Daniel Craig Exercise Training Program

Dismissed as blond, bland, and most unfortunately, a potato - head upon his introduction in 2005, the 38-year-old has spent the better part of the past two years on the offensive after criticism from caustic fans.

But in an ironic twist, one of the most mocked of Bonds is now fast on his way to generating perhaps the best reviews of anyone in the 007 club for his brutal and engrossing performance in "Royale," a $150 million franchise reboot that returns to the gritty and emotional roots of Fleming's character.

Look at Daniel Craig. He's ripped.

Now look again. He does not look like a bodybuilder. Nobody is going to confuse him for Arnold Schwarzenegger... and yet you wouldn't want to get in a fight with Craig would you? He is lean. He is sleek. His muscles have been trained to be functional.

To get into this elite shape, you are not going to be bodybuilding. You cannot spend hour after hour in the gym simply cranking out bicep curls and magically develop this functional fitness. You need something different.

Let's think for a second about James Bond, the character. Lethal government agent. Trained in the Special Forces.

On assignment all over the world, without access to workout machines and juice bars.

To look like Daniel Craig, to put yourself into elite functional shape, you need a military-style program that will work anywhere and everywhere around the world.

Sound intimidating? Guess what, the program I just described is actually going to make the challenge easier, because it can be done almost anywhere, without fancy equipment and days spent doing bicep curls with the other meatheads.

And forget your notions of military drill instructors screaming obscenities in your ear. What we're talking about here is a functional and focused program that gets results.

We're talking about the same type of physical training that the world's most elite special forces units use.

The Elite Workout

A One-Month Plan

There are three equally important components of this plan:
1. Physical Training (PT)
2. Nutrition
3. Rest

Mastering these components, staying focused and dedicated, and working hard toward your goal will get you results. Neglect any of them, and lose focus or expect magic results, and you will be disappointed.

Your mindset determines your success.

Remember that. There will be obstacles and challenges. You might slip a little bit in following the plan. Get yourself back on track, don't beat yourself up.

Friends might criticize you for being dedicated to changing your life instead of smoking pot with them. Ignore them. They're jealous. No matter what challenge comes up, your attitude and your mindset will determine whether you succeed or fail.

Part 1: Physical Training

Your muscles develop, and your body adapts, by being challenged. Spend all day sitting around and your body will adapt to your lethargic lifestyle. But push yourself every day, challenge your muscles, your heart, your lungs, and your body will adapt to what you demand from it.

The human body responds quickest to functional training.

Re-read that last sentence. It's important. The training that will get the best results is exercise that is most natural, most functional. Your legs are built for running and for jumping, for lifting and kicking. Arms pull the body up and over obstacles, carry objects.

The core, your abs and your back, stabilize the body. Spend hours cranking weights around on a bicep machine, moving your arms maybe twelve inches each time and you accomplish nothing. In a few weeks you will be great at one thing: moving your arms twelve inches the same way over and over.

Your body responds to functional challenges. This means that the Elite Workout focuses on exercises that accomplish things. Exercise that gets your body moving.

Not only will this get you results fast, but it also means that you can use bodyweight exercises anywhere and everywhere. The workout can be done in a hotel room, in a weight room, outside at a playground, in foreign countries or in your backyard. Anywhere.

Bodyweight and athletic exercises form the core of this workout. Here are the ones you'll be using the most:

Pull-ups

Grasp an overhead bar with palms facing away. From a fully extended position, pull your body up until the bar is at your neck. Drop to the extended hanging position for one rep.

Chin-ups

Exactly like the pull-up, only with palms facing toward you.

Pull-ups and Chin-ups are some of the most effective ways to put on lean muscle mass, as they work not only your arms but also your back and your core. And they are functional.

Pushups

Start in the resting position with feet close together, palms on the ground shoulder width apart. Push up until your arms are fully extended, then return to the rest position. This is one rep.

Pushups are a military favorite for muscle endurance, because they work.

Crunches

Start lying on your back as you would for a standard setup. Now, raise your legs to about a 45-degree angle. To work your abs, curl your upper body toward your waist, concentrating on keeping your feet from moving and focusing on contracting your ab muscles. Return slowly to the resting position for one rep.

Do these slowly-- when done right each rep should be challenging and give your core a real workout.

High knees Jump rope

Start standing comfortably balanced on both feet, with the jump rope ready to go behind your feet. Swing the rope over your head and jump high into the air to clear it, concentrating on bringing your knees high. Land and repeat.

Try to get your entire body into each jump and your heart will be racing in no time.

Jump-Ups

Find a table or platform at about waist height, or lower if needed. Stand a few feet back from it. Bend at the knees and leap onto the platform, landing on your feet and jumping back down. This is one rep.

Here is another amazing way to work your lower body and core while getting your heart racing.

Running

Notice that it says Running, not Jogging. Push yourself at a pace that is manageable, yet challenging. If you have to stop every few minutes to walk, don't worry -- push yourself as much as you can and you will see results. Don't cheat yourself. And don't worry about the right way to run. Your body will naturally find the most efficient movements as you grow stronger, so don't micro-manage your running style. Just run.

Sprinting

Run. Fast. As hard as you can. You'll get a rest after the sprint, so don't hold anything back.


The Superset

A Superset is a scarily effective way to combine exercises into one fast-paced workout. Here's how it works: you run through a series of exercises one after another, resting only when one set is complete and then going through the exact same set again. The Superset is a favorite of police and military units around the world, because it works. Fast.

Week One

Monday
Superset:
30x High-knees Jump rope
5x Chin-ups
25x Crunches
5x Pull-ups
Repeat the superset 3 times, as fast as possible.

Tuesday
Same as Monday's workout. Try to cut down your rest times. Keep your heart racing!

Wednesday
Run 1 mile, or for ten minutes. Stop and walk if you have to, but push yourself!
Right after the run:
Sprint 100 meters, three times.

Thursday
Repeat Monday's superset. Again, try to cut down the times you stop to rest.

Friday
Same as Thursday

Saturday
Repeat Wednesday's running workout.

Sunday
Rest!

Week Two

Monday
Superset:
30x High-knees jump rope
6x Chin-ups
25x Crunches
6x Pull-ups
10x Jump-Ups
Repeat superset 3 times.

Tuesday
Repeat Monday's superset.

Wednesday
Run 1 mile or ten minutes.
Sprint 100 meters, 4 times.

Thursday
Repeat this week's superset.

Friday
Repeat the superset

Saturday
Do Wednesday's run again

Sunday
Rest!

Week Three

Monday
Superset:
30x High-knees jump rope
6x Chin-ups
25x Crunches
6x Pull-ups
10x Jump-Ups
10x Pushups (try inclined pushups to make these more challenging)
Repeat superset 3 times.

Tuesday
Repeat this week's superset

Wednesday
Run 1 mile. Time yourself today.
Sprint 100 meters 5 times.

Thursday
This week's superset.

Friday
This week's superset.

Saturday
Same running as Wednesday. Try to beat your time from Wednesday!

Sunday
Rest!

Week Four

Monday
Superset:
40x High-knees jump rope
7x Chin-ups
25x Crunches
7x Pull-ups
10x Jump-Ups
10x Pushups (try inclined pushups to make these more challenging)
Repeat superset 3 times.

Tuesday
Do the superset again.

Wednesday
Run 1 mile or ten minutes.
Sprint 100 meters 5 times.

Thursday
Superset.

Friday
Superset.

Saturday
Run again

Sunday
Rest!


After this month of training, your body will be ready for a change.

By now you'll understand the principle of the Superset and you can apply it with other variations.

Try doing chin-ups with a weighted backpack. Mix in freestyle swimming sprints if you have access to a pool. Try trail running or beach running.


Part Two: Nutrition

All the physical training in the world is useless without the nutrition to back it up. Food is fuel.

There are three primary sources of energy: Carbohydrates, fats, and protein. The first two power your body through the day and through a tough workout, while the last, protein, is essential to rebuilding muscle.

Don't get caught up in fad diets or overly technical nutrition breakdowns. The key to nutrition is to eat right. Our bodies already know which foods are best, and here's a hint: it isn't Twinkies.

Start viewing the food you eat as fuel. Choose food that is colorful and fresh, hold off on the giant desserts, and eat for balance. Eat whole breads, lean meats, fresh fruits, vegetables.

Drink water. Drink a lot of water. Stop downing soft drinks, drink water in its place and after a week you will never want to go back.


Part Three: Rest

Here's a fact many people know but few seem to believe: working out does not build muscle. A hard workout actually breaks down muscle. Your gains in strength will come only when your body has a chance to rest and to re-build itself stronger than before, adapting to the challenge.

Proper rest is vital to any effective training program. In the workout plan above, lighter rest days are mixed in with more challenging training days. The running days give your upper body a break. Sunday is set aside completely to rest. And, the workout does not take much time to complete, which means that you'll never have to choose between training or sleeping.

And sleep is important. The amount of sleep that your body needs will vary, but do try to get eight hours of solid sleep every night. Train hard, eat right, and rest, and you will see results.