The full, R-rated, unexpurgated, horrific, true and shocking tale of Jake Gyllenhaal's Prince of Persia regime

One man who has received considerable attention during this PoP year is Simon Waterson who helped to pump up Jake Gyllenhaal's biceps and abs by mercilessly denying him snickers bars and hearty British pub fare while forcefeeding him with raw fish and soup and pummelling those tired muscles relentlessly. Simon Waterson, ex-Royal Marine and torturer to the rich and famous, has given us details about Jake's PoP regime and diet before, but now, to coincide with the DVD release, we have a full account from Simon. How can anyone not buy the DVD now, when faced with the unavoidable truth that there was a lot more to the making of Prince of Persia than wall-to-wall couscous? Here is the true story in all its horror, so shocking that no amount of Blu-ray extras can do justice to it. Do you ever see Dastan eat? I don't think so...


Over to Simon and the catalogue of tortures that made up the diary of Jake's PoP day (although I must admit that I'd be hard pressed to come up with a better start to the day than a 5am half-banana accompanied by sandy uphill sprints and squat thrusts while wearing a weighted jacket). But a warning... Do NOT try this at home (unless Bruckheimer asks you nicely).


5 A.M.
“We’d start the day very early with a strong black coffee and a pre-workout snack of half a banana and some nuts,” explains Waterson. “Jake was staying in London at the time, so we’d drive to Hyde Park to work out on the sand horse tracks, which would mimic the sand of Morocco where much of the movie was filmed. Every workout would start of with warm-up exercises and stretches – and then Jake would put on a 20lb-weighted jacket to simulate the armor he would wear in the movie. He’d run around on the sand for 30 to 40 minutes before spending an hour on cardio exercises including sit-ups, press-up, squat thrusts and uphill sprints. Finally, we’d finish off with some stretches and a cool-down session – and then we’d head home.”


7.30 A.M.
“Jake would eat breakfast around 7.30 A.M. every morning. This would consist of an egg white omelet with a piece of rye toast and half a protein shake with blueberries, raspberries and almonds. After a shower, he’d head off to the studio for the day where he’d work on the pre-production of the movie. He’d be involved with stunt rehearsals, fight choreography, costume tests and script run-throughs before returning home for his evening workout.”

10 A.M.
“It was essential to keep Jake well fueled throughout the day, so he would eat small and often. A small snack consists of anything from a cereal bar to a power bar or half a protein shake and some nuts or dark chocolate.”


MIDDAY
“A typical lunch would be a light meal of brown rice, chicken and a dark green, leafy vegetable like broccoli, steamed asparagus or spinach. Alternatively, he’d have a baked potato with tuna and salad.”

2 P.M. AND 4 P.M.
“Afternoon snacks would often involve crudités like carrots and broccoli or celery with some kind of dip, like hummus or ranch. He’d eat every two hours in preparation for the intense workouts.”


6 P.M.
“We’d tackle a lot of circuit-based training in the hour-long evening session. This involved pull-ups, plyometrics, jumps and sit-ups. We’d use things like kettle bells during these exercises, as well as cables to simulate sword fights. We would end the session with a couple of compound exercises before stretching and cooling down. A compound exercise is an exercise where you use multiple muscle groups and you lift heavy weights. Typical examples of compound exercises are dead lifts, shoulder press and bench press exercises. These would allow Jake to develop muscle tissue, which gave him the aesthetics for the character.”

7.30 P.M.
“If possible, Jake would get a half-hour deep tissue massage after the evening workout. This would help get blood into the right areas to heal and prevent muscle soreness – and to make sure the muscles were ready to work again the next day. For dinner, he’d eat a lean piece of meat or a little bit of sushi. Anything protein-based and lean would work, but if we finished late and it was within two hours of going to bed, it would better to have soup instead. A light soup like chicken and sweet corn soup works wonders because it’s easier to digest while you’re trying to sleep.”


9 P.M.
“I’d always suggest Jake get to bed as early as possible because he’d have to be up before 5 A.M. every morning to tackle another day of intense exercise and work. There was never time for a late night with a workout regimen like this, but Jake put in 100 percent of effort and it all paid off with a remarkable level of fitness and a great movie role. It all worked out in the end.” Source.

Jake's lucky. At least he didn't have to live in a shoebox at the bottom of a lake and have to sponge it dry every morning by 2am before working a 29-hour shift down the pit while having his feet gnawed off by rats and licking the coalface for lunch. You had it easy, Jake!


Previous Waterson posts/interviews on WDW can be found here and here and here. Includes pictures from Disney and scans by WDW from Men's Fitness (June 2010)