3 min read
Few men are responsible for as many on-screen physiques as Jason Momoa’s ‘Aquaman‘ trainer Mark Twight. In fact, Twight’s credits as an architect of superhero bodies are matched only by his reluctance to discuss them in public.
Whether it’s the media or the public boiling months of training and dietary interventions down to ‘this one single workout’ for the jacked, sinewy Spartans that Twight helped to carve out for Zack Snyder’s historical epic ‘300’, or all of the misinformation surrounding Henry Cavil’s legendary beef-up to play Superman, it can’t be easy to see your work butchered, backwards engineered and criticised based on whispers and hearsay.
Or, perhaps Twight, whose credits also include training special forces soldiers and world class athletes, just doesn’t think it’s worth getting embroiled in emotional social media debates over celebrity privilege, PED usage and the right bench angle for ‘optimal chest development’.
No, Twight was hired to do a job, and he delivered, in spades.
Celebrity Workouts, Love Them or Loathe Them?
Personally speaking, I don’t know if I believe there’s much value in seeing ‘celebrity’ workouts —after all, a good workout, from a good coach is good regardless of its intended recipient. With that being said, even the best workouts are only as effective as the programme they’re nestled within, the recovery and nutritional measures that are put in place and, more importantly, the intensity with which all of them are executed.
I do, however, always think it’s intriguing to see how the best trainers in the world put these actors to work when there’s money on the line and deadlines to be met. If nothing else, you’ll come away with a few workouts to try and some interesting celebrity talking points, and that’s exactly what we’ve got lined up for you.
Luckily for us, on the proviso that we print them unaltered and unedited, Twight has shared a few of the gruelling workouts that he put eccentric Hollywood icon Jason Momoa through as he bulked up for his appearance as submariner superhuman Arthur Curry, AKA Aquaman, across the DC Extended Universe. But first, we’ve got something far more useful to you than the sets, reps and exercises employed— the context behind them.
Balancing Weightlifting With Rock Climbing
Momoa, an avid rock climber, was extremely enthusiastic when he heard that Twight — a legendary figure in the climbing scene — would be handling the physical training for the film franchise.
‘He told me he had hidden my first book, “Extreme Alpinism” in a math textbook to read at school, back when he first started rock climbing,’ recalls Twight.
In fact, Momoa’s entire plan would have to be adapted to accommodate his desire to climb on an indoor rock wall 2-3 days per week.
‘We battled constantly with competing demands,’ says Twight. ‘Jason needed size for his role as Aquaman, but when climbing, being lighter is paramount. High training volume was necessary to make and solidify change, so recovery
