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Nocturnal Animals star Jake Gyllenhaal has an intense gym workout and training plan for his upcoming role in the film Stronger. The movie is based on the memoir of Boston Marathon bombings survivor Jeff Bauman.
To prepare for the role, Gyllenhaal hit up Jamaica Pond, which is popular workout spot in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The 35-year-old’s workout regimen also included early morning SoulCycle classes. Jake Gyllenhaal took his role seriously off-screen, as well.
He served as an honorary co-captain of the Boston Medical Center’s 2016 Boston Marathon team with Jeff Bauman, who had been treated at the hospital in 2013.
Bauman would author his memoir in 2014. Jake Gyllenhaal has spent a lot of time meeting with several bombing survivors in the Boston area and has toured the hospitals where many survivors were treated.
It is not the first time Jake Gyllenhaal has shown dedication toward a movie role with an intense workout. Gyllenhaal bulked up to play boxer Billy Hope in 2015’s Southpaw. Basically, Gyllenhaal lived like a professional boxer.
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He also had a strict workout regimen for 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Jake Gyllenhaal is now considered one of the fittest guys in Hollywood, and he really works hard on his fitness and workout regimen.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Intense Workout Routine
How does Jake Gyllenhaal bulk up for many of his movie roles?
For Prince of Persia, plyometric circuit training was key to his success. Plyometrics are exercises that exert maximum muscle force over short intervals of time.
The exercises tend to be bodyweight workouts that shock the muscles into a complex action. The workout will get you ripped and burn fat through the combination of isometric and eccentric contractions.
Plyometrics include exercises like burpees, plyo push-ups, squat thrusts, jump squats, and box jumping, plyo pull-ups, lunges, and one-legged deadlifts. Many gyms and trainers are incorporating plyometric routines into their training.
In addition to the circuit training, Gyllenhaal will also perform chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms, and strength training exercises. The following is a sample of Jake Gyllenhaal’s other workouts:
- High-Intensity Interval-Training (HIIT): High-intensity interval-training involves performing strenuous exercises within a short period of time with smaller rests. Gyllenhaal did his HIIT workout with a 10-minute uphill sprint and some abs exercises at the top of the hill. After he repeated this five times, Gyllenhaal would follow it up with a 10-minute run and some stretching.
- Cardio: Cardio and running helped increase Gyllenhaal’s stamina while also building muscle. Gyllenhaal would a 90-minute outdoor cardio workout with a 20-pound jacket to simulate the armor in preparation of the Prince of Persia.
- Parkour: Gyllenhaal enjoyed his parkour workout, and it was an integral part of his exercise routine. The actor started with gymnastics and then moved to jumping on harder surfaces like benches, bridges, beams, and rooftops. He performed some cardio exercises before his parkour training while being focused on landing to increase his agility.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Diet and Healthy Lifestyle
Jake Gyllenhaal also follows a healthy diet to complement his intense workout sessions. Before starting his workout, Gyllenhaal will eat a banana with a few dry fruits, nuts, and an espresso.
Eating before a strenuous workout helps prevent fatigue. He then consumes a healthy breakfast after his workout with a protein shake and an egg-white omelet.
He then eats a light lunch and dinner. For lunch, he might eat a baked potato with a salad and tuna, while for dinner he may consume a soup with some more protein shake.
Gyllenhaal also consumes protein bars, dark chocolate, and supplements rich in omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids. He also drinks over two liters of water every day.
Sources:
Johnson, M., “Jake Gyllenhaal Training Heavily for Boston Marathon Bombing Movie Stronger,” People website, April 1, 2016; http://www.people.com/article/jake-gyllenhaal-workouts-boston-marathon-movie-stronger.
“Jake Gyllenhaal Workout Routine Diet Plan,” HealthyCeleb website; http://healthyceleb.com/jake-gyllenhaal-workout-routine-diet-plan/5539, last accessed Sept. 15, 2016.
