Chris Pratt hasn’t always been a household name. In fact, before you saw him (or at least, recognised him) on the big screen, you probably found out about him through a 2014 viral image showing Pratt, in all his beer-loving, pizza-guzzling glory, just letting himself be on a beach.
Juxtaposed beside it was a selfie of the same man, clearly taken some time later in a gym changing room. Gone was the gut, replaced by one of Hollywood’s most impressive six-packs. From the dough of Pratt’s former face, a chiseled movie star had emerged. In short, here was Chris Pratt 2.0, the traditional leading man ready to take on franchises from The Avengers to Jurassic World.
The transformation was the work of Pratt and former Navy Seal turned celebrity PT Duffy Gaver – a man who was no stranger to the demands of filming, having bagged roles in the likes of Se7en and The Rock, as well as having trained clients including one-time Spider-man Tobey Maguire. He also got a certain Brad Pitt into the shape of his life for Troy.
For Gaver, getting Pratt into shape for the then up-coming Guardians of the Galaxy film was a challenge that benefitted from Marvel’s huge hopes for the new franchise.
“If you’re a trainer and your client wants to lose a little weight, that’s nice motivation, but it isn’t specific,” Gaver explains. “My clients say, ‘Hey, in six months they’re gonna film me, I have to take my shirt off and if I don’t do it right I’m fucked.’”
Here’s how they did it right.
The Mission
Guardians of the Galaxy was a risk for Marvel. Sure, people loved Iron Man, but a story about criminals in space? Featuring a talking racoon? And starring the overweight guy from Parks and Rec? Luckily, with their leading man cast, they knew exactly who to call.
“I had built up a good rapport with Marvel,” says Gaver. “I got a phone call and they wanted to see if I was available to train Chris Pratt. They said he’d just walked out of their office and found out he was the lead in their next franchise. I Googled him and said ‘OK’.”
Gaver ended up on the phone with Pratt 20 minutes later, discussing Gaver’s training philosophy. They met the next day for coffee, then hit the gym.
“Chris was very prepared to put the work in,” Gaver says. “Marvel is hiring people for years and years, so they want people who are very dedicated and disciplined. The people I get called to train have already passed quite a litmus test to arrive where they are.”
For Gaver, training involves getting a client from A to B. Simple as that. Maybe your A is you compete in triathlons for fun. Or maybe it’s that you like to spend your time on the sofa eating ice cream. Either way, Gaver knows how to get you looking, feeling, and moving your best.
“I think Chris’s body at the time was working for the type of actor he was, but it was time for a change,” Gave says. “I’m extremely proud of the work I did with Chris because it took him from being a character actor of sorts to being a leading man. And a really highly sought-after leading man.”
Insider Info
Gaver was given six months to get Pratt in shape. Not that the actor needed encouragement to hit the gym. “Chris is one of those guys where you have to say ‘Hey let’s take a day off’,” Gaver says. “He definitely wanted it.”
In fact, so committed was Pratt to achieving a certain physique that Gaver still talks about him to clients today.
“I put two guys through a workout recently and they worked out really hard,” he says. “I told them about how Chris would go through his workout and the whole gym would pay attention to him. Not because he was a movie star, because at the time he wasn’t. He’s dripping sweat, out of breath. He was just a guy who was killing himself in the gym.”
The Method
Which isn’t to say Gaver favours brutal, never-ending workouts. Far from it.
“To begin with, it was let’s train every other day, with some days off,” he explains. “After all, you don’t get fit in the gym, you just get beat up in the gym. You get fit recovering in bed and at your dinner table.”
Diet was a main component of Pratt’s transformation, with the actor ditching alcohol during the training period and opting for the standard fitness fare of chicken and broccoli. Changes, Gaver explains, came thick and fast.
“The fitness industry tries to make it complicated, but it’s not,” he says. “If I put a plate of doughnuts in front of you and another of chicken breasts, which one are you supposed to eat? If you can answer that, you’re a nutritionist. Are you supposed to go do pull-ups or sit on the couch eating ice cream? There you go.”
Weights-wise, the workout consisted of bodybuilding moves coupled with on-point nutrition, to help Pratt drop body weight. Once that was accomplished, they switched to high-intensity interval training, or as Gaver calls them, “the huffing and puffing sweaty workouts.”
“I think he enjoyed those a lot,” he says. “They’re short, they’re brutal, you feel like you got it done.”
Chris Pratt’s Guardians of the Galaxy Workout
How about a short and brutal workout of your own, then?
“This is a workout almost all of my clients have done, and it’s one of my single favourite workouts for myself too,” Gaver says “It gets very hard very quickly. And if you’re not conditioned for it, it’s very tough. It’s a huge oxygen tax. All your muscles are working.”
After warming up on an assault bike to get the blood flowing (not got one? Burpees it is then!) you’re going to repeat as many reps of this deceptively simple workout as possible inside 20 minutes. No rest, no breaks – this one’s about keeping the intensity high to torch calories as you work all your biggest muscles. Make a note of how many rounds you make it through, then try to beat that score the next time you train. The beauty of this session is that it requires no equipment besides something to do pull-ups on – a bar, a tree branch, a door frame – which means no excuses.
Pull-ups
Sets: As many as possible
Reps: 5
Rest: None
Start by grabbing a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands just wider than your shoulders. From a dead hang, lift your chest to touch the bar, pause, then slowly lower back into a dead hang. That's one rep. Repeat for five, then go straight into the press-ups without resting. (If you're struggling to get the reps in, sling a resistance band around the bar and step into it, to make things easier).
Push-ups
Sets: As many as possible
Reps: 10
Rest: None
Drop into a push-up position – palms on the floor beneath your armpits, weight on your toes, back flat, core braced. Slowly lower your body until your chest almost touches the floor – superheroes don't let gravity do the work for them – then drive back up explosively. After 10 reps, jump up and go straight into the squats.
Air squats
Sets: As many as possible
Reps: 5
Rest: None
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out. Sink down as you push your hips back, as if you were sitting in a chair. Go as deep as possible, keeping your weight on your heels, then drive explosively back to standing. After 15 reps, grab your pull-up bar again and repeat all three moves until the 20-minute buzzer sounds.
Got it done? Then there’s every* chance you too can become a multimillionaire movie star. Well done.
*no chance in this world, but don’t let that slow you down.
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