Daniel Craig's Casino Royale transformation in 2006 redefines what James Bond looks like on screen. Trainer Simon Waterson, a former British Royal Marine, designs the program that produces the result and continues working with Craig across all five of his Bond films.
Waterson's deliberate intention for Casino Royale is to make Craig more imposing than previous Bond actors, to make the physique shocking in a way that has not been attempted with the character before. The training runs in six-week phases with one week of recovery between each block.
This article covers the five-day weekly split Waterson builds for Craig, the six-week phase structure that drives progressive adaptation, and the philosophy behind programming that sustains Bond-level conditioning across a decade of films.
The Simon Waterson Philosophy
"It was a definite intention to make Daniel more imposing. To make it shocking." - Simon Waterson, trainer
Waterson's training philosophy begins with a question most trainers do not ask: what do you hate doing? The answer determines what gets removed from the program rather than included out of convention.
For Craig, who arrives at the Casino Royale preparation needing to build significant muscle tissue in a compressed timeframe, Waterson designs a program that uses dynamic, explosive movement alongside heavy compound lifting. The combination produces functional muscle that reads as powerful rather than cosmetic.
The Six-Week Phase Structure
"Simon Waterson incorporated dynamic movement into everything." - Casino Royale production notes
Waterson structures the preparation in six-week training blocks separated by one-week recovery periods. Each phase uses a circuit of eight compound movements for four sets of 15 repetitions, creating both mechanical stimulus for muscle growth and metabolic stress that drives fat loss simultaneously.
The exercises within each phase change at the six-week mark, preventing the adaptation plateau that occurs when the same movements are repeated indefinitely. New movement patterns recruit motor units the body has not been challenging, producing fresh adaptation without requiring additional volume.
Weekly Training Split
"My first question is always: what do you hate doing?" - Simon Waterson, trainer
| Day | Focus | Training Method |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Chest and Back | Circuit: 8 movements, 4 sets x 15 reps |
| Tuesday | Legs and Core | Circuit: 8 movements, 4 sets x 15 reps |
| Wednesday | Yoga / Pilates | Mobility and recovery work |
| Thursday | Shoulders and Arms | Circuit: 8 movements, 4 sets x 15 reps |
| Friday | Full Body Conditioning | Dynamic explosive circuit |
| Saturday | Rest or active recovery | Swimming or light movement |
| Sunday | Rest | Full rest |
Monday: Chest and Back Circuit
"It was a combination of dynamic, explosive movement, but also some heavy lifting to build muscle tissue." - Simon Waterson, trainer
The chest and back circuit pairs pushing and pulling movements in alternating sequence. One muscle group recovers while the opposite group works, maintaining elevated heart rate while preventing premature fatigue from grouping all pressing movements together.
- Bench press: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Bent-over row: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Incline dumbbell press: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Pull-ups: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Cable fly: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Seated cable row: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Mountain climber press-up: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Face pull: 4 sets x 15 reps
Tuesday: Legs and Core
"The workout was done in 6-week phases with one week of recovery between, focusing on compound exercises with 4 sets of 15 repetitions." - Simon Waterson, trainer
Tuesday's leg circuit uses compound lower body movements that also demand core stability. Each exercise trains both muscle groups simultaneously, keeping session density high without requiring extended rest periods.
- Back squat: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Romanian deadlift: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Walking lunge: 4 sets x 15 reps per leg
- Leg press: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Hanging leg raise: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Plank: 4 x 30 seconds
- Cable crunch: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Bodyweight dips: 4 sets x 15 reps
Wednesday: Yoga and Pilates
"Daniel Craig followed an intense workout routine that consisted of 5 days of training per week including yoga, Pilates, and resistance training." - Simon Waterson, trainer
Wednesday's yoga and Pilates session is a deliberate training stimulus, not just a recovery day. The mobility demands of action sequences, particularly the fight choreography Craig performs with minimal stunt doubling, require functional flexibility that weight training alone does not develop.
Craig's ability to move credibly in complex physical sequences across five films depends on the body control and range of motion this midweek session maintains.
Thursday: Shoulders and Arms
"It was a definite intention to make Daniel more imposing." - Simon Waterson, trainer
Thursday's shoulder and arm circuit develops the upper body width and arm detail that reads clearly in the film's costume. Craig's swimming scenes in Casino Royale place particular demand on shoulder definition, and Waterson's programming reflects that priority.
- Military press: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Arnold press: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Lateral raise: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Rear delt fly: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Barbell curl: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Hammer curl: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Skull crusher: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Own-weight body dips: 4 sets x 15 reps
Friday: Dynamic Conditioning
"Waterson incorporated dynamic movement into everything, including mountain climber press-ups and own-weight body dips." - Simon Waterson, trainer
Friday's conditioning session uses explosive movements that Waterson describes as dynamic rather than static, developing fast-twitch muscle activation and cardiovascular capacity that pure lifting does not train. The format changes each week using combinations of kettlebell work, medicine ball throws, and bodyweight circuits.
- Kettlebell swing: 5 sets x 20 reps
- Box jump: 4 sets x 10 reps
- Medicine ball slam: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Battle ropes: 5 rounds x 30 seconds
- Burpees: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Sprint intervals: 6 x 30 seconds at maximum effort
The No Time to Die Preparation
"My first question is always: what do you hate doing?" - Simon Waterson, trainer
Craig's final Bond preparation for No Time to Die requires Waterson to maintain rather than build. The program shifts toward injury prevention, mobility maintenance, and session frequency rather than the aggressive volume the original Casino Royale preparation demands.
Craig enters the production at 52 years old. The result is a final Bond appearance that remains credible throughout, without the extreme demands of a first-time transformation.
Explore Similar Routines
- Brad Pitt's Fight Club Workout Routine. Pitt's preparation pursues a similar lean, powerful aesthetic to Craig's Casino Royale look, using comparable caloric precision and a defined lifting split rather than Waterson's circuit methodology.
- Henry Cavill's Workout Routine. Cavill's Gym Jones preparation shares Craig's use of phased training blocks and compound movement emphasis, scaled to a larger mass target for a superhero role versus Bond's lean power.
- Jason Statham's Workout Routine. Statham and Craig both train with former military veterans whose programming philosophy prioritizes functional capability alongside aesthetic result.
- Hugh Jackman's Workout Routine. Jackman's Wolverine preparations use phased periodization across multiple film productions, maintaining a demanding physique standard over a comparable career arc.
Waterson's circuits lean on a small set of versatile tools rather than machines, kettlebells and plyo boxes for the dynamic Friday conditioning, a doorway pull-up bar and adjustable dumbbells for the upper-body blocks, and a mat for the midweek yoga and Pilates session that keeps Craig mobile for fight choreography.