{"id":294155,"date":"2025-11-16T00:08:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T00:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/294155\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T00:08:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T00:08:13","slug":"i-tried-daniel-craigs-full-body-workout-heres-what-happened-when-i-trained-like-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/294155\/","title":{"rendered":"I Tried Daniel Craig\u2019s Full-Body Workout \u2014 Here\u2019s What Happened When I Trained Like Bond"},"content":{"rendered":"

Across 15 years and five films playing James Bond<\/a>, Daniel Craig<\/a> needed to look powerful yet athletic \u2014 strong but nimble \u2014 and even good with his top off. It\u2019s fair to say he achieved that.<\/p>\n

Working with PT Simon Waterson duringt his time as 007, Craig\u2019s training<\/a> was split into performance and aesthetics, even as he entered his late forties and fifties. While he needed to convincingly fight Dave Bautista<\/a> on a train in Spectre, he also needed to look good doing it. His gym work helped with that, with Waterson putting him through his paces. <\/p>\n

‘Aesthetics is a by-product of performance,’ Waterson told Esquire<\/a>. ‘You\u2019re never aiming for a specific look. It\u2019s about a functional physique that looks like an athlete that can perform and do everything he’s going to be asked to do within the context of the movie.’<\/p>\n

So, I wanted to see if I had what it takes to keep up with the skilled marksman. Perhaps it would even get me in with a chance of becoming the next James Bond himself \u2013 chance would be a fine thing…<\/p>\n

The WorkoutComplete the circuit 3 timesIs it Worth Trying? <\/p>\n

When considering how Craig provided a gritty edge to his portrayal of James Bond, this workout is perfectly in keeping with his characterisation of the role. It’s tough, it’s testing, and it requires an ability to work through the pain.<\/p>\n

Waterson’s five exercises manages to hit every muscle in the body<\/a>, and completing them as part of a circuit spiked my heart rate \u2013 after the step-ups in each round, it became difficult to control my breathing. But it was thoroughly rewarding. <\/p>\n

Clean and jerks are a solid movement to start off with, getting everything firing early on in the workout. Then came the step-ups, a movement that is a lot more challenging than it initially seems. Trust me, your quads<\/a> and glutes<\/a> will be screaming by the end of the prescribed reps. And the hanging knee raise isn’t the rest-like period I thought it would be \u2013 when your breathing is heavy and you diaphragm is stretched, engaging the core<\/a> becomes immeasurably harder. The push-ups were comfortable, however. And I at least had something to look forward to at the end of each round of the circuit, with the barbell curls providing the light in the tunnel I didn’t know I needed. <\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

They were still far from easy, though. Curling barbells puts uncomfortable strain on my wrists, so some EZ bar curls might have worked better. They were also a bit too heavy for me \u2013 40kg is normally the right weight for me to use during regular workouts, but it’s certainly not when fatigued and wanting a sit down. I didn’t want to start using even more equipment, either. For the circuit, I had to hoard: a barbell, two dumbbells, a box, a pull-up bar, and a whole lot of space. It’s fair to say I wasn’t the most popular person in the gym this morning. So, in the interest of efficiency (and not using any more equipment) I stuck to the same barbell for both the clean and jerks and barbell curls, adding on a few more reps to the first exercise once I realised I could’ve gone heavier. <\/p>\n

Ultimately, the biggest test from the workout proved in my forearms<\/a>. After cranking out 10 reps on the clean and jerk and just about managing to survive through 10 reps on each leg of the step-ups, it became a case of just hanging on for dear life during the hanging knee raises. Slight respite is offered when dropping down into the push-ups, but they’re fired back up for one more ride in the barbell curls. Pulsating forearms isn’t a feeling I’ve become accustomed to. <\/p>\n

Push-ups did feel slightly out of place compared to the more difficult exercises, too. To get those Daniel Craig walking-out-of-the-ocean pecs, I might’ve preferred some bench or dumbbell press<\/a> instead. That being said, the bodyweight exercise is still adequate enough \u2013 I added a few more reps on and slowed down the tempo to make it more of a challenge. <\/p>\n

Waterson certainly had a licence to beast Craig with this workout. Come the end, after around 20 minutes, I needed a good sit down. What I love most is that it’s a session that’s easy to scale up or scale down. Next time around I might add another round so that I’m completing four sets, while if I’m short on time I could just do a quick one or two rounds. <\/p>\n

How to Do the MovementsClean and Jerk \"man<\/p>\n

Sink down into squat position and hold a barbell with overhand grip, shoulder width-apart. Get under the bar as you drive it up towards your shoulders, then straighten your legs to stand. Bend your legs and use momentum to jump slightly and push the bar straight up above your head. Reverse the action to lower the barbell back down to the floor.<\/p>\n

Step-Up\"man<\/p>\n

Place a bench or a box in front of you and step onto it with one foot with weights in both hands. As you plant your foot, push through the heel so that you are up on the box. Slowly lower yourself back down, resisting gravity as much as possible. Repeat, either alternating legs, or on the same side for the outlined reps.<\/p>\n

Hanging Knee Raise \"man<\/p>\n

Grab a pull-up bar and lower yourself into a dead hang with your shoulders away from your ears. Tuck your pelvis under and pull your navel to your spine to engage your core. Raise your knees as high as possible and lower slowly back to the starting position. Control the movement to avoid swinging.<\/p>\n

Push-Up\"man<\/p>\n

Begin in the high plank position with your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Focus on keeping your shoulders away from your ears with your core engaged and your entire body locked. Lower your chest towards the ground with your elbows below your shoulders, creating an arrow shape with your body. Explosively push the floor away from you until you fully extend your arms. <\/p>\n

Barbell Curl\"man<\/p>\n

Stand tall with an empty olympic bar, with your palms facing towards you and arms shoulder-width apart. With minimal momentum, curl the bar upwards towards your chin. Squeeze here and lower the bar under control taking a 3 count to bring it down. <\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men\u2019s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.<\/p>\n

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.<\/p>\n

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running \u2013 he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark\u2026<\/p>\n

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs<\/a> or on X @ryandabbs_<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n