Today Sylvester Stallone is an inspiration to many who strive to improve their physical prowess, willpower and determination. For an example of his physique at its best, take a look at films like Rocky III or IV, Rambo II, or Rambo III and be amazed at what can be accomplished with sheer determination. Of course, Sly has had his fair share of injuries from his incredible physical pursuits. When training for Rocky II, Sly trained so hard with two time Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, that he tore his pectoralis, resulting in a four hour operation.
To get the lean look of a POW in the film Victory, Sylvester ate only 200 calories a day, all protein food, with an occasional potato, just so he wouldn't faint. In the film he weighed in at 159 pounds, the lightest he ever weighed in his adulthood, until Rocky III.
When making Rocky III, Sly would begin the day with a two mile jog, then go straight into 18 rounds of sparring, 2 hours of weightlifting and jumping rope. After all this, he would take a nap in the afternoon, then go running again! He would finish the day with a swim. On this film he made himself even leaner and smaller to enhance the ‘David & Goliath’ imagery. To get this effect Stallone dropped his body weight to a mere 155 lbs, with a diet of 10 eggwhites and a burnt piece of toast once a day, and a piece of fruit every third day. Although this diet left him weak and dizzy, he then built his muscle mass up ounce by ounce until he was up to about 175.
The rigorous training continued for Rocky IV. During the scene where Rocky is pulling a sled, Sly heard a snap. Two weeks later he had excruciating pains in his chest. When he went to the hospital he found out it was a bruised heart muscle. Stallone was back on set filming only 10 days later to complete the movie.
Although Sly found these dieting methods good to lose weight in extreme ways for a role, Sly himself recommends that the best way to lose weight and stay healthy is a balanced nutritional meal and regular exercise. Remember it is never too late to workout and get in shape. Sly was 30 years old when he made the first Rocky and in a matter of only a few years the body of Sylvester Stallone was known and revered worldwide. We hope you enjoy the following information on Stallone's nutrition and exercise regimen.
Sylvester Stallone
Chapter 2 – Nutrition and Regimen
"If I know that I'm getting ready to do another 'Rambo,' I have to live up to the last film. That makes it a little bit harder to get in shape. I have a machine like an escalator with the steps coming down, and I pile 40 to 50 pounds of weight on my back and start climbing those endless steps."
Stallone is well known for his muscular physique, hard work and determination. Even Arnold Schwarzenneger once said Sylvester has awesome willpower.
"Sly is the most disciplined man that you'll ever meet in any walk of life," says his personal bodyguard Gary Compton. "He doesn't eat real late, he doesn't snack, and he doesn't eat much. Pasta? Yes, but not too often, and only when it's made with a special flour. Fish and brown rice are staples. He even eats fish for breakfast. He drinks little alcohol, but occasionally enjoys champagne. Quick energy? Would you believe oatmeal cookies? Of course, without processed sugar of preservatives."
Q: So did you ever use steroids to build yourself up?
A: In 1987, when I was making Rambo III, I used to take an amino acid that's nearly as strong as steroids. It's about 15 times more powerful than the typical amino acid, but give none of the raw rage - the anger - that comes with steroids. All steroids do is make you a cumbersome, apelike goon.
When Stallone first came to Franco to begin training, he was 170 pounds and very well defined. But he didn't feel he was big enough and wanted to put on 10 pounds of muscle in six weeks. Franco knew how hard Stallone was capable of training, so he decided that was a feasible goal.
"Sylvester gained just about 10 pounds in six and a half weeks," Franco says. "He has great structure, with a waist only about 29 inches. When we started, he had a 44-inch chest. At the end, his chest was almost 50 inches. And his arms went from 16 ½ inches to 18 inches. He was bigger, harder and much more muscular. Wait until you see him in the movie. He's going to shock a lot of people by how good he looks."
Franco worked out a program for Stallone based on a two day double split:
MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY
Morning: Chest, back, abs
Afternoon: Shoulders, arms, abs
TUESDAY/THURSDAY/SATURDAY
Morning: Calves, thighs
Afternoon: Rear delts, traps, abs
Franco had Stallone training abs three times every two days, doing 500 reps every ab workout. "We trained four different ab and torso exercises: sit-ups, leg raises, side leg raises, and side bends. We did 50 reps of each, one exercise right after another, and five sets of this cycle. And wait until you see the results. Sly has great abs, intercostals, serratus, everything."
Stallone's measurements when he was filming Rambo II were: chest around 50", 29 ½ " waist, and 17 inch biceps. His body fat runs 4 ½ %, although when he's not filming it's 6 %. Loud bursts of energy can be heard as the star does push-ups to get pumped up for some photos.
