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Last updated August 2026. We may earn a commission on purchases through links on this page. That never changes the verdict.
Tom Holland is about 5 foot 8 and has never been the biggest man in a Marvel film. That is the whole point of the physique. He is built to look like someone who could actually swing between buildings rather than someone who could deadlift one, and for Brand New Day he added visible size without giving up the athleticism the role depends on.
Here is what the build actually is, what changed for the new film, and how much of it is available to someone who is not paid to train.
The numbers
| Reported | |
|---|---|
| Height | About 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | Around 140 lb at his leanest Spider-Man weight |
| Body fat | Reported around 10 percent |
| Trainers | George Ashwell through the earlier Spider-Man films, and Duffy Gaver, a former Navy SEAL who also built Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Brad Pitt's Troy physique, on the recent preparation |
| Training style | High volume bodyweight work, weighted vest, conditioning, and for the newest film some conventional bodybuilding |
The two trainer names both come up and both are right. George Ashwell worked with him through the earlier films, where the stated aim was explicitly not to chase size, and Duffy Gaver oversaw much of the recent preparation, when the aim changed. If you have read conflicting credits, that is why.
Treat the weight and body fat figures as press reporting rather than measurements. Nobody has published a DEXA scan, celebrity stats get repeated between outlets until they harden into fact, and he has visibly carried different amounts of muscle across films. The height and the trainer are solid. The rest is directionally right and precisely wrong.
What actually changed for Brand New Day
He is bigger. Holland filmed The Odyssey and Brand New Day back to back, and the difference in size between them is visible enough that it became its own story when the trailer landed.
What he told Men's Health is that the added size came from mixing three things: the bodyweight work that has always underpinned the role, weighted vest training, and conventional bodybuilding he had largely avoided before. The stated goal was to add mass without losing the movement quality, because the suit has to look convincing while he is doing stunt choreography, not just standing still in a still photograph.
The other half of it was food. Holland has put his results at roughly eighty percent diet and twenty percent training, and for this film that meant getting deliberate about eating enough to actually grow rather than just training harder. Most people trying to copy this get the training right and the eating wrong, in both directions: too little to add muscle, or too much to stay lean enough to see it.
That is the useful part for anyone copying it. The brief was never "get as big as possible". It was "get bigger while still being able to move like that", which is a much harder brief and a much more interesting one.
Why the physique looks the way it does
Three things do most of the work, and only one of them is about muscle.
He is short and lean. At 5 foot 8 with low body fat, a moderate amount of muscle reads as a lot. The same arms on a 6 foot 3 frame would look ordinary. This is the single biggest reason the physique looks the way it does on camera, and it is the part nobody can copy, because you cannot change your height.
The training is athletic, not aesthetic. High rep bodyweight work, gymnastics, boxing and stunt rehearsal build the shoulders, back and arms hard while keeping everything else functional. That produces the specific shape people are actually searching for: wide up top, tapering, no bulk in the legs or waist.
It is his job. Months of preparation, a trainer on payroll, controlled food, and a schedule built around it. That is not a criticism, it is context. Compare your results to your own starting point, not to a man whose employment depends on the outcome.
Can you get this physique?
Honestly, most of it, yes, and it is one of the more achievable superhero builds precisely because it is not a mass build. You are chasing roughly 10 to 12 percent body fat with well developed shoulders, back and arms on a lean frame. That is a realistic target for most people who train consistently for a year or two.
What you cannot copy is the frame and the timeline. If you are tall, the same amount of muscle will read differently, and there is nothing to be done about that. If you have a job, it will take longer than it took him.
The training itself is unusually accessible. The centrepiece is a bodyweight ladder rather than a barbell programme, so the barrier is effort rather than equipment. Our full breakdown of the sessions, day by day, is in Tom Holland's workout routine.
The part of his training most people miss
Holland trained in an EMS suit. Electrical muscle stimulation is a vest wired with electrodes that contracts your muscles for you while you move through simple exercises, so the overload comes from the current rather than from heavy weight. Twenty minutes, once or twice a week. His verdict, reported in The Manual, was that it is "a lot of fun, and it works."
It fits the brief in a way that is worth understanding. His problem was adding muscle without adding the joint load and recovery cost of heavy barbell work, on a body that also had to do stunts the next morning. EMS puts a muscle under high tension without putting weight on the spine, which is exactly the trade a working actor wants.
On what the research supports: a 2016 randomised trial by Kemmler and colleagues split untrained men between whole body EMS and high intensity resistance training over 16 weeks and found comparable gains in lean mass and strength from far fewer training minutes. A later meta analysis across 16 controlled trials in 897 non athletic adults found large effects on muscle mass and on leg and trunk strength. That research was run on studio equipment rather than on any consumer suit, which is a real limitation and worth knowing before anyone spends money.
Holland has never named a brand. Any suit recommendation is ours, not his, and nothing here implies he endorses one. Having tested the consumer options, the one we would buy is the Visionbody Personal System at $1,890, mostly because it carries no subscription while its main rival charges $35 to $49 a month on top of a higher sticker price. The code ROUTINES50 takes $56.70 off. Our full assessment, including where it is weaker than the competition, is in the Visionbody review, and the honest cost comparison is in is an EMS suit worth it.
To be clear about what EMS is not: it is a supplement to training, not a replacement for it. Holland did the 1,500 rep ladders as well, not instead.
Where to start
- Get lean first. The physique is more about body fat than muscle. Most people chasing this look need to lose fat, not add mass.
- Train the upper body with volume. Pull ups, dips, push ups, in ladders. That is the actual shape driver.
- Keep the conditioning. The athletic look comes from the boxing and gymnastics work, not just the lifting.
- Give it a year. He had months, a trainer and no other job. You have evenings.
The session by session plan is in the full routine, and what he eats to support it is in Tom Holland's supplement list.
FAQ
How tall is Tom Holland and how much does he weigh?
He is about 5 foot 8, and his weight at his leanest Spider-Man condition has been reported at around 140 pounds. Treat that number as press reporting rather than a measurement, since it gets repeated between outlets until it hardens into fact and he has visibly carried different amounts of muscle across films. The height is solid.
What is Tom Holland's body fat percentage?
Reported at roughly 10 percent, which is lean but not stage lean. Nobody has published a body composition scan, so the figure is directionally right rather than precise. Low body fat is the single biggest reason the physique reads the way it does on camera: on a 5 foot 8 frame, a moderate amount of muscle looks like a lot once you can see it.
How did Tom Holland build his physique?
Under two trainers across different films. George Ashwell worked with him through the earlier Spider-Man films, where the aim was explicitly not to chase size, and Duffy Gaver, a former Navy SEAL who also built Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Brad Pitt's Troy physique, oversaw much of the recent preparation. The work is high volume bodyweight training, gymnastics, boxing and conditioning rather than heavy barbell work, with a weighted vest to add load. Holland himself puts the result at roughly eighty percent diet.
Did Tom Holland get bigger for Brand New Day?
Yes, visibly. He filmed The Odyssey and Brand New Day back to back and the difference became its own story when the trailer landed. He has described the added size as coming from a mix of bodyweight work, weighted vest training and conventional bodybuilding, with the brief being to add mass while still moving well enough for stunt choreography.
Can a normal person get Tom Holland's physique?
Most of it, yes. You are chasing roughly 10 to 12 percent body fat with well developed shoulders, back and arms on a lean frame, which is realistic for someone training consistently for a year or two. What you cannot copy is the frame and the timeline. He is 5 foot 8, which flatters the look, and he had months, a trainer and no other job.
Does Tom Holland use an EMS suit?
He has trained in one. Electrical muscle stimulation contracts the muscle with current rather than load, so it adds tension without adding spinal loading, which suits an actor who has stunt work the next morning. His reported verdict was that it is a lot of fun and it works. He has never named a brand, so any specific suit recommendation is ours rather than his.
How long did it take Tom Holland to get in shape?
Months of full time preparation per film, with a trainer on payroll, controlled food and a schedule built around training. That is context rather than an excuse. Anyone doing this around a job should plan on a year or more to reach a comparable level of leanness and upper body development, and should measure against their own starting point.
More from our EMS hub
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Tom Holland and how much does he weigh?
He is about 5 foot 8, and his weight at his leanest Spider-Man condition has been reported at around 140 pounds. Treat that number as press reporting rather than a measurement, since it gets repeated between outlets until it hardens into fact and he has visibly carried different amounts of muscle across films. The height is solid.
What is Tom Holland's body fat percentage?
Reported at roughly 10 percent, which is lean but not stage lean. Nobody has published a body composition scan, so the figure is directionally right rather than precise. Low body fat is the single biggest reason the physique reads the way it does on camera: on a 5 foot 8 frame, a moderate amount of muscle looks like a lot once you can see it.
How did Tom Holland build his physique?
Under two trainers across different films. George Ashwell worked with him through the earlier Spider-Man films, where the aim was explicitly not to chase size, and Duffy Gaver, a former Navy SEAL who also built Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Brad Pitt's Troy physique, oversaw much of the recent preparation. The work is high volume bodyweight training, gymnastics, boxing and conditioning rather than heavy barbell work, with a weighted vest to add load. Holland himself puts the result at roughly eighty percent diet.
Did Tom Holland get bigger for Brand New Day?
Yes, visibly. He filmed The Odyssey and Brand New Day back to back and the difference became its own story when the trailer landed. He has described the added size as coming from a mix of bodyweight work, weighted vest training and conventional bodybuilding, with the brief being to add mass while still moving well enough for stunt choreography.
Can a normal person get Tom Holland's physique?
Most of it, yes. You are chasing roughly 10 to 12 percent body fat with well developed shoulders, back and arms on a lean frame, which is realistic for someone training consistently for a year or two. What you cannot copy is the frame and the timeline. He is 5 foot 8, which flatters the look, and he had months, a trainer and no other job.
Does Tom Holland use an EMS suit?
He has trained in one. Electrical muscle stimulation contracts the muscle with current rather than load, so it adds tension without adding spinal loading, which suits an actor who has stunt work the next morning. His reported verdict was that it is a lot of fun and it works. He has never named a brand, so any specific suit recommendation is ours rather than his.
How long did it take Tom Holland to get in shape?
Months of full time preparation per film, with a trainer on payroll, controlled food and a schedule built around training. That is context rather than an excuse. Anyone doing this around a job should plan on a year or more to reach a comparable level of leanness and upper body development, and should measure against their own starting point.