VIN DIESEL IS still looking as physically imposing as ever, even at 58. The Hollywood star is set to play Detective Lieutenant Theodore ‘Theo’ Kojak in the film adaptation of the classic ’70s TV series, and he’s targeting an intimidating look for the role after sharing the hard yards he is putting into the gym on his social media.
‘Honestly, training is so important to me,’ Diesel told Train in 2020. ‘Not just because on a lot of films I’m doing stunts and it helps with my look and physicality and stamina, but I do really believe in “healthy body, healthy mind”.’
Prior to becoming an actor, Diesel worked as a bouncer in New York where all he cared about was packing on as much size as possible. His approach soon shifted, however, especially now that he’s approaching 60. ‘I work out less and enjoy it more these days,’ Diesel told Men’s Health US. ‘It’s a time in my week where I don’t have to juggle things. I can just exercise and be present.’
He also told Train, ‘When I was younger – especially when I was bouncing – it was about being as big as possible and it was about looking formidable. Now I’m much more focused on hitting every part of my body and my fitness in general. Also, there’s now a lot more fight training and then Pilates and yoga. Often, I adjust my training for each role, and on Furious 7 I did a lot of jiu-jitsu, which really helped my fitness in general and stamina and agility.’
That’s not to say that he has slowed down on the intensity, however. ‘I shock the muscle with two sets of powerlifting and then go into higher-rep sets afterwards,’ he told Men’s Health in 2017. While he completes regular exercises in the gym, part of shocking the muscle involves supersets and regularly changing up his training plan so that he doesn’t get used to a routine.
‘Generally, week-to-week there’s a mix of weight training, jiu-jitsu, running around after my kids, calisthenics, Pilates and yoga, and free running training,’ Diesel explained. ‘When it comes to weight training, I do a lot of different things. For example, for chest there’s bench press flat, incline bench press, bench press decline, dumbbell flys, push-ups. For triceps: various extensions, cable pull-downs, skull crushers. For biceps: hammers, bicep curls, barbell curls, preacher curls. For back and shoulders: shoulder press, lateral raise, front raise, lateral pull-downs, bent over rows. For legs: various squats, calf raises. That’s really just a snapshot [of what I like to do].’
Staying athletic and agile is always at the forefront of Diesel’s mind while training. The actor wants the characters he portrays to look strong while still being able to maintain a sense of speed and agility while in combat. ‘Generally I want the character to not just look built. I don’t want them to look boxy. I want to be agile and I want them to look like they can really handle themselves physically against a range of opponents,’ he added.
