Scott Adkins recently gave an interview for MensFitness. In it, he answered several questions regarding his training and diet for filming the film."Hard Target 2".
MensFitness: What is your workout routine? How often do you go to the gym?
Adkins: I train five to six times a week. Three of them are spent working with weights in the gym. Two of those days are cardio - I'm not a big fan of the treadmill or running in general. I do this, but I prefer martial arts style training. Depending on the project I'm training for, if I need to get bigger, I'll just train five times a week with weights and mix it up.
What exercises and techniques help you most in preparation?
I prefer the old school, to be honest: three sets, 8-12 reps. I love drop sets for triceps. I do chest and arms on Monday, legs on Wednesday, and shoulders/back on Friday. I don't think there are any secrets. You just have to go and train, that's the key. Simple thing that works, no need to overcomplicate it.
What was it like to take on the role of Van Damme (Hard Target 2)?
It was amazing. John Woo [director of the original Hard Target] was my favorite director when that movie came out. I mean, he's still one of my favorite directors right now. Van Damme, he is my favorite actor. I was worried about it at first because I was starring in "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning"with Van Damme, and worked on"Killer games"with him. In"The Expendables 2"My character was his right-hand man, and I was concerned that I looked like a guy who was cashing in on Van Damme, or trying to ride off his success, but that's not what I was trying to do.
What does it mean to you to work with such cool Hollywood actors as Jason Statham and Van Damme?
It's great, I was a big fan growing up. You'd have to try hard to find a bigger Van Damme fan, when I was between 12 and 18, I was obsessed with this guy, he inspired me at that age. Now I'm a man and I make films, I guess a lot of what made him famous has some sort of influence on what I do. There are similarities. But I would not say that imitation is purposeful. I'm not consciously trying to remake Van Damme's films or anything like that.
Did you think about this when you were offered the role in "Hard Target 2"?
I was really unsure whether to take part in this for this reason. But I read the script and it was almost tailor-made for me, so I just decided to go for it. I don't regret it. It's impossible to think about it now. If you had told me that I would be starring in Hard Target 2 when I watched the first one, obviously I wouldn't have believed it. I heard Van Damme approved of it [laughs]. We tried to pay tribute to the original. The director embodied John Woo's style and we're big fans of the original. We did the best we could.
What do you focus on when working on your legs and lower body?
I like explosive movements. I use plyometrics for my lower body. I need to train my legs more as I have some back problems at times - so much deadlifting to really tone up my legs. That's why I prefer not to put a lot of weight on my back, and that's why I do a lot of jumping jacks and kicks and things like that.
What did your diet look like when you were preparing for filming?
I've had difficulties in Thailand and China and places like that where there's a lot of rice and noodles and things like that, my diet sometimes gets a little disrupted in those parts of the world. But in general I find that if I cut carbs in the afternoon and eat vegetables and some protein the rest of the day, my weight comes off. It's pretty simple. I wake up and eat whatever I want for breakfast, which can be a big sandwich, and meat and vegetables for dinner.
Name a few of your favorite foods.
I just started making zucchini pasta [editor's note: that's what the British call zucchini], which I really like. Cut the zucchini into thin slices, like spaghetti, and season with Bolognese ragu. This dish is my favorite at the moment.
What type of cardio workout do you prefer?
I've had a lot of injuries, so I usually try to avoid cardio when I'm not preparing for a film. But I practice sprint training, which I feel better when I take breaks for a long period of time. They are very explosive and promote muscle growth. I put the treadmill on an incline and do sprints ranging from 20-30 seconds to 40-30 seconds. I do this up to 10 times. This is a very good sprint workout. Sprinting helps build muscle mass, while long-distance running will turn you into an endurance athlete. I really don't want to lose muscle.
What are your usual working weights?
On the bench press I weigh 40kg on each side + bar, and try not to go above that weight. [ Editor's note: This is 100kg or 225 lbs. ] I keep a training diary in which I note the weights that were last week, so that I know what to put on this week. If I do more reps, I write it down.
Did you cope with combining training and working on the film? How do you stay in shape on location?
Speaking of working in Thailand and the hotel where I stayed, because we were shooting in the jungle, I was in a place that didn't have a gym. I couldn't lift weights and, you know, if you don't use it, you'll lose it. Naturally, you will lose muscle mass if you only train with your body weight. It was important to stay in shape during the film, but I was so active that I tried to do it at any cost. I certainly burned a lot of calories.
Did you have any specialization in training for the film?
First of all, I didn't prepare a uniform for him because I'm always in shape. [ Laughs ] I haven't had to change what I'm doing. Physically, I was in better shape. Yes, you could remain a monster like me - massive all year round. But the thing is that I want to play in other projects as an actor. Sometimes I play "normal people". If I go there looking like a monster, I won’t get a role. Sometimes I need to be more, sometimes less. But I'm always in shape.
Source: MensFitness
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Tags: Hard Target 2, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins
Tags: Hard Target 2, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins
The final battle from the film ''HAPPY VICTORY DAY!'' 2015 is similar to Hong Kong action films of the 80s. Looks cool but not realistic.
Dave,
Tell me, where did you watch “Happy Victory Day”? I can't find him
Only the final fight on this site, an article about the interview.
Scott would star in normal films, and not in some slag.
Ice,
Who else would let him act in a normal movie?
Ice,
Well, that's it. Suddenly a new film with Scott Adkins. It seems even good, although clichéd.
Eliminators
https://youtu.be/whMYvZEegec