“The name’s Bond… James Bond”

Daniel Craig bulked up significantly for his first role. For the second movie, he was a bit leaner, a bit less no-neck. The reason for this was that his Bond was now portraying a more refined version of the agent.

Daniel Craig’s Body Transformation Trainer

When Daniel Craig was told he was going to be Bond, he gave up smoking except for the odd cigar. He also got in touch with Simon Waterson, ex-marine and trainer to the stars, who had also worked with Hale Berry, Chris Evans, and Pierce Brosnan to name a few.

Daniel Craig had trained before (check him out for example in the Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie as well as in the excellent Layer Cake), but never to this level. His diet regimen was based on avoiding certain foods after a certain time.

Simon Waterson and Craig exercised five times a week, with the weekends off. This included the freedom to drink alcohol, which was prohibited during the week.

Simon Waterson’s philosophy is to put his celebrity clients through lots of circuit training to keep their heart rate elevated and thus stimulating muscle growth and burning fat at the same time. The workout included circuits, pullups, push ups – nothing really new. Simple but definitely not easy.For fatloss Craig would hop on the bike after the weights.

Daniel Craig’s Body Transformation Workout

Here’s a circuit training workout created by Daniel’s trainer. A circuit raining workout simply means going from one exercise to another while trying to minimize the rest. So you build muscle and burn fat simultaneously.

Pictured above – Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (left) and Quantum of Solace (right). As you can see, he was much bigger in the first Bond. His shoulders and traps were huge.

VIDEO: Can Working out Actually Make You Look WORSE?

Here are the exercises for Daniel Craig’s body transformation routine:

• Clean and Jerk. Stand upright with heels on the ground. Grab a barbell like you are going to deadlift it. Lift to your mid thighs. Now shrug up your shoulders, extend your knees, ankles and hips and flip the bar your chest, pushing the elbows forward. Finally press it up.
• Squat. Simon recommends the squat to be done without locking out at the top.
• Bench Press. The traditional bench press is performed here with a 3 seconds lowering and 1 seconds up. Again, don’t lockout at the top.
• Pull ups. With an overhand grip pull yourself up so that at least your chin is above the bar. Better yet – touch the chest to the bar.
• Dips – basic parallel bar dips. Lower till your elbows reach 90 degrees.
• Barbell Curls. Using a straight bar and full range of motion, curl the weight without jerking it or using your shoulders. Squeeze the biceps.
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises. Simon recommends L-lateral raises where you bend you arms at 90 degrees and lift them to shoulde level. Make sure to pull the weights with your shoulders/upper arms in order to feel the side delts working.

Sets and Reps

Do 4 “giant sets” this means going from the first to the last exercise 4 times. Perform 15 reps on each exercise with as little rest as possible when moving to the next. Rest a minute after each circuit. Perform this routine for 6 weeks 3-4 times per week.

Simon Waterson on Daniel Craig’s Determination

Here are a few comments and observations from Danial Craig’s trainer regerading his work ethics and attitude. I believe these are the real secrets behind the guys with great physiques.

In fact, here’s an article that explains how effort is the most important thing when it comes to muscle growth ==> Does Rep Count Even Matter? Controversial Findings of a Recent Study!.

Here’s a photo from the latest Bond movie, Skyfall, coming this Fall. As you can see, Daniel Craig has a solid development of his back musculature. This is one of the core philosophies of his trainer – to prioritize the posterior chain muscles for better posture and muscular balance.

This is something you won’t see on many of the guys in the gyms who only train the front of the body (pecs and biceps). Huge mistake.

Simon Waterson reports that after a few months of training for his role, Daniel Craig was performing with a body of an athlete. He had 100% focus on what he wanted to achieve.

To spice things up, Simon decided to compete against Craig in the workouts. So instead of simply coaching him, they trained together and pushed each other. I can attest to the effectiveness of working out with a fit and even stronger partner. It will result in the best gains of your life.

Best Workouts for a Daniel Craig Body

Here are my two favorite workouts for a visually striking body like Daniel Craig.

• Visual Impact This workout is great for beginners and intermediates and will give you a strong, muscular and lean body. It is balanced between size and strength. Highly recommended.
• The Hollywood Physique transformation system is designed to give you a visually striking body that looks MUCH MORE muscular than it is. The trick is that you will get super lean and also emphasize the muscles that give the illusion of muscularity – the chest, shoulders and biceps. Please guys – this is not a beginners workout.

If you don’t have experience in the gym, choose Visual Impact instead. The Hollywood Physique is for people who have already gained some muscle mass, but are not quite satisfied with their body and want the physiques of guys like Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, etc.

Hope you enjoyed this article on Daniel Craig’s Body Transformation. I personally immensely enjoyed Casiono Royale and am looking forward to the 3rd Daniel Craig Bond movie this fall. Hope it’s not another Quantum of Solace…

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Chris did it by eating skinless chicken, turkey and fish in huge quantities and lots and lots of salad and all sorts of green vegetables.

Chris Evans’ Workout for Captain America

• Chris Evans on his workout: the actor stated the 3 months of his workouts were grueling and brutal. Honestly, he’s right. Gaining muscle is simply impossible without hard work.
• Two muscle groups: Chris and his trainer would take two muscle groups such as chest and back or biceps and triceps and destroy them in the gym for about two hours. Afterwards they would cool down with some core and ab work. So much working out did not leave Chris without some injuries. But because of the movie deadline, they had to work around the sore or injured body parts and push on.
• Performance training The workout was mainly based on becoming more athletic – more upper body strength, faster sprinting, etc.
• A lean and muscular, but angular body The guys that get in this kind of shape like Chris Evans get in different kind of shape than say football players or bodybuilders. They don’t balloon to be as big as possible, but instead strategically build their bodies. Here is s great video that explains this – click here and watch the first video.

Captain America vs. James Bond

Chris’s trainer for Captain America, Simon Waterson, has become Hollywood’s go-to guy when it comes to getting actors in super hero shape. Previously he helped Daniel Craig get buff like a bull for his roles in Casino Royale, The Invasion, The Golden Compass, Defiance and Quantum of Solace and Jake Gyllenhaal for his role in Prince of Persia. Currently he is busy getting Sam Worthington in Spartan shape for Clash of the Titans 2.

In addition to that, he also trained Halle Berry for her James Bond movie role, Gerri Halliwell for her music video It’s raining men and Pierce Brosnan for The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Simon’s basic philosophy is to combine weight training and cardio into one workout using circuit training around 10 basic multi joint exercises done for 10-15 reps with as little rest as possible.

Training Schedule

Chris and Simon would train six days per week with an optional workout on Sunday to hit muscles that are not trained enough or lagging. They would do 3 weight training sessions and two cardio and core sessions.

Each weight training session would begin with a plyometric bodyweight circuit to improve overall functional fitness. Then, they would focus on 2 muscle groups per day. This kind of combined training builds a very balanced physique with a combination of myofibrilar (the muscle fibers) and sarcoplasmic (the fluid in the muscles) hypertrophy.

The second video here <== just click here and scroll down to the second video. It explains these two types of muscle.

Here’s an example circuit – pull-ups, followed by squat trusts with a push up, then kettlebell swings, weighted step-ups, squat trusts again and finally suspension training.

• Monday – circuit followed by back and arms. Lots of deadlifts, shrugs, biceps curls. Chris and Simon worked up to doing weighted pull-ups for 3 sets of 10-12 reps with 15 kgs.
• Tuesday – cardio and abs. Chris and his trainer would incorporate rotational core exercise such as the high to low or low to high wood chopper.
• Wednesday – circuit plus heavy legs – lunges, squats.
• Thursday – cardio and abs.
• Friday – circuit plus chest, arms and shoulders. Simon likes to hit the chest from different angles – close grip incline presses, incline flies, incline pushups with feet elevated. Another exercise he uses is the kneeling shoulder press – this way you cannot cheat by using your legs. Chris also did weighted dips for 3 sets of 10-12 reps with 20-30kg as well as pushups with a 20kg plate on his back.
• Saturday – rest. This includes the strict nutrition rules. Simon’s clients are free to eat whatever they please from 6pm on Friday to 8am on Sunday.
• Sunday – either extra work for muscles that are not hi hard or extra posture work – rear delts, rhomboids.
• Supplementation – Simon Waterson had Chris take a simple but effective supplement combo to aid in his fast recovery. The Cap would take whey protein shakes, Omega 3,6, and 9’s as well as glutamine.

Chris Evans Before Captain America

Before getting in Nazi-butt-kicking shape as Captain America, Chris Evans was still in pretty great shape, as far as looks go. For his roles in Not Another Teen Movie and Fantastic Four, Chris worked with Hollywood trainer Steve Zim. His methods show quick results by only focusing on the visible muscles and using targeted movements with custom range of motion to target only these muscles.

Steve Zim has developed a method of specifically targeting only the intended muscles with his own custom devised exercises. With his method it is possible to have a noticeable difference in your muscular development in a matter of weeks. Here are 3 tips from Steve Zim, Chris Evans’s personal trainer on Fantastic 4 and Not Another Teen Movie:

• Stretch between sets – this way you will remain flexible and prevent injuries. Plus it’s a great way to use the idle time.
• Breathe during weight training. This may seem obvious to many ‘ but some people actually forget to breathe out on the exertion portion of the lift and breathe in when on the negative motion.
• Focus your mind on the muscle. This tip is especially important when trying to build muscles that are difficult to feel ‘ like the shoulders, the mid back and the lats.

Movies and the Hollywood Body

• Lighting – the body looks best when properly lit. One of the best sources of lighting is the sun – preferably at noon. The basic technique that photographers use is to have the light source in front of the subject, not behind him. So have in mind that every scene you see in a movie has been meticulously arranged and properly lit to look the best.
• Training on set. Actors would frequently work out all through the day and between takes when shooting the movie. Some would go for a quick pump before shooting a scene where they need to look their best.
• Peaking. You must realize that peak shape is usually not held for a long time. For example, the now famous scene of Chris exiting the apparatus in Captain America in his new buff body was a moment of physical peaking for him. Simon Waterson mentions in an interview that he planned his workout so the guy would look outstanding exactly on the day the scene was shot. I’ve read similar accounts from Gunnar Peterson, who helped Stallone with his training for the Expendables. He planned his training to peak for the shirt off scenes etc.
• The Shrink wrap effect Chris’ trainer explained that he had him look extra ripped and big for the particular day they shot the shirtless scene. Watch the third video <== here to find about thsi strategy that allows you to have your skin shrink and your muscles expand and almost stretch it out for a great effect. A really cool technique.

Getting a Chris Evans Body

For that kind of physique, characteristic of so many of the A-list celebrities, it is crucial to get lean with a low body fat percentage and also develop the arms, chest, shoulders and abs. For this kind of body I strongly recommend you get a workout partner or trainer who is already in fantastic shape (so he can show you what to do and more importantly PUSH you to train hard.

Another option is getting the Visual Impact Muscle Building workout for anybody looking to build a stunning muscular body. This workout plan will show you what you need to do in the gym. However, you still need to train hard!

Boxing Workouts to Shed Body Fat

Mario Lopez would spar all the time to burn body fat and keep his conditioning up. He would often fight with amateur fighters trying to make it in boxing. He claims to have sparred with Oscar De La Hoya, James Toney and Shane Mosley.

Lopez wrote a workout book called, Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness, obviously inspired by his boxing hobby. In his book, Mario admits the hard truth that getting in shape is hard work. If it were easy, everybody would have a killer bod.

Mario Lopez’s Workout Plan

The actor changes his workout approach constantly. The reason for this is that he is in ‘maintenance mode’ in regards to his muscle mass. Now he just trains to burn fat and keep the size of his muscles.

However, in order to build to this size, you need a balanced muscle gaining workout approach that is focused heavily on achieving a v-shaped body with a low body fat percentage. Here are two workouts that are specifically aimed at this look:

• Visual ImpactHere the emphasis is on achieving a balance between muscular development and muscular hardness and density. A cool trick that is revealed in the workout is how to make your skin super tight around your muscles.
• The Hollywood Physique transformation system has been designed to give you a shocking transformation in as little as 13 weeks. Following this workout plan your body will dramatically improve. You will lose fat and build muscle in just the right places so as to mimick the transformation that the Hollywood A-list leading men like Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Lautner, etc. go through. Click here to see the amazing transformation of the author of the program, Clay.

You must also realize that he has two advantages. Mario has a natural v-shape frame (small hips) so he can focus on building up the chest and shoulders. He also has relatively short upper arms (he is 175 lbs and 5’10’’) so it is easy for him to build impressive looking arms.

What is the Diet that Mario Follows?

Mario Lopez published another non-fiction book, called Extra Lean. This one is a cookbook. The actor acknowledges the importance of diet when trying to achieve or maintain top shape. Attempting to lose body fat just through exercise alone, even if you workout as much as he does, is an uphill battle.

In his book, he has provided over 40 recipes as well as 1200-1300 calorie meal plans based on lean meats and vegetables. This is a solid diet approach – the reason being that we dramatically over estimate how little we can eat if we are to lose bodyfat.

Lopez admits that he likes to eat. In order to maintain a low body fat percentage we need to eat a very low calorie diet. Either that – or we can exercise a lot like Mario. Here’s Mario’s typical daily menu:

• Breakfast: Fruit, yogurt and Granola
• Lunch: Chicken and Rice
• Dinner: Sushi
• Splurge: Chocolate-chip cookies or Rocky-road ice cream

Spending a Lot of Time in the Sun

Whether he realizes it or not, he has struck gold by working out outdoors and spending time in the sun. Walking around shirtless is a great motivator to keep in top shape. This also works the other way around.

As you can see, he does some of his workouts, such as sprinting outside. Training outside of the gym, and especially at the beach, is simply way more fun. It doesn’t hurt to have a cute babe by your side too. Also, the natural vitamin D that is produced by the sun is responsible for our overall health. It is a mistake to avoid the sun altogether.

It’s a Lifestyle

In his own words, Mario is addicted to exercising. He’s been consistently in top shape ever since he starred in the TV show Saved by the Bell as a teenager. As you can see from the photo above, now (left) he’s maintaining the body that he used to have as a teenager (right). Staying active has enabled him to preserve a youthful appearance. Many people age themselves prematurely by getting fat as early as in their 20′s!

In order not to get bored he likes mix up his training. In addition to lifting weights and boxing three times per week, Mario would bike, run, swim, do yoga and also play basketball. This activity level adds up to a high level of caloric expenditure. So he’s able to maintain a very lean body.

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There you go, Sly busting his ass in the gym for the upcoming movie The Expendables. Below are some of the gut busting exercises Sly’s doing.

Muscle Building Workout

The exercises below make up the muscle building portion of Stallone’s workout.

• Machine lateral raises – these are done on an exercise machine to stimulate the side portion of the shoulders. When it is developed the shoulders look wide and give a ‘super hero’ look.
• Machine squats – Sly works his legs using a machine to keep his muscle mass there while dieting and training hard to achieve a really lean body. Note that the lower body is not the focus of his workout.
• Triceps skull crushers – these are one of the best exercises to stimulate the back of the arm, the triceps. It makes up 2/3 of the mass of the arm so if you want big arms, you’d better work the tricpes hard.
• Dumbbell hammer curls – these are dumbbell curls done with a hammer grip. This means that you grip the weights with your thumbs up as if holding a hammer. The hammer curl is great for working the back of the forearm (the brachioradialis)as well as the brachialis (this muscle along with the biceps flexes the arm).

Sly’s Ab Workout

• Core woodchop twists – Sylvester Stallone’s workout for The Expendables places a huge emphasis on core and ab development. this particular exercise builds rotatoin strength and full body power by teaching you to brace all your ab muscles hard – both the six pack (rectus abdominis) as well as the muscles on the side of your waist (obliques).
• Machine ab curls – using this machine helps greatly to isolate and tire out the six pack (rectus abdominis) so it becomes hypertrophied and ‘pops’ out. The key howver is to have a very low percentage of body fat so the abs show – if they are covered in a layer of fat, even if they are developed, no six pack will be visible.
• Ab posing- Sly will be able to increase muscular density with proper ab tensing workout – a trick that pro bodybuilders use.

To the left, Sylvester Stallone after a workout and in incredible shape. To the right – Sly in his possibly most ‘ripped’ state ever in Rambo 3. For a 60-something I’d say he is doing fatnastic!

Fat Burning Workout

• Plyometrics and running – Sly’s workout also includes a jog/bounce combo – both to loosen the muscles and for extra calories burning.
• Shadow boxing – boxing is a great calorie expending activity. In fact it is one of the most demanding sports.
• Machine based cycling arm HIIT – HIIT means High Intensity Interval Training. Simply put you exercise at a high intensity for a brief period (10-30 seconds) and then rest for another period, usually longer than the intense part. Here Stallone is using a machine to do cycling with his arms for HIIT to task his upper body even more while burning fat.

Stretching Drills

• Bodyweight stretches – this is the best way to stretch out your muscles after they have been toned with weight training. Many people, including experienced trainers, neglect the relaxation and recovery part of a workout plan. A huge mistake in my opinion.

Sly’s workout is focused on getting a lean and muscular body that looks great on camera. Here are two workouts that target this look – an action hero body.

• Visual Impact. With this workout you will get bigger muscles that are also harder and denser. Besides this balanced between size and definition, the workout also reveals a cool trick to make your skin super tight around your muscles.
• The Hollywood Physique transformation system has been designed to give you a shocking transformation in as little as 13 weeks. Following this workout plan your body will dramatically improve. You will lose fat and build muscle in just the right places so as to mimick the transformation that the Hollywood A-list leading men like Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Lautner, etc. go through. Click here to see the amazing transformation of the author of the program, Clay.

That’s the real deal folks. This movie gets to be better and better. Btw – people who have already seen the movie report that it delivers on exactly what Sylvester Stallone promised it to be. Old schoold bad ass fest!

Note: I found another video – an interview with Sly’s personal trainer Gunnar Peterson. Enjoy:

In the video Gunnar mentions a really cool pull-up variation. What Sly did was pull himself up with a neutral grip explosively. At the same time he would curl and tuck his knees up and let go of the bar handles at the top of the movement. Peterson calls this an explosive gorilla pull-up.

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This will be like the Ocean’s 11 of action movies. Anybody else as excited about this as I am, or is it just me lol? Btw – check out these videos from the Expendables Workout.

[Sly hasn't looked this good the last 15 years. And, get this, he is 62 now. O, yeah!]

And If This Wasn’t Enough, Here Are Some of The Other Action Stars Who Signed Up For The Expendables

• Mickey Rourke. Nice. I loved him in Bullet – probably one of his best roles.
• Jason Statham. Hell yeah. I’m psyched for the new Transporter 3.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rumored to play himself! Ha! This will be a second after Last Action Hero (sorta).
• Jet Li. This keeps getting better. I already recommended Fist of Legend. Probably his best.
• Dolph Lundgren. OK, wake me up, cuz I must be dreaming now. Him and Sly haven’t been together on screen since Rocky IV.
• Forest Whitaker. The dude is great. Have you seen
  Ghost Dog, Way of the Samurai?
• Eric Roberts. The All-American hero from Best of the Best.
• Randy Couture. Former UFC killing machine turned actor. You can check him out in The Scorpion King 2.
• Sandra Bullock. Speed. Nuff said lol.
• Danny Trejo. The ultimate Mexican bad-ass. Check him in the short Machete.

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[This is one of the coolest shows on the tube, at least the first couple of seasons will have you hooked. What is cool about the show is it gives a realistic image of getting a lean and attractive physique. That's what I always stress - get lean first!]

By the way, don’t watch it on cable. Just get the DVD’s. It’s way more fun this way cause you get to skip the cliffhangers and go directly to the next episode. And, it’s commercial free.

Fit, Young People Beautiful People And Basketball

I can’t ask for more from a show lol. Anyway, what inspired me to write this is that I wanted to emphasize my point once more – lean down fast. You will get tired of hearing this from me, no doubt. The fitness industry doesn’t seem to get it. Or they just don’t want you to know. Being trim is where it’s at folks – period.

Muscles Are Just An Embellishment

You see, young folks look good enough without having to train for years or whatever. They just have the right weight for their height. That’s it. So do what it takes to lean down. The easiest way in my opinion is to just eat less.

This Is What Ticks Me Off With The 6 Meals Per Day Thing

How can you lose weight by eating all the time. Isn’t it more logical to take a break from all that food once in a while?

It sure is. Check out my post on intermittent fasting

What they don’t tell you is that the 6 meals approach is for fitness competitors and body builders in order to get them to unnatural low levels of body fat so that they look the way the judges want them to look on stage.

It Is Not For Regular People

So find a way to consume less food and get trim. It can’t be that hard. Just give yourself a powerful reason why and you are set.

[Here is a way cool clip made from the show. Enjoy!]

American History X
We got Edward Norton. Personal trainer Anthony Cortés got him so buff and the change was so dramatic, that Arnold Schwarzenegger himself supposedly thought Edward was on steroids. Norton’s comment – he says he just are like hell and trained like it was going out of style.

Terminator 2 – Judgment Day
We’ve got not one, but two actors in fantastic shape in this movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in his usual muscular top shape but the real surprize is Linda Hamilton. Having undergone a strict workout and diet regimen, she displays her rock hard body fighting the evil T-1000 and doing chinups in her room in a mental asylum.

Enter the Dragon
Bruce Lee’s last movie was also his most polished one. He trained vigorously so that his on screen appearance would be visually as impactful, as much the speed and accuracy of his punches and kicks were technically impressive. He looks like someone carved him out of a marble block. Plus, his on screen persona exudes raw and powerful charisma. Highly recommended.

Fight Club
Such a list can’t go without mentioning this one, right? Both Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are very lean in the movie. To match their characters, they have trained to enhance their movie persona. Edward Norton’s guy looks more like a weakling though – lean but not muscular, while Brad’s Tyler Durden is a Bruce Lee-like ripped bad ass. A note here – if you want to look muscular, get some muscle mass and then strip as much fat as possible. This is the secret to looking so muscular.

American Psycho
The self-obsessed and narcissistic psychopath played by Christian Bale takes great pride in every detail of his life. He is constantly on a diet and exercises religiously. The ironic thing is that although Christian Bale got into fantastic shape for the movie, the message of the film is that this level of body consciousness shows an unhealthy mind, obsessed with vanity. He is still a great physique role model though LOL.

I Am Legend
What better way to portray the solitude of the man dedicated to his training than to feature it against the backdrop of an empty city. Will Smith purposefully leaned down quite a bit in order to be convincing as a man fighting for his survival. Plus a real fun movie, folks.

Gladiator
A brilliant portrayal of honor and manhood. Russel Crowe’s character is powerful and stoic, exuding calmness and rage, resolution and obstinacy.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
I have featured numerous Kung Fu movies in the list. They represent the pinnacle of what the human body is capable in terms of movement and they showcase martial artists who sport top level physiques. This movie in particular is worth watching for the now classic scenario where a hero has to go through a series of training obstacles to achieve mastery. Boot camp Shaolin style – bring it on!

Blade – Trinity
First things first – this is the third installment of the series and as such is the worst one of the three Blade movies. In all three of them Wesley Snipes is in fantastic shape. The first movies is a good one overall, while the second one benefits from the gloomy imagery that only comes with a Guillermo del Toro flick. I chose the third movie because in addition to the bad ass Blade it has a (almost) no more wimpy looking Ryan Reynolds and a buff and sexy Jessica Biel. So there – style over substance lol.

Brotherhood of the Wolf
I can’t recommend this movie enough. First, Mark Dacascos gets to show off his fantastic fighting skills and top physique. Second, the movie is the perfect adventure story, if you happen to like these kinds of stories like I do. Third, but definitely not last, there are two VERY cute ladies right there – Émilie Dequenne and Monica Bellucci. Can’t lose with this flick.

Drunken Master 2
Even if you are not into martial arts movies, you’ve got to give it up to Jackie Chan. In his movies he demonstrates two things. The first one is how much abuse the human body can take. He does pretty much all of his stunts. The other thing is what fantastic feats and acrobatic a trained martial artist of this caliber is capable of.

Elektra
Most comic book movies turn out lame or corny, but I keep on watching them any way lol. This one is no exception (as in it is quite lame unfortunately). It made the list however, because it has a uber athletic looking Jennifer Gardner.

Fist of Legend
Jet Li, a martial artist, is surprisingly also a solid all around actor. He never got a big break in an English speaking movie. Unleashed (also known as Danny the Dog) is one of his best. Fist of Legend however is worth just for the martial arts – no acting accolades here. The action sequences, choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, are so spectacular that they inspired the Wachowski brothers, to hire Yuen so he can bring this level of movie awesomeness to the Matrix series. Of course, Jet Li does it better than the white boys. Note that Fist of Legend is a remake of Bruce Lee’s hard hitting classic Chinese Connection.

Commando
A typical high-body count 80’s action extravaganza. Plus, can’t deny the fact Arnold’s arms look damn good while he harvests through wave after wave of baddies as if he was playing a video game. Gotta love the 80’s lol.

I, Robot
Every movie with Will Smith is worth watching so that you can nourish on some of his contagious energy. He always gives it all. Because of the physicality of the movie Will Smith opted to present a powerful looking physique. So he made the list.

Batman Begins
Christian bale is in quite a muscular state in this one. Well, when you play a super hero, I guess it’s a must to look the part. The remarkable thing is that prior to filming this movie, Christian Bale worked on another movie – The Machinist. For that one he purposefully lost a whopping 63 lbs by starving himself on a diet of a can of tuna and an apple a day. After the movie, he hired a UK celebrity trainer and quickly regained the lost muscle. Note that we are talking about muscle memory here. This means regaining your muscle mass as opposed to building size from scratch.

The Hurricane
This is the captivating story of the wrongfully accused boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. I feature it here for two reasons. First, this movie is the perfect example of the get in shape behind bars movie. Denzel is ripped. Second, this movie talks about one of my favorite concepts – inner strength. The Hurricane turns into a warrior/scholar in prison. He studies law books and trains like a madman for his fight outside.

Ali
I’ve got another boxing heavy weight of a movie right here. Prepping for the role, Will Smith decided not to try to look like a boxer, but to become a boxer. He ran the distances that Ali ran and sparred with hard hitting real boxers to bring believability to director Michael Mann’s movie. Incidentally, Robert De Niro also underwent real life boxing training for his award winning performance in raging bull some 20 years earlier.

Million Dollar Baby
These boxing movies just keep on coming. A fine, fine flick from another one of my favorite directors – Clint Eastwood. As an actor, he has a powerful and charismatic don’t-mess-with-me-punk presence. As a director he shines even more. In this movie Hilary Swank not only learned to move and box like a real fighter, but also dramatically altered her physique by adding significant muscle bulk via weight training and a protein rich diet. And, she got her Oscar.

G.I. Jane
At age 35 Demi Moore really started showing she was taking great care of her body. Ridley Scott cast her in the role of a woman training to be a navy seal. What follows are some of the best training sequences captured on film, including Demi doing one arm pushups. Note – Demi also shows off a fantastic physique in 2 other corny but fun movies – Charlie’s Angels 2 and Striptease.

Mad Monkey Kung Fu
I love martial arts movies and I couldn’t miss out on the chance to sneak in another one of those here. The spectacular thing about this movie is how the fighters flawlessly and fluidly execute the choreographed primate acrobatics. No substance here folks. Just a visual fest of the boundless potential of the human body.

Ong-Bak – The Thai Warrior
Tony Jaa, a stuntman, martial arts, actor and fight scene choreographer. This is his first big movie and he shines in it. Fantastic acrobatic skills, break dancing movies used to hurt the bad guys, bone cracking Muay Thai elbow and knee strikes. The movie has it all. This guy seems to take the best action parts from Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. He still lacks Lee’s charisma but the future is ahead of him.

Rocky
The ultimate story of loss and redemption. It’s us against the world, ain’t that right Rock? The movie is choc full of so many memorable moments. If you can’t be motivated by a rocky movie, better check that pulse of yours lol.

Iron Man
Trainer Brad Bose got recovered addict Robert Downey Jr.’s less than trained body to an Iron Man – worthy level. Apart from this, the movie is one of the best super hero movies of all time. Just watch it for enjoyment’s sake if you haven’t done so.

Kung Fu Hustle (Axe-Kickin’ Edition)
I have made sure that the bulk of the movies I recommend in this list are not only highly motivational, but also of high quality and plain old fun. King Fu Hustle is no exception. Stephen Chow, aged 42 in this movie, puts most 20 something’s to shame when it comes to being in shape. Add to this the fact that his comedy style will make you piss your pants. Now top that off with the fact that he is a real-life martial artist (like Wesley Snipes) so his moves are authentic. And, his Bruce Lee impersonation is impeccable. You just gotta see this one folks – a killer flick.

And now I’d like to extend the challenge to Kaiser Serajuddin, Mark McManus, Chris McCombs, Rocco Castellano and Zach Even-Esh. Share 25 random things about yourself guys!

Related posts:

1. Mark Dacascos Strikes Again – The Man Is In Kick Ass Shape In Brotherhood of the Wolf

[Ja Rule is not a big guy. He looks good because he has a decent amount of muscle and is naturally very lean.]

It doesn’t hurt that they have naturally lower levels of body fat. All that is left is to develop the muscles of the front of the body – biceps and chest and you’ve got yourself a beach physique.

Ja Rule is Not a Big Guy, But He Looks Big

This is all about low body fat percentage and proportions. Ja Rule is lean and well built in the shoulders, traps, upper back and arms. Now the way to achieve a body like this is first to get strong in the basic exercises like barbell deadlifts and barbell squats on a beginner strength training routine. Think of it like this – to carve a big statue you need a big rock. So you need some foundation of core muscles and strength.

If You Are Not Lean, First Get Lean Fast

This way you will look good or at least decent all the time and you will optimize your hormones for muscle building. If you are lean, your body is primed for muscle growth. Female hormones work best when you have more fat stored, while male (muscle building) hormones spike when you are lean. So get lean first.

Once You Have Your Basic Strength, Go For A Split

Think beach muscles. Train each muscle once a week for 6-9 sets of 8-12 reps. That’s 2-3 exercises per muscle. Divide up the body so that you train 1-2 muscle groups per workout. So you are going to be in the gym 3-5 days per week. Here is a typical split breakdown:

Workout 1 Chest and triceps
Workout 2 Biceps
Workout 3 Back and legs
Workout 4 Shoulders

Put priority on the muscles you want to build faster. The way to do it is to train only them this day.

Let’s Examine His Workout Video

[Ja Rule's workout - he's messing around in the gym for the photo shoot. Even tries to push his supplement line lol. Nevertheless, he's a good role model for an aesthetic physique.]

Clearly Ja Rule Is at the Third Stage – Split Routine

He is lean enough and big enough and only works for the size of the small muscles. For his chest – he does machine flies, barbell bench presses, pushups, and incline dumbbell presses. For the biceps – preacher stand curls and concentration curls. He trains his back very little – just some reverse machine flies and lat pull downs. The shoulders get a beating with alternating dumbbell shoulder presses. Ja Rule focuses on his abs with exercise ball prone (face down) jack knives and ball crunches.

To sum up, here’s the way to get a body like this. Get lean first. At the same time build a basic strength level. Then work on a split routine and grow the small muscles – chest, arms and shoulders. Here are two great workouts for this purpose.

• Visual Impact. This training system gives you both muscular size and muscular hardness and density. A cool trick revealed in the workout is making your skin super tight around your muscles.
• The Hollywood Physique transformation system has been designed to give you a shocking transformation in as little as 13 weeks. Following this workout plan your body will dramatically improve. You will lose fat and build muscle in just the right places so as to mimick the transformation that the Hollywood A-list leading men like Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Lautner, etc. go through. Click here to see the amazing transformation of the author of the program, Clay.

P.S. Remember, getting lean is what makes you look proportionate and muscular.

Related posts:

1. Beginner Strength Training – Build Bigger Muscles Fast With The Strength And Size Full Body Workout
2. Progressive Overload – How to Give Your Body an Extreme Makeover
3. Building Muscle – Alternate Training for Size and Working for Strength And Never Hit a Plateau Again

So, it was a big surprise to see him so well built in the movie Into the Blue. I think that he now has a physique that looks just right. He is not too big, but definitely has a decent amount of muscle.

Plus he’s super lean and that accentuates his proportions. In fact, I think his transformation is comparable to what Edward Norton did for American History X. But let’s get back to Paul…

How Paul Walker Build His Muscles Mass

For his movie Varsity Blues he had to put size because he was playing the role of an action guy. He started lifting weights, took creatine and got up to 205lbs / 92kg. Now if you follow a progressive overload full body workout for as long as it allows you to gain quickly and then follow it up with a split workout for a while you will get big.

The way to do the split workout is to divide the whole body up in 3 to 5 workouts. Like so:

Workout 1 – Chest and Triceps
Workout 2 – Shoulders
Workout 3 – Back
Workout 4 – Biceps
Workout 5 – Legs and Abs

A well thought out and structured workout plan will really help out in order to achieve such a body similar to a surfer’s physique. Here are two workout plans that are targeting the lean beach body look. Which one you will choose will depend on your detailed goals and your genetics (your body type):

• Visual Impact. This workout is also aimed at the beach body look. However here the focus is on making the muscles both large and hard. There is a whole section in the manual on how to make your skin very tight around your muscles and your stomach.
• The Hollywood Physique transformation system has been designed to give you a shocking transformation in as little as 13 weeks. Following this workout plan your body will dramatically improve. You will lose fat and build muscle in just the right places so as to mimick the transformation that the Hollywood A-list leading men like Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Lautner, etc. go through. Click here to see the amazing transformation of the author of the program, Clay.

[Walker looked like a skinny geek in the Fast and Furious movies compared to all the other dudes. Yeah, I know that was on purpose - he was playing the underdog.]

You can choose whether to train 1 or 2 muscle groups per day depending on how many days per week you can go to the gym and how much priority you want to put on each muscle group. This kind of workout is based on fatiguing the muscle – breaking it down a bit in fact, and letting it rest and grow a little bit bigger.

For each workout, train 1-2 muscle groups for 6-9 sets per muscle group and 9-12 total sets. In each set, do 8-12 repetitions. When you can get 12 reps on most sets of an exercise, it’s time to up the poundage next time you train.

Paul Walker’s Getting Ripped and Staying Lean

After he bulked up he went on a surf trip to El Salvador. He discovered that the extra weight was slowing him down and killing his endurance. When he came back from the trip, he was down to 180 lbs – the excess mass was gone.

He was left with just the right amount of muscle by practicing different sports. Walker is big on surfing and is also into martial arts – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing.

He says he tries to play a sport a day – besides surfing and beating people up, he also plays basketball and volleyball and also skates. The hard contractions from surfing, kickboxing and grappling sports preserve the exact amount of muscle you need for them. Plus, the qualities developed by different sports complement each other. “It’s the best way to live,” Paul says, and I couldn’t agree more.

Paul Walker Is a big Believer in the Paleo Diet

Like many in the fitness world, Paul believes at least 75 percent of staying lean is how you eat. Well, I don’t know the exact percentage – some say 70, some say 90, whatever. The point is – your diet is key. You can’t out train a bad diet. Which means it is easier to eat the right foods and not try to compensate your excessive food consumption with exercise.

Paul Walker avoids the white grain foods – breads and sugars. He is also cautious with his salt consumption because salt tends to retain water under the skin and makes you look puffy.

Walker says he eats lots of fish and enjoys read meat. He basically follows the paleo diet – fruits, veggies, and meat while avoiding processed flour and sugar.

Your Workout

Now, I have a few suggestions depending on were you are at right now. If you are lean, but lack muscle mass, you should go do the beginner strength training workout.

Once you reach the strength training milestones there, you should be pretty muscular, but if you need more, to train specifically for muscle size, check out the workouts mentioned above.

On the above photo you can see the effects of Paul Walker’s training for into the Blue. To the left – a very lean Paul with a sexy Jessica Alba. To the right – just for you guys – Jessica Alba by herself.

Just got back from a nice walk in the snow with my lab Lucky. It was so refreshing in the park – the cold air cleared my head up.

So anyway, a few days ago I recommended a movie with Mark Dacascos – Instinct to Kill. It is a a straight up cheesy B-Movie guy’s flick.

Mark Dacascos in The Brotherhood of the Wolf

Well, yesterday I watched another Mark Dacascos movie – The Brotherhood of the Wolf. This one was NOT cheesy. It has awesome fight sequences like Instinct to Kill but it also is a fully enjoyable adventure movie. If I had to describe it, it would a sort of mix between Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hound of Bascerville (haven’t seen a movie adaptation of it but I guess one must exist), the French comic book Rahan and Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak (Which has sick fighting sequences. Actually pretty much the whole movie is a fight sequence. I’m not complaining though lol.). Probably its only drawback is that it’s kind of longish.

Mark Dacascos Trains Like A Bodybuilder…

[Here is a video that shows some of the training Mark did for another movie, Only the Strong, which I'm going to write about soon too. Notice how he executes the movements with perfect form - he was trained by an accomplished bodybuilder.]

… As Well As Like An Athlete

[Part 2 of the training series. Dacascos practicing capoeira, jumping rope, hitting the heavy bag, kick boxing and gymnastics. The guy is the real deal.]

So What’s My Point Exactly

I wanted to briefly mention two things. The first one is the us vs. them mentality that marketers use. Many fitness products and doctrines also use this in order to engage us. In reality successful people do not divide themselves in bodybuilders vs. athletes, heavy lifters vs. pumpers, etc. This is just a gimmick made up by clever salesmen.

Training for Strenght Vs. Training for Muscle

The other thing I wanted to mention stems from the first. Because of the successful marketing brainwash, many people are stuck in their old ways and fail to progress. Most people want to look like celebs, actors from movies, athletes, etc. But they either train only for strength or only for muscle mass. After a certain point on, you cannot gain more strength without getting bigger. You can’t flex bone. The same goes with mass. You need to train for strength at least some of the time so that your working weight, with which you make your muscles grow, is bigger.

The truth is, the body is like a vessel. You can fill that vessel up with strength but it can hold only so much. To progress even more, build yourself a bigger vessel by gaining muscle mass.

I want to ask you, are you stuck in a fitness dogma and how is that working for you?

Related posts:

1. Mark Dacascos in Instinct to Kill – B-Movie Cheesy Goodness and Workout Inspiration
2. The Kettlebell Swing – Kick Ass Exercise for a Kick Ass Body
3. 25 Movies That Motivate Me To Train Hard

So Jason Statham has been one of my favorite actors ever since I saw Transporter. He seems to play almost the same type of character in all of his movies – an ass kicking driver/hitman/former spec ops guy. I don’t mind it all lol. Speaking of Transporter, can’t wait for the third installment.

I Saw Another Cool Movie Last Night

The movie was Crank, starring Amy Smart and Jason Statham. Amy has been one of my favorite pieces of screen eye candy ever since I saw Road Trip with my best friend. He insisted that he showed me this movie that supposedly took place in his college.

Well they changed it for the movie to Ithaca University instead of Ithaca College but still I guess it counts. Or was it the other way around? But I digress. So, the movie’s got Amy. She has an incredible smile and sweet voice. This can’t hurt a movie, right?

Jason Statham is a Great Workout Role Model

He is the ultimate bad ass. The guy is built – but not like a huge bodybuilder or bouncer. He is very lean but at the same time the dude is muscular and ready for action. I think that you can’t be a movie star and be bodybuilding big.

You gotta have the right proportions. You gotta be quick and agile, yet impressive looking. So a workout focusing on getting the “Jason Statham body” will need to address both muscular size and muscular density to create a physique that’s ready for action but also have an impact on screen.

Amy Smart. Just a class-A beautiful woman. The world needs more of these, no? Crank with her and Statham reminds me of another adrenalin infused roller coaster of a movie – the German flick Run, Lola, Run. They both share blood pumping, heart racing fast paced action where the protagonist has to rush in order to save a life.

Speaking Of Heart Racing Action

Crank reminds me of an episode of one of my favorite TV shows – Fastlane. In it Van, one of the protagonists, has been poisoned with an unknown substance and must find out what it is.

The same happens in Crank. Jason Statham’s character has been injected in his sleep with some nasty Chinese synthetic stuff and needs to punish his enemies for that. Watch this hilarious interview. Jason is not only an on screen bad ass, but also sports a great sense of humor.

Brawling, fighting, car chases, beautiful women, sex, more beautiful women with less clothing. You get the picture. So in a way Crank is Fastlane on steroids. Which is ironic really because Fastlane was Miami Vice (do you remember that) on steroids. By the way, the movie is not PC at all and I liked it for that.

Related posts:

1. Workout Duration and Frequency — Don’t Waste Your Life in the Gym
2. Mark Dacascos in Instinct to Kill – B-Movie Cheesy Goodness and Workout Inspiration
3. Sylvester Stallone Ripped for His New Movie The Expendables

Guy’s Movie Checklist

Ass-kickery – check. Lots of brawling and fight scenes, including a classic bar fight – check. Master and pupil training sequence – check. Shooting, explosions and scantily clad pretty ladies – check, check and double check.

This was the kind of movie I would enjoy back in 1991 when my family got a VCR for the first time. I’d rent out 2 video tapes every weekend and sink myself in the action heaven. I know those movies were simplistic but I also know great entertainment when I see it and still enjoy my corny B-movie action flicks.

Accomplished Martial Artist

He is fast, strong and agile without being huge. It seems martial artists are great role models for functional and attractive physiques.

I am definetely going to see more movies with Mark Dacascos. He exemplifies the relative strength advantage look. He looks buff and ripped with tank tops, t-shirts, etc. and at the same time has a normal look in street clothes. I believe thiese are the best proportions to go for.

Fitness lessons from Mark Dacascos

Mark says that his daily workouts vary. When he’s working a twelve- to fourteen-hour day, he usually doesn’t have a lot of time to sweat for an ideal two to three hours. He has to be content with push-ups, leg-lifts, crunches and handstands — things he can do in his hotel room without needing equipment. He tries to stretch before and after work.

On the set, he can usually find something he can hang from to do pull-ups and leg-lifts on. When Mark’s not working, he tries to see his Kung Fu teacher three to four times a week. On the other days, he prefers to tumble or run or surf. He needs to do something every day. Even on a rest day, he likes to at least do a stomach exercise.

Related posts:

1. Mark Dacascos Strikes Again – The Man Is In Kick Ass Shape In Brotherhood of the Wolf
2. Jason Statham and Amy Smart in Crank – Double Workout Inspiration To Train Like Your Life Depends On It
3. Linda Hamilton’s Terminator 2 Workout – She’s An Amazing Fitness Role Model

Her Terminator 2 Workout.

Linda was working with personal trainer Anthony Cortés who also helped Edward Norton beef up for American History X. Apparently she shed 12 pounds of fat with diet and exercise. Her routine included running, biking, swimming, climbing stairs as well as free weights, mini-trampoline drills, walking lunges and abdominal work. They trained six days a week for 3 hours. The thing is she got into amazing shape after giving birth just 20 months ago.

Linda Goes Crazy with Military Style Training

It seems that in order to provide authenticity for the film, Linda hired an Israeli commando to prep her for the action scenes. She says, she did “judo and heavy duty military training.” Linda adds that she “learned to load clips, change mags, check out a room upon entry, verify kills.” She was all show – all go.

Linda Hamilton’s Feats of Strength

She could easily bench press 85 pounds for reps, run eight miles and pump load a 12-gauge shotgun with one arm. We all saw her kicking ass in the movie. Apparently it was not all movie magic, but she was tough for real. She relaxed her regimen after the movie. After shooting the movie, Linda relaxed her diet a bit and also trained less frequently – just five workouts a week. You can not go at such intensity for too long. Even Olympic level athletes relax after a major competition.

A Routine That Linda Hamilton’s Trainer Recommends

Four times a week – 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per exercise:

Mondays, Thursdays – Chest, shoulders, triceps

• Dumbbell bench press
• Inclined flies
• Lateral raises
• Front raises
• Kickbacks

Tuesdays, Fridays – Back, biceps

• One-arm rows
• Bent-over rows
• Standing curls

When I watched the movie for the first time, I couldn’t even do one chin up. Later, I started going to the gym and found a way to train for pull-up & chin-up mastery.

Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 – check her out doing chin-ups in the above video. The editor mixed in the T-2 footage with scenes featuring Lena Headey from the new Terminator series. I haven’t seen season 2 yet, but from these scenes it is obvious that Lena is not really doing chin ups. Those are assisted chin-ups at best.

Films Like These Never Cease To Motivate Me

Big time! What do you guys think about movies that feature actors and actresses in great shape? Do you get motivated? What are your favorite Hollywood underdog fitness movies? Oh, and go watch Terminator 2 if you haven’t done so!

Note: below are two workout plans that are targeted at giving you the Linda Hamilton look – an athletic female body.

• Visual Impact for Women. This an outstanding workout aimed at women who want to get slim, fit, sexy and feminine – and not get bulky legs or shoulders from working out.
• Booty For Wife. This workout is your choice if you want specifically to focus on the female ‘problem areas’ like the hips, butt and thighs.

Related posts:

1. Intermittent Fasting – Does It Make You Weaker in the Gym?
2. Beginner Strength Training – Build Bigger Muscles Fast With The Strength And Size Full Body Workout
3. Relative Strength Advantage – What Is Fitness?