Matt Damon is again playing the role of an amnesiac CIA agent after 9 years (And we love it!). He last did it in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). This time, the challenges were bigger for the actor as he had to put more back in the workouts to prepare for the role. He also had to strictly control his diet. As expected, he succeeded in both and his ripped body drew attention again. So, what are the workout and diet secrets that helped him to get in probably the best shape of his life? Here’s the answer.
The Simple Truth
Damon recently confessed in an interview with BBC that age didn’t help him in getting fitter. The first time he played Bourne, he was just 27 and even then, the workouts were hard for his body. This time, the exercises were brutal on his body as he is 45 now. He even shot for a bare-knuckle fighting scene on his 45th birthday and reveals that he did a lot of hard work to get there.
He revealed a simple truth, the things that helped him get in shape again were spending a lot of time in the gym and following a very strict diet. He faced so many challenges in getting into shape that he even joked that probably Bourne would be fat and happy old man in the next film of the franchise.
The Trainer
The person who played a key role in making the American actor the hot Jason Bourne once again is none other than celebrity trainer, Jason Walsh reports Business Insider. He has been helping the actor to train right since 2013 and they work well together because of the training methods used by the trainer. These methods are dedicated not to making a person buff but to creating an athletic physique.
The Issues
The well-known trainer has revealed that when he first met the star, the actor was facing some lower back and shoulder issues. Matt knew that the trainer had helped people with the injuries, so he sought him out. They worked on the injuries for some weeks and the issues were resolved.
The Three Films
The fitness expert and the versatile actor got together not for the Jason Bourne (2016) film alone, but to keep the celebrity in shape for two other films, viz., The Martian (2015) and The Great Wall (2017). They began the workout and diet journey for these films in 2014.
Solid Foundation
The creator of Rise Nation classes praised the Interstellar (2014) actor by saying that his foundation is solid which means that he has good overall strength, flexibility, and mobility.
The Challenge
The challenge for the duo came when the film director, Paul Greengrass shared that Bourne needed to look physically and mentally distraught in the film. So they created a simple plan that helped them achieve this goal.
The Hard Work
Walsh admits that he made the skilled actor work very hard without actually breaking him. The core exercise method he selected for the film star was to workout on cardio equipment called VersaClimber that works out the entire body of a person because one needs to pull up and down with his arms by keeping the legs in a standing position. The exercise method resembles climbing a mountain at a rapid pace.
The Mystic Pizza (1988) actor worked on it and Jason measured how fast he could get to 200 feet or sometimes, he was asked to go as fast as possible for one minute. His average on Versaclimber was 4000 to 4500 feet in 30 minutes which is really good and very strenuous as well.
Daily Workout Routine
The trainer of Bradley Cooper made the actor follow a grueling daily workout regime that included 300 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 50 reps each of squats and squat jumps, sled push & pull, single leg squats with 125-pound dumbbells in hand and pull-ups with 35 pounds strapped to the waist.
The Tough Runs
As the shoot took the entire crew to the Canary Islands which is a hilly locale and London, England, which has several hills and ridges even in the dense urban environment, the trainer of Justin Timberlake made Matt work really hard. They woke up in the mornings and went for jogs in the park. They also jogged in the mountains at the Canary Islands.
Running at a 10% grade was a grueling feeling as a person’s heart comes in the throat due to the horrible experience. They did 5 or 6 miles of running at both locations reports Thrillist.
Diet Secrets
The Massachusetts-born actor was advised to have just 2000 calories during the shooting of the film. Even his water intake was limited as getting close to dehydration showed off his glamour muscles in a better manner. He drank a lot of water in the week leading up to the shooting and started cutting his water intake two days before the shooting day so that when the shoot happened, he didn’t have much water in the system.
This method was used while shooting the boxing scene (used in the teaser) in which the gifted actor puts his opponent down in one punch. (We suggest that you do not try to dehydrate yourself without an expert guiding you through it as it can lead to some serious health issues.)
The Proud Moment
A proud moment of Jason was when the shirtless pictures of Matt became an instant hit on the internet. He shared that this goal was achieved by putting in a lot of hard work for a long period of time, around one and a half years, which is not an easy feat.
Diet Indulgence
When the film was wrapped up, the husband of Luciana Bozán Barroso indulged in a large pizza. (Well, he deserved it, didn’t he?)
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