Matt Damon Says Getting in Shape for Jason Bourne 5 Was “Brutal”
Matt Damon is getting super fit for the latest Jason Bourne sequel with a rigorous diet and workout. It has been a whopping nine years since the actor starred in the film franchise. His character is being resurrected in 2016 and the actor couldn’t be happier to take part.
At 45 years of age, Damon is in the best shape of his life, and looking back on his 29-year-old self when he first starred in the film franchise, it’s hard to believe that he is middle aged—although he did say it’s much harder to achieve a shredded physique as one gets older! He looks incredible and he admits the preparation is one of the biggest challenges he’s faced. As a pasta, bread, and wine lover (who isn’t?), it was difficult for him to switch out Italian food for a high-protein and high-vegetable diet, with lots of exercise to boot.
How exactly did he transform his body? Some of the star’s secrets will be shared with us and Damon says that in the end, it’s all worth it. He also boasted, “Five years ago, I couldn’t do a straight pull-up. [Today] I can do 35 straight pull-ups!” Now, that’s impressive!
Matt Damon in Jason Bourne 2016 is sure to impress audiences with his performance due to the intense physical work he put in to be in perfect shape for the high-impact action scenes in the film.
Another word the actor used to describe the Matt Damon workout and diet: “brutal.” Ouch! Sounds like it wasn’t very fun.
In fact, this quote by Matt Damon on Jason Bourne preparations in a BBC interview says it all: “I was on a very strict diet and spent a lot of time in the gym making myself miserable.” Yikes. At least the man is honest, and we get it. Read on to find out more about the diet that put Matt Damon in Jason Bourne sequel mode.
Matt Damon looking buff at ‘Jason Bourne’ film premiere, London, Britain. Credit: Elliot / Splash News
Matt Damon’s Diet for the Bourne Sequel
Damon’s diet for the Jason Bourne 5 movie sequel is what the star himself describes as “painful but very, very effective.” Small secret: no pasta was involved in the diet. But seriously, Damon had to eat six meals per day that each consisted of 50% protein, 25% carbs, and 25% good fats.
Breakfast included three hard-boiled eggs, a glass of milk, some whole-wheat toast with honey, and some nuts. This kept his body fueled during vigorous workouts. Damon quickly ingested a powerful protein smoothie with whey protein isolate, creatine, and another scoop of honey within 20 minutes of his first workout of the day to ensure his muscles were being fed the nutrients required.
Lunch was more protein: typically some grilled skinless chicken breast or lean steak with a large green salad on the side. Salad components included coconut oil, avocado, kale, capsicum (hot pepper), spinach, and broccoli. A cheese sandwich made with whole-wheat toast was often added to his already health-boosting lunch.
Around 3 p.m., he ingested the second protein drink, a casein blend with a handful of nuts and seeds like almonds, pistachios, flaxseeds, and pumpkin seeds.
Finally, dinner consisted of lean fish or red meat with a side dish of green beans. Dinner was always smaller than lunch as later in the day, Damon’s body was going to burn fewer calories.
Matt Damon Workout for a Toned Jason Bourne Body
Damon trained with one of the best fitness trainers ever, Jason Walsh. He put Damon on a high-intensity cardio workout that was built around a very important piece of equipment called the VersaClimber. The machine works by forcing the user to simulate a fluid vertical climbing motion that works the upper and lower body at the same time. Just like running, it engages the core and boosts the heart rate.
Every day, Damon used the machine for 10 minutes to rev up his metabolism so that he would burn calories for the rest of the day. This is known as high-intensity interval training. In addition to cardio, he had to build strong muscle mass throughout his body. To do this and achieve those chiseled abs and muscular arms, he strength trained four times per week. The strength training included the following exercises:
- Dumbbell swings
- Reverse lunge step-ups
- Dumbbell push-ups
- Knee step/press
Damon performed these in 20-minute, non-stop circuits. He combined them with traditional weight-training exercises like bench presses, squats, dead lifts, and, yes, pull-ups! He completed anywhere from six to 12 reps of each. He also jogged, kick-boxed, and cycled! Once again, impressive stuff!
What Matt Damon’s Workout Can Teach Us
Matt Damon’s preparation for Jason Bourne is pretty remarkable. He gave a consistent and admirable effort in his transformation, hitting the gym regularly for three straight months. He stuck to a strict diet and workout routine and never indulged in a cheat day. He was devoted to this role and all the hard work that came along with it.
If this teaches us anything, it is that when you stick with something consistently without getting distracted by temptations and that nagging voice in your head telling you to give up, one really finds their strength and determination like Damon did. He never imagined at his age that he would be able to do the things he can do after this kind of training and that must give him a great sense of pride! And he proved to himself that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
You too can feel a sense of accomplishment by sticking with even a small lifestyle change, like 10 minutes of exercise or cutting sugar out of your diet a couple of days a week. One day, you may look back like Damon has and see how far you’ve come! It’s totally worth it, it seems. We are so looking forward to seeing this action-packed film in theaters, along with his miraculous body transformation!
Sources:
“MATT DAMON: JASON BOURNE WORKOUT,” MSI College web site, March 4, 2016; http://www.msicollege.com/matt-damon-jason-bourne-workout/, last accessed July 20, 2016.
“Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne Workout and Diet,” Fat Fighter Blogs web site, February 24, 2016; http://www.fatfighterblogs.com/jason-bourne-workout-diet, last accessed July 20, 2016.
Bub, A., “EXCLUSIVE! Matt Damon on his toughest transformation yet for James Bourne: ‘I can do 35 straight pull-ups now,’” The Fix web site, April 21, 2016; http://thefix.nine.com.au/2016/04/21/12/22/exclusive-matt-damon-on-his-toughest-transformation-yet-for-jason-bourne, last accessed July 20, 2016.
Black, P., “Matt Damon Says Getting In Shape For 2016’s ‘Jason Bourne 5’ Movie Was ‘Brutal,’” Design & Trend web site, April 25, 2016; http://www.designntrend.com/articles/74725/20160425/matt-damon-says-getting-shape-2016-jason-bourne-5-movie-was-brutal.htm, last accessed July 20, 2016.
