Aaron Taylor-Johnson combined structured strength training with specialist military conditioning to build his physique for his latest film.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to transforming his physique for a role. Now starring in Fuze, a crime thriller in which he plays a bomb disposal expert, the British actor has once again demonstrated the kind of physical preparation that his roles demand.
While the role required more than just gym work this time around, the foundation of Taylor-Johnson’s physique remains rooted in the structured strength training program he built for Kraven the Hunter in 2024, and the results are clearly still showing.
Military Training For Authenticity
According to Men’s Health UK, Taylor-Johnson stepped off the gym floor and onto a military training ground to prepare for Fuze. Director David McKenzie made authenticity a priority throughout production, requiring every cast member to undergo genuine preparation work before filming began.
Taylor-Johnson attended a boot camp led by an explosives expert, where he learned the process of bomb disposal from an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) specialist. Co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw underwent her own preparation, working alongside a police department contact.
Speaking at the film’s London premiere, Taylor-Johnson told Radio Times the military training experience was one he won’t forget.
“That experience was a lot of fun, and a real honour and a privilege,” he said. “It is interesting where your jobs take you, where you get to experience and work with experts. We worked on a military ground, it all had to be very safe and you had to go through different protocols and things like that. It was amazing to understand the process of what needs to be done to dispose of a bomb. It is an extraordinary experience.”
He added: “Even though it’s high concept and it’s a heist movie, a popcorn movie, everybody had to do their routine and work with the relevant people. I worked with an EOD specialist, Gugu Mbatha-Raw worked with someone in the police department, and we all had to do our research so that we could do it justice.”
The Training Program Behind The Physique
The military training was only part of the picture. Much of the athletic foundation visible in Fuze was built during Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s preparation for Kraven the Hunter, where he worked with trainer David Kingsbury to pack on serious muscle in just six months.
According to Men’s Health UK, Kingsbury built a methodical training program around splitting sessions into upper and lower body days, hitting the gym four to five times a week and taking each set to near failure. The logic was simple: Taylor-Johnson already had a base of muscle mass, so the priority was stripping body fat rather than building from scratch.
“From my perspective, it was the perfect starting point because this person’s already got muscle mass,” Kingsbury said. “Building quality muscle takes months and years. Dropping body fat takes weeks.”
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Upper-Body Workout Routine
The workout routine that helped build and maintain Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s physique is a no-frills, high-efficiency upper-body session. Each exercise is performed for 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps, pushing close to failure:
- Bench Press – 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps
- Lat Pulldown – 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps
- Seated Row – 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps
- Cable Preacher Biceps Curl – 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps
- Single-Arm Triceps Cable Pushdown – 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps
The program covers all the major upper-body muscle groups, including chest, back, biceps, triceps, and shoulders, in a single session, making it an efficient and practical workout routine for anyone looking to build a balanced physique.
The Bottom Line For Building
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s approach to Fuze reflects what the role demanded, preparation that went beyond the gym. The military training gave him a real understanding of the world his character inhabits, while David Kingsbury’s structured training program maintained the physique he built for Kraven the Hunter. For anyone looking to follow a similar workout routine, the framework is straightforward: compound movements, consistent effort, and sets pushed close to failure.
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*Featured image via Instagram @skytv and @fuze.film
