Keanu Reeves is one of those action stars who does most of his own stunts, and that was the case again for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, which is coming out in two weeks. The John Wick films are "very hard on his body," trainer Patrick Murphy said. That makes sense, since John Wick is literally on the run for his life in Parabellum, and he's had to fight and shoot his way out of every situation in each movie. It's exhausting to even think about.
So trainer Patrick Murphy's job was to come up with a John Wick workout routine that would build up 54-year-old Keanu Reeves's muscle endurance without overtaxing him.
The result was a non-stop "circuit" workout that just keeps going, like John Wick himself. That said, based on the list of activities -- and the video Men's Health shared showing off the workout -- it actually seems doable for Average People like me. (Hopefully Keanu Reeves doesn't pull a John Wick and shoot me for suggesting his workout was easy. I just expected it to be something darn near impossible -- or at least as crazy as his impressive weapons training.)
Here's the routine Patrick Murphy created for Keanu Reeves, per Men's Health:
(Perform 20 reps of each exercise consecutively as a circuit, with as little rest as possible between moves. After finishing the round, rest for 2 minutes. Repeat for 6 total rounds.)• Reverse Lunge Front DB Raise• Bosu Lunge Shoulder Press• Reverse-Step Resistance Band Row• Squat with TRX Shoulder Iso-Hold• Stability Ball Dynamic Plank• Banded Lateral Walk Pallof Press
As Patrick Murphy explained of Keanu Reeves' routine to get fit for John Wick 3:
I would fit in, within the hour and a half, five to six circuits. Just think of Keanu Reeves performing a thousand reps a workout, minimal rest, and it was just go time. ... He wasn't lifting crazy heavy weights -- it was getting his body moving, getting his muscular endurance and stability -- it was just a mindset. He would leave the gym exhausted, but feeling great. Where his body got beat up was in all those scenes [filming the movie].
For a visual, here's the video with trainer Patrick Murphy showing some of the routine:
Keanu Reeves apparently has a history of injuries, so they wanted to be careful with that and not stress his body too much. But he still had a lot to do in John Wick 3 -- running, shooting, horseback riding, apparently even climbing some sand dunes in Morocco.
Franchise newcomer Halle Berry said she actually got injured trying to keep up with Keanu Reeves. She broke three ribs in rehearsals and needed a break. But after her own intense stunt work was all over -- including training with her character Sofia's own dogs -- she felt pretty badass herself.
Here's one of the training videos she recently shared on Instagram:
As she put it, through panting:
This is how hard you have to work in order to be in the John Wick world.
In Halle Berry's wrap post, after finishing her role, she emphasized that age is just an insignificant number. She and Keanu Reeves might be in their 50s, but they can kick ass like any 20-something.
So far it sounds like fans appreciate the results. Early reactions to John Wick: Chapter 3 have been very positive. The movie opens May 17. Keanu Reeves said he's up for continuing the John Wick franchise "as far as my legs can take me," so hopefully he keeps his legs in good shape for more.
