How Mark Wahlberg builds a strong back and big biceps

AT 54, Mark Wahlberg is still training hard – and now he’s dragging high-profile creators into the gym with him as part of his new YouTube series, The 4am Club Challenge. Inspired by Wahlberg’s famously brutal morning routine, the series pairs early starts with punishing workouts and a three-minute cold plunge.

In the latest episode, comedian Druski joins Wahlberg for an 11-move workout targeting the back, biceps and abs. When asked whether he’s training for anything specific, Wahlberg doesn’t hesitate.

‘Life,’ he says. ‘More life. Got to assume you’ve at least passed the halfway mark.’

Mark Wahlberg’s Workout

• Static Bike
• Cable Torso Twist
• Cable Bicep Curl
• Ab Coaster
• Ab Crunch
• Cable Barbell Curl
• Decline Sit-Up
• Seated Calf Raise
• Lat Pulldown
• Pull-Up
• TRX Ab Crunch

How to do the exercises

Static Bike

• Jump on a bike and pedal as hard as you can at the highest resistance possible.

Cable Torso Twist

• Hold a cable with both hands to your right side, so your left arm is straight and stretched across your body.
• Only moving your arms, pull the cable to the opposite side until your right arm is straight.
• Return the cable back to starting position and repeat.

Cable Bicep Curl

• Grab the handle with one hand and take a step and a half away from the machine (or as far as you need to feel tension on the muscle).
• Create a slight angle with the elbow to where the cable feels like it’s pulling you back.
• Ensure that your hips and shoulders are facing square in front – don’t allow the tension from the cable to twist your torso backwards.
• Moving only at the elbow, curl your hand towards your shoulder.
• As you lower back down, make sure the cable doesn’t pull your shoulder from its position. Think about keeping the upper arm in line with your torso.

Ab Coaster

• Kneel on the sliding pad, grip the handles, and lift your knees toward your chest in a slow, controlled, arcing motion, focusing on abdominal contraction rather than momentum.
• Keep your upper body still and lower your legs slowly back to the starting position without resting at the bottom.

Ab Crunch

• Sit on an abdominal crunch machine, adjusting the seat so your upper back rests on the pad.
• Create tension in your core and drive your chest and elbows down towards your knees, slowly inhaling as you return to the start.
• Keep the weight stacked to maintain tension.

Cable Bar Curl

• Grab a bar attached to a cable machine with a shoulder-width grip and let it hang in front of your thighs.
• Brace your core as you curl the bar up to your chest, keeping your upper arms stationary.
• Return under control to the start position.

Decline Sit-Up

• Adjust a decline bench to a 30-45-degree angle and secure your feet under the pads.
• Lie with your hands behind your head or straight up in front of you.
• Look up at the ceiling and push your lower back into the bench.
• Engage your abs, flexing at the stomach as you lift yourself all the way up.
• Keep your elbows back and your chin in place without jutting forward.
• Reverse the move slowly back to the floor and repeat

Seated Calf Raise

• Put a weight plate on the floor and rest your toes on it while sitting on a bench.
• Place a dumbbell on your knee, your right hand holding the handle while your left hand holds the top.
• Lift up your toes as high as possible.
• Pause, then lower back onto the weight plate and repeat.

Lat Pulldown

• Sit down at a lat pulldown machine and grab the bar with your palms facing away from you, shoulder-width apart.
• Lean back slightly and push your chest out.
• Pull the bar down to your chest, then return slowly to the start position. Your torso should remain still throughout.

Pull-Up

• Hang off the bar completely straight in a dead hang.
• Next, tighten your abs and get into the hollow position.
• Un-shrug your shoulders.
• Pull your elbows down until your chest touches the bar.
• Lower back down, under control and in the hollow position.
• Relax, before getting back into hollow position and repeating the process.

TRX Ab Crunch

• Kneel down facing away from the anchor, with both feet in the foot cradles.
• Align hands under shoulders in the press-up position.
• Lift your knees off the ground to create a plank position, before then pulling them toward your chest using your abs.
• Keep tension in your body to remain stable, straightening your legs back to the start position.