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ERIC BANA
AGE: 44 BLOCKBUSTER ROLE: TROY (2004)
Former stand-up comedian Eric Bana landed the role of Prince Hector in Troy opposite Brad Pitt and more than held his own against the Hollywood A-Lister. Cast for the role in September 2002, Bana had until March the following year to work on his physique and the results speak for themselves. Bana didn’t mind the long hours in the gym, it was getting the grips with the ancient fighting skills and bareback horse riding that troubled him.
JASON MOMOA
AGE: 33 BLOCKBUSTER ROLE: CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011) Hailing from Hawaii, Jason Momoa added 25lbs to his already impressive physique for the lead role in the 2011 flick Conan the Barbarian. He needed to, given that the role was made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger who was in his pomp in the mid 1980s. Momoa, who also plays the hulking Khal Drogo in hit TV show Game of Thrones, went from 210lbs to 235lbs using a training method called Accelerated Results 7 (AR 7) developed by his trainer Eric Laciste which involves fewer exercises and lots of short sets. “In 30 minutes, you’ll do 330 reps of three exercises – two to three times more than you’d do in a typical old-school weight workout,” said Laciste. “But because they’re grouped into sets of no more than seven reps, the focus is still on muscle building.” The workout uses a 7-6-5 formula on each exercise. Start with 7 sets of 7, then do 6 sets of 6, then 5 of 5, then move onto the next exercise. “It was hard as hell, but it changed everything from the way I walked to how I felt, and it made my whole core stronger,” said Momoa who supplemented his training with a diet heavy in broiled
chicken and natural peanut butter. “The goal was to not only build size, but also to become nimble and quick.” This method of training also gave Momoa a fantastic cardio workout, increasing calorie burn, as there is very little rest between sets. MOMOA’S BARBARIC WORKOUT: Start with Series 1, choose a fairly light weight load as you have a lot of reps to get through. Do 7 sets of 7 squats, rest for seven seconds then do 6 sets of 6, then 5 sets of 5. Rest for 1 minute then move onto the next exercise, repeat the sequence then move onto the final exercise. Once you’ve built up your strength and stamina add in Series 2, following the same sequence and do the two back-to-back. Series 1 Deadlift Squat Jump Squat Series 2 Kettlebell Swing Burpee Medicine Ball Slam
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CHRIS HEMSWORTH
AGE: 29 BLOCKBUSTER ROLE: THOR (2011)
Aussie Chris Hemsworth had never lifted weights before he toned up big time for the role of Thor. The former Home & Away actor’s secret? Intense heavy kettlebell swings but rarely more than six reps. That explains those colossal arms then.