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Superhero movies, Viking movies, and Tarzan movies apparently have nothing in common.

However, there is a common thread that unites all of them.

A common link called

Magnus Lygdback (42) who is in charge of sculpting the bodies of the actors and teaching them to move so that their characters are believable on celluloid

.

In this way, he has beefed up Ben Affleck to play Batman, turned Gal Gadot into Wonder Woman through diet and exercise, and made Mark Ruffalo the Incredible Hulk.

Between training and training, this Swede based in Los Angeles (California) attends LOC to talk about his particular method that has made him

one of the most demanded men in the world of cinema

.

"I like

to treat actors and singers as if they were elite athletes,"

explains Magnus.

"Soccer players need specific training that is different from those who play baseball and the same goes for artists," he says.

Despite having gained international fame for his training of renowned actors, Magnus says that his success comes from working with singers.

"

I started with pop music and it's what I earn my daily bread with

," he admits.

"The cinema thing is something that I do more and more but I started working with them after many years focused on the stage," he says.

Magnus Lygdback teaching postures to Katy Perry. CEDIDA

"Take the example of Katy Perry [whom he trains]. I'm like, 'What does she need?'

Well, he has to give a concert of between 90 and 120 minutes with songs at three-minute intervals in which coordination, stamina and good lung capacity are essential to put on a show singing and dancing, as well as during the months before the tour, accompanied them during the tour", he explains.

A time when she almost had to play the father: "I tell them when to eat, when to turn off the mobile

, when they have to go to sleep...".

Something that he has also done with Britney Spears, Harry Styles, Avicii, Dua Lipa or Swedish House Mafia.

However, his most spectacular results are those of the cinema.

His most notable transformation?

Turn a toothpick like

Alexander Skarsgard

into a monster

to play a bloodthirsty Viking seeking revenge in the movie

The Northman

, released a few days ago.

Magnus Lygdback with Alexander Skarsgard during the filming of 'The Northman'. CREDIT

"Working in Hollywood always makes me very nervous because

until the shooting starts and you see the actor work, you don't know if you've hit the nail on the head

," he acknowledges.

"However, I knew The Northman was going to turn out well: Alexander is very obedient, has great genetics, and likes to eat."

The result?

"

The actor gained 15 kilos of muscle in the 6 months that we worked focused on his poses and movements

in the film. Alex did not have a muscular body but he loved to run long distances. For this reason, I even had to prohibit him from jogging so that he could win weight for filming", he recalls.

But what about the actresses?

"Training men and women is much more similar than people think. 95% identical. The difference is in matters such as the physical ideal: they seek to work more on the chest and they on the buttocks.

When I train actresses I also make them lift irons. Girls don't have to be afraid of weights

."

Magnus Lygdback training Alicia Vikander for her role in Tomb Raider. CREDIT

However, despite talking about diet and exercise, the

Magnus method

, which ordinary mortals can access through its mobile application,

is one of the least strict in terms of food intake

.

Divide the diet into blocks of 20 meals every four days (breakfast, lunch, lunch, snack, dinner) in which three meals are free to eat -"whatever you want"- and for the rest, give guidelines on how much protein, vegetables and carbohydrates you should eat.

"

I lived in Spain for a year

, working as a tour guide in Gran Canaria, and I know perfectly well that good food makes you happy.

I am a fan of Iberian ham and paella. Life without eating ham is not life

," he says while showing some photos in which he carries a paw on his shoulder smiling.

"Eating pizza doesn't have to cause a bad conscience. We came into the world to enjoy ourselves and

you don't have to feel bad about eating

," he explains.

"Look at all these extreme diets..." he continues, "you spend a month suffering and when you can't take it anymore you skip it and screw it all up or if you finish, you go back to your old habits."

De despedida, Magnus deja un recado: "Tengo sólo dos espinitas pendientes: hacer una película de Bollywood y

volver a España para entrenar a

Rosalía

o a algún actor español

... Les dejaría hasta pagarme con jamón ibérico", bromea.

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