Sylvester Stallone’s Workout Routine

Sylvester Stallone is one of the most celebrated names of Hollywood. He is a fantastic actor, he also has a physique that defies age. Right from his earlier days, he has maintained a body that is strong, muscular, and athletic.

When it comes to playing characters like ‘Rocky’ and ‘Rambo’ on-screen, the intensity which Stallone brings on-screen is unmatchable. His rippling muscles and monstrous size make him look badass and complements his character requirements.

In many of his action movies, Sylvester Stallone had a strong, muscular, and ripped physique. His workouts have always been intense and tough. He put a lot of effort and dedication into achieving the body he’s famous for. This is evident from all the Rocky series training videos that some fitness freaks watch on loop.

Outline of Sylvester Stallone’s Fitness Routine

To bring complete justice to his role as a boxer in the Rocky series, Stallone had to approach different training methods for achieving his physique goals. In the first two parts, Stallone workouts were primarily focused on gaining muscle mass and size.

On the other hand, when he started prepping up for Rocky III, he focused more on improving his muscular definition and leanness. He even dropped his body fat percentage to 2.9 percent. Now you must be getting an idea about Stallone’s dedication.

Sylvester Stallone achieved his best shape while preparing up for Rocky IV. His workout routine was precisely like that of a professional bodybuilder. He wanted to look huge, athletic, and defined for Rocky IV. It was imperative as the movie plot demanded him to face Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago), who was nothing less than a mountain of muscle.

While preparing for Rocky IV, Sylvester Stallone was training as if he was going to compete in the upcoming Mr. Olympia competition. His training program included old-school lifting performed using free weights. It helped him in putting on the muscle mass that made him look huge.

He relied primarily on basic bodybuilding exercises. With Franco Columbo by his side, Stallone had all the guidance that he needed to build a jaw-dropping physique.

Sylvester Stallone’s Workout Schedule

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms and Abs
• Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: Calves, Thighs, Rear Deltoids, Trapezius, and Abdominals
• Sunday: Rest

Sylvester Stallone’s workout plan was brutal and hardcore. After all, how can one expect to counter Ivan Drago in a boxing match without being huge and brutally strong?

To attain such a massive physique, Stallone trained under former Mr. Olympia and Schwarzenegger’s best friend, Franco Columbo. At that time, Stallone used to train for six days a week. Each day he had two workouts targeting different muscle groups.

Sylvester Stallone’s Workout Routine

Sylvester Stallone’s workout routine consisted of two training sessions in a day. He used to hit each muscle group three times a week.

His exercise routine followed a high-volume approach to promote both strength and hypertrophy gains.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Morning – Chest, Back, and Abs

• Incline Bench Press- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Dumbbell Fly- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Close-Grip Bench Press- 5 Sets of 6-8 reps
• Wide-Grip Chin-Ups- 6 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Bent-Over One-Arm Lateral Raises- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Close-Grip Seated Rows- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Raised Leg Crunches- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Seated Extensions- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps

Afternoon – Shoulders, Arms, and Abs

• Military Press- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Side Lateral Raises- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Bent-Over Dumbbell Fly- 5 Sets of 6-8 reps
• Barbell Curls- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Concentration Curls- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Lying Dumbbell Raises- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Bent-Over One-Arm Lateral Raises- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Cable Pulldowns- 3 Sets of 10 reps
• Alternate Leg Raises- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Decline Bench Sit-Ups- 3 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Oblique Crunches- 3 Sets of 6-8 reps

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

Morning – Calves and Thighs

• Seated Calf Raises- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Standing Calf-Raises- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Standing Barbell Alternate Calf-Raises- 5 Sets of 8-12 reps
• Incline Leg-Press- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Squats- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Seated Leg-Extensions- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Leg Curls- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Leg Extensions- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Stiff-Leg Deadlift- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps

Afternoon – Rear Deltoids, Trapezius, and Abdominals

• Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear-Delt Raise- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Cable Crossovers- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps
• Reverse Pec-Deck Fly- 5 Sets of 8-12 reps
• Barbell Shrugs (Front)- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Barbell Upright Rows- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Flat-Bench Cable Rows to Neck- 4 Sets of 8-10 reps
• Ab Crunches- 4 Sets of 8 reps
• Oblique Crunches- 4 Sets of 10 reps
• Cable Crunches- 4 Sets of 10-12 reps

Don’t miss:

Mark Wahlberg’s Workout Routine
The Rock Workout Routine
Chris Evans Workout Routine
Sylvester Stallone Diet Plan & Supplements

Did Sylvester Stallone do bodybuilding?

Sylvester Stallone trained like a professional bodybuilder while preparing up for Rocky. In that sense, he definitely did bodybuilding. However, he never participated in any bodybuilding competitions as such.

How much can Stallone lift?

Undoubtedly, Stallone has trained himself to be brutally strong. In his prime, he was able to bench press 385-400 lbs and squat 500 lbs. He also used to perform his weighted pull-ups, hanging a 100 Lbs dumbbell to his waist. He was able to perform his bicep curls with 70 lbs dumbbells.

Final Words

And that’s it. One cannot deny the fact that Stallone exhibited a great deal of dedication towards his workout plan. Currently, he is in his 70s and still sticks to a strict workout program and takes care of his diet.

You can witness his age-defying physique in the Expendables series and his latest blockbusters. Stallone’s work ethic is unparalleled, and he’s a superstar who commands respect and admiration from everyone.

This workout guide would have indeed provided you with everything that you wanted to know about Sylvester Stallone’s workout routine. Still, we strongly recommend following his workouts under the guidance of an expert. This will ensure that you make progress safely and effectively.