In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig boasts a body that is worthy of Bond status. If you want to sport a rock-hard physique similar to Craig’s, follow the steps in this article and you’ll be there before you can say “Bond.”
Diet
The first thing you must take into consideration is the food you put into your body. There is truth to the saying “you are what you eat,” and Daniel Craig is no exception. He definitely didn’t get into that shape by eating chips, candy and fast food, so you should seek to eliminate those foods from your diet. Whether you need to gain muscle to reach his size or lose fat to achieve his level of leanness, you should be consuming between five and eight meals a day -- no exceptions. If you starve yourself, your metabolism will shut down, which means that if you are smaller, your body won’t grow, and if you are overweight, your body will hold onto fat.
What to eat
The next time you go to the supermarket, stock up on whole foods -- like lean meats, rice, vegetables, and whole-grain bread -- and stay away from fried food, candy, soda, chips, alcohol, enriched flour, refined sugar, and excessive amounts of preservatives and sodium. These foods have a much lower nutritional value and are likely to either make you fat or cause you to retain excess water -- or both.
A balanced meal is made up of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Your protein should come from a serving of either chicken, turkey, fish or egg whites. Get your carbohydrates from rice, oats, yams or sweet potatoes, whole-grain breads, and fruits and vegetables. Your fats will come from healthy oils (canola, olive or flaxseed), nuts and avocado.
Keeping each meal balanced will ensure that you have the proper nutrients to both fuel you through your workouts and keep your metabolism functioning optimally. Feel free to consume low-fat dairy products a few times a day. Craig was big, but not as lean as a fitness model, so you can have moderate portions of healthy pasta and whole-grain bread, which are great bulking foods.
How much protein and carbs you need
To maintain Craig’s size, you should consume about one gram of protein per pound of body weight and two grams to three grams of complex carbs per pound of bodyweight. Drink water all day to flush your organs of excess protein and toxins, as well as to drop excess water weight and stay hydrated. It would also be wise to take a multvitamin, as drinking water rids your body of important minerals.
Doing all this should give you plenty of energy and ensure that your body isn’t overloaded with excess glycogen that would get turned into fat. Also, try to consume your carbohydrates with your first four meals and avoid them late at night so your body can burn more fat while you sleep. For late-night meals, healthy fats should take the place of carbohydrates; they will give your body more calories and energy, as they have five more calories per gram than protein or carbs.
THE WORKOUT
As Craig was quite “built” in Casino Royale, cardio should be kept to a minimum (two days to three days per week) and heavy weight training should be the focus of the workout plan, particularly in the upper body. While pushing yourself at the gym is important, it is also imperative that you focus on rest and recuperation; if you aren’t getting enough sleep, chances are that your gains will suffer.
A workout for your upper body Your diet is about 75% of the equation, while the work you do in the gym accounts for the remaining 25%. Before beginning your journey, you should organize a diet plan and commit to it. This might mean cooking food every morning to make sure you don’t miss a meal throughout the day.
If you really want to change your physique, you will make these sacrifices without question. As difficult as it may seem, the goal is to get your body on a regular eating plan in which you will eat by the clock instead of when it’s convenient. Once you get used to this habit of planning your meals and eating regularly, it will become a lifestyle change and you will see the results in your physique.
For each exercise, perform 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps. Feel free to throw in extra sets to your particular liking.
DAY 1: UPPER BODY
Chest
Incline dumbbell press: Sit down on an incline bench with the dumbbells resting on your lower thighs. Kick the weights to your shoulders and lean back. Position the dumbbells to the sides of your upper chest with your elbows under the dumbbells. Press the dumbbells up with your elbows to the sides until your arms are extended. Lower the weights to the sides of your upper chest. Repeat.
Flat barbell bench press: Lie supine on the bench. Dismount the barbell from the rack using a wide oblique overhand grip. Lower the weight to your upper chest. Press the bar until your arms are extended. Repeat.
Pec dec fly: Sit on the machine with your back on the pad. If available, push the foot lever until the arm pads move forward. Place your forearms on the pads and position your upper arms parallel to one another. Release the foot lever. Push the levers together. Return until the chest muscles are stretched. Repeat.
Shoulders
Dumbbell lateral raise: Grasp the dumbbells in front of your thighs. Bend over at the hips slightly with your knees bent. With your elbows slightly bent, raise your upper arms in front of you until your elbows and wrists are at shoulder height. Lower and repeat.
Reverse pec dec fly: Lower the seat slightly and sit facing the machine. Adjust and grab the handles, then contract your rear deltoids and shoulder blades to bring the weight back. Once you have squeezed your shoulder blades together, return the handles to their initial position without letting the weights rest. Repeat.
DAY 2: BICEPS/TRICEPS
Biceps
Barbell bicep curl: Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip. With your elbows at your sides, bend your elbows and raise the bar until your forearms are vertical. Lower until your arms are fully extended. Repeat.
Dumbbell hammer curl: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing in and arms straight. With your elbows at your sides, raise one dumbbell and rotate your forearm until it is vertical and your palm faces your shoulder. Lower to the original position and repeat with the opposite arm.
Triceps
Lying tricep extension (skullcrushers): Lie on a bench with a narrow overhand grip on a barbell. Position the barbell over your forehead with your arms extended. Lower the bar by bending your elbows. As the bar approaches your head, move your elbows backward slightly -- just enough to allow the bar to clear your head. Extend your arms. As you bring the bar back and it clears your head, put your elbows back in their initial position and extend your arms over your forehead. Repeat.
You still have to work on your legs, glutes and abs
Dumbbell tricep kickback: Kneel over the bench with one arm supporting your body. Grasp a dumbbell. Position your upper arm parallel to the floor. Extend your arm until it is straight. Return and repeat. Continue with the opposite arm.
Rope tricep pulldown: Face the high pulley and grasp the rope at the bottom. Place your elbows at your sides. Extend your arms downward. Release until your forearms are close to your upper arms (with your hands no higher than your chest). Repeat.
Day 3: LEGS/GLUTES/ABS
Dumbbell lunge: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in. Lunge forward with one leg. Land on your heel, then your forefoot. Lower your body by flexing the knee and hip of your front leg until the knee of your rear leg is almost in contact with floor. Return to the standing position by forcibly extending the hip and knee of the front leg. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Leg extension: Sit on the apparatus with your back against the padded back support. Place the front of your lower legs under the padded lever. Position your knee articulations at the same axis as the lever fulcrum. Grasp the handles on the sides for support. Move the lever forward by extending your knees until your legs are straight. Return the lever to the original position by bending your knees. Repeat.
Prone hamstring curl: Facing the bench, stand between the bench and the lever pads. Lie prone on the bench with your knees just beyond the edge of it and your lower legs under the lever pads. Grasp the handles. Raise the lever pads to the back of your thighs by flexing your knees. Lower the lever pads until your legs are straight. Repeat.
Standing cable glute pull superset with abductor machine: Attach an ankle cuff to the low pulley. Attach the cuff to one ankle, grasp the ballet bar with both hands and step far back with your unattached foot. Keep your elbows straight to support your body. Keeping your leg straight, lift your cuffed foot off the floor until your leg is at a 45-degree angle with the floor. Repeat. Continue with the opposite leg.
Standing calf raise/seated calf raise: Place your shoulders under the padded lever. Position your toes and the balls of your feet on the calf block with the arches and heels extending off. Grasp the handles or the sides of the padded lever. Raise your heels by extending your ankles as high as possible. Then, lower your heels by bending your ankles until your calves are stretched. Repeat.
Hanging leg raises/oblique cable twist superset: Grasp and hang from the high bar. Raise your legs by flexing your hips and knees until your thighs are a little higher than parallel to the floor. Return until your hips and knees are extended. Repeat.
Standing cable oblique twist: Get on the cable crossover machine. With your arms straight, hold the handle in front of your chest. While looking straight ahead, contract your abdominals and slowly turn your torso to the right, making sure to not pull with your arms, but to feel the work in your obliques. Release and repeat on the opposite side.
Get in 007 Shape
If you follow these steps, you should achieve a size and muscular shape similar to Daniel Craig’s in Casino Royale. Each and every repetition should be carried out with extreme focus and dedication toward the end result; make sure you squeeze and contract the muscle you are working during each repetition. True development will only come from isolation, and not simply from “pushing the weight up” without regard to form and mental focus.