Jason Statham builds his action-star physique by training the way athletes train, not bodybuilders. His program, designed by former US Navy SEAL Logan Hood at Epoch Fitness in Los Angeles, runs six days a week at near-maximum intensity in sessions that never exceed 35 minutes.
Statham arrived at the gym with a rare foundation: 12 years on the British national diving team, competing on the 10-meter platform and 3-meter springboard. He ranked 12th in the world in platform diving in 1992, giving him the body control and explosive power most gym trainees never develop.
This article covers his full weekly split, the pyramid and interval protocols that define each session, and the tracking system that drives his year-round progression.
The Logan Hood Training System
"We're always pushing the limits, whether it's adding weight or reps." - Logan Hood, trainer
Logan Hood began training Statham in 2008 during the production of Death Race. His system runs on two unbreakable principles: every session is at least slightly different from the previous one, and every session is recorded in full.
Each session runs in three stages. The first ten minutes are always a warm-up on the Concept 2 rowing machine at under 20 strokes per minute. The second phase is ten minutes of varied moderate-intensity work, and the final phase is interval training at maximum output.
Hood keeps Statham's heart rate elevated throughout every phase. Sessions that run longer at the same output level are not possible without lowering intensity, which defeats the entire system.
Weekly Training Split
"I do a lot of Olympic lifting, with techniques like cleans and deadlifts and overhead squats, and I always try to do legs in a session." - Jason Statham
| Day | Primary Focus | Key Movements |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Pyramid Circuit | Press-ups, ring pull-ups, barbell squats, gymnastic trampoline |
| Tuesday | Chest and Shoulders | Flat bench, military press, dumbbell flies, L-sit holds, farmers carry |
| Wednesday | Interval and Power | Rowing, boxing, front squats, pull-ups, power cleans, knee-to-elbows |
| Thursday | Lower Body and Core | Front squats, stiff-leg deadlifts, reverse ab crunches, 200 push-ups |
| Friday | Cumulative Circuit | Rope climbs, bear crawls, medicine ball slams, rope pulls, dips |
| Saturday | Rest | Full rest and recovery |
| Sunday | Rest | Full rest and recovery |
Monday: Pyramid Circuit Training
"Statham religiously followed two main principles: every workout was slightly different, and everything was recorded in detail." - Logan Hood
Monday's pyramid circuit runs through a sequence of bodyweight and barbell exercises without rest between movements. Statham performs one rep of each exercise in round one, two in round two, building up to five rounds, then descends back to one. The total across the pyramid is 55 reps per exercise.
The gymnastic trampoline cool-down at the end improves proprioception and landing mechanics. These carry directly into Statham's stunt work on set.
- Concept 2 rowing warm-up: 10 minutes at under 20 strokes per minute
- Press-ups: pyramid 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 reps (55 total)
- Ring pull-ups: pyramid 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 reps (55 total)
- Barbell squat: pyramid 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 reps (55 total)
- Gymnastic trampoline: 5 minutes cool-down
Tuesday: Chest and Shoulders
"The key to Statham's workouts is variety, not excessive training." - Logan Hood
Tuesday targets pressing muscles through horizontal and vertical movements. Flat bench press establishes the primary load, military press builds overhead strength, and dumbbell flies add the stretch-position volume that pressing movements cannot provide alone.
The L-sit hold and farmers carry at the end train isometric core strength and grip under fatigue. Both skills transfer directly to the physically demanding stunt sequences Statham performs.
- Flat bench chest press: 4 sets x 8 reps
- Military press: 4 sets x 8 reps
- Dumbbell chest flies: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Tricep press-downs: 3 sets x 12 reps
- L-sit hold: 3 x 20 seconds
- Farmers carry with kettlebells: 3 rounds x 30 meters
Wednesday: Interval and Power Work
"Hood makes sure there is a lot of intensity packed into their workouts by keeping the heart rate up, so they burn fat and tone muscle at the same time." - Logan Hood
Wednesday combines rowing intervals with boxing and Olympic-style lifting. Front squats at 105 percent of body weight for 5 sets of 5 reps anchor the session, demanding both leg drive and thoracic rigidity that back squats do not require in the same way.
Hood includes power cleans because explosive pulling develops the hip drive that translates to athletic movement outside the gym. Knee-to-elbows close the session with core and grip work under accumulated fatigue.
- Rowing intervals: 5 x 500 meters, rest equal to work time
- Boxing: 3 x 3-minute rounds
- Front squat: 5 sets x 5 reps at 105% body weight
- Pull-ups: 4 sets x 8 reps
- Decline push-ups: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Power cleans: 4 sets x 5 reps
- Knee-to-elbows: 3 sets x 12 reps
Thursday: Lower Body and Deadlift Pyramid
"Everything is recorded in detail, including weights used, times for active and recovery periods." - Logan Hood
Thursday features the stiff-leg deadlift pyramid, which Hood programs as Statham's primary strength benchmark. Loading is calculated as a percentage of body weight rather than fixed numbers, keeping relative difficulty constant regardless of bodyweight fluctuations.
The four-set pyramid runs at 130%, 140%, 160%, and 180% of body weight with three minutes of rest between sets. Statham's full deadlift progression, tracked in his journal, runs from 135 pounds through to 365 pounds. The session closes with 200 push-ups in as few sets as possible.
- Front squat: 5 sets x 5 reps at 105% body weight
- Stiff-leg deadlift: 4 sets x 1 rep at 130% / 140% / 160% / 180% body weight (3 min rest)
- Reverse ab crunches: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Hanging leg raises: 3 sets x 12 reps
- 200 push-ups: completed in minimum sets
Friday: Cumulative Circuit
"Hood likes to use workouts that bring the muscles close to failure, but then explode plyometrically." - Logan Hood
Friday is the most varied day and the hardest to replicate without the right equipment. Rope climbs, bear crawls, and crab walks train the body in positions that conventional machines cannot access, demanding full-body coordination under load.
Medicine ball slams develop rotational power. Rope pulls seated on the floor target the posterior chain with the spine in a position where most athletes have never trained it.
- Rope climbs: 5 x to the top (legless if possible)
- Bear crawls: 4 rounds x 20 meters
- Crab walks: 4 rounds x 20 meters
- Medicine ball slams: 4 sets x 15 reps
- Rope pulls (seated): 4 rounds x 15 meters
- Dips: 4 sets x 12 reps
The Martial Arts Foundation
"I do a lot of Olympic lifting, with techniques like cleans and deadlifts, and I always try to do legs in a session." - Jason Statham
Statham's gym work sits on an extensive martial arts background that shapes how Hood programs his training. He began practicing Chinese martial arts and kickboxing recreationally in his youth, then joined Renzo Gracie's Academy in Manhattan in 2002 alongside director Guy Ritchie.
His full background spans karate, Wushu, Wing Chun kung fu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (purple belt), and kickboxing. Upper body mobility, hip flexibility, and rotational power all receive more attention in his program than they would in a conventional bodybuilding routine.
The Tracking System
"Without a log, varied training becomes random training." - Logan Hood
Every session is logged in full: weights used, rep counts, active and rest period times, and notes on how the session felt. Hood credits this record-keeping as the mechanism that drives consistent progress despite deliberate variety in the program.
Each session can be slightly harder than the last time the same format appeared, even if that was three weeks ago. Statham has maintained this practice consistently since 2008, and it is the single most replicable element of his system.
Explore Similar Routines
- Hugh Jackman's Workout Routine. Another action star who built his physique through progressive overload and precise tracking across multiple film productions, with a similar emphasis on compound lifts and consistent measurement.
- Chris Hemsworth's Workout Routine. Luke Zocchi's functional training system shares Hood's philosophy of athletic conditioning over pure bodybuilding aesthetics, with comparable emphasis on variety and active recovery.
- Conor McGregor's Workout Routine. A combat sports program that, like Statham's boxing integration, combines strength work with fight training to build a physique optimized for explosive power.
- The Rock's Workout Routine. Dwayne Johnson's six-day program shares Statham's commitment to early morning training and daily discipline while taking a higher-volume bodybuilding approach.
Statham trains like an athlete, not a bodybuilder, bodyweight pyramids, Olympic lifting and conditioning rather than machines and isolation. The kit is deliberately spare: a rower to open every session, an Olympic bar for the cleans and deadlifts, and a handful of functional tools for carries, slams and gymnastic work.