Sylvester Stallone is one of the most celebrated names of Hollywood. He a fantastic actor, he also has a physique that defies age. Right from his earlier days, he has maintained a body that is strong, muscular, and athletic.
When it comes to playing characters like ‘Rocky’ and ‘Rambo’ on-screen, the intensity which Stallone brings on-screen is unmatchable. His rippling muscles and monstrous size make him look badass and complements his character requirements.
In most of his action flicks, Stallone had sported a physique that is strong, muscular, and ripped. Sylvester Stallone’s workouts have always been intense and hardcore. He has invested in his blood, sweat, and tears to attain the physique he is known for. This is evident from all the Rocky series training montages that some fitness freaks watch on loop.
This celebrity workout guide will be about Sylvester Stallone’s workout routine that he followed while filming Rocky 4. Let’s get through it.
Program Overview
To bring complete justice to his role as a boxer in the Rocky series, Stallone had to approach different training methods for achieving his physique goals. In the first two parts, Stallone workouts were primarily focused on gaining muscle mass and size. On the contrary, when he started prepping up for Rocky III, he focused more on improving his muscular definition and leanness. He even dropped his body fat percentage to 2.9 percent. Now you must be getting an idea about Stallone’s dedication.
Sylvester Stallone achieved his best shape while preparing up for Rocky IV. His workout routine was precisely like that of a professional bodybuilder. He wanted to look huge, athletic, and defined for Rocky IV. It was imperative as the movie plot demanded him to face Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago), who was nothing less than a mountain of muscle.
While preparing for Rocky IV, Sylvester Stallone was training as if he was going to compete in the upcoming Mr. Olympia competition. His training program included old-school lifting performed using free weights. It helped him in putting on the muscle mass that made him look huge. He relied primarily on basic bodybuilding exercises. With Franco Columbo by his side, Stallone had all the guidance that he needed to build a jaw-dropping physique.
Sylvester Stallone Workout Schedule
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms and Abs
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: Calves, Thighs, Rear Deltoids, Trapezius, and Abdominals
- Sunday: Rest
Sylvester Stallone’s workout plan was brutal and hardcore. After all, how can one expect to counter Ivan Drago in a boxing match without being huge and brutally strong?
To attain such a massive physique, Stallone trained under former Mr. Olympia and Schwarzenegger’s best friend, Franco Columbo. At that time, Stallone used to train for six days a week. Each day he had two workouts targeting different muscle groups.
Sylvester Stallone Workout Routine
Sylvester Stallone’s workout routine consisted of two training sessions in a day. He used to hit each muscle group three times a week. His exercise routine followed a high-volume approach to promote both strength and hypertrophy gains.
Sylvester Stallone Workout Plan | |
Exercises | Sets x Reps |
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday | |
Morning – Chest, Back, and Abs | |
Incline Bench Press | 4 x (8-10) |
Dumbbell Flys | 4 x (10-12) |
Close-Grip Bench Press | 5 x (6-8) |
Wide-Grip Chin-Ups | 6 x (8-10) |
Bent-Over One-Arm Lateral Raises | 4 x (8-10) |
Close-Grip Seated Rows | 4 x (10-12) |
Raised Leg Crunches | 3 x (8-10) |
Seated Extensions | 3 x (8-10) |
Afternoon – Shoulders, Arms, and Abs | |
Military Press | 4 x (8-10) |
Side Lateral Raises | 4 x (10-12) |
Bent-Over Dumbbell Flys | 5 x (6-8) |
Barbell Curls | 3 x (8-10) |
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls | 3 x (8-10) |
Concentration Curls | 4 x (10-12) |
Lying Dumbbell Raises | 3 x (8-10) |
Bent-Over One-Arm Lateral Raises | 3 x (8-10) |
Cable Pulldowns | 3 x 10 |
Alternate Leg Raises | 3 x (8-10) |
Decline Bench Sit-Ups | 3 x (8-10) |
Oblique Crunches | 3 x (6-8) |
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday | |
Morning – Calves and Thighs | |
Seated Calf Raises | 4 x (8-10) |
Standing Calf-Raises | 4 x (10-12) |
Standing Barbell Alternate Calf-Raises | 5 x (8-12) |
Incline Leg-Press | 4 x (8-10) |
Squats | 4 x (8-10) |
Seated Leg-Extensions | 4 x (8-10) |
Leg Curls | 4 x (10-12) |
Leg Extensions | 4 x (10-12) |
Stiff-Leg Deadlift | 4 x (10-12) |
Afternoon – Rear Deltoids, Trapezius, and Abdominals | |
Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear-Delt Raise | 4 x (8-10) |
Cable Crossovers | 4 x (10-12) |
Reverse Pec-Deck Flyes | 5 x (8-12) |
Barbell Shrugs (Front) | 4 x (8-10) |
Barbell Upright Rows | 4 x (8-10) |
Flat-Bench Cable Rows to Neck | 4 x (8-10) |
Ab Crunches | 4 x 8 |
Oblique Crunches | 4 x 10 |
Cable Crunches | 4 x (10-12) |
Sunday – Rest | |
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Did Sylvester Stallone do bodybuilding?
Sylvester Stallone trained like a professional bodybuilder while preparing up for Rocky IV. In that sense, he definitely did bodybuilding. However, he never participated in any bodybuilding competitions as such.
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How much can Stallone lift?
Undoubtedly, Stallone has trained himself to be brutally strong. In his prime, he was able to bench press 385-400 lbs and squat 500 lbs. He also used to perform his weighted pull-ups, hanging a 100 lbs dumbbell to his waist. He was able to perform his bicep curls with 70 lbs dumbbells.
Final Words
And that’s it. One cannot deny the fact that Stallone exhibited a great deal of dedication towards his workout plan. Currently, he is in his 70s and still sticks to a strict workout program and takes care of his diet. You can watch out for his age-defying physique in the Expendables series or his latest blockbuster, Rambo V -Last Blood. Sylvester Stallone’s story has always been inspirational. The way he rose to the top from being just a regular guy next door can motivate anyone to not give up on one’s dreams. His work ethics are unmatchable, and he is undoubtedly the superstar that everyone respects and admires.
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This workout guide would have indeed provided you with everything that you wanted to know about Sylvester Stallone’s workout routine. Still, we would recommend you to follow his workouts under an expert’s supervision. This will make sure that you progress well following it.