The Unexpected Training Style Jason Momoa Finds 'Nurturing'

There are few physiques as instantly recognizable (and enviable) as Jason Momoa’s. The 6’4″, 240-pound actor has a naturally imposing frame that’s been bulked and honed across a variety of roles in Game of Thrones, Conan the Barbarian, Frontier, as well as both the solo feature Aquaman and its sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. 

While Baywatch was Momoa’s first acting gig, its his stoic role in Game of Thrones that put him on the map and marked his first major fitness transformation. It wasn’t what you’d call a clean bulk. Momoa admitted to eating pizza to put himself in a calorie surplus to gain size to play the Dothraki chieftain. But that was then and this is now.

We spoke to Momoa and sifted through our archives to see how his approach to fitness has changed in the past and present.

Then: Heavy Lifting 

Like any celebrity fitness transformation, Momoa relied on heaving heavy metal to build more muscle, with no shortage of grueling workouts. For 2017’s Justice League and 2018’s Aquaman, Momoa worked with trainer Mark Twight, who famously helped Henry Cavill get ripped to play Superman in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. 

Momoa did heavy renegade rows and dumbbell raises, battle ropes work, and pullup ladders before maxing out with bench presses.

Related: No, Jason Momoa Isn’t on the Keto Diet. Here’s How He Eats to Get Ripped

Now: Functional Free Weight Work 

“I nonetheless get tempted every now and then to max elevate and add these two further plates on, however that’s once I have to have a dialog with myself and ensure I don’t do one thing that is going to do extra injury than good,” Momoa says. “I’ve bought somewhat extra knowledge now. I’ve been via this dance for 45 years.”

Momoa will lift when he’s getting ready for a movie like Aquaman 2, but typically relies on dumbbells and cable machines. 

However, there is one exercise he doesn’t think he’ll do again: flat bench press. 

“It simply does’t make sense for me to do this anymore,” Momoa confesses. “There are so many different issues which might be higher for my all-around strength and talent to carry out.” 

Now and Forever: Kettlebell Complexes

“I discover training with kettlebells and resistance bands very nurturing,” Momoa reveals. “The second I found kettlebells, it was a game-changer.”

In part that’s thanks to Damian Viera, Momoa’s personal trainer and healer. In a 2021 interview with Men’s Journal, he said he programmed kettlebell ladder workouts for Momoa to actively engage and strengthen his muscle tissue. Jason would do a series of two-handed squats, two-handed deadlifts, two-handed swings, one-handed swings, and one-handed cleans.

Now, he’ll work with heavy kettlebells to maximize time and work multiple muscle groups and energy systems. He’ll use an 88-pound (40-kg) and 124-pound (56-kg) kettlebell to do split squats, sumo squats, and kettlebell swings, and go a little lighter for single-arm presses and Turkish getups.

In the past, he avoided isolated exercises for his legs. “I’m half Hawaiian, and genetically meaning if I train legs even just a bit bit, they get large,” he says. But kettlebells are able to torch his lower body, work his core, and get everything really strong and powerful without lifting heavy or blowing up.

“I don’t have a lot time nowadays, so it’s about how rapidly and the way powerfully I can bang it out,” Momoa says.

Related: 10 At-Home Kettlebell Workouts to Improve Your Overall Fitness

Then: Working to Failure

It’s easy to get carried away and to think optimal fitness means firing on all cylinders 24/7: one more rep, one more plate, one more day. 

“I’ve had so many accidents through the years that now I’m extra within the exercises that take care of me as a lot as they make me robust,” Momoa admits.

Now: Prioritizing Rest and Training for Longevity 

“Being injured is such a downer—such a drain, mentally, especially when you enjoy getting after it,” Momoa says. 

But it is these reminiscences of being sidelined that hold him in test from doing one thing he in all probability should not be trying. Rather than abusing his body and seeing how far he can push his limits, Momoa is concentrated on training to really feel good. 

“I’ve also realized that I get bigger after my workouts the more I rest,” he says.
“It’s not about pounding myself with workouts over and over again. If I take two days off, I come back stronger.”

Then: Training for Aesthetics

It’s no shock that trying the a part of a DC Comics superhero is not essentially the most sustainable.

“If what I’m doing is all about trying to look unnatural, then the chance of being able to keep it together gets a lot more difficult,” Momoa says. “You can see it when a bodybuilder cheats on their diet or loses focus for just a week or so.” 

Now: Training for Dynamic Athleticism

Rather than being tremendous strict concerning the training and building superficial muscle mass, Momoa’s fitness hinges round feeling pretty much as good as he seems.

“If you try to accomplish a strong but natural physique for yourself, it’s going to be a lot better in the end,” Momoa says, “and it’s going to be a lot easier to maintain the whole year through, which is how long some of these productions take.”

For Momoa, mountaineering has at all times supplied an immense quantity of pleasure that, fortunately, interprets properly into his training. 

“Climbing serves as movement therapy,” Viera says. It’s an effective way for Momoa to check himself with problem-solving, but in addition hold his body pliable so damage is prevented when he wants to enter dynamic actions.

Speaking of which, medication balls have additionally been an effective way to train energy and add muscle whereas fostering athleticism.

For the primary Aquaman movie, Viera labored in lots of medication ball exercises utilizing 10-, 15-, and 20-pound Dynamax balls to maintain Momoa shifting properly with Aquaman’s trident. They labored via remoted chest passes, hammer rotations, bilateral passes, and extra.

Now and Forever: Enjoying the Process

There are so some ways to work out whereas having fun with life.

“You can get burnt out super easily if all you do is lift things just to put them down,” Momoa says. 

Doing the stuff you love, then throwing in somewhat weight training right here and there may be the way in which to make a healthy way of life stick. 

“Keeping good people around who love to train and inspire me is a huge part of being successful as well,” Momoa provides.

To that finish, Momoa’s been leaning into boxing with Ian Streetz, even bringing him to the Minecraft film whereas filming. 

“I don’t get to box as much as I would like to, because we’re so busy, but I love when I get to throw some hands and my kids love to box, too,” Momoa says. “My daughter is such a hammer. I’m not going to have to worry about her at all.”

Related: Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Deadpool’ Push Day Workout: Upper-Body Bulk

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