Gyllenhaal's uphill sprints and constant ab exercises really helped build up this body for his role in the movie Prince of Persia.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s workout routine in preparation for his Prince of Persia movie role focused on shredding up his six pack abs and getting in top muscular shape. Just seeing Gyllenhaal’s body with his shirt off showed how effective his training was for the movie.

Gyllenhaal’s personal trainer, Simon Waterson, got Gyllenhaal to transform his body in less than four months for the movie. Waterson also worked with a variety of other actors, notably Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the James Bond films.

For the movie, Gyllenhaal didn’t just have to look the part, but he needed to actually be the part. Therefore, he needed to train and fight like a battle warrior as portrayed in the movie. He had to be conditioned in a way of being capable of doing things like climbing walls and running through sand with a suit of armor.

In preparation for the film, he would workout twice a day. In the morning, he would put on a 20 pound flak jacket and run around the park and in the sand for about a half hour. This helped him prep for wearing a heavy suit of armor and running around the deserts of Morocco in the movie. Gyllenhaal also did repeating 10 minute uphill sprints followed by ab and stretching exercises. Running uphill is one of the best workouts you can do. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that running uphill activates 9 percent more muscle each stride compared with running with the same intensity on flat ground. At night, after he returned from script reading and sword fight training, he would start his second bout of exercise, focusing on resistance workouts that incorporated everything from cables to press-ups.

He also did the French martial art of Parkour, which involves jumping around roof tops, benches, beams, and bridges. The creator of Parkour, David Belle, worked closely with Gyllenhaal to ensure he went through the proper training and fundamentals to build added lean muscle and a ripped six pack. Jake started off with a gymnastics routine before doing jumps on harder surfaces. He practiced landings and focused on cardio workouts prior to starting the real parkour routine. There are numerous health benefits to parkour. It encompasses both your mental and physical abilities. This really builds up true strength, flexibility, and balance that you can’t otherwise find in a typical gym.

Gyllenhaal’s diet would consist of eating six times a day- three meals and three snacks, all of which contained the proper nutrients. It’s important to eat every few hours of the day to ensure your body is getting adequate nutrients throughout the day.

Source

http://www.popeater.com/2010/05/29/jake-gyllenhaal-abs-prince-of-persia-workout/

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