Will Smith's Ali Workout Transformed Him Into a Muscle-Bound Champion

From his Suicide Squad eight-pack to his lean end of the world-ready I Am Legend physique – not to mention his admirable recent admission that, at 52, he is currently “in the worst shape of my life” – Will Smith has always led the conversation around actors’ bodies and how they look on screen. From Bad Boys to Seven Pounds, dude transforms into a role.

But, arguably his most iconic transformation was taking on the role of real life sporting icon Muhammad Ali in Michael Mann’s 2001 biopic, Ali.

Arriving hot on the heels of uber flop Wild Wild West, Ali was something of a departure for Smith; a staring role in a serious biopic that would require not just a physical overhaul but an in-depth knowledge of Ali’s speaking cadence and physical tics.

In other words, it was no small feat. But Smith was committed.Having been attached to star in the project through multiple director changes (Ron Howard was lined up at one point) Smith eventually signed on for a reputed $20 million salary in 2000.

But, even with Smith finally attached, the film hit rocky ground.

“I think the studios were thinking ‘Oh boy, what did we get ourselves in to?’” recalls Darrell Foster, who trained Sugar Ray Leonard for almost two decades.

Recently, as a celebrity trainer, Foster has worked with a range of celebrity clients including Miles Teller, as well as working on the new Amazon Prime Video exclusive, Toofaan, starring Farhan Akhtar as a reformed goon who seeks to make a name for himself in the sport of boxing.

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“When the Ali movie came up they’d done an international search for coaches,” Foster recalls. “A lot of top-rate professional coaches can coach you if you already know how to do something, but a lot of them can’t teach you from scratch. They needed to train Will from scratch because he couldn’t fight at all. He was athletic in other sports – football, playing around in the neighbourhood shooting hoops – but he couldn’t fight at all. I think he had decided not to do the picture. I met with Michael Mann, they had spoken to someone who knew Sugar Ray and they recommended me.”

With black belts in multiple martial arts and decades of experience at the highest levels of boxing, Foster would be able to coach Smith in the role. It wasn’t long before everyone felt confident that Smith had what it took to convincingly portray Ali. (FYI, critical appraisal of the film suggests he nailed it, and Smith himself has called it his best work).

Not that Foster was phased by the task at hand.

“Smith had no star power for me,” he says. “[With Sugar Ray] I had already been in 20 world class training camps for world titles against people Roberto Durán; the best in the world. Will Smith to me was like a five-year-old kid coming in to the gym and saying ‘Hey, coach, can you teach me how to fight?'".

The Challenger

Because Ali was portraying one of the best boxers to ever tie on a pair of gloves, the pressure on Smith to get the physicality of the role right – and hence, the pressure on Foster – was immense.

The mission was to both build up Smith’s body as well as turning him in to a boxer who could hold his own on screen. To get it right, Foster adopted an all-encompassing approach to training.

“[The studio] was originally going to hire a chef, a physical trainer, a boxing trainer… a whole team of people,” he recalls. “I told them we didn’t need too many cooks in the kitchen. I couldn’t have one person somewhere train his shoulders then I bring him in to work on his Ali jabs… I wanted to kind of ‘head-chef’ the whole thing to avoid injuries, so I took on all of that.”

Under Foster’s supervision, workouts began at 6am with three to five miles of roadwork (that’s ‘running’ to the uninitiated). Breakfast was at 8am sharp, followed by a break, boxing training at 11am focusing on fundamentals including balance and speed bags, then another break, then weight training from 5pm to 7pm.

“It was six days a week, all day long,” Foster says. “It was your life.”

Training Days

The key to portraying the man who famously bragged he could turn a light off and be in bed before the room went dark? Exactly the same thing that will help you in any task in life: balance.

“The human body is a living breathing organism that is always trying to maintain balance,” says Foster. “So we took things in increments. We were working on Will’s muscle strength and endurance, but you can’t do that without mobility and flexibility.”

Even with all bases covered, training to be the best required Foster to literally take Smith’s training to new heights.

“You need to work on your cardiovascular ability – your body’s ability to extract oxygen from your bloodstream,” Foster says. “When you can’t breath you want to stop, just like in a fight. You can’t do that in the 13th, 14th, 15th round. Like Ali, you still have to keep going. In order to achieve that, Will and I would train at to high altitudes. The more you can stretch your body’s cardiovascular activities, the more you can increase your oxygen extraction.”

Despite the demanding routine, Foster recalls Smith never trying to throw his movie-star weight around in the gym (or anywhere else).

“He was already an international movie star, but he was humble,” Foster says. “He had a philosophy that you begin as an apprentice, then move on to a journeyman then you become a master. But you’re always learning. Will was humble enough to know ‘I can do this, but I can’t do that.’ It was a mutual respect thing. And we progressed really fast.”

The Workout

While you might be tempted to rush to the local gym and start laying in to the punch bag or pumping out reps on the bench press, Foster stresses that it is important to nail the fundamentals first.

Not only will doing so help you understand how your body moves, it will build the basics of decent aerobic fitness and hand-eye co-ordination – both things that will benefit each and every workout you do.

“Boxing starts from the ground up so we’re working on balance and footwork,” says Foster. “Whatever you do, you need to enhance your ability to bring the earth up and you down in order to centre yourself. Find that homeostasis in order to shift your weight from one side to the next.”

Work through this regiment – inspired by Foster’s training with Smith – to build the basics of a fighting fit physique that will keep you going through the 12th round and beyond.

Skipping Rope

Sets: 3

Reps: 60 seconds

Rest: 60 seconds

Boxers love skipping, and for good reason. Not only will it get you lean and sculpt your calves at the same time, it’s great for developing co-ordination as your legs, brain and hands all have to work together to pull it off. Yes, we know it’s difficult, and no, we aren’t expecting double-unders straight away, but if children can pull it off in the school playground, you can definitely manage three sets in the gym.

Single Arm Kettlebell Swings

Sets: 3

Reps: 10 per arm

Rest: 60 seconds

Use the lightest kettlebell you can find until you’ve perfected this. Start with your knees slightly bent, the weight held in one hand. Hinge at the hips and draw the kettlebell back between your knees. In the same movement, drive your hips forward and straighten your back to bring the kettlebell up in front of you. As it nears your chest, grasp it firmly in your other hand and return to the start for one.

Reverse Lunge With Knee-Up

Sets: 3

Reps: 10 per leg

Rest: 60 seconds

Plyometric exercises are great for boosting co-ordination and getting your heart pounding. To pull this one off you’re going to start in the normal lunge position. Instead of stepping forward, you’ll step back into a reverse lunge. As your right foot goes back, shift the weight to your front left foot. Then, swing your right foot forward, using the momentum to push up into a jump (straight up, not forward). Land on your left foot and repeat.

Plyo Push-Up

Sets: 3

Reps: 5

Rest: 60 seconds

The plyo push up, or ‘clapping push up’ is a bit of a showy move, but it does benefit both your back muscles and cardiovascular system. By adding an extra bit of effort at the end of the movement you’ll force both to work that bit harder. Perform a normal press up but instead of straightening your arms to return to the start position at the bottom of the move, you’re going to push down through your palms to power your torso off the ground. If you can, clap your hands together, returning to the ‘palms out’ position before you land. If five is too many, start with one and go from there.

Box Jump

Sets: 3

Reps: 10

Rest: 60 seconds

The box jump is great for honing explosive power. Assuming your gym has plyometric boxes, choose one about shin height to begin with (if it doesn’t have boxes, a secure bench could work). Start with your toes pointing towards the box, standing about four inches away from it. Bend at the knees and swing your arms forward as you jump up and on to the box. Land with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent to absorb the impact and avoid over balancing. Step down and repeat. When it gets easy, aim higher.

Toofaan is released 21 May on Amazon Prime Video

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