SEAN PENN has long been regarded as one of Hollywood’s most talented actors, but the Oscar winner’s physical presence deserves just as much attention. In his latest role as Colonel Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, Penn’s muscular build is impossible to miss – and for what it’s worth, Sean, I don’t think that shirt was too tight. The film is a reminder that, at 65, Penn is still operating at a level that men half his age struggle to reach.
What’s interesting is that Penn has never been particularly forthcoming about how he trains. “I’ve said before I don’t like necessarily to talk about training routines. It’s actually not too interesting,” he said in 2015. Yet despite his reluctance to spell out routines or rep schemes, fragments of his approach have surfaced over more than four decades of consistent training. Now, we have enough to paint a clear picture of how he’s managed to stay strong well into his sixties.
How Sean Penn's approach to fitness has evolved
Penn’s commitment to strength training dates back to the mid-1980s, when he added noticeable size for At Close Range. To do it, he turned to the late Vince Gironda, a legendary trainer whose client list included Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane. Gironda was famous for his uncompromising standards and his brutally effective 8×8 training method, which emphasised volume and intensity. Penn embraced the process fully, and the results were obvious on screen. From that point on, lifting became a permanent fixture in his life.
As the years went on, Penn adapted his training to suit both his age and the demands of specific roles. For physically taxing performances, including his turn as ex–Special Forces operative Jim Terrier in The Gunman, the focus shifted towards compound, functional movements. Heavy lifts such as thrusters and power cleans were performed for low reps and multiple sets, building strength and power, before finishing with lighter isolation work at higher repetitions to refine muscle and support recovery.
How does Sean Penn stay fit now?
Outside the weight room, Penn stays active through surfing and running, using both to complement his resistance training and maintain cardiovascular fitness. He’s also been known to dial back smoking while preparing for roles, a reminder that lifestyle choices still play a meaningful role in physical performance, regardless of age.
Penn also has a long-standing interest in combat sports, particularly Krav Maga. “I’ve been practising Krav Maga for several years now, not really a sport, more of a close combat technique taught to the Israeli military,” he has said in the past. “It’s meant to neutralise and disarm.” That experience translated directly to The Gunman, where Krav Maga was chosen as the film’s primary combat style to align with Penn’s existing skill set.
Boxing is another long-time passion. Penn has previously shared an unlikely training partnership with Bob Dylan. “Bob Dylan, turns out, is a student of boxing, and I had a 16-foot punching ring at my house and I was friendly with his son,” Penn told Jimmy Fallon. “And at some point, Jesse, his son, said to me, “You know, my dad would like to spar.”
“That went on for about a month, I think. About seven or eight o’clock in the morning, with his hoodie on and about six bull mastiffs coming out of a VW van. There wasn’t a lot of conversation, it was kind of like ‘Good? Good.’ And we’d spar.”
Taken together, Penn’s approach offers a clear lesson: be consistent. At 65, his physique isn’t the product of a few brief periods of training, but the result of treating fitness as a lifelong practice rather than a phase.
