Mark Wahlberg shares his 4am schedule before F45 workouts [Beuzz]

NO SMALL EVIL can stop Mark Wahlberg’s legendary 4 a.m. workout energy.

“Today, even with the stiff and sore neck, I was still there for about an hour and 15 minutes,” the Oscar-nominated actor said. men’s health. The night before, he’d strained his neck on the golf course, but he was still up in the wee hours for one of his now-iconic “4 am club” workouts. The night before, he’d put a group of early-rising comrades through a hellish sequence of pre-dawn sit-ups.

“We did a lot of ab wheelies, a lot of leg lifts and a few Supermans on the TRX, all at a pretty high pace,” he said of the session. In the video he posted on Instagram subsequently, Wahlberg called this crew “the A-Team”.

The star’s key to savoring discomfort before 5 a.m.?

“The big secret, gentlemen, is to go to bed earlier,” he says. “I have my wife and four children. Between my prayer time and reading scripts and doing whatever I need to do…if I also want to incorporate golf or some other “me time” activity, you kind of have to get up before everyone else. »

Between his 2:30 a.m. alarm and his early morning bedtime, Wahlberg indulges in an absurd amount of activity: long prayer and fasting sessions, videos and events featuring his own brand of tequila, covers for an upcoming movie, Our guy from Jerseyin which he plays with Halle Berry, and visits places of the F45 gym chain.

Wahlberg, who is an investor in F45 and now serves as the company’s Chief Brand Officer, is spearheading “Wahlberg Week,” a pack of seven free workouts co-scheduled with trainer Gunnar Peterson with titles inspired by the actor’s life. There’s “Swagger”, like his character in Shooterand “Southpaw”, a nod to The fighter.

The actor took some time after sunrise to offer advice on creating your own 4 a.m. squad, talk about how his training has changed over the decades, and share one of his favorite challenges of the week from Wahlberg.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Whether MH readers want to join the 4 am team, what’s the secret? What tips do you have for becoming an early riser?

It is enough to tear off the bandage one day. Set the alarm and don’t press the snooze button. By the time you train, eat, spend the rest of your day. I would say, come 3-4 pm into your day, you’re going to be pretty darn tired. So if you go to bed early at night, you’ll always be on time. You’ll be able to get eight hours while still being able to get up early enough to be in the 4 a.m. club.

I started doing it so early because I have my wife and four children. Between my prayer time, reading my scripts, and all the things I have to do, especially if I’m playing golf or incorporating a “me time” activity, you kind of have to get up before everyone else .

Some people prefer to train at night, but for me, I’m always so busy and on the move that I don’t have the energy to do anything. By the time I’m home and have had dinner, I’m ready to crash.

You fasted all through Lent. Now that Lent is over, will you continue this diet?

Intermittent fasting has really worked for me and helped me stay lean. I used to do like eight small meals a day [plan]—I should work three times as hard doing cardio. I would do cardio in the morning, then come back in the afternoon and jump rope again. And I certainly wasn’t digesting all the food or protein I ate. Once I started fasting, I had to do a lot less cardio. I only went to the gym five days a week, and I certainly never had to go back in the afternoon to do cardio again.

I eat my first meal at noon, then I eat again at 3 p.m., then I eat again just before 6 p.m. And that would be it. But [during Lent] I did a few fasts where I did 24 hours. I did 48 hours, and I got as skinny as I’ve been in a long time, pretty quickly.

Has that been one of the biggest changes to your training over the past few years?

Absolutely. I mean, I was so hard-headed that I didn’t listen to anyone. I thought I had it all figured out. I was doing this old-school bodybuilder mentality where you eat small meals every two hours or so. I just wasn’t able to digest all that food. So I had intestinal issues and things like that. With fasting, I had more energy. I lost weight faster. It’s not for everyone, but it certainly works for me.

Has fasting helped you lean into roles? Is there anything you’ve been training for recently where it has helped?

Yeah, it’s a movie with me and Halle Berry called Our guy from Jersey. He’s kind of a blue-collar version of a James Bond – a guy who finds himself immersed in this world of secret agents and all. He’s just a guy who would do anything to impress his high school girlfriend. And she comes back into his life and kind of pulls him into this world. It’s great fun, but I had to be lean and fit to fight.

I started this movie shortly after Father Stu. So I had taken all the weight [for that role]. So it was quite a challenge. For me, it was easier to lose weight than to gain it back. But I just wanted to get as lean as possible. And once I started fasting, it actually got a whole lot easier. It took me from 15% body fat to single digits, while still being able to build lean muscle.

Were there any other changes you made to the way you trained when you moved from your 40s to your 50s?

Especially as you get older, you want to be able to move. All types of movement and dynamic exercises have been a game changer for me. Instead of being on any type of stationary equipment…it’s a movement, a lateral movement.

These things are the most important. Riding a stationary bike is good for strength training, sculpting, shaping, all that stuff. But getting out and doing a lot of lunges and things like that is what’s going to keep me going.

Next week is “Wahlberg Week” at the F45. Are there any signature workout challenges that you really enjoy?

Pull-ups: A slow, disciplined pull-up for 40 seconds, trying to do as much as you can.

Anyone who has done F45 knows that you can challenge yourself at any time during any part of the workout. You just have to push yourself. … [And during Wahlberg week,] there’s a little something for every day of the week to make your different body parts push you that little bit harder.

Wahlberg Week runs from Monday, April 17 to Sunday, April 23 at attendees F45 pitches.