Taylor Lautner Almost Lost His 'Twilight' Role Because He Was Too 'Scrawny' for His Character’s Transformation – Then He Gained Around 25 Pounds With This Training Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide

The heartthrob was still a teenager when the "Twilight" franchise that made him famous presented him with an unexpected challenge. Keeping his place in the series would require months of preparation and a dramatic physical change.

Taylor Lautner was 16 when he first played Jacob Black in "Twilight," but the character audiences met in the 2008 movie was never supposed to remain that way.

As production looked toward "New Moon," Jacob's physical transformation created a casting problem that left the young actor facing the possibility that someone else would take his place.

Lautner Had to Fight to Keep His Role

During a 2023 appearance on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Lautner revealed that he had originally only been expected to portray Jacob in the first "Twilight" movie. The actor explained:

"My character in the first book is supposed to be, like, this 16-year-old little scrawny boy, and then in the middle of 'New Moon,' he transforms into this, like, 25-year-old looking, like, built, muscular man."

That transformation meant the filmmakers were considering a casting change of their own. According to Lautner, the plan was to cast a man in his mid-20s who already looked the part and could continue as Jacob for the remainder of the franchise.

However, rather than wait for that decision, the teenager began preparing for the version of Jacob he had not initially been hired to play. "I had to fight for my role back," he shared.

For roughly nine months, Lautner trained intensely and gained around 20 to 25 pounds, changing his physique before his team eventually received the call about Jacob's future. By then, they had an obvious response: "Have you seen him recently?"

The actor's transformation earned him another chance, but he still had to re-audition before securing the role. Behind the physical change was trainer Jordan Yuam, who devised an approach that went beyond simply telling the actor to lift heavier weights.

The Training Tips Behind Lautner's Transformation

Introduce Heavier Loads Without Going All In

One of Yuam's methods — used sparingly because of the demands it placed on the muscles — involved letting Lautner experience a weight considerably heavier than he could normally handle for a complete set.

The trainer would load a barbell or dumbbells with roughly 40 percent more weight than Lautner could ordinarily lift for ten repetitions.

Instead of attempting the entire lift, however, he performed only its lowering phase with the help of a spotter strong enough to raise the weight back into position.

During a bench press, for example, Lautner would slowly lower the heavier load toward his chest without having to press it back up himself.

Keep Changing What the Muscles Have to Handle

Yuam also wanted Lautner's muscles to keep adapting as his training progressed. Thus, rather than relying on the same number of sets and repetitions, the actor regularly changed both his workload and weight.

A session consisting of three sets of eight to ten repetitions could therefore give way to four sets of 15 with a lighter load. The principle allowed Lautner to alter the demands placed on his muscles instead of settling into one repeated routine during the months in which he was trying to add substantial mass.

Make Each Lift Harder as It Progresses

The trainer also changed the difficulty of conventional lifts by introducing resistance bands. Although free weights formed an important part of the program, Yuam noted that some portions of a lift naturally require less effort than others.

To make the resistance more consistent, Lautner sometimes attached large bands to a barbell or dumbbell before anchoring them beneath a power rack or heavy dumbbells.

As the bands stretched during the movement, the tension increased, making the lift more demanding toward the top. According to Yuam, this forced the body to recruit and work more muscle fibers.

Don't Burn Away the Weight You're Trying to Gain

The intensity of Lautner's preparation eventually created another problem. "I was exercising so hard that I began to lose weight," the actor recalled. Yuam therefore emphasized weight training, proper technique, and a structured plan rather than excessive cardio, particularly around lifting sessions.

Building the physique required for "New Moon" was not simply a matter of doing more exercise; the work had to support the weight Lautner was trying to gain rather than erase it.

Give the Core Time to Recover

Despite the attention Lautner's defined midsection received, his abdominal muscles were not trained every day. "A lot of guys hit their abs every time they hit the gym," Yuam shared. "That's why so few of them have six-packs."

Instead, Lautner worked his abs three days per week, allowing them recovery time while using different exercises to target his core as a whole. Among the combinations Yuam favored was a hanging leg raise followed by a reverse crunch and a hold lasting seven to ten seconds.

Train the Body to Move in Every Direction

The transformation also had to serve Lautner's movement on screen, particularly because he performed his own stunts. Since many conventional lifts primarily move the body forward and backward, Yuam incorporated lateral exercises that required the actor to generate force in other directions.

Lateral hops and lunges were added to his leg workouts, broadening a routine that might otherwise have concentrated almost entirely on adding size.

Build Rest Days Into the Routine

The months Lautner spent in the gym were balanced by deliberate periods outside it. He took every third day off and did not train more than five days each week, giving his muscles time to recover and repair before being placed under another heavy workload.

Eat Enough to Support the Added Mass

That recovery strategy worked alongside the amount the actor was eating, because building a larger body required enough food to support it. Using nutrition expert Alan Aragon's formula, Lautner multiplied his goal weight by his weekly workout hours plus 9.5 establish a daily calorie target.

From there, the goal weight in pounds became the suggested number of daily protein grams, while half the goal weight provided the daily fat target in grams. After accounting for calories from protein and fat, the remaining calorie allowance was divided by four to determine carbohydrate grams.

Divide the Daily Targets Across Your Meals

Once those daily targets had been established, Aragon's approach did not require eating at a particular frequency. That meant the daily allowance could be divided evenly across however many meals suited the individual.

This brought together the nutritional side of a plan that also relied on changing training demands and adequate recovery. Alongside those nutrition, training, and recovery principles, Lautner's core work followed its own carefully varied routine.

Rather than chasing definition through endless repetitions of the same movement, Yuam used five exercises that worked different areas between the actor's hips and chest.

Lautner's Formula for a Six-Pack: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Swiss Ball Pikes

Beginning in a pushup position, Lautner would place his shins on a Swiss ball while keeping his arms straight and his body aligned from head to ankles.

Without bending the knees, the movement involved rolling the ball inward while raising the hips as high as possible, pausing at the top, and then lowering the hips as the ball rolled back to its starting position. The routine called for three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

2. Reverse Crunches

For reverse crunches, the actor would lie faceup with his palms against the floor and his hips and knees bent to 90 degrees. From there, the hips were raised from the floor and curled inward before the movement was slowly reversed until the heels lightly reached the floor. Yuam's routine prescribed three sets of 15 repetitions.

3. Swiss Ball Leg Curls

The next exercise began with Lautner lying on the floor, his calves resting on a Swiss ball and his arms beside him. After contracting his glutes to raise his hips until his body formed a straight line from shoulders to ankles, he would bend his legs and roll the ball toward him.

Straightening the legs moved it away again before his body returned to the floor. The exercise was performed for three to four sets of ten to 12 repetitions.

4. Hanging Leg Raises

Hanging from a chinup bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip, Lautner kept his knees slightly bent and his feet together before simultaneously bending his knees, lifting his hips, and curling his lower back.

Once his thighs reached his chest, he paused before slowly returning his legs to their starting position. Yuam prescribed three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

5. Prone Cobra

The final movement began facedown with the legs extended and arms resting alongside the body. Lautner contracted his glutes and lower-back muscles while lifting his head, chest, arms, and legs, rotating his arms until his thumbs pointed upward.

With only his hips remaining against the floor, the position was held for 60 seconds, followed by one minute of rest, and repeated three times.

Taken together, the routine reflected the broader strategy behind a transformation that had begun with an uncertain future. After roughly nine months of preparation for a version of Jacob that producers initially believed would require another actor, Taylor Lautner kept the role for the rest of the "Twilight" films.