WHEN PAUL MESCAL was cast in the leading role in Ridley Scott’s long-awaited Gladiator sequel, the news was met with a mixed reception. Sure, Mescal was a rapidly ascending star who was quickly becoming a household name, but at that point he was primarily known for playing the bookish Connell Waldron in Normal People. Questions arose as to whether he could put in a believable turn as a hardened Roman warrior fit for gladiatorial combat.
Now that we’ve seen Mescal in action in Gladiator II trailers – and soon in theatres when the film releases on November 14th – we can safely say that those fears have been extinguished. Mescal has toned up while gaining a heap of muscle. His co-star Pedro Pascal has even taken to calling him “Brick Wall Paul”. So, how did he do it? And more importantly, how can we do the same?
So far Mescal has been tight lipped about the specifics of his training regime, as well as the diet and workouts he used in the lead-up to Gladiator II. However, dribs and drabs of information have emerged from a range of interviews and social media posts where Mescal has offered a glimpse into his routine. With the help of Men’s Health fitness expert Khan Porter, we were able to make an educated guess at the kind of work Mescal has been putting in and piece together a workout.
Gladiator II
How did Paul Mescal train for Gladiator 2?
Heading into Gladiator II, Mescal knew that he’d need to beef up. “I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan,” he previously told Vanity Fair. But therein lied a problem. “I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior,” he said.
Another issue for Mescal was the fact that the realistic, true to history physique he wanted was at odds with what we expect from modern movie stars. “This ideal image that has been informed by superhero films – that was something I was keen to avoid,” he said, “Because superheroes don’t exist, but gladiators did. We don’t really know what they looked like, but they were prime athletes raised in stables, and they trained every day.”
To achieve a gladiatorial rig, Mescal came close to adopting their lifestyle by training for 45 minutes, six days per week and generally “Lifting heavy things for a long time and eating lots of chicken.”
As far as we know, fight choreography was a big part of Mescal’s regime. A featurette on the training involved on set shows the extensive work the actor put into preparing for fight scenes. This, MH fitness expert Khan Porter says, would have helped him boost his cardiovascular health while also packing on some muscle. “That fight training replicates really high intensity interval training and will tone you up and build some lean mass,” he says.
But with all that on set cardio, Mescal had to make sacrifices in his regular exercise routine. He recently revealed to Entertainment Tonight that he was forced to give up running to avoid shedding too many calories. “That doesn’t surprise me at all,” says Porter. “The number one thing you need to be doing if you want to build muscle is making sure you’re in a calorie surplus. You can’t build muscle without eating more calories than you’re burning.”
Specifics on Mescal’s workouts are few and far between, with the exception of a lone video that circulated on TikTok last year that showed the actor doing a set of dumbbell shoulder raises. Given the nature of the internet, we shouldn’t be surprised that the thirst trap went viral, but Porter, for one, isn’t impressed. “I don’t know, man. I don’t like that particular movement,” he says. “He’s got his shoulders internally rotated. They’re quite impinged. I would suggest going for a compound movement, something like a shoulder, chest or even bench press, which is going to target a hell of a lot more muscles and avoid the risk of injury.”
@stellarmagazine #paulmescal has been busy training for his role in the new #gladiator film 💪🏼 We’re so excited for this! #fyp #normalpeople ♬ original sound – STELLAR
Beyond the physical improvements, Mescal was also interested in the mental benefit offered by a stronger appearance. “Muscles start to grow, and that can be deemed aesthetic in certain capacities, but there is something about feeling strong in your body that elicits just a different feeling,” he said, “You carry yourself differently… it has an impact on you psychologically in a way that is useful for the film.”
Paul Mescal’s Gladiator 2 workout
To build an athletic physique worthy of the gladiatorial arena, Porter recommends a legendary workout from a strength training pioneer. “One of my favourite training protocols for building mass and strength comes from the late, great Charles Poliquin,” he says. “It’s called the 6-12-25 workout. It’s a giant set of six reps of a heavy compound movement, then 12 reps of a moderate isolation movement, then 25 of a lighter bodyweight movement. This is going to help you by building mass and muscular endurance.”
Progressive overload is crucial, in this and any workout, according to Porter. “Progressive overload is one of the most overlooked and simplest training principles there is. Without it, our bodies don’t adapt to our training stimulus,” he says. “If you’re wanting to put on lean muscle but you’re not progressively overloading the weights that you lift, increasing your training time or volume, you won’t be moving in the right direction.”
Porter suspects that Mescal used a protocol like the 6-12-25 with progressive overload to tone up for Gladiator II, and if you’re looking to try it for yourself, have a go at the workout below. And for further immersion, do this workout six days per week for 45 minutes, to mimic the way Mescal trained.
Lower body
3-4 sets of:
Back squats x 6
10 seconds rest
Romanian deadlifts x 12
10 seconds rest
Body weight squats x 25 or jumping lunges x 25
Upper body
3-4 sets of:
Bench press x 6
10 seconds rest
Pull-ups x 12
10 seconds rest
Reverse flys with light weights x 25
Related:
Paul Mescal debuts ripped physique for Gladiator II
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