Daniel Craig has done it again by getting into tremendous shape for the new bond movie. Skyfall is Daniel Craig’s third outing playing James Bond. Craig’s first was Casino Royale and second was Quantum of Solace. In both movies Daniel Craig came in for filming in amazing physical condition.
Muscling up for Skyfall would be Craig’s biggest challenge yet. This is because Craig let himself wither away in his previous movie, Cowboys and Aliens. Therefore Craig would have to start from scratch to build up his scrawny body. As well at the age of 43, Craig feels he is already getting too old to cope with the extreme physical demands of playing James Bond.
Daniel Craig Height and Weight – Before Filming Skyfall
Daniel Craig stands 5’10 tall and was down to 160 lbs for Cowboys and Aliens. As you can see Craig appears very slim and lacks the muscular and dominant look that he displayed as James Bond. Craig actually lost weight on purpose for this role as he felt he needed to be scrawny to play a cowboy. He accomplished this by eating a low calorie diet in conjunction with absolutely no weight lifting. Consequently he lost a good deal of muscle. The studio head was not happy with Craig’s weight loss and thus ordered him to gain weight for Skyfall.
Gaining Muscle for Skyfall
Daniel Craig desperately needed to gain some serious muscle for Skyfall. His bosses actually wanted him to gain 15-20 lbs before filming began. Fortunately for Craig he had muscle memory on his side. Therefore he would be able to gain muscle quicker than expected once he starts hitting the weights and upping his calorie and protein intake.
Step 1 – Increase Calorie and Carb Intake
Daniel Craig was very lean after filming Cowboys and Aliens. Since he was so skinny his body had actually become primed to build muscle and gain weight. You see after a period of intense calorie restriction all kinds of anabolic hormones and receptors get up regulated. Therefore once you begin eating normally again you are able to direct a lot of nutrients to building muscle.
With that said Craig still needed to be careful not to consume too many calories. At the age of 43 Craig is more susceptible to fat gain due to lowered testosterone levels. Therefore he needed to keep his calorie intake close to around maintenance. For building muscle 16 calories per pound of target body weight is a good amount to shoot for. Depending on your activity levels you may need to go lower or higher. For Daniel Craig’s target weight of 180 lbs this amounts to 2880 calories per day.
When eating at a calorie surplus or maintenance you should be getting most of your calories from carbs. Carbs will help maximize your glycogen stores which will maximize the anabolic growth signalling. In addition plenty of carbs will give you more energy to train hard and plenty of carbs will improve sleep and rest.
Step 2 – Adequate Protein
Consuming plenty of protein is very important for building quality muscle. Daniel Craig made sure to include plenty of protein into his diet to allow for muscle growth to occur optimally. In addition, protein can be very helpful to avoid gaining fat. This is because protein is the most filling macronutrient. Low protein meals tend to welcome overeating. As well protein is very hard to store as fat because it is so metabolically costly.
A high protein intake was a key strategy in Daniel Craigs transformation. Younger folks can tend to get away with less protein and still build muscle efficiently. However, as you get older giving protein more priority helps to build muscle while avoiding fat gain. A good protein intake to shoot for is one gram per pound of goal body weight. For Craig’s goal weight of 180 lbs this was 180 grams of protein per day.
Step 3 – Intense Strength Training Regime
In order to trigger muscle growth Craig had to lift heavy weights 3-4x per week. At the age of 43 Daniel Craig was unable to handle or even benefit from training 5-6x per week. This is because as you get older your recovery abilities become reduced. As a result, you need to limit the training sessions to no more than 3-4 per week. As well, you need to limit the duration of each workout to 45-60 minutes.
Daniel Craig Height, Weight and Body fat Percentage in Skyfall
In Skyfall Daniel Craig muscled up to 180 lbs at 5’10. Craig’s body fat percentage is around 10-11% which is considered very lean. Craig has visible abs, a clean line down his chest and a very defined jaw line. These three traits are very indicative of a low body fat percentage. 10-11% body fat is a great goal for guys to shoot for. At 10-11% and solid muscle development you will blow most people away. As well, maintaining a low body fat will ensure that you look great in nice, stylish clothes by having that crisp GQ look.
Now if Craig was 8% body fat or lower we would see more vascularity through his arms, legs and lower abs. As well his abs would be much more shredded. This level of definition while impressive is probably not necessary. As well, if you drop down to 6-8% body fat you start to appear quite a bit smaller. This is because it can be rather challenging to hold onto muscle at such a low body fat.
Daniel Craigs Workout for Skyfall
With little information on Daniel Craig’s actual workout routine I can only speculate as to what he actually did. Fortunately, I have helped hundreds of men transform their bodies into the condition of Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans. Therefore I will provide a workout routine to build a physique like Craig. Let’s get started
Workout A – Chest & Triceps
Incline Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)
Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)
Machine Bench Press: 4 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6 (30-60 seconds rest, same weight each set)
Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)
Rope Extensions: 2 sets x 8-12 reps (1 minute rest between sets)
Workout B: Back & Biceps
Weighted Pull ups: 4 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)
Deadlifts: 3 sets x 4-6 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)
Cable Rows: 4 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6 (30-60 seconds rest, same weight each set)
Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)
Incline Dumbbell Curls: 2 sets x 8-12 reps (1 minute rest between sets)
Workout C: Shoulders & Legs
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 4 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)
Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)
Upright Row: 4 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6 (30-60 seconds rest, same weight for each set)
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets x 6-10 reps per leg (2 minutes rest between sets)
Standing Single Leg Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-15 reps per leg (1 minute rest between sets)
Notes:
Workout 3x per week on non consecutive days. Example – monday, wednesday and friday. If you really want to step it up you can run a 5 day schedule and workout 3x in 5 days. I only recommend doing the 5 day schedule for short periods of time. No more than 8-12 weeks at a time. During this period you should be getting plenty of sleep and rest and you must be diligent with your diet.
Ex:
Day 1 – Chest & Triceps
Day 2 – Back & Biceps
Day 3 – Rest
Day 4 – Shoulders & Legs
Day 5 – Rest
What about abs?
Abs should be trained 2-3x per week for maximum development. For a great abs workout routine that will build a full developed 8 pack then try my V-Abs Workout.
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Greg, great ideas. It’s great to see someone my age of 46 continue to grow like DC! I have been working out for years and bounced between different plans. I am 5’6”/169 with fat % around 22. I am currently working toward 155 and I would love to see 10 to 11 % body fat. What would the cal intake be to get there and then to maintain? With the DC routine, I want to fuel my body correctly with loss fast and put on the muscle. Thanks for help!
Well it’s really impossible for me to give you exact calorie figures to shoot for. I can only give you a starting point which should be within shooting distance of where it needs to be. For fat loss I would go around 1950 calories. This is assuming you’re weight training 3x per week, as shown in the above routine. As well, I would aim for 150g of protein per day. If you’re losing 1-1.5 lbs per week at that calorie intake then keep it up. If you’re losing less than 1950 you will need to reduce calories by 200 or so. If you’re losing 2 lbs or more then you may want to increase calories by about 200 or so.
After hitting 155 lbs you can then raise calories depending on your rate of fat loss. So if you were losing a pound a week at 1950 then that would suggest your maintenance is around 2450. Therefore you could bring up calories to around 2450 to maintain. If you are really paranoid about gaining fat then you could increase your calories by about 200 each week until you reach your maintenance.
Greg
Thanks for the ideas! I will let you know how it goes!
I saw Daniel Craig on the Graham Norton talkshow, where he said that training and diet began 6 months before shooting Skyfall. He also said it meant 6 months without carbs!! This and other similar articles say the opposite?
I think what he meant by that is that he mostly increased his protein consumption. So he would be eating more chicken, steak, tuna, eggs, protein shakes…… As well, he probably cut out certain carbs including pizza, chips, cookies, junk.
Greg,
I noticed that in this workout, each excersise is about 4 sets with 6-10 reps, whereas in your recent article about building a warrior physique, you recommended 3 sets of 4-6 reps. Ive been following the warrior physique workout for a couple weeks now and its been working well but i dont want to be missing out on more gains since im doing 3 sets instead of 4 and lower reps. I was just wondering which one was ideal for building strength and dense muscle mass?
Julian I think the best muscle and strength gains will be achieved from using both set ups. One thing you might consider doing is alternating between 2 months of Daniel Craig and 2 months of Warrior Physique.
Awesome thanks for the feedback!
You are recommending at your website the Visual Impact training. I decided to try this program and after 2 months I must say that results are indeed visible. Now this method recommends, also in phase II, very short rest (45 sec) between exercises. You’re preferring in the article about DC longer periods (3 minutes), especially for people above 40 like myself; how do you see this versus Rusty Moore’s reco? Should I adapt the VI program because of my age? Or do you believe that program won’t give you the DC physique (which it seems to target if you look at the objectives)?
Longer rest periods are superior for strength gains. For heavy compound movements I like to rest 3 minutes so I can lift a heavy weight with maximum performance. For isolation movements when the goal is fatigue I will take shorter rests. In phase 2 of visual impact I rested about 2 minute between sets. If I kept rest shorter my strength would fall off quickly. I’d recommend doing the same.
OK, thanks for the good advice, I will do as you’re suggesting! I think it will also be more safe, have the feeling that the combination of (too) short rest and very high weight increases the risk of injuries.
isn’t that workout a little dated and basic? i thought he would’ve done something similar for the bulking stage in his programme but wouldn’t he have added more super sets in the latter stages? doubling up on exercises to rip the muscles and burn calories at the same time? some circuits and intense cardio also? im only asking because id like to aim for a similar shape so your advice would be really appreciated. at the moment im 4 weeks into an 8 week programme of lifting 10 reps per set, 3 body parts per session and 2 exercises per body part, 4 times a week. My diet is good and iv gained 8lbs already. After 8 weeks i was planning on going really heavy with low reps for 6 weeks, 2 body parts per session, 2 exercises per part and 5 sets, also including one session of boxing per week. Then go for another 6 weeks of 5 sessions per week, 2 sessions of super sets including power cleans and circuits, 2 sessions of heavy lifting to keep the muscle density, and one session of an all over body workout with light weights and high intensity. Do you think this is any good?
Yes it is basic! But basic works. With minimalistic workout routines, you tend to make the greatest gains in strength. When you build your lifts up quickly to the advacned level you can’t help but develop an incredible physique. Check out my article on minimalism – http://www.kinobody.com/2506/ryan-gosling-drive-minimalism/
Greg,
I’ve been rigidly following the DC programme now for the last 7 weeks – in fact to the letter! In this period I’ve gained impressively in both strength and mass. Here comes the dilemma – My initial aim was to adhere to the routine, concentrating on both mass and strength, for this part I have succeeded. However, the vacation is a mere 3 weeks away and I would like to shed a few pounds without losing muscle mass. Fortunately, I don’t have a problem with real weight gain, nor weight loss for a matter-of -fact, that said, I would hate to get it all wrong in the last few weeks and lose everything to blind faith.
My Question is: can I remain focused on the DC routine and increase the intensity/ cardio, whilst dropping the calorie intake, or completely change the routine focusing on strength and endurance with little rest in between?
Your assistance in this matter will gratefully appreciated.
Thank you Richard
Yes! You can keep doing the workout routine while dropping the calories and doing cardio on your non lifting days. Give my new beach ripped article a read – http://www.kinobody.com/2552/beach-ripped/
I am 19 y/o 5’10 and I 160 pounds. I would like to get to 190- 200. Any advice?
I really don’t think you actually want to get to 190-200 lbs. That is very massive and at your height the only way to naturally do that would be to let your body fat get up to high teens. I’d recommend staying lean and building up slowly. Maybe 175-180 lbs for that Brad Pitt (troy) or Daniel Craig (Skyfall) physique.
Greg,
Maybe stupid question.
When we talking sets, do I go as heavy as possible with the first set, keeping to the reps, and then decrease the weight with the 2nd set etc, or do I gradually work it up from set 1?
Thanks!
My preferred method is to do your heavy set first. This will allow you to handle the most weight since you’re fresh. You can do 2-3 build up sets for 3-5 reps before your first work set.
Thanks Greg!
Thanks for the article. It’s nice to see the basics haven’t changed since when I started training in the 70s: lots of protein, carbs, and heavy lifting. I notice you have one workout above and don’t mention age. What adjustments should I make as I enter my 50s? Thanks!
You don’t necessarily need to make any changes on this routine if you’re in your 50′s. Listening to your body is the biggest thing.
“Hey Greg,Greetings for the day
I’m 24 yrs old & 124 Pounds
but I want to put on some weight & My target is 144 Pounds
Suggest me what should I do
Lift weights and track your food intake.