This workout was not designed for you. It was structured specifically for Jason Statham at a certain point in time to account for his goals, his lifestyle and his conditioning level. So, this isn’t necessarily Jason’s current training programme, but rather a snapshot of one week in a much longer progression of training.

Jason’s regimen is continually manipulated in order to account for the many outside factors that can influence progress. including, but not limited to, nutrition, sleep quality, recovery, career demands and physical injuries. So consider the workout that follows to be a 7-day glimpse at Jason Statham’s ever-evolving workout.

Day 1: Progression to his Deadlift One-rep Max

The objective of this workout is to build pure strength in one of the most effective total-body lifts: the deadlift. To accomplish this, Statham works his way up to his one-repetition maximum (1RM) of the heaviest weight he can lift one time. Before he begins, though, he completes a two-part warm-up session.

Warm-up: Rowing. For this, Statham completes 10 minutes on the Concept 2 rowing machine at a pace that is less than 20 strokes per minute (SPM). (Jason’s distance: 2274 metres).

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Warm-up (Part 2): Pyramid Circuit. Perform the three exercises below as a circuit, performing one set of each in succession without resting. Use a pyramid repetition structure to the workout, so in your first round of the circuit do one repetition of each movement, and then, in each subsequent round, perform an additional repetition.

So you’ll do two repetitions of each exercise in round 2, three repetitions in round 3, and so on. Once you’ve completed five rounds, continue on, but reduce the reps you complete each round by one. So you’ll do four repetitions in round 6, three reps in round 7, and so on, until you’ve worked your way back down to one rep.

1. Press-up

2. Ring Pull-ups
(These are classic pull-ups, but Jason uses gymnastic rings instead of the bar, and performs each repetition as quickly as possible while maintain control and a full range of motion)

3. Barbell Squat

Jason Statham’s 7-day Workout Plan

Day 1

The first day of Statham’s workout plan involves just one exercise. Statham starts with a light weight of about 35 per cent of the amount of his 1RM and then slowly starts adding weight and reducing repetitions. As the weight becomes closer to his 1RM, which, for Statham, is more than twice his bodyweight, his rest between sets increases to 3 minutes. This allows for nearly complete recovery between lifts. Remember, these are the weights that Jason uses. They should be determined based on individual ability.

Jason’s Deadlift Workout

Reps: 10
Weight: 135 pounds
Rest: 1 minute

Reps: 5

Weight: 185 pounds
Rest: 2 minutes

Reps: 3

Weight: 235 pounds
Rest: 3 minutes

Reps: 2

Weight: 285 pounds
Rest: 3 minutes

Reps: 1
Weight: 325 pounds
Rest: 3 minutes

Reps: 1

Weight: 340 pounds
Rest: 3 minutes

Reps: 1

Weight: 350 pounds
Rest: 3 minutes

Reps: 1

Weight: 360 pounds
Rest: 3 minutes

Reps: 1

Weight: 365 pounds

Cool-down

10 minutes on the trampoline. Jason uses a full size 10×17 foot gymnastic trampoline for 10 minutes of freestyle aerial work. Jason has an Olympic diving background so he’s doing fairly advanced movements here. In addition to fine-tuning motor skill the trampoline is suppose to be good for your lymphatic system and flushing toxins from your cells.

Day 2

Functional Circuit
This workout is designed to be a metabolically demanding, training the entire body with exercises that work multiple muscle groups.

Warm-up (Part 1): Rowing. Just as in Day 1, Jason completes 10 minutes on the rowing machine at a pace that’s less than 20 strokes per minute (SPM).

Warm-up (Part 2): Static Hold Circuit. Do the next four exercises as a circuit. For each exercise, you’ll hold a specific position for 30 seconds, and then have 10 seconds to change stations, before starting the next exercises. Do a total of four rounds.

2. Kettlebell Farmer Hold
Grab a pair of heavy kettlebells or dumbbells will work in a pinch and let them hang arms length at your sides.

3. L-Sit on Parallettes or dips bars
Jason uses parallettes to perform this exercise but the L-sit can also be done on a dip station that has parallel bars.

4. Bodyweight Squat Hold
Lower yourself to the bottom position of a squat with your thighs parallel to the ground and hold.

Workout

This routine, called the “Big Five 55 Workout,” is provided by Statham’s strength coach Dan John, who has Statham perform a circuit of 5 exercises a total of 10 times. There is no prescribed rest and ideally you move continuously from one exercise to the next while keeping the sets unbroken. Focus on going as fast as possible while maintaining form, full ROM, and control. The weights should be light enough to allow this.

You can run the stopwatch and race through this workout but for better results and quality movement you should simply try to keep the momentum and flow through the exercises nonstop. He starts with 10 repetitions of each movement, and each time through, decreases the reps by 1. So he does 10 reps of all exercises in the first round, 9 in the second, 8 in the third, and so on, until he’s doing just one repetition in each set. The result is that he completes a total of 55 repetitions of each exercise. Again, the weights below are the amount Jason used during this particular week.

1. Front Squat (95 pounds)
2. Pull-ups
3. Decline Parrallette Pushups
Directions: Hands on the parallettes, feet on a box so that they are approximately 1 foot higher than your hands. Do the prescribed number of press-ups. Typically, because you’re elevated on the parallettes you can go much deeper in the bottom position and really push the ROM, although this is dependent on shoulder flexibility.

4. Power Cleans

Directions: Set up in a slightly more upright deadlift position. Shoulders should still be over the bar. Take tension through the upper back and legs by keeping the arms straight. Without changing the torso angle push the feet hard into the floor to keep tension through the lower body. As the bar passes the knee, start to open the torso angle taking care to keep the bar close to the thighs. Extend the hips, brushing the bar up the thighs. As full hip extension occurs, start shrugging the shoulders and pulling the elbows high. Drop under the bar into a comfortable quarter squat position with hips set back and knees bent. Catch the bar with elbows forwards and a full grip on the bar. Stand to extension. You’ve successfully performed a power clean.

5. Knees to elbows
Directions: Hanging from a pull-up bar or from the rings at the half-cocked position (elbows at a right angle) raise your knees until they touch your elbows. Lower them back down in a controlled fashion so you don’t swing.

Day 3

Interval WorkThis session is performed on a Concept 2 rower.

Warm-up: Rowing. Jason completes 10 minutes on the rowing machine at a pace that’s less than 20 strokes per minute (SPM).

Workout

To mimic Jason’s interval workout, you’ll do six intervals of 500 metres. Between each 500 metre sprint, engage in active rest for 3 minutes. For this, you can get off the rower and get a drink of water but you must continue moving. Walking around will suffice. Here’s a look at Jason’s times for reference:Sprint 1. 1:40.1Sprint 2. 1:39.7Sprint 3. 1:43.9Sprint 4. 1:41.6Sprint 5. 1:38.7Sprint 6. 1:50.3

Cool-down

To finish up, Jason performs a farmer carry for 500 meters with two 70-pound kettlebells. There is no set or time structure. Just carry the weight for 500m, get it done as quickly as possible. This tends to be a grip issue so that dictates any rest that must be taken.

Day 4

Set Work
Here, Jason focuses on front squats, one of the best strengthening and total body conditioning exercises in existence.

Warm-up (Part 1): Rowing. Just as in Day 1, Jason completes 10 minutes on the rowing machine and at a pace that’s less than 20 strokes per minute (SPM). (Jason’s distance: 2095 metres).

Warm-up (Part 2): Jason does 20 repetitions of bodyweight squats before moving on to the primary portion of the workout.

Workout

5 sets of 5 repetitions of the front squat. In this workout, Jason used a load that was 105% of his bodyweight.

Jason’s Front Squat Workout

5Weight:

Reps:

175 poundsRest:
Reps:
175 poundsRest:
Reps:
175 poundsRest:
Reps: 175 pounds

Reps: 175 poundsRest: 90 seconds

5Weight:

90 seconds

5Weight:

90 seconds

5Weight:

90 seconds

5Weight:

Cool-downJason does 200 repetitions of the press-up, but he performs this workout using a ladder routine. We do this as partnered ladders of 1-5. So 13 ladders plus an extra 5 reps at the end.

“I do a pushup, he does a pushup, I do 2, he does 2, I do 3, he does 3, I do 4, he does 4, I do 5, he does 5. We’ve now each done 15 pushups and we immediately repeat the process starting at 1 again. We do these quickly with the only rest being the time it takes for each other to do his pushups. If you wanted to do this alone you could do – 1 pushup and count “1 one thousand”, do 2 pushups and count “1 one thousand, 2 one thousand”, etc. This approach allows you to do a large volume of quality work (with small sets there is no reason the pushups aren’t perfect and done explosively) without much, if any, residual muscle soreness. We also use this approach with pull-ups and knees-to-elbows. Not many folks finish their workout with 200 perfect pull-ups but this approach makes it doable.

Day 5

Cumulative Movements
This workout is designed to be a metabolically demanding, training the entire body with exercises that work multiple muscle groups. The Cumulative Movement workout consists of only one trip through as opposed to a circuit workout in which you repeatedly cycle back through the same movements.

Warm-up (Part 1): Rowing. Just as in Day 1, Jason completes 10 minutes on the rowing machine at a pace that’s less than 20 strokes per minute (SPM). (Jason’s distance: 2149 metres).

Warm-up (Part 2): The bear crawl and crab walk. Alternate back and forth between the bear crawl for a distance of 15 metres and the crab walk for a distance of 15 metres. Repeat until you’ve done five 15-meter increments of each.

Workout

A one round through a series of exercises.

Direction: Do one set of each movement, completing all of the prescribed number of repetitions before moving on to the next exercise. Perform each exercise as quickly as possible while maintaining proper form and full range of motion. The stopwatch is running on this one so try to get through it as quickly as possible by minimising rest.

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Jason’s Circuit Workout

7-metre Fat Rope Climbs
Reps: 5

Weight: Body

Front Squats
Reps: 5

Weight: 185 pounds

Ball Slams
Reps: 5

Weight: 30 pounds

15-metre Rope Pulls
Reps: 10

Weight: 90 pounds

Bench Press
Reps: 10

Weight: 175 pounds

Ball Slams
Reps: 10
Weight: 25 pounds

Pull-ups
Reps: 15Weight: Body

Dips
Reps: 15

Weight: Body

Ball Slams
Reps: 15

Weight: 20 pounds

Resisted Fat Rope Pulls
Reps: 20

Weight: Body

Whip Smashes
Reps: 20

Jason’s Time: 23:53

Day 6

Contextual Effort This can be any activity or sport that you enjoy doing. If this is of significant duration and intensity it should be considered as part of your training. In Jason’s case the goal was to get outside and maintain an activity nonstop for over an hour to build some endurance (training the aerobic energy pathway).

Workout

1 hour plus trail run in the mountains.

Jason’s time: 73 minutes.

Day 7

Rest.