. His client Liu, the Canadian Chinese star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, made this point in an August 2021 Instagram post. “Part of the joy of being an actor is the process of becoming one with a character. Whether it’s jazz piano, tap dancing or beating the living daylights out of people, a performer inhabits the character and fully gives themselves to the transformation process,” Liu wrote.

“Asian actors don’t just do kung fu; but Shang-Chi does. It’s just one of the many things that flesh out his personality, but it’s easily the most challenging from a physical perspective. That meant I had to get to work. Hours each day, in addition to bodybuilding and conditioning with my trainer, were spent in order to build my character. Movement, speed and explosiveness were paramount; we couldn’t just build muscle for sake of bulk. Flexibility was massively lacking, and had to be stretched out one painful session after another.”

As other male stars have begun publicly addressing their body transformations, some reveal more of a cautionary tale than a joyful process. On an American talk show in early 2022, 41-year-old Channing Tatum said that he nearly turned down his role in upcoming movie Magic Mike 3 because “you have to starve yourself” to achieve the necessary look. “Even if you do work out, to be that kind of shape is not natural, that’s not even healthy.”

Tan Wei Ying, associate psychologist at Singapore’s Annabelle Psychology, affirms that the physiques of superheroes and models help determine our expectations of the ideal body and where we may fall short: “Exposure to muscular images in the media can negatively impact men and reduce body satisfaction, due to the increased social comparison,” he says. Tan has observed a recent increase in body dysmorphia among men who become dissatisfied and overly preoccupied with their physique. Common triggers also include perfectionist tendencies, being teased or bullied about your appearance, and social media use.

While the body positivity movement has made inroads with some female influencers and brands, it is proving tough to counteract our tendencies to compare, judge and seek external validation. Celebrities, too, are susceptible.

Pakistani American actor Kumail Nanjiani, who loved superhero comics as a child, was thrilled to be cast as Earth defender Kingo in Eternals. Director Chloé Zhao didn’t make demands; it was Nanjiani who wanted to supersize himself.

To become the first South Asian superhero in a western film, he embarked on a gruelling workout routine and restricted diet for months; during a bulking-up phase, he had electric shocks administered to his biceps to increase muscle. He enlisted trainer Grant Roberts and, later, Higgins, who recalls that Nanjiani was inspired by Hrithik Roshan, “a huge hunk of a Bollywood star”.

When Nanjiani posted his self-described “thirsty shirtless” photo on Instagram in December 2019, abs rock hard and biceps bulging, it was a total 180 from his early breakout role as a nerdy, undesirable South Asian computer programmer on HBO’s Silicon Valley. But it took a psychological toll. “I don’t want to discount people who genuinely have debilitating body issues,” Nanjiani told Men’s Health. “I don’t have that. But I did start getting some body dysmorphia. I’d look in the mirror and I’d see my abs—and when I looked again, they would fade. I would just see the flaws.”

In this case, the reactions and attention to his shirtless Instagram post gave him positive reinforcement. “When I saw that reaction was when I was like, ‘Okay, I clearly don’t see what’s actually there.’ It’s something that I’m trying to be aware of and be better at, because that’s not a good way to be. You want to be easy on yourself.”

The autumn 2021 releases of Shang-Chi and Eternals were applauded for their groundbreaking representation. In other arenas, from football and basketball to pop music, men of Asian heritage are winning global fans and defying stereotypes of being less masculine, less athletic, less sexually desirable. “Media representation of diverse individuals can help increase self-esteem for these minorities from diverse backgrounds and help them feel connected to their community,” says Maximillian Chen, a clinical psychologist and Tan’s colleague at Annabelle Psychology. “The para-social relationships that individuals form —identifying and having a psychological connection with media figures and superheroes—can have a potentially empowering effect.” 

Trainer Lee grew up in Northampton, England, among bigger, broader white lads, but ultimately found empowerment in bulking up and made a career out of it as co-founder of Hong Kong’s One Personal Training. “Me and my friends, we would go to the gym, and I was always conscious of being way smaller, so even at home, I’d be doing sit-ups and push-ups,” says Lee. At 16, he was only 5’3” and 50 kilos (a late growth spurt got him to 5’8”—or 5’9” on a good day). After university he entered a bodybuilding competition, Miami Pro Juniors 2012, in the UK. He didn’t see another Asian; in his second competition, he recognised a Chinese friend.

“When you’re with all non-Chinese and you are Chinese, there is always going to be an element of wanting to perform a bit higher; that would always be there in the back of your mind,” says Lee, who entered his last competition, Amateur Olympia, in Hong Kong in 2016. “I still go and watch some of the shows because our trainers have competed and so many Asians are doing it now; Hong Kong is so big for bodybuilding.”

More than movie stars, Lee gives credit to bodybuilders and elite athletes on YouTube who share details of their training regimens and diets, and even promote their own products. “Because of how the sport’s grown on social media, everyone’s wanting to get fitter and more obsessed with how they look; I don’t think it’s just the Chinese; it’s true in the western world, too.”

For Asian guys who naturally have a small, slim frame, it takes a lot more work to achieve the “Dorito bod” du jour: broad, sculpted shoulders and a nipped-in waist. But it’s not something that Lee dwelt on. “I enjoy the feeling of pushing myself and the feel-good factor afterwards,” he says. “I want to improve on a weekly, daily basis and that is part of my job and our company. If I let even a week go where I don’t train, it can affect me mentally.”

Lee’s client Han went through a phase where he wanted to try bulking up. “I was just curious to see how I’d look being bigger, but I never hit those goals; I just don’t have the structure,” he says. Instead, he has stuck with personal training for the feel-good factor. “There’s a noticeable difference in my energy levels when I don’t train. It’s almost become an addiction, in a good way.” Making lifestyle changes, seeing the impact, thriving off it and wanting to build on it feeds a virtuous cycle. Whether it stays addictive in a good way or spirals down to a darker, dysmorphic place depends on the individual and myriad factors, including predispositions, time spent on social media, and support networks. Higgins acknowledges that when clients make a drastic physical change, it can be hard for some to ease off the hardcore training and settle into a more normal routine, say, allow themselves a day off the gym, and eating carbs and dessert. 

After so many years, he believes he can suss out the personality traits that would lead to an unhealthy obsession. “A lot of it is around education and being more prescriptive,” says Higgins, adding that the discussion around body dysmorphia is a positive one to be to having because we are all inundated with so many visuals. Compared to the waifs of the early 2000s, for women, he describes an encouraging trend of a healthier, fuller figure. “For guys, there’s the muscularity and potential for toxic masculinity—and I know my job feeds into that; I’m aware of that aspiration of ‘I want to look like X, I want to have a six pack’, and that has changed over the last 20 years,” says Higgins. “I’ve gone from a mostly female clientele base to now a good 50-50 split; the guys want to look after themselves and achieve their better selves.” 

There is a global epidemic of low muscle tone, according to Higgins, which is equally as harmful as high fat when it comes to your longevity. “So these guys who are putting on some muscle and leaning into that, I think the pendulum swings, but I’m happier that they’re doing that because it is a healthier lifestyle to lead. Rather than, in England, going to the pub at lunch, they’re going to do a spin class instead.” In other words, even if those guys are motivated by some societal pressure, overall the effect is net positive.

When Lee opened One Personal Training in 2017, he expected his core clients to be men in their 30s and early 40s like William Han, who had made money, worked and partied hard, and wanted to shape up. But, like Higgins, he sees a roughly even gender split—and clients from age 16 to 70.

“I’m very happy with the range of people we’ve brought in,” says Lee. “We’re all going to get a little more brittle and softer and weaker, so if you’re able to train, even two to three times a week, and prolong that and feel a little stronger into your fifties, sixties, seventies, it’s a massive win.”

Living better longer: for most people, whatever they see on the big screen or their phone screen, it is as simple as that goal, and it’s why we are experiencing a wellness gold rush. Han spoke of being motivated to be able to stay active well into his daughters’ adulthood, and that rings true for Higgins. “My job is extremely aesthetic— naturally, you don’t want to go to a fat personal trainer,” Higgins quips. “I enjoy keeping myself fit and healthy and, yes, looking good. But the reason why I do it is because I’ve got three young sons at home and I love being the climbing frame to them as soon as I walk in the front door.”

Higgins is on the cusp of 40, which seemed “super old” when he was a child, but is more likely to be only a halfway mark for our generation of non-Eternals. “You can change the way you look, feel and live your life for the better at any age,” he reflects. “It’s really important for people to understand that at any time in your life, whenever you make the decision, you can change the way you do things—so don’t use age as the excuse.”

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