FRANK GRILLO CERTAINLY didn’t listen when people said you can’t grow muscle as you get older. Despite turning 60 in June, the Hollywood actor is still in exceptional shape and gracing the big screen, most recently as Rick Flag Sr in the new Superman film.
He works hard for his physique, too, spending two-and-a-half hours in the gym on a typical day with a combination of boxing and strength work. After 20 minutes of warming up by shadow boxing, Grillo then moves into heavy compound movements for his chest, back or legs, with six exercises thrown in at the end of the workout to challenge his core. In the middle of the workout he will also take time to hit the boxing pads with his trainers, Justin Fortune and Freddie Roach.
The MCU actor is keen to stress his approach isn’t bodybuilding-style training, though. ‘I don’t do biceps, I don’t do triceps,’ he told Men’s Health US in 2021. ‘I do core and heavy exercises on the chest, shoulders, squats and deadlifts, but as far as the vanity muscles. it’s not something [I focus on] – it’s actually a hindrance to do biceps and triceps the regular the way a bodybuilder does.’
Training with such intensity is now just a way of life for the 60-year-old. ‘In my 50s you think I should be slowing down, but I probably got in the best shape of my life at 52 years old,’ he said in 2022. ‘Fitness, my lifestyle and my diet have always been very important to me since I was a kid, when I started wrestling at 12 years old. So it’s been a lifelong journey for physical health and the byproduct is the aesthetics. It’s not really why I train – everyone wants to look good, but it’s about health for me.’
He manages to maintain his abs despite highlighting his love for bread, olive oil and red wine to Men’s Health US a few years ago, with Grillo opting instead to keep his food intake lighter with just one meal a day. He does top up his protein over the course of the day with smaller shakes, too.
It must be noted, however, that Grillo has admitted to being on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), which helps him stick to such an intense training schedule, fulfil the demands of his roles on screen all while still being able to recover properly.
‘Through my doctor, I did TRT for a while, and I found it to be amazing,’ Grillo told The Wrap in 2024. ‘I mean, it really did help me with everything and recovery. I think a lot of guys are afraid to admit that they do anything because they think it’s cheating. I’m not a football player, I’m not a professional basketball player, I’m not in the Olympics. I’m not cheating at anyone.
‘If you don’t want to keep up with science and technology of fitness, then don’t do it, live your life the way you want to live your life,’ he added. ‘But, for me, it works. I’ve yet to see any side effects. I sleep better. I eat real food, clean food, and it’s all part of a maintenance routine that I think is going to make me live a far more productive life, into my 60s, and into my 70s.’
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.
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