"Rocky 2"
To give himself the desired image in Rocky II, Sly resorted to the help of the legendary Franco Columbo. Franco is not only a massage therapist, but also a personal trainer for Hollywood stars. Stallone's training intensity at that time was similar to that of a bodybuilder during competitions, which is generally logical: there is not much difference between the stage and the film set.
When Stallone first came to train with Franco, he weighed 77 kg. Sly felt he wasn't big enough and wanted to gain 5kg in 6 weeks.
From the point of view of my methodology, this is impossible: it is impossible for a body experienced in training to gain 5 kg in the best shape in a month and a half. But according to Franco Colombo and Stallone, why not?
In an interview, Stallone said that he was relentless and fought for the result. The best athletes, when they train 6-20 hours a week, hardly gain 5 kg in a year, but here is a miracle: 5 kg in a month and a half.
Sly's efforts were eight times better than any academic athlete. He managed to gain the required amount of muscle mass and now weighed 82 kg.
His pectoral and arm muscles increased in size, while his waist remained the same. Stallone's body fat percentage did not exceed 4-6%. He became stronger, bigger and more defined.
So I also advocate for this - for increasing the biceps and preserving the waist, if the skin in the navel area is like on the hand. It’s a pity that not all of my clients measure their waists, but now after reading this article, I’m sure they will.
Best weight
No one knows exactly how much Stallone weighs. There is a lot of conflicting information on the Internet, as well as in the confused testimony of the actor himself. But the greatest weight that I saw on the Internet is 100 kilograms. Let me remind you that in the film “Rambo”, the actor weighed 72 kg. Normal weight for a natural jock. But…
Stallone's weight range from thirty to seventy was about thirty kilograms.
Of course, even by the age of thirty, Stallone devoted a lot of time to training in order to pump up 72 kg of muscle on his 178 cm skeleton. But with age, his growth accelerated.
How did Sly manage to grow so big in his old age?
Biceps volume in men depends on age
The parameters of the biceps muscle change with age. The volume of biceps in men at 20 years old is slightly different from the volume of sixty-year-olds - this difference is about a centimeter.
For example:
- From 20 to 29 years – 33.5 cm.
- From 50 to 55 – 34.5 cm.
These are approximate figures of normal volume for average, untrained people.
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"The Expendables"
For The Expendables, Stallone was trained by fitness and extreme bodybuilding coach Gunnar Peterson, who has worked with many NHL and NBA stars, as well as most Hollywood stars.
Extreme bodybuilding is another type of bodybuilding to add to my vocabulary. I learned this term from the latest articles in a popular glossy magazine.
Sly says:
“I wake up early in the morning at 7:00, then take a BCAA complex. In 45 minutes I have my first breakfast. Easily digestible food is great here. For example, I use 2 boiled eggs, 4 pieces of figs and 1 sandwich. Next, I allow myself to relax a little and within an hour I’m in the gym!
First I do a warm-up, which takes about 10-15 minutes.
The training itself begins with working out the muscle fibers of the arms, which takes 40-50 minutes. Next, I train the deltoids for about 30 minutes. After that I do abdominal muscle training. Next, I do 450-500 repetitions with a gymnastic cane.
At about 13:00 I have lunch. My diet consists mainly of salads, boiled chicken breast, fried zucchini and a couple of pieces of fresh fruit.
The second half of the day is devoted to work and business meetings. For dinner, I like to eat fried fish, salad, some spinach and a couple of slices of toasted bread. In addition to chicken breast, I also eat veal.
Almost any meat that I eat contains a small percentage of fat. Once upon a time, I could eat several hod dogs in a row, resulting in painful sensations and cramps.
My training takes place for 3 days in a row, then I rest for 1 day. If I have a tough business week ahead, I train only 2 days a week, and also reduce the amount of food I eat by about 2 times.”
Here I can’t understand, where is the secret to gaining weight? How to maintain 100 kg? What is the secret: a piece of fig, 500 repetitions with a gymnastics cane, fried zucchini, or business activity?
In 2007, Stallone was stopped at Australian customs because the growth hormone Jintropin, one of the elements of extreme bodybuilding, was found in his luggage. The actor was accused of attempting to import illegal drugs into the country and was forced to pay a fine. However, in one of the interviews, Stallone admitted that thanks to Ginotropin, his well-being and physical fitness had significantly improved, and that he needed this remedy during the filming of “Rimbaud” in Burma.
Start
To become like Stallone, you have to start somewhere. Not everyone is ready for extreme bodybuilding and gynotropin, so I suggest starting with home bodybuilding and my 75 approaches.
Stallone's biceps volume Sylvester Stallone's arm workout.
Sylvester Stallone's arm workout is based on working out the entire muscle group of the arms. It involves quick transitions from training one muscle group to the next without pauses for rest.
Not only does this keep him in great shape, but it is also his training regimen to build impressive arm size and strength.
The following workout for biceps, forearms and triceps should be performed in 4 to 5 cycles, with virtually no rest.
Biceps exercises are performed from the first to the sixth exercise without rest, moving from one to another and so on for 4–5 circles. Then, without taking a breath, move on to the next muscle group. The principle of execution is the same.
Training the triceps muscle consists of one giant approach, after which rest - 60 seconds and perform a superset after which rest - 2 minutes and repeat all over again, 4 - 5 circles. This is what working out the triceps is all about.
This workout will ensure maximum muscle growth. So you can start building your arms like big boys.
Sylvester Stallone's arm workout.
Biceps (4 -5 circles)
1. Rows from the upper block to the chest, reverse grip - 10, 15 repetitions, use a narrow grip.
2. Lifting the barbell for biceps, with a narrow grip – 15 repetitions.
3. Raising the barbell for biceps, wide grip - 6, 8 repetitions.
4. Hammer dumbbell curls while sitting on an incline bench - 10, 12 repetitions.
5. Crossover curls - 10, 12 repetitions, a second pause at peak muscle contraction.
6. Reverse barbell curl - 10, 12 reps
Without rest.
Forearms (4 - 5 circles)
1. Barbell Wrist Curls, Seated – 25 reps
2. Barbell wrist extensions, overhand grip – 25 reps
3. Hold the pancakes - 2 minutes.
Without rest.
Triceps (4 - 5 circles)
Giganset
1A. Close-grip barbell press, bench press or Smith machine – 12 reps.
1B. Dips with emphasis on triceps – 25 reps.
1B. French bench press - 12, 15 reps.
1G. Push-ups with emphasis on a bench - for maximum repetitions.
1D. Extension of arms from the upper block with a reverse grip - 12, 15 repetitions.
Superset
1A. Push-ups from the floor with a narrow position of the hands - for maximum repetitions.
1B. Straight arm plank with narrow emphasis - max. by time.
Rest after a giant set - 60 seconds, after a superset - 2 minutes seconds and for a new circle.
Sylvester Stallone training for Rocky
Sylvester Stallone's training program
Sylvester Stallone's training program has changed over the years and with new roles. For Rocky and Rambo, Sly trained in heavy bodybuilding programs. Stallone works out at a high pace, eats a high protein diet and uses testosterone/growth hormone to stay in top shape.
The physique and image of Rocky arose back in 1976, at the same time Sly received an Oscar in the Best Picture category. Since then, Stallone has been in excellent shape.
Rocky's training program
Rocky's training program varied throughout the film. When he looked drier, like in Rocky III, metabolic circuits were used. When the need to look more massive, like in Rocky Balboa, traditional bodybuilding training was used 6 days a week.
Sly was once asked in an interview where he gets his workouts from and how he learned to get good form:
“I wanted to look like Tarzan - dry, dense, with cat-like grace. I wanted to forget about mass for the sake of well-developed muscles. I started training in a hardcore weightlifting program twice a day. When I made Rocky, I increased the amount of exercise."
Rocky 2 training program
In preparation for filming the second part of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone trained with two-time Mr. Olympia Franco Colombo as a trainer. Sly knew that Columbo was a friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger and helped him in training. Stallone wanted Columbo to be his coach in preparation for Rocky and Rambo. Franco Colombo says:
“I had to charge quite a bit of tuition because Sly wanted to train as hard as he could, as if he were training for Mr. Olympia. This meant two workouts a day, six days a week. I had to give up almost everything else I was doing to help him get into the best shape of his life."
Columbo forced Stallone to train the same way he trained for the Olympia. Sly worked with the same weights. Stallone likely wasn't able to do as many reps, but the goal was to do the best he could.
Colombo describes the program this way:
“I developed a personal program for him, and then we started training together, and I constantly increased the weights and the number of repetitions. I knew that this would motivate him and force him to “keep up” with me. When I did 12 reps with a weight, Sly tried to do at least 7. After all, I might be stronger than him, but not by that much. The next set I did 15 reps, and Sly tried to do at least 10. By the end of our workouts, he was doing bicep curls with 32-pound dumbbells!”
For Rocky 2, Stallone had to lift heavy weights to develop his physique. Not only because he worked under Colombo's program, but also because he trained with him. The following is the training program for Rocky 2 (source: Franco Colombo Training Program):
Correct biceps: ways to determine
Large biceps in the presence of frail legs, a thin neck or a narrow chest look at least ridiculous, the main thing is the harmony of all parts of the body.
Dimensions close to ideal can be seen in famous athletes:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger - had biceps of 56 cm! At the same time, the athlete’s weight was 105 kg, his height was 188 cm, and his chest reached a volume of 45 cm. His biceps are still used by many as an ideal parameter in physical development;
- Sylvester Stallone - had smaller biceps - 43 cm, but his height was 174 cm, and his chest volume was 127 cm;
- Dwayne Jonsog (The Rock) – his biceps grew to 50 cm, with a weight of 119 kg. and height 196 cm.
Rocky 2. Training program, 14-day split
Day Morning Evening 1 Chest / Shoulders Arms / Press 2 Back Legs 3 Chest / Shoulders Press 4 Arms Press 5 Legs Back 6 Chest / Shoulders Press 7 Rest 8 Arms / Press Legs 9 Back Press 10 Chest / Shoulders Arms 11 Back / Press Legs 12 Chest/Shoulders Press 13 Arms Press 14 Rest
Chest Workout
Bench press 3 10/15/4 Superset #1 Crossover on a block 3 20 Superset #1 Lying dumbbell flyes (butterfly) 3 15/20/6 Superset #2 Crossover on a block 3 20 Superset #2 Barbell bench press 3 15 Superset #3 Pullover with dumbbells 3 15 Superset #3 Bars 3 to failure Superset #3 Crossover on the block 3 25 Superset #3
Supersets 1 and 2 are performed in a pyramid: the weights increase, the repetitions decrease. With each set, weight is added and the number of repetitions is decreased. Superset 3 is called the Dagger Set, you superset all 4 exercises, then repeat the circuit twice. This puts a lot of stress on the muscles (to the point of pain), hence the name.
Shoulder workout
Shoulders were trained without supersets. Just one exercise after another. For the head press you need to use a Smith machine or a spotter. Doing it alone is dangerous. We also recommend watching a video of the exercise.
Arm training
The arm workout is different from what Franco Colombo did in preparation for Mr. Olympia. The producers wanted Stallone's arms to look more sculpted rather than bulky, so Columbo developed the following program.
For muscle definition, Colombo said to do all exercises in supersets. This means you do one exercise after another without rest. Do a superset of 2 exercises, 3 sets. Then move on to the next superset.
French seated dumbbell press 3 10 Superset #1 Barbell curls 3 10 Superset #1 French bench press 3 10 Superset #2 Seated biceps curls 3 10 Superset #2 Standing French press 3 10 Superset #3 Standing biceps curls 3 10 Superset #3 Forearm workout 3 10
In an interview with Franco, Colombo talks about the importance of turning your arms inward while performing bicep curls to avoid injury. The workout ends with a forearm exercise. Also, Stallone was allowed to stretch as much as needed after training. Colombo says:
“The forearm is very important for a balanced appearance and a strong grip. Curling your arms after a workout stimulates growth and also burns calories."
Back workout
The back workout begins with standard sets/repetitions and ends with a superset of dumbbell rows and parallel grip pull-ups (the technique is shown in the video). As an alternative, pulley pulleys with parallel handles can be used.
Exercise Sets Repetitions Details Wide-grip pull-ups 6 10-15 T-bar rows 4 10 Seated lat pull-downs 4 10 Bent-over dumbbell rows 3 10 Superset #1 Parallel grip pull-ups 3 10 Superset #1
Leg workout
For leg training, you can choose between Romanian deadlifts and barbell lunges. If you don't want to get injured, or you already have an injury, switch to lunges with a barbell.
Squat with a barbell 7 20/15/10/8/6/4/2 Leg press 4 50/25/15/8 Seated extensions 6-7 20 Lunges with a barbell 2-3 12-15 Option #1 Romanian deadlift 6 5/ 5/5/3/1/1 Option#2
Abs workout
Abdominal training was an integral part of creating Stallone's on-screen image.
Sly also did bar spins, situps, leg raises, lateral leg raises, and lateral abdominal stretches. You can include these exercises as desired.
Methods for increasing biceps
It’s not enough to just pick up a barbell with dumbbells and train your arms; you need to use a variety of techniques and schemes:
– Superset – suitable for experienced athletes (after 1-2 years of training), must be used periodically
– The principle of the pyramid – increasing and decreasing working weight during the exercise;
– Specialization (separate training) – targeted training of lagging muscles by reducing the load on sufficiently developed muscles;
– Drop sets – reducing the working weight with each approach without resting one after another;
– variation in the number of repetitions – remember that to develop strength it is necessary to perform 5-6 repetitions in 1 approach, to increase muscle volume 8-12 repetitions, to develop strength endurance and work out the definition of the biceps 15-20 repetitions.
Train in a variety of ways, cultivate willpower and you will achieve your ideal, good luck!
Watch this video on YouTube
Training program for Rocky 3
The training program to prepare for Rocky 3 was the same as in the second part. But Stallone had to lose weight to fit the David and Goliath-style poster for the film (he was preparing for a fight with Mr. T). According to the trainer, all the same exercises were used with some variations.
The key difference was the inclusion of more functional training in the program. Stallone also radically changed his diet. For Rocky 3, Sly used metabolic functional circuits, including 18 rounds of sparring and jumping rope.
So, the training program for Rocky 3 included:
- 18 rounds of sparring in the ring
- 2 hours of work with iron (training program for Rocky 2)
- 2 km run
- a lot of jumping rope
- swimming at the end of the day
Sylvester Stallone's weight
Sylvester Stallone's body weight varied from film to film, depending on the specifics of the script and Sly's wishes. He could change the program or diet to achieve the ideal shape. Here's how much he weighed in different parts of Rocky:
- Rocky - 81 kg (178 lbs)
- Rocky 2 - 91 kg (200 lb)
- Rocky 3 - 74 kg (163 lb)
- Rocky 4 - 78.5 kg (173 lb)
Stallone on Rocky 4 (weight 78.5 kg):
“I like this weight, the muscles are full, defined, more consistent with the appearance of ancient athletes. I'm not as skinny as I was in Rocky III and I feel stronger."
Training for Rocky Balboa
Sylvester Stallone was trained for the filming of Rocky Balboa (2006) by trainer Gunnar Petersen. Sly knew that he was training in the style of 50's and 60's bodybuilding in preparation for Mr. Olympia. Stallone admits that his training was more traumatic:
“It was traumatic. Your joints wear out and you feel inflammation you didn't know you had. We have to live with it because the discomfort does not go away. Every day I took painkillers. For all five parts of Rocky combined, I did not have so many injuries... I broke my foot. I lost a disc in my neck. Torn calf muscle"
Motivational excerpt from Rocky Balboa:
Sylvester Stallone: training program
When the movie "The Expendables 2" appeared, many people wondered how Sylvester Stallone keeps himself in such shape. In this article we will talk about how the 66-year-old actor works out, eats, and what he pays more attention to.
Content
Biceps size by age
The parameters of the “can” depend on age; in older people they are slightly larger than in young people and it is about 1 cm, for example:
- at the age of 50 years – 34.5 cm;
- at the age of 25 years – 33.5 cm.
These parameters are considered normal for people who do not train.
Watch this video on YouTube
Sources
- https://gymlex.com/hollywood-category/stallone.html
- https://bombatelo.ru/obem-bicepsa-kak-pravilno-izmerit/
- https://www.stylefitness.ru/trenirovki-i-pitanie-silvestra-stallone.html
- https://aactive.ru/silvestr-stallone-biografiya-parametry-znamenitostei-diety/
- https://bartendaz.ru/training/startraining/stallone_rocky/
- https://mensup.ru/sport/trenirovki/trenirovki-silvestra-stallone
- https://VolleyMos.ru/bodibilding/obem-bicepsa/
- https://muscleoriginal.com/byt-kak-stallone-ili-trenirovki-slaya/
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Biography
Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946 in New York. Studied at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Miami.
The film “Rocky,” a film that glorifies the postulate “of equal opportunities for everyone” so dear to the hearts of Americans, was released and from the very first days of release began to break all box office records. Overnight, Stallone quickly moved from a third-rate actor to the “rank of star.”
However, besides Rocky, Stallone has another trump card - “Rambo”, three episodes of which brought the actor even greater popularity and huge profits.
But although in a number of subsequent films such as “Nighthawks” (1981), “Cobra” (1986), “From All Might” (1987), the actor continued to exploit the screen image successfully found in “Rocky” and “Rambo”.
Participation in John Landis's comedy "Oscar" (1991) - a remake of the famous French film with the brilliant Louis de Funes in the title role - revealed to the public a new Sylvester Stallone - comical, resourceful and cheerful.
Being “the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood,” Sylvester Stallone is an extremely busy man: he acts a lot, writes scripts, dreams of staging a ballet, and also actively participates in the social life of American bohemia.
Rambo
Almost simultaneously, the premiere of Rambo: First Blood took place in the third “Rocky”.
This was no longer an uplifting sports drama, but a bloody action film, where Stallone appeared before the audience as a revenge-obsessed Vietnam War veteran, a weapons expert, killing opponents left and right. The film was incredibly popular even in the USSR, and Rambo became a household name. Interestingly, several high-level actors were invited to play the role of Rambo. So, a likely candidate was Al Pacino, who planned to turn Rambo into a real psycho, which Stallone, the author of the script, did not like. Dustin Hoffman turned it down himself after reading the script, which he found overly violent (he accepted the role of a woman in Tootsie instead). Clint Eastwood was busy filming another project, and John Travolta was rejected by Stallone himself due to personal hostility.
The second part of the film was released in 1985 and became a plot continuation of the first. However, critics were skeptical. The third part (1988) was received even cooler. We had to wait almost 20 years for the sequel, and the hero’s return to the screens did not arouse much enthusiasm.
Rambo - Escape from the Police
However, this did not stop Stallone from thinking about the fifth part. He announced that Rambo 5 has the right to exist back in 2014. “This will be the story of John Rambo’s fight against the drug cartel and slave traders who kidnapped a little girl,” Sly shared his plans.
In December 2020, the FOX channel, together with the executive producer in the person of Stallone, began work on the series “Rambo: The New Blood”. The plot centers on the difficult relationship between John Rambo and his son, who followed the example of his heroic father and enlisted in the Marine Corps. The premiere date of the series is still unknown.
Sylvester Stallone's training program
1. First complex: Squats with a barbell - 8 repetitions Deadlifts with dumbbells - 10 repetitions Seated twists - 10 repetitions (illustration 1) Pull-ups with weights - 6 repetitions (illustration 2) Dips with weights - 6 repetitions
2. Second complex: Seated leg extensions - 10 repetitions Standing calf raises - 8 repetitions Dumbbell shrugs - 8 repetitions (illustration 3) Reverse grip dumbbell raises - 6 repetitions (illustration 4) Hammer dumbbell curls for biceps - 6 repetitions biceps curl on Scott bench – 6 reps
3. Press Hanging leg raises – 3 sets of 10 reps.
Each of the above exercises is discussed in more detail (picture + video) in our section - “Encyclopedia of Exercises”.
When performing exercises, especially rotational or balancing exercises, remember that you need to carefully monitor your technique , because many movements can be dangerous. For example, in the film, Stallone's character wears a leather bracelet on his finger, which actually hides the injury.
As for training, he does not have a single program or uniform technique, that is, the following programs can be used:
- Bench press program;
- Training for athletes (side, football, basketball, etc.);
- Mass gain workouts.
So what's the secret?
For the film "The Expendables" Stallone seriously worked on increasing the mass - it is easy to see that in the films "Spy Kids" and "Rocky Balboa" its shape was different. This time he focused his training on the forearms, trapezius and neck muscles.
Stallone's trainer, Gunnar Peterson: “The bulk of the training was on the lower body muscles: we do deadlifts and shrugs with the same weight, so we also worked the forearms. In general, basic exercises are the most effective .
Nutrition
At one time, Stallone decided to make his own movie. Well, today he decided to produce his own sports nutrition “InStone” . The reasons are similar. In the abundant American market, over the years of his film career, he was unable to find products that met his professional, and therefore demanding, taste - just for people we considered and selected, and also compiled a sports nutrition rating. In other words, nutrition is based on the use of a large number of quality supplements, this was discussed here:
It should be noted right away that “InStone” is not a publicly available product. Even a banal whey protein costs Stallone incomparably more. And not because Sly abuses the markup. The point is different. This is exactly what real whey protein should cost. (Only the most obtuse can ask why all other proteins cost almost half as much.)
From the very beginning, Sylvester set the company's staff the unique task of creating drugs of pharmacological quality . At first, such a goal seemed impossible. After all, the same food technologies are used in the production of sports nutrition. Bulk packaging lines operate under known assumptions. Deviations in the composition of ingredients can be several percent. When it comes to flour for homemade pancakes, this may be acceptable. What about a product for building muscle mass, where the active ingredients are measured in milligrams? It turns out we need to start with the equipment?
Then the production program ran into a raw material problem. The same amino acids, as is known, are synthesized both by doctors (for their own needs) and by numerous commercial structures as food additives. It would seem that the sports nutrition manufacturer has a choice. There's really no choice. For the simple reason that the quality of medical amino acids is expensive. Needless to say, Stallone chose them.
Doping and steroids
The appearance of Sly at an age with an excellent physique began to be associated with the use of prohibited steroids and other types of doping. Many believed that he restored youth to the body only thanks to such means. The reality is a little different. Since the mid-90s, Sly has been actively using growth hormone injections. It is not prohibited in most countries, and is freely available in pharmacies, including in the Russian Federation.
In this way, he fights facial paralysis, due to which part of the face simply sags and loses its human appearance. A pleasant bonus from using growth hormone is a reduction in the percentage of subcutaneous fat. After these words, many will run to the pharmacy to buy such drugs. But it's not that simple. Growth hormone can only be used under the supervision of a doctor, because all tumors, both benign and malignant, progress from it. Stallone has an appropriate staff of doctors, endocrinologists and oncologists who monitor his health. That is why, when detained in Australia, Sly got off with only a fine. The presence of official prescriptions for the purchase of growth hormone mitigated the punishment. Note: HGH is prohibited in Australia, especially when it is transported, which is considered smuggling and distribution.
So, among all the available doping, Sly was caught on only one - growth hormone. He used anabolic steroids only for his first roles, when narrow shoulders and the absence of any significant muscle mass harmed the character's image. Subsequently, he began to work hard on his body without using doping for one reason - his reluctance to become a classic bodybuilder, which Arnold was. Their feud saved Sly from taking doping. He lived with the idea of doing everything differently from Arnie.
The absence of significant doping in Stallone’s arsenal is easy to see in photos and videos. Narrow shoulders and weak deltoids had not progressed before, and did not appear even during the Expendables era. The biceps grew thanks to a kind of genetics. Dryness was achieved through the usual popular diets and regular exercise. Nowadays, a low fat percentage is not so much the result of training as it is the intake of growth hormone.
But as noted above, Sly has a rather simple figure, which does not make his popularity less, but on the contrary, it has increased several times. Every man can get the exact same physique. Moderate muscle mass and visible relief, even despite pronounced shortcomings such as narrow shoulders, etc., still create the aura of a person who is familiar with the word “sport” firsthand.
