How does Van Damme look like now? The actor's workouts and stretching. Kickboxer

Jean-Claude Van Damme turned 59 today. The famous actor and fighter does not give up his position: he continues to act in films, develops his own training program, and his physical fitness and figure can only be envied. We tell you what sport the “universal soldier” did in his youth and how he manages to keep his muscles toned today.

Most people know Jean-Claude Van Damme as an action actor, along with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But before getting into Hollywood and get world fame, Van Damme managed to achieve success in the sports field. So, from the age of ten, he practiced karate, and at 16 he joined the Belgian national team, with which he won the European Championship and received a black belt.

In addition to karate, the actor was fond of kickboxing. In 1979, he defeated the American athlete Sherman Bergman, knocking him out at 59 seconds. And in 1980, he won a bout with British champion Michael J. Heming. Van Damme’s personal record in kickboxing is 20 wins from 22 fights, in 13 of which he knocked out his opponents. Also in the early 1980s Van Damme was a sparring partner of Chuck Norris.

For his movie career Van Damme starred in more than 50 films. His first serious work was the role of Soviet fighter Ivan Krashinsky in “Do not retreat and do not give up” (1986), dedicated to the memory of Bruce Lee. However, the world fame of the Belgian brought the movie “Bloodsport”, which premiered in 1988.

In addition, he played in such cult films as “Kickboxer”, “Universal Soldier”, “Street Fighter”, “Unstoppable 2”. Although Van Damme’s sports career ended a long time ago, he still continues to star in movies. In February 2019, a new movie with his participation was released – “We die young”.

The athletic figure of Jean-Claude Van Damme owes not only to regular training and proper nutrition, but also to his sports past. In addition to kickboxing and karate, the actor practiced other martial arts: Muay Thai, Kung Fu and Taekwondo.

How does Van Damme train?

In his 59 years, the actor has kept a great physical shape: not everyone can boast the same full “set of cubes” on the abs. Van Damme himself jokes that his body looks much better than his face.

My body looks thirty and my face looks fifty. But now I do not walk the streets naked to look younger.

To maintain muscle tone, Jean-Claude regularly engaged in sports, even in between filming. The actor trains every other day: one day of training, one day of recovery. Cardio he tries to perform three times a week.

Van Damme’s workout includes:

cardio exercises (preferably – saikling)
weight exercises (one day – two muscle groups)
kickboxing
stretching

Exercises for different muscle groups:

Chest: barbell bench press (4 sets of 8-10 reps), angled bench press (4 sets of 8-10 reps), dumbbell bench press (3 sets of 8-10 reps), push-ups on the bars (3 sets of 10 reps), pullover (3 sets of 12 reps).

Back: reverse grip pull-ups (4 sets of 8 reps), reverse shrugs (4 sets of 10 reps), barbell pull-ups (4 sets of 10-12 reps).

Hips: squats (5 sets of 15 reps), front squats (4 sets of 8-10 reps), squats on GAKK machine (3 sets of 10 reps), leg curls (4 sets of 10 reps), standing leg curls (4 sets of 10 reps), straight leg barbell pulls (3 sets of 10 reps).

Calves: standing toe raises (4sets of 10-15 reps), angled toe raises (4 sets of 10 reps).

Press: twists (3sets of 25 reps), “mill” (10 sets of 10 reps), twists on the machine (3 sets of 25 reps), half twists (10 sets of 10 reps).

Shoulders: barbell press from behind the head while sitting (5 sets of 15 reps), dumbbellcurls (4 sets of 8 reps), dumbbell curls in bend (4 sets of 8 reps), dumbbell curls standing (3 sets of 10 reps).

Nutrition principles. Why does Van Damme eat meat only once a month?

To always stay in perfect shape, it is important to listen to your body – emphasizes Jean-Claude Van Damme. The actor believes that the basis of the diet should be those products that you need right now. For example, in the morning he eats berries – it is a source of vitamins.

In the diet of the actor is also a lot of fruits and vegetables. By the way, he always peels off their skin, as he believes that it accumulates in itself harmful to our body substances. Van Damme also admits that he is not a fan of meat and eats it only once a month.