When Daniel Craig took over the role of James Bond in 2006 a lot of people were immediately started hating on him because he didn’t fit the “standard” old school James Bond type. In other words he didn’t have the pretty and skinny body that all the James Bonds’ before him had.
Daniel Craig has easily become my favorite James Bond of all time (Sean Connery in a close second…) because he brought something entirely new to the table. Craig created a new Bond that was more intense, more charismatic, more vulnerable and had a much better body than all the ones before him.
Daniel Craig put on a lot of muscle for the first James Bond but when it came time for the follow-up, Quantum of Solace, Craig took things to the next level and although he wasn’t more muscular he was better conditioned and more ripped than Casino Royale. He accomplished this by doing more total body circuits using mostly power exercises such as clean and presses, deadlifts, pull-ups and incline push-ups.
To start off the week you’re going to go through a total body training power circuit sticking with 10-12 reps per exercise and doing 3-4 sets depending on your current fitness level. This Daniel Craig workout is going to make you step outside your comfort zone and you’re going to have to crank up the motivational tunes on your iPod to meet this workouts intensity.
Daniel Craig’s Bond Workout Routine
For the Power Circuits, you’re going to want to do the following exercises:
- Clean and Press
- Pull-ups
- Incline Push-ups
- Walking Lunges
- Hanging Leg Raise
- Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlifts
- Burpees with Jumps
3-4 sets total, 10-12 repetitions per exercise.
I would do this James Bond workout circuit 2x’s per week, I like to do it on a Monday and Thursday for example. Make sure you use a weight that is very difficult for you to finish the last couple of reps with good form. It’s going to be imperative to build lean muscle by using weights that aren’t baby rattles (for men and women).
The rest of the week you’re going to split up the days between upper body conditioning circuits and lower body conditioning circuits. Between exercises for these Daniel Craig workouts you’re also going to be alternating between pushing and pulling movements. For example, for the upper body conditioning day you’re going to alternate between pull-ups and incline bench press.
Here’s the workout for the upper body days:
- Weighted Pull-ups
- Incline Bench Press
- Stiff-Legged Deadift with Rows
- Clap Push-ups
- Dumbbell Squat to High Pulls
- Walkouts
- Bicycle and Rotates
3-4 sets total, 10-12 repetitions per exercise.
As for the lower body conditioning days, here is the workout routine:
- Deadlifts
- Bulgarian Lunges
- 1-Legged Romanian Deadlifts
- Step-ups
- Ball Legs Curls
- Side Planks
- V-Situps
3-4 sets total, 10-12 repetitions per exercise.
I would do the upper body conditioning day on Tuesday and Friday and do the lower body conditioning days on Wednesday and Saturdays. This also doesn’t include doing the cardio for the workouts.
For the cardio for the Daniel Craig workout routine I would be sure to focus on high intensity interval training. With HIIT cardio training you’re going to be able to burn a TON more fat while also building some lean muscle at the same time.
If you still have anything left in the tank while doing the other workout I would finish with 10-20 minutes of HIIT cardio by doing some sprinting, swimming, biking, and cardio strength training. And of course, after you finish out the total Bond workout you should do some stretching and start your recovery process.
As for Sunday I would totally take the day off and just do anything to take your mind off of working out. Go watch a movie or read some Harry Potter!
You should only be doing a little bit of the HIIT cardio and stay completely away from the steady state aerobic stuff. You’ll be wasting your time and throwing away your hard earned lean muscle.
Daniel Craig’s Diet Plan
These Daniel Craig Bond workouts are going to be tough to finish and they’re going to be even tougher on your body. Getting the right amount of rest and getting the right nutrition is going to be very necessary to keep making gains with your training. If you feel like you’re overtraining then take a step back, reexamine you’re recovery routine and either add in more sleep and/or add in some more lean calories.
I would be totally be lying to you if I didn’t throw in the diet part. If you’re eating like crap but training like a champ you’re still going to end up not getting the results you want unless you have the genetics of a Greek God. Eating right is about 70-80% of the lean body equation and ignoring it would be disatrous to your body.
So prepare your meals and in the morning, I go so far as to writing them out, and then have them ready to eat so you don’t miss a meal during the day. Daniel Craig ate 5 smaller meals a day to keep is metabolism cranked high so he could burn fat and build muscle at the same time. Missing a meal and cheating too much will negatively affect your results.
If you’re up for the challenge of Daniel Craig’s workout routine for James Bond then you’re going to be pleasantly surprised with the lean body results you’re going to get. Craig’s workout and diet plan and damn difficult but if you’re up for the challenge then you can dramatically take your fitness game to the next level and look a hell of a lot hotter too.
Josh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Science. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and he’s a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) by American Council on Exercise. He’s worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the high school and college levels. He has over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He strives to bring inspiration and results for people to live healthier lives through smart diet and exercise.
