[Update] PoP is top grossing film outside US this weekend! Jake Gyllenhaal is not your average person. The Prince Dastan Work Out and Diet Plan

Update: Prince of Persia was the top movie outside the US this weekend, beating both SATC and Shrek. According to THR: 'The Disney film drew $59 million from 7,100 screens in 47 territories for an early international cume of $87.5 million. Taking second place on the weekend was " Sex and the City 2," which opened on the foreign circuit with $27.6 million from 3,700 screens in 17 markets.' Things may have been slow in the US this weekend, but this is great news! I would like to point out that I am not responsible for all of those cinema tickets, just a healthy bunch of them.


No doubt many of you have now seen Jake Gyllenhaal as a Prince of Persia and it is possible that once you have finished feasting your eyes on the stunning panoramic scenery, the beautiful kasbahs and palaces, the exotic creatures, the fine weaponry, the splendid costumes and extraordinary horseriding displays, you may have noticed that Jake Gyllenhaal is bloody hot in it. If you haven't, please go and see it again; if you have, please go and see it again. Jake's trainer, Sam Waterson, has been talking some more about how he got that body into shape (admittedly, some of the credit muust go to Jake).


'"I made sure he trained when he need to train. He was fed when he needed to be fed. And rested when he needed to rest. You have to bear in mind, this was an intensive four months of training. He was living an athlete's life... The average person isn't going to be climbing walls and running through sand wearing a suit of armor. Jake had to be conditioned in a way of being capable of doing those things while cameras were rolling hours a day on set."'


'Even at his peak, Gyllenhaal had a few moments of weakness, like anyone else. "Like anybody, you always have a little bit of self doubt," Waterson said. He did every exercise with Gyllenhaal. Set for set, rep for rep and mile for mile, he helped push the actor -- even when there were intense moments of throwing in the towel. "He was 110 percent committed. And I think I trained him too well, because he was a lot fitter than me by the end of it," Waterson jokes. "I have to give Jake a lot of the credit. Yes, I was his trainer, but for this part, he was very disciplined. I have a massive respect for him because at the end of the day, he is an actor and very committed to being the best."'

Here is Jake's diet, so you can emulate it next time you're 'climbing walls and running through sand wearing a suit of armor'.


► Pre-workout Snack: Half a banana, some nuts and an espresso.

► Morning Workout: An hour-and-a-half cardio workout while wearing a 20 lb. flak jacket to simulate the weight of armor. Interval training (10 minute uphill sprint, followed by abs exercises). Repeat sequence five times, then a 10 minute run, followed by stretching.

► Breakfast: An egg-white omelet, a small protein shake and an isotonic drink to replenish salts lost during training.

► Lunch: Baked potato with tuna and salad.


► Evening Workout: An hour of resistance training using cables to simulate sword fights; pull-ups, press-ups, abs exercises using weights; finish with stretching.

► Dinner: Soup and a protein shake

► Snacks/supplements: Two liters of water, protein bars, dark chocolate, supplements rich in omega-3, 6 and 9. No foods containing refined sugar, occasional glass of wine allowed. (Source: Simon Waterson)

Actually, I'm half way there - I already have plenty of dark chocolate and wine in my diet. The Entertainment Weekly scans here include a question put to Jake about whether he'd be willing to go through all this training yet again for a sequel: 'With a plate full of protein', replies Jake.

Kissing Jake

For a fun read about the complexities of 'Kissing Jake Gyllenhaal' please take a look at this article.


And finally...

The Pixel Project contacted me to publicise their first Voters’ Choice Celebrity Male Role Model Poll and Petition, which is part of their project to raise funds in a campaign to fight domestic abuse in the US and Malaysia. Jake is among the nominated actors and you can vote for him here, as well as find out more about the project.


Thanks to BBMISwear for EW! Scans by WDW, pictures by Disney.