MF How hard did Jude train for the part?
LT He trained bevery day for several weeks before filming started, and a little bit during filming to keep himself in shape.
MF What did his training involve?
LT My main rules were that it had to include the whole body, and it had to be interesting. Everything was a big movement - we'd work with kettlebells, do deadlifts, pull-ups and drag chains. He did all his own stunts except for one explosion so I taught him fight moves too. I'd train him first and tire him out so he accepted the fight training more easily. Sometimes we'd train at 3am to work around his shooting schedule. Jude was in every scene of the movie and was the only cast member that didn't get sick - I was very, very careful in helping him recover from his workouts with protein shakes and sports massage.
MF Did it make a difference that he was training alone, rather alongside other actors, as the 300 team were (Ed - Gym Jones trained the cast of 300 too)?
LT With 300 the food chain was established fairly early, in terms of who was getting the work done. But Jude did very well. He trained with a former UFC fighter who I remember saying 'I thought this guy was just a skinny little Brit - he's kicking my ass.' By the end of the training, you could see that the look in Jude's eyes had changed, which is something you can't fake - it definitely comes across in the film.
The below is a typical week of Law's Repo Men training.
Monday
Warm up with a 500m row, ball slams and throws
4x rope pull (the rope pull is a sled drag - if you don't have a sled, use the rope attachment on a cable machine and alternate arms)
20 x ball slam
4x rope pull
15x ball slam
4x rope pull
10x ball slam
4x rope pull
5x ball slam
Tuesday
Warm up with a 500m row, squats
8x (20sec work/10sec rest) squats
8x (20sec work/10sec rest) press-ups
5x (1-6) pull-up ladder
Wednesday
Warm up with squats, overhead squats and Turkish get-ups
Partner workout - trainee one row 250m, trainee two rack hold with two 32kg kettbells (swap and repeat for three rounds)
Solo workout - 2 x (1-6) pull-up ladder
1-20 kettlebell swing ladder with 20kg kettlebell
Thursday
Warm up with overheat squats and kettlebell goblet squats
Partner workout - trainee one 20 burpees, trainee two floor press hold 40kg (five rounds)
Cool down with row
Friday
Warm up with 20 minute row and med ball throws
4x (30 sec work/30 sec rest) push press (rest is in overhead position)
4x (30 sec work/30 sec rest) squat (rest is in low squat position)
Saturday
60 minutes boxing
60 minutes grappling
Repo Men is available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD now.
For more celebrity workouts, subscribe to Men's Fitness magazine. We'll hook you up with five issues for £5. For more information about Gym Jones, go to gymjones.com
