{"id":745389,"date":"2026-08-21T18:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/745389\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T18:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:54:17","slug":"j-k-simmons-is-still-jacked-at-71-heres-why-he-calls-dead-bugs-his-most-important-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/745389\/","title":{"rendered":"J.K. Simmons Is Still Jacked at 71 \u2013 Here’s Why He Calls Dead Bugs His Most Important Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve almost certainly seen the photos of J.K. Simmons<\/a>, biceps bulging and veins popping, looking less like an Oscar-winning actor and more like a man who actually could go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man<\/a> himself. Now 71, Simmons remains in formidable shape.<\/p>\n

But despite possessing some of Hollywood\u2019s most viral arms, the one exercise Simmons would keep above all others isn\u2019t a curl, press or heavyweight compound movement.<\/p>\n

Asked on an episode of the Men\u2019s Health Built for Life<\/a> podcast which single exercise he would choose for the rest of his life, Simmons doesn\u2019t hesitate: \u2018Dead bugs<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Simmons was introduced to the core exercise by his trainer Charles Cooperman<\/a> \u2013 and believes its benefits go far beyond simply building a stronger set of abs.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s such a great overall body exercise, especially if you add some dumbbells,\u2019 he says. \u2018More and more, I\u2019ve learned over the years something that my wife, who was a dancer, has always known: core, core, core. If you\u2019ve got a strong core, you can protect your back and everything else will follow.\u2019<\/p>\n

Why Dead Bugs Are His Exercise for Life<\/p>\n

That last point is the crux of Simmons\u2019 choice here. His approach to training is less about chasing numbers and more about lifting \u2018without abusing my knees and shoulders and wrists and every other joint in my body\u2019.<\/p>\n

Dead bugs<\/a> fit that brief perfectly. Commonly prescribed by physios and strength coaches, they\u2019re an \u2018anti-extension\u2019 exercise, teaching the muscles of your midsection to brace and prevent your lower back from arching while your arms and legs move independently.<\/p>\n

That ability to create stiffness through the torso is useful whether you\u2019re deadlifting, running or simply hauling the shopping out of the car. Dead bugs also fit with the \u2018spine-sparing\u2019 philosophy popularised by renowned back expert Professor Stuart McGill \u2013 building stability without repeatedly flexing or heavily loading the spine.<\/p>\n

Add light dumbbells<\/a>, as Simmons suggests, and you can increase the challenge while still keeping the movement controlled.<\/p>\n

\"ab<\/p>\n

Simple, scalable and capable of building the foundations for almost every other movement you perform, dead bugs are about as close to a Swiss Army knife as core exercises get.<\/p>\n

For Simmons, the move factors in no matter how much time he has. On busier days, his entire session could be \u201830 minutes on the exercise bike and some dead bugs on the bench\u2019.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re unlikely to make for the same kind of viral photos as those sleeve-splitting arms. But if dead bugs help keep you healthy enough to continue lifting into your seventies, they might just help you build them.<\/p>\n

\"kori<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it\u2019s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in \u2013 all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.<\/p>\n

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here<\/a> to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men\u2019s Health app.<\/p>\n