Aaron Taylor-Johnson is done with the bloat. After a big gain in muscle mass to prepare for the film Kraven The Hunter, the story of a super muscular villain from the Marvel universe, the British actor finally breathes and resumes a regular and very complete sports routine but above all less restrictive. Dancer and former gymnast, the actor revealed in Kick- cultivates an approach to sport based on movement and overall well-being which allows him to feel good in his body and to perform his own stunts. The latest: the famous angel’s leap from the new advertising campaign for the Acqua di Gio perfume by Giorgio Armani.
A technical and artistic performance made possible thanks to his adventurous personality and his sporting past but also to a few specific training sessions with an Olympic diver. Impressed by this feat and wondering if Aaron Taylor-Johnson was still capable of doing a backflip, I spoke with the actor about the way he trains today, the importance he grants flexibility and mobility as well as meditation. Interview with a disciplined man who doesn’t worry too much.
What does your workout routine look like today?
Things have changed a bit since last year when I was working on Kraven The Hunter (the release in France is scheduled for August 28, editor’s note). For this film, I followed intensive and very strict training with the aim of gaining a lot of muscle mass. He is the sports coach David Kingsbury, known for having prepared Hugh Jackman for his role as Wolverine in the saga X-Men, who developed my program. We did six sessions of an hour and a half per week following the principle of push/pull/legs. For example, day one was chest/shoulders/triceps, day two was back/biceps, and day three was legs. Then we alternated. I lifted very, very heavy weights to break as many muscle fibers as possible and promote muscle growth.
It takes a lot of discipline to follow such training, right?
To subject your body to such intense changes and establish a new routine requires discipline. The goal during this type of transformation is to obtain maximum results in a short period of two to three months to build the physique of a character. Since then, I’ve gotten leaner and done a lot more cardio. To be completely transparent, I weigh between 77 and 79 kg while for Kraven I reached between 88 and 90 kg (Aaron Taylor-Johnson is 1.80m tall, editor’s note). I was much broader and had more developed pecs, which was contradictory to the speed and agility with which my character moved. I prefer to be lighter for performing stunts and gymnastics.
