His two iconic characters, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, have personified The Underdog and The Outsider for decades. But he also indulges when he wants. It's very well thought through. When it's time for that type of film, he definitely goes into that type of training. After your calorie-cutting and fat-loss phase is finished, your hormones should be primed and ready for building muscle. workout correctly the first time, every time. Not just in his character, but in the whole process. Did Sly come to you this time with a vision for John Rambo and how he felt he needed to train to achieve that? He wanted to be so strong that when Rocky hit his opponent, it just obliterated him. I would think his recovery would have to be a bit more extensive and important than what it was, say, 20 years ago. Jeff O'Connell is the editor-in-chief for Bodybuilding.com. There are certain things he wants to pop—he wants to make sure he can still move and be agile enough that you remember the military history of John Rambo. Rambo was most known for his head-turning arms that complemented his lean build and low body fat. Remember how many franchises this man has had—not to mention the ones that should have been franchises, but for whatever reason, didn't turn into one. And some of those injuries happened years ago. Be the first to receive exciting news, features, and special offers from Bodybuilding.com! Is that still a part of his training? Sign In. A couple of years ago, he told me that when he reads scripts or writes a script or considers doing something now, he looks at it like, "Can I give a year of my life to this? That's right folks; Sly put in a decent amount of work into his physique, it didn't just come to him naturally. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. The order in which you go about doing this is essential for optimal results. Getting ripped like Rambo will require you to build muscle and to lose body fat. Was this time different? Join today and unleash the power of Losing fat first will help you regulate hormones such as Leptin (hunger hormone). He's bringing back an iconic character here, so should the character be such a departure from the original? He's also an accomplished painter who's had exhibits in Europe and Russia. He's not a monk. To hear Peterson tell it, Stallone's greatest character is himself. He's on his own. Bodybuilding.com℠ and BodySpace® are trademarks of Bodybuilding.com. Sly has managed over six decades to constantly dangle the carrot in front of himself, whether that's for creating a new character or bringing back an old character. I do it for myself. Train ranked him 19th on its list of 50 influential people in the fitness world. This has to be an important film for him, bringing closure to an iconic character. Because I work with the Lakers now, I'm not there in the morning hours when Sly trains. Sylvester Stallone, who played Rambo in the film series, had everybody in America idolizing his physique. It's great. Getting ripped like Rambo will require you to build muscle and to lose body fat. A study led by Peter R. Shepherd and published in the 1993 "Journal of Biological Chemistry" suggests that gaining fat may not be solely dependent on adiposite hypertrophy (increase in fat cell size), but may also be due to adiposite hyperplasia (increase in number of fat cells) 1. We spoke with Sylvester Stallone's longtime strength coach, Gunnar Peterson, on the eve of the film's release. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/sylvester-stallone-workout Furthermore, it is imperative that you create a caloric deficit -- which means that you have to burn more calories than you consume. He also has other pursuits that are relaxing to him. So more recently he has trained at my facility with Brad Siskind. Everybody wanted to be that guy. Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each It's going to involve upper-back strength, trap strength—all those things that are signatures of Sly's characters for almost everything except for "Cop Land" (1997) and "Spy Kids 3-D" (2003). Never take a set past technical failure (the point at which form begins to deteriorate). If your fitness level permits, do High Intensity Interval Training two to three days per week (hill sprints, stationary bike intervals, etc.). Not to mention the agility, the mobility, how he could move within his environment in the forest, in the mine shaft—all that stuff. If you saw Rambo I and II, you would have noticed how dramatically Stallone's physique changed between the two movies. With some of those injuries, you recover enough to maybe finish the movie, but then later that area becomes nagging. I would expect nothing less from Sly. Avoid injury and keep your form in check But at the same time, I would imagine John Rambo doesn't approach training from the standpoint of vanity. And as a director, wouldn't you want him to? In "Rocky Balboa" (2006), which I trained him for, he brought back a different character. "Hands down, Sly is the most entertaining person I've ever met," says the Beverly Hills-based trainer to the stars, speaking by phone on his afternoon drive back from training the Los Angeles Lakers. 5777 N Meeker Ave, Boise, ID 83713-1520 USA. Rambo was most known for his head-turning arms that complemented his lean build and low body fat. While gym-goers everywhere dream of being ripped like Rambo, many fail because they lack a blueprint for success. He's involved in the whole thing. Be sure to use a variety of rep ranges, including heavy weights for five to eight reps and moderate weights for 10 to 12 reps. To achieve six pack abs, men will generally need to have less than 12% body fat, while women need less than 20%; this, however, is not attainable for everybody due to discrepancy in genetics. I have one of his paintings hanging in my living room. It's not by accident that he's as adept in the ring as he is. Warm-up: 2 minutes on the Synergy Air Power Tower, emphasizing multidirectional shoulder mobility. 11 The guy has so much experience. The fact that this is called "Last Blood"—what a great name. Over the years, I've worked with a number of elite boxers, from Mike Tyson to Antonio Tarver, but I did their strength and conditioning. Filmgoers may feel like they've known the actor equally long. Gunnar Peterson says it feels like he has been training Sylvester Stallone "since the beginning of time." He likes to say, "At some point, the check comes due," which applies equally to karma and injuries. It is critical to let each muscle group rest for 48 hours in-between strength-training workouts. One trait Stallone shares with his on-screen characters, though, is a tremendous physicality, forged over the decades by hitting the weights and hitting them hard. What can you tell me about his current approach to nutrition? But by following some simple tips, you too can get ripped like Rambo. How much has his training changed due to the fact that he's now in his 70s? He trains for performance and strength out of necessity. Peterson says if you're expecting the gruff, monosyllabic Balboa when you meet Stallone, you're in for a surprise. Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit Plus? more exercises. When training for the earlier Rambo movies, Sly's goal was to be as jacked as possible, I assume. How he moves? You can bank on that. To wit, Stallone is the only person, besides Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin, to win Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor for the same film. Considerations for your diet during the cutting phase include: eating nutrient dense foods for the majority of your meals, consuming a high protein/low carbohydrate diet and drinking ample amounts of water. For thousands of men around the country, that role model is none other than Rambo. Many people take the wrong approach by starting with a “bulking phase,” in which they increase their caloric intake for several weeks to build muscle. It's planes of motion. It's movement and it's working around, never through, the injuries. Or, is it just that he kept getting better? He trains for performance and strength out of necessity. + An obvious connection links Sly and boxing. So, for me to bring out the mitts for Sly would be kind of insulting to him. I know he understands the importance of sleep. BodyFit is your solution to all things fitness. should be done before you give it a shot. Luca Francesco Giovanni Bertolli/iStock/Getty Images. If you watch the Rocky series, he gets better and better until he peaks in IV (1985). Aim to lose two pounds of fat per week during the cutting phase. It is critical to let each muscle group rest for 48 hours in-between strength-training workouts. You can imagine a guy doing that many fight scenes and action films and being around that many explosions, that many cars and motorcycles and horses. In addition, be sure to focus on compound exercises such as: To achieve six pack abs, men will generally need to have less than 12% body fat, while women need less than 20%; this, however, is not attainable for everybody due to discrepancy in genetics. Be sure to use a variety of rep ranges, including heavy weights for five to eight reps and moderate weights for 10 to 12 reps.