Will the universal action hero please stand up!

Status Fitness magazine turned up the heat with action superstar Dolph Lundgren and his determined trainer Slavi Slavov, as Slavi worked Dolph into peak condition for the toughest movie of the century.
 

Blending a muscular physique with fluid athleticism, Dolph Lundgren is known as one of the original action heroes, and the last of the breed. A true warrior and role model dedicated to his craft and disciplined in his weight training and martial arts, he emerged into stardom in the ‘80s during the golden era for action fans.
 

Dolph has managed to successfully fuse his athletic background into a multidisciplinary Hollywood career as an action actor, director and producer.
 

OB:  How do people react to you, when you wear so many hats?

DL:  My problem is that people get intimidated by someone big like me. They hate to think I can be smart as well.
 

It is not surprising that Dolph has been successful in many arenas. He received a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1982, and the next year was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to MIT.

Lundgren received his Third Degree Black Belt from The World Karate Organization in Tokyo. His accomplishments include being the Captain of the Swedish National Karate Team, as well as a Champion of the Swedish, European and Australian Heavyweight Division titles. Lundgren still regularly performs Karate exhibitions at international tournaments worldwide.
 

In addition to his Karate expertise, Dolph Lundgren was selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to serve as the Team Leader of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team during the Atlanta Games. He is actively involved in promoting the image of this sport.
 

Dolph completed two directorial starring efforts.  The first was "Command Performance" in which he also showcases his little-known drumming skills. The second was the film “Icarus”, an action thriller set in Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Russia (filmed in Vancouver).
 

Lundgren also did a cameo in "Universal Soldiers, The Next Generation" (with Jean-Claude Van Damme).

OB: What are you currently working on?
DL:  “Right now we’re working on a film called “The Expendables”. I co-star alongside an impressive list of actors, including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Giselle Itie, Eric Roberts, David Zayas and Steve Austin.”
 

OB:  Can you tell me a little about the movie?
DL:  It’s a film where I play one of a group of mercenaries, led by a character played by Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote the script, and directed the film. There will be a bunch of tough guys kicking ass. I have some good fight scenes with Jet Li; that should be fun, and I have a little bit of a thing with Stallone. I’m the team member who’s got a lot of problems, and my character is really intense and screwed up in many ways. He’s very over-the-top and violent at times. He gets fired from this group and then he comes back and tries to kill Stallone. I can’t give away the surprise.

OB:  Can you describe your character in a little more detail?
DL:  I’m grateful for the great character that Stallone wrote for me in this movie. I have been a friend and pupil of Sylvester Stallone's since I first starred opposite him in Rocky IV 24 years ago. My character is crazy but funny in a comedic way. He's a good guy and a bad guy at the same time. Stallone really pushed me to get those comedic moments to work. It's something that I hadn't really ever done before. It was hard for me, especially with Stallone directing. And we have all of these other guys there. Stallone is a pretty tough director. You don't mess with him. But those scenes certainly proved that comedy in these types of films is very important. I think it works for me. Maybe that will be my secret weapon in the future of my career. I hope so, anyway.
 

Dolph Lundgren is focused, driven, and dedicated to his passions both on and off the screen.

OB:  How do you stay focused when you have so much going on?
DL:  One way I like to stay focused is by using my training.
 

OB:  How do you incorporate fitness into your filming schedule?
DL:  It can be difficult. I have two modes of training: one when I’m filming and one when I’m not. I train for up two hours when I am not filming. The film comes first, and when I‘m working I have to do short workouts with lighter weights so I won’t be too tired. I like to do circuit workouts to help build more energy and preserve good muscle tone.

When Lundgren isn’t directing or starring in a film he is busy working on a Fitness book and Sportswear Line for men, creating and launching a new Dolph Lundgren brand, as well as a licensing, media and publishing program. He is also involved in the development of future entertainment and media projects.
 

OB:  What types of film do you like to make?
DL:  I like to move and entertain people, make them laugh, cry, be scared. That’s what I do as a filmmaker. I think good films have a bit of everything. As a director, it’s fun to work with all different genres. Right now I’m doing a film noir piece. It starts out after the 2nd World War, with dark shadows everywhere. It’s kind of moody, with people smoking cigarettes and walking around in suits. They are very deceitful. It’s deep, dark and dangerous.
 

One genre I haven’t done yet is a period piece. That is something in which I am interested.  I’ve only directed 5 movies so far, and I think it takes maybe ten to really get your style as a director and create a good team. I’m still working on that.

OB:  How has the process been for you, switching over from acting to directing?
DL:  It’s challenging. It was quite difficult in the beginning. Producers are wary of this combination (an actor who directs). It’s their ultimate nightmare. If you have a star who is directing, you can’t fire the star, and you can’t get rid of the director. Producers tend to look over your shoulder a great deal. I believe that they are becoming more confident in my abilities.

OB:  On a different note:  you mentioned that you were working on a supplement line. Can you elaborate on that?
DL:  I’m working on a line of supplements with my brother-in-law who is a biochemist. It’s something organic from Sweden.

OB:  Do you take a lot of supplements, yourself?
DL:  I used to use a lot more supplements years ago. I try to eat as healthy as I can, not eating late at night.  Every morning I have a special healthy cocktail to get me going.

OB:  Do you workout with your co-stars while filming?
DL:  I’ve worked out with Stallone a lot in the past. It was good working out with Van Damme when we worked together. It’s good to see how other people train. Everyone is different, and there’s always something to learn. With this new movie coming up, we’ll see.

OB:  Do you follow MMA?  If so, is there anyone in particular that you like?
DL:  Yes I like to watch the fights; there are many great fighters out there. I like Machete a lot. He is very smart and he uses a lot of Karate moves. He’s a very clever fighter. I’ve seen fights in Vegas, Russia and Eastern Europe.”

OB:  You have quite an extensive background in Martial Arts.  What style of martial arts do you practice?
DL:  I studied kyokushin karate. That was a style that had full contact, with throws and sweeps - very similar to MMA, actually. In my day, guys were into boxing and karate and now it’s MMA. It’s a warrior atmosphere and I think that all men have it in them. Up until not too long ago, men were still out hunting their prey.

OB:  Who do you look up to at this point in your life?
DL:  I think everyone should have a role model. There are some wise older men that I look up to, like my father-in-law in Sweden. He knows how to live and enjoy life. My Swedish lawyer is very interesting. He is head of the Boxing Federation. He’s a tough guy, but he’s also very intelligent. He has a great attitude. I have another close friend who is a karate instructor. He also has a good outlook on life. I think it’s important. Life is a mystery. It’s interesting to look at people who have lived more than you have, and see how they have done things. Another person who has done a great job is Sylvester Stallone. He’s in great shape. He’s a writer and an artist. That’s a guy who never gives up. It’s challenging to write, direct and create one hit film in the course of a career.  Here’s a guy who has made many. Another of my heroes is Clint Eastwood. He’s older and successful, and he keeps doing his thing, regardless of whether or not people like it or understand it.  Those are the people that I respect.

OB:  What are you most passionate about?
DL:  I’m passionate about family, my kids.  And I’m passionate about my health. I put a lot of energy into acting, directing and writing, when I’m not with my family or traveling.

Dolph Lundgren Circuit Workout
Want to know what keeps this actor in shape?  Follow Dolph’s highly effective circuit training workout – and get ready to take on a Rocky of your own!

WARM UP
10 minutes of cycling
sit-ups and back extensions (supersets: 3x30 each, 30 s. rest between sets)

CIRCUIT TRAINING
Perform four rounds of the following circuit:
1) Running on the treadmill
2) Squat with Arnold Press:
- With dumbbells in each hand and the body straight, start with knees slightly bent.  
- Rotate and raise the dumbbells to your shoulders
- Push the dumbbells above your head with extended arms
- With your arms still elevated, perform the squat
    - Return the arms to the starting position
    - Repeat
3) Shadow kickboxing with light dumbbells (5 lbs)
4) Sit ups or other abdominal exercise: every circuit is a slightly different abs exercise.
5) Squat-kicks: every circuit we do different kicks - to the knees, low, front, high kicks.   
6) Push-ups: two types, usually changing hand positions and movements/ tempo.
7) Bench dips:  put the legs up higher than the hips.
8) Weighted punches: using the dumbbells, alternate punching forward then up and across.

For the first circuit, use lighter weights (60 % of your max) for 30 seconds per exercise, working with a 15 second rest between exercises.  After that you’re ready for heavy training.

For the next three circuits, perform the same eight exercises, but utilize heavier weights, and be sure to focus on the movement.  Execute each exercise for 45 seconds, and keep a 15 second rest between exercises. Between the circuit rounds, your rest period is 2 minutes.

After you’ve completed the last circuit, take a two minute break and then perform two maximum sets of chin-ups with a 30 second rest between sets.

When Dolph has finished his circuit workout, he moves into the aerobics studio for some kickboxing, pad work and sparring. He and his partner work for 5 rounds with a two minute rest in between.

“For the first two rounds we do kickboxing with pads and gloves working different combinations. First I (Slavi Slavov, Dolph’s coach and sparring partner) hold the pads then Dolph will hold them.”

For the 3rd and 4th rounds, they spar. “During our sparring we work at 70-80% of our maximum ability. We don't use punches in the face - only the body, but we use the kicks everywhere and at times they’re very high.”

In the 5th round, Dolph and Slavi do strengthening movements. “One of us will do a combination of punches and kicks while the other one is not protected. We each do a round like this.”

The men then do five minutes of stretching for the whole body. They finish off the intense workout with "MOCUSO” (30-40 sec.).  This exercise is about relaxing the body. They stay off their feet and sit comfortably with the eyes closed to allow for the brain to be free.

Meet The Trainer: Slavi Slavov’s Bio

When Slavi Slavov is not on location training with Dolph Lundgren, you can find him at his MMA club in Bulgaria.

Slavi’s training comes from 12 years of Judo, earning him his black belt, and nine years of training in Karate Kyokushin, in which he is a Bulgarian and International champion.

Slavi has spent years donning the boxing gloves to compete in kickboxing and Muay Thai. He has been a kickboxing and Muay Thai Champion 5 times in Bulgaria, and a champion many times internationally. For the last five years, he has been training in MMA with 6 matches and 6 wins.