The transcript below is from the video “Scott Adkins – Yuri Boyka (Undisputed) Training and Body Transformation” by Body Transformation.

Body Transformation:

Hey everyone, you’ve come to the number one place to get your fitness fix – Body Transformation. In this video we will be looking at a man who’s been dubbed Russian Hercules even though he’s not Russian.

Scott Adkins played Yuri Boyka in the sequels to Undisputed. Real life Scott is not that different to his movie roles. He was born a badass. Keep watching to learn more about him in his fitness routine.

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

Yeah, it’s just… that’s the way life was. I’ve never stopped training really. And these days I like to have a routine. Well, I’ll normally wake up, take my daughter to school and go straight to the gym and get the training out of the way and then, I’ve got something coming up at the moment, so I’m training twice a day, doing a lot more yoga actually to stay flexible and strong in certain areas. So yeah, but I love to train, I love to do martial arts, I love to weight train and I hate running.

Body Transformation:

Scott Adkins’s physique is the body typical women consider attractive, even if many don’t admit it. He has wide shoulders and a V-taper. Yes, just like the other guys who get hearts racing; The Rock, Chris Bumstead, John Cena. There’s a pattern here.

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

To look apart, you need to look a certain way, so muscle mass is a part of that. You want to look like you’re carved out of stone but the thing about being a martial artist is it doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand with martial arts. The bigger you are, the bulkier you are. It’s going to slow you down, it’s going to make you heavier. Sometimes I have to do gymnastic movements on film or flashy kicks. If I weigh more, it’s much harder to do and it’s a lot more pressure on the joints.

Body Transformation:

So what makes Scott different? Well, no one else could have played a Russian MMA fighter as well as Scott Adkins. Scott’s heroes have always been martial arts film legends like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He was also inspired by Steven Seagal and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

I turned my family garage where the cars were supposed to be parked, I turned it into a gym. And I had a shrine to Bruce Lee and I would bow to him and everything. And I would read his books and I would try and learn the techniques. I was a kid just finding my way. Van Damme, well, he just inspired me in a huge way. He’s really the main reason why I do what I do now.

Body Transformation:

Given his role as Yuri Boyka, you’re probably not surprised that Scott was born into a family of butchers, cuing almost every movie with epic fight scenes. Scott even took part in a promotional campaign for his dad’s butcher. But Scott being Scott, he spiced up the photo shoot with a Karate kick. When Scott was young, he loved ninja movies and bought himself a ninja suit. He would put it on at night and get into character with signature hand moves.

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

Started when I was 10 years old, 38 now and if I’ve got a film coming up, I’ll try and train every day if it’s a martial arts film. Now I’m getting older, trying to do a lot more stretching and do some yoga and stuff like that. It’s important. When you do a lot of weight training as well, you tend to make your muscles really tight, so staying flexible is really important especially as you get older. So I do much more stretching now, I try to. But generally, if I’m not working, I’m training five times a week. Yeah, whether it’s weight training or martial arts or running or something. How long? I don’t go more than an hour but if I’m getting ready for a film, I might train twice a day.

Body Transformation:

Scott took an interest in martial arts after visiting a local Judo club with his family. But he started taking it seriously, age 13, after he was mugged on a bus. It started with Taekwondo then Scott got into Kickboxing with Anthony Jones. He eventually became a Kickboxing instructor part of the Professional Karate Association. Scott also has experience with other martial arts like Krav Maga, Karate, Wushu And Muay Thai. He also practices Tai Chi and gymnastics. Scott values having balance as martial arts are as much a mental sport as they are physical. Along with doing martial arts training, Scott also lifts weights. He’s at the gym around 5-6 days a week with half of his time spent weight training. He makes the most of every workout and keeps it simple. It’s clear Scott will be the guy checking his phone between sets. His favorite exercises are bench presses, squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups.

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

So we’ve got the pull up. I’ll start with a wide grip, that’s going to put more emphasis on the muscles in my back. Then if you go for the underhand grip, you’re going to actually recruit the biceps and then you’ve got your push-up. I like to do these reps very slow and controlled, then I move from side to side. So I’m really using my core and then of course, the squats and the reason I like to do plyometric squats is because I’m a martial artist. I need to be able to jump high. I need to be having me to move so I like to train my legs in a very plyometric way.

Body Transformation:

He also trains his abs with leg raises, V-sits and L-sits.

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

You’ve got to train your core. You have to have a strong core because every time you kick, you’re using your core. Every time you punch, you’re using your core. A few exercises I like to do are the L-sit which is a difficult exercise and then I’ll move on to what I call plank kettlebell pull throughs. Another great exercise which again is quite an advanced exercise but I love it are the windscreen wipers. And then the final one and this is what you shouldn’t forget about your core, it’s not just about the abs, your core is your back as well. You need good back stability. So I’ve got a back extension and I like to get on there and do back extension holding a weight in front of me.

Body Transformation:

Scott recommends stretching for at least 15 minutes. This is especially important if you lift iron. Skipping this part can lead to injury at any time. Learn from Scott’s temperamental back issues. Scott likes to keep track of the weights he lifts week to week. He also takes notes of any extra reps he does.

Do you keep a workout log? Let us know in the comments.

Scott’s diet is mainly focused on protein intake. The ratio he stands by for building muscle is 0.7 to 1 gram of protein to 1 pound of body weight. He eats fish, chicken and other protein rich meats and he also makes protein shakes. Scott reveals that filming in Asian parts of the world means his diet isn’t always on point, eats a lot of noodles and rice but he gets his body back on track by eliminating carbs after lunch and consuming vegetables and lean protein for the rest of the day. One of Scott’s favorite foods is zucchini spaghetti with bolognese.

Interviewer:

Because you’re always like you’re pretty jacked guy obviously, do you stay in shape between movies or do you kind of prep like right before you’re gonna go shoot?

Scott Adkins (Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Gymnast & Martial Artist):

The way it works and this backfired on me in the pandemic because it was 6 months of nowhere. I finish a job and then I completely pick out 2 or 3 weeks and eat what I want and I’ll still be training. But yeah, I like my food and my wife’s great cook and I do enjoy cakes. But then there’s a point where okay, there’s another film and it’s in 3-4 weeks. You need to not be fat, start dieting.

Body Transformation:

While Scott is known for martial arts in his movies, if you’ve seen the movie Seized, you’ll know he is not opposed to gun scenes. If you’ve ever wondered about what goes on, we have intel. On set, Scott prefers using guns with real blanks as much as possible rather than airsoft pistols which are just replicas. He says the scenes feel more real and therefore create real facial expressions.

If you’ve been waiting to see more of Scott Adkins, we’ve got some news for you. He is currently in the process of filming for his role in John Wick 4 and is also playing a navy seal in the action movie One Shot. You can expect to see both films sometime in 2022. The good news is his new movie called Castle Falls, where he acts with the legendary Dolph Lundgren, will be coming out in December 2021.

What do you think of Scott Adkins and his approach to fitness? Tell us below and what are your thoughts on his physique? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for watching and we’ll see you next time on Body Transformation like, comment and subscribe to get your fitness fix.