Fighters train especially hard in the lead up to their bouts, entering periods of intense, super-disciplined splits that push their limits to meet weight requirements and achieve peak skill and conditioning. Australian actor Daniel MacPherson isn’t actually a competitive fighter – but he got a real taste of what a fight camp could look like when he prepped to play one for the new MMA movie, Beast.
“The training for Beast was the most intense thing I’ve ever done in my life,” MacPherson told MH from the iconic Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach. “I had 10 weeks to get into fight shape.” The 45-year-old actor went through a rigorous process that included intermittent fasting and morning HIIT sessions paired with hours of martial arts lessons (Muay Thai, jiu jitsu, and boxing) combined with fight choreography. “All that challenge went on screen, so we’ve got this great intensity on screen that I don’t think has been matched in MMA films before.”
Along with that intensity and skill, MacPherson says he also had to gain about 20 pounds for the role. He had a background in endurance sports – specifically Ironman racing, which is no easy feat—so he started the process leaner than the fighter he would have to become. He worked with a team of trainers, nutritionists, and coaches to pull it off.
MacPherson walked us through one of his Beast workouts and opened up about the unique challenge that came with shifting training focus in his early 40s, his dream MMA training partner, what it took to stand toe-to-toe with costars Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth, and more.
Daniel MacPherson’s Beast-ly MMA Muscle WorkoutWarm-Up:
3 rounds of 3 minutes
Weighted Jump Rope
3 rounds of 3 minutes
The Workout:
1 set of 15 reps
Decline Weighted Sit-Up
1 set of 15 reps
3 sets of 10 reps per leg
4 sets of 8, 6, 4, 4
4 sets
4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
4 sets of 6 reps
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Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men’s Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.