Actor Jake Gyllenhaal took on more than just a movie role for ‘Road House’ as he transformed his body and mind for the undertaking. In a recent YouTube video, Gyllenhaal walked fans through the typical workout he used to prepare his body for ‘Road House.’
Before the film’s release, fans were in a frenzy after discovering former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor would be starring alongside Gyllenhaal. Having teased the movie’s production with a cut scene inside the actual Octagon, the film captured a sense of authenticity given Gyllenhaal’s character was a former 185-pound UFC fighter.
From movie trailers to its release, fans have been in awe of Gyllenhaal’s physique. He completely transformed his body into a convincing MMA fighter. With many wondering how he packed on the muscle in such a short window, his trainer, Walsh, is finally unearthing some of the secrets.
Jake Gyllenhaal Shares MMA-Based Workout for ‘Road House’ Remake
First, Gyllenhaal needed to craft his regimen in a way that portrays the life of an MMA fighter.
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“I spoke with the stunt team to understand their needs. I spoke with the director and producer to understand their expectations. Not only did Jake need aesthetics, but he needed to perform stunts across from Conor McGregor, a professional athlete in the UFC who has also never performed stunts on screen.”
He and his coach Walsh underlined their collective goals for Gyllenhaal’s body and performance.
“Jake needed athleticism, resiliency, and overall strength. This would also feed the mind and mentality he would need to get up after a fall, a potential punch, or a kick,” adds Walsh.
“After taking all this into consideration, I then had to sit down and build the program that would ultimately build the foundation of the Dalton character.”
Workout Breakdown
- Mobility Drills
- Proteus Motion Drills
- Isometric Inverted Row Holds
- Sled Work
- Safety Bar Squats
- Forearm Work
- Offset Loading Bag Drills
- Swiss Bar Floor Press
- Chain Push-Ups
- Suspension Trainer Push-Pull
- Push-Pull Rips
- Climber Sprints
Mobility drills are an important part of Gyllenhaal’s workout routine.
“Generally, we spend a few minutes each session moving trying to get the core body to mature up before moving into some sort of mobility which you see here with the stick, which is a great tool to help increase range of motion.”
“The Proteus is an amazing piece of equipment used mostly by performance centers to help train athletes in every plane of motion and also to help increase power production. We use it primarily for priming the nervous system, proprioception, learning movement patterns, and a lot for warming up joints and metabolic training.”
Isometric exercises are also key to the actor’s regimen, which can help with strength and stamina.
“Isometrics are a staple here at Rise Movement we use them all the time to help increase strength, stamina, and different joint angles.”
Gyllenhaal still favored heavy stimulus loads and accomplished that with sled work.
“We still want the heavy stimulus so we do a lot of heavy sled work,” adds Walsh. “We always keep the heavy primitive work one-way shape or form whether it’s squats or deadlifts and the variations thereof, we want to keep the muscle coordination at a high.”
“We pepper in various exercises to keep the grip tight,” said Walsh.
For one of their MMA-based movements, Gyllenhaal practices offset loading bag drills.
“Here we see some examples more relatable to MMA training keeping the body in check with offset loading and movements that are more imperative to sport.”
“It’s imperative to keep this stimuli broad with variations of sets, reps, loads, and different tempos.”
Gyllenhaal finished the workout with more MMA-style exercises in addition to climbing sprints.
“Cross lateral loading is very important to all sports, especially to MMA fight training. These come in various forms but this is one of my favorites.”
“We keep things in balance with push-pull-rips.”
“Some primitive Climber sprints to finish him off,” adds Walsh.
Fans can always get behind actors who dedicate themselves to achieving physique transformations. With ‘Deadpool 3’ on the horizon, Hugh Jackman has been tasked with adding muscle and definition to reprise the role of Wolverine in theatres.
Athleticism, resiliency, and overall strength were key factors that made up Gyllenhaal’s workout routine. Having prioritized all three, he brought his latest character to life. For anyone hoping to challenge their physical limits, this workout is perfect for you!
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Watch the full video from the Men’s Health YouTube channel below:
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