Zach McGowan took his role as Captain Charles Vane in Black Sails to the next level—not just with his acting but with a brutal training routine that transformed his body. Unlike traditional Hollywood workouts, McGowan chose a pirate-inspired regimen that relied on bodyweight movements, endurance, and pure grit.
Training Like a True Pirate
When the cast of Black Sails arrived in Cape Town for filming, they were all assigned personal trainers. The goal? To create the lean, rugged look that real 18th-century sailors had. However, McGowan took a different approach—he rejected modern gym equipment and opted for raw, functional fitness.
“If it wasn’t giving me calluses, then it wasn’t the right workout,” says McGowan.
Instead of machines and weights, he focused on exercises mimicking real sailors’ movements—climbing, pulling, and lifting his body weight.
Zach McGowan’s Insane Workout Routine
McGowan’s daily routine was far from ordinary. He trained five days a week, pushing his body to its limits with:
13-mile runs (with stops for pull-ups)
400 pull-ups (strict, dead-hang form)
200 push-ups (split into two sets of 100)
25 handstand push-ups
50 inverted sit-ups
It doesn’t even include his heavy bag training and stunt work! His ‘breaks’ during the half-marathon? Stopping to crank out 50 pull-ups on tree branches or power line poles.
From Football Player to Lean Warrior
Before acting, McGowan was a high school running back and played college football. At 220 lbs, he was built for strength and impact. But for Black Sails, he had to drop to 175 lbs—at one point hitting a dangerously low 167 lbs during filming.
“I don’t feel like I was any stronger back then than I am right now,” he says, proving that functional strength beats bulk for his new role.
No Gym? No Problem.
McGowan’s fitness philosophy is simple: no excuses. He prefers workouts that don’t rely on machines or trainers.
“Your fitness is your responsibility. You do it, or you don’t,” McGowan states.
This self-reliant mindset stems from his upbringing. As the son of a Marine and the brother of a Marine, McGowan learned discipline early on. His older brother Doug, a military veteran, even inspired his endurance-based training.
Extreme Diet to Keep Up
To fuel his insane workload, McGowan followed a clean diet with a pseudo-Paleo approach, focusing on:
Fish, meat, and vegetables
Full-fat raw milk
A daily half-gallon of chocolate milk to prevent muscle loss
Pushing Beyond Limits
McGowan often runs with no clear destination—just to see how far he can go. He doesn’t bring a phone or worry about getting lost. One time, that mindset led him to run 20 miles accidentally!
“I just try to get as far away as possible. Then I have to get back.”
Conclusion: A Workout Worth Trying?
McGowan’s training proves you don’t need a gym to build a strong, athletic body. His dedication to bodyweight exercises and endurance training created the perfect physique for Black Sails—and it could work for anyone looking for a functional fitness challenge.
