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The Daniel Craig Workout

November 22, 2006 at 1:07 pm · Filed under James Bond 007

Daniel Craig, as seen in the new James Bond 007 film Casino Royale, is getting a great deal of press and attention from the ladies due to his physique and demeanor.
If you want to follow suit then fear not, we are here to help with Daniel Craig’s workout and exercise routine used in preperation for the movie.

This workout and series of exercises was devised by Daniel Craig’s personal trainer assigned to him for the film, Simon Waterson, who also trained Pierce Brosnan, Denise Richards and Halle Berry.



You too can look like this - Nobody will kick sand in your face again


Dips
Lower your body until your elbows reach 90 degrees, this is one repetition.
When you can do 5 sets of ten add some weights to your waist


Pull Ups
One of the hardest exercise routines but one of the most beneficial.
If you struggle initially just start with half repetitions


Lateral Raises
Don’t keep the arms directly straight and by your side.
It causes too much pressure on the rotator cuff
Bend arms and have them face forward slightly


Press Ups
A classic exercise to build muscle in the upper body
Can be done anytime, just don’t lock out the elbows


How Daniel Craig got himself prepared and his body building regime in his own words

“I gave up smoking and exercised 5 times a week. At weekends I ate and drank what I liked.
The work out lasted only 45 minutes but we didn’t stop. Circuits, lifting, working weights and lots of pull ups. I can now bench press my own weight.

I told my personal trainer, Simon Waterson, I’ve got to look like I could kill someone when I take my shirt off”

See Also Our Training Programme used by Jason Behr in Skinwalkers

And Jason Statham

© Notice: these pictures are copyright from GQ magazine. And in that spirit we are pleased to promote them and recommend their fine publication to all.
The routine is the work of Simon Waterson wo now has the full version published, something we recommend to buying. You’ll note numerous comments below endorsing it

61 Comments »

  1. Jordan said,

    November 22, 2006 @ 2:01 pm

    Fine bod, but still think he should get some ‘Gel filled shorts!’

    Ha Ha….. Rod - who is now already starting to look like Daniel Craig after following this series of exercises…. Ha Ha

    “I gave up smoking and exercised 5 times a week” DC

    ??!! Exercise does not consist walking to the wine rack and opening a bottle of Claret Rod!!

  2. Rod said,

    November 22, 2006 @ 2:28 pm

    Jordan
    you are so cruel !
    Sadly, the current resemblance I am talking about between DC and myself is in the shorts department ;)

    I understand your cynicism Jordan, re the exercise, I am keeping it up though and wait for this ……….
    Last night I only had 2 glasses of wine !!!!!!!!!
    Best
    Rod

  3. Paul J. Siegel said,

    December 4, 2006 @ 11:55 am

    This has to be the most straight-up (to your face) workout routine I’ve encountered so far to achieve such physique results. I honestly am not much into Ahnuld’ng myself, but to simply just have something period. Right now, it’s Monday, 03:53 hrs. I am preparing myself to go outside for a mild 4-5 mile run, and during my day, I will give the D.C. program a try. 45 minutes sure sounds reasonable to me. Thanks for the feedback on the workout, and keep up the good work.

    Paul J.

    P.S. I will come back within a few days (possibly weeks) to keep you all posted on the effectiveness of this program to me. Have a great week now.

  4. Rod said,

    December 4, 2006 @ 12:20 pm

    Hi Paul
    that is exactly what I thought, I did the article for 2 reasons, one it fitted what has been talked about on here and secondly it seemed very worthwhile in it’s own right.
    I too have been following it of late, though not to the tune of 5 mile runs I am sorry to say.

    Pleased you found the site of some interest and thanks for takiung the time to post, you are always more than welcome to do so again, on any topic
    All the best
    Rod

  5. michael007 said,

    December 10, 2006 @ 7:43 pm

    hiya rod can you please send me a actaully workout sheet and a diet for me to eat to react my goal quicker

    thanks mick

  6. michael007 said,

    December 10, 2006 @ 7:44 pm

    can you e-mail it to me please

  7. Rod said,

    December 11, 2006 @ 8:19 am

    Hi Mick
    thanks for the comment, sadly I don’t have the information you are looking for
    Regards
    Rod

  8. Chris said,

    December 19, 2006 @ 5:10 pm

    What about legs? Any squats, leg press? Or is it just lots of running?

  9. Rod said,

    December 19, 2006 @ 5:52 pm

    Hi Chris
    the workout also calls for squats and lots of cardio work on a bike
    Regards
    Rod

  10. Ivo Gomes said,

    December 19, 2006 @ 10:47 pm

    hi Rod,
    i recently saw Layer Cake and Casino Royal…so i coul apreciate the physic difference in Daniel Craig!Good Work. But i don´t bielive that he just made this simple workout 5 times a week…just one exercise for each group…?? how can he have such a stong abdominal without any exercise for this muscle?
    Merry Cristhmas,
    Ivo Gomes
    Ps: i´m also a personal trainer (1 year experience)

  11. San Francisco said,

    December 20, 2006 @ 5:24 am

    Hey Rod,

    What was the diet like that you had Craig on? And what about stretching sore muslces, does that help you recover faster?

    Thanks a lot.

  12. Rod said,

    December 20, 2006 @ 8:03 am

    Ivo
    thanks for the comment, much appreciated. Take a loook at Tomb Raider, you’ll see in there he looks extremely fit.
    He is clearly used to doing the work needed for a part and presumably has the type body that reacts positively.

    In the article he claimed that to lose fat all he did was cardio on a static bike

    Rod

    San Francisco
    Sadly I don’t have the information or answers to your questions I am afraid
    Thanks for commenting though

    All th ebest
    Rod

  13. San Francisco said,

    December 24, 2006 @ 5:42 am

    Hey Rod,

    Could you tell us what exercises Craid did on which days and for how many sets/reps?

    Thanks a bunch

  14. Rod said,

    December 24, 2006 @ 8:13 am

    SF
    according to DC, he did the above for 45 minutes every day of the week except the weekends when he ate and drank what he wanted and did no training.

    As to sets and reps, as many as can be managed in that time I expect
    Regards
    Rod

  15. michael said,

    January 4, 2007 @ 7:33 pm

    Hiya can you please send us the Bond workout,

    thanks

  16. Rod said,

    January 5, 2007 @ 8:27 am

    Hi Michael
    all the information we have about the Daniel Craig workout is above,
    Regards
    Rod

  17. Stevie said,

    January 5, 2007 @ 1:48 pm

    Does anyone know what Craigs weight was buy the time he’d completed training for the film? Its just a friend of mine wants to try this out but needs a target wieght to work towards and hes two inches shorter than Craig.
    Thanks
    Stevie

  18. Rod said,

    January 5, 2007 @ 2:46 pm

    Hi Stevie
    sorry no idea I am afraid
    Regards
    Rod

  19. breezy said,

    January 17, 2007 @ 5:00 am

    K, My question is how does one do these at home. If one can’t aquire a pass to the gym per-say? I want to do them but i can’t just be like YAY THE GYM!
    Do you have any suggestions on how to go about this excersise being done regularily at home?

  20. Rod said,

    January 17, 2007 @ 9:31 am

    Breezy
    the only problem are the dips and pull ups, everything else can be done at home. Some relatively inexpensive equipment can be bought to get round the dips and pull ups as well.
    Otherwise just miss those out
    Regards
    Rod

  21. breezy said,

    January 21, 2007 @ 9:46 am

    Awesome, thanks for the advice, I am going to give it a shot, why not right.

  22. Dondee said,

    January 21, 2007 @ 8:04 pm

    Hi! I wonder if he only did those exersices above and if he did, how could he look so buffed?

  23. Michael said,

    August 23, 2007 @ 3:38 pm

    Dondee,

    A very good PT once told me that muscle will grow when stimulated, regardless of caloric deficit.

    To give you an example, I was eating 1500 calories a day as per instruction whilst also lifting hard. After a couple of months, I had lost around 20 lbs of fat, and actually gained a couple of pounds of muscle.

    Let’s also bear in mind something that Waterson himself pointed out — if you can do dips and pull-ups easily enough, add weight. I can imagine Mr Craig hauling himself up with killer weight belts. It certainly wasn’t just his bodyweight he was using.

    Then there are the armed forces. These kinds of calisthenics are the bread and butter of much of the military. If you open any Navy SEALs workout book — or take a look at the BUD/S preparation booklet for that matter — you will see it is all pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups. And I think we’d all be hard-pressed to say that any of those guys are scrawny (just check out the physiques of budding SEALs).

    Finally, as Rod pointed out, Craig was already a very toned individual, evident in such films as Tomb Raider and Layer Cake. What he effectively did was add muscle to that frame. Given that the guy had around four or five full months in which to add it, I think it is all entirely feasible.

    I hope this post has been of some interest. :)

  24. ALI said,

    August 30, 2007 @ 9:31 pm

    I honestly think his body has had to do more than just chins and dips.
    His body looks like while he’s probably done that, he has also lifted weights as we.. you dont get such good shoulders doing push up and dips.

  25. Adam said,

    September 28, 2007 @ 9:11 pm

    Hi all
    Been wounding how the guy built up so fast. I just have a question. The above program did you go that 5x a week for x number of months ? Did your program have any cardio. I thinking of changing to your program ???

  26. Rod said,

    September 29, 2007 @ 9:53 am

    Hi Adam
    the info I have is that he did 5 days a month, obviously when possible, for 3 months.
    Far cardio:
    Daniel hit the exercse bike got his pulse rate up and kept it there for as long as possible.
    He used this solely for overall fitness and fat stripping

    That’s all the info I have Adam - hope it helps
    Regards
    Rod

  27. Adam said,

    October 1, 2007 @ 10:51 pm

    Thanks
    One thing ?
    Do you think he did the cardio on after or before his weight seassion, or did he split them up i.e morning and night ???

  28. Rod said,

    October 2, 2007 @ 8:35 am

    I don’t have that information sorry Adam, my guess would be after after the weights though.

  29. lisa said,

    October 11, 2007 @ 11:48 pm

    Nice site Rod!I most especially enjoyed the Daniel Craig picture,wow!Why do you say you’re ugly?Bet that’s to get more girls huh?Smart approach.Say ;if I may be so bold as to ask,how old are you ?I’m 43 and quite cute or maybe I should say I’m ugly ? Talk to you later Rod!
    Lisa

  30. Rod said,

    October 12, 2007 @ 8:48 am

    Hi Lisa
    thanks for the comment and welcome to the site.
    I’ve just checked the ‘About Me’ page and it doesn’t state my age, thanks for pointing it out, I’ll edit the page.
    I’m 42 but I don’t feel like it - more like 67 this morning :)

    Regards
    Rod

  31. Adam said,

    October 17, 2007 @ 1:02 am

    A budding romance

  32. Clark said,

    October 31, 2007 @ 11:36 am

    Hey Rod like the site!

    As a Gym instructor and personal trainer my views on Daniel Craig’s workout is that he would of used a training program that consists primarily of compound weight training exercises (such as Bench presses, Squats, Deadlifts, clean and pressing) and with reguard to his cardiovascular training i would presume he did high intensity work (Sprinting and circuit work) as this promotes more fast twitch fibres and encourages muscle growth and explosiveness!

    He would of also done a lot of functional core stability work (balancing exercises, med ball exercises, swiss ball exercises) this would of given him a good solid set of abdominals which help to give him that solid look!

    Sample Craig Workout:

    MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY

    Clean and press 3x 8
    Bench Press 3x 8
    Squat 3×8
    Chin ups 5x failure
    Dips 5x failure
    Bicep curl (alternating dumbell) 3×8-10

    Pressups
    swiss ball crunches
    wood chops (with a kettle ball)

    TUESDAY/THURSDAY

    EIther a sprinting workout or an interval workout - high intense run for 1 min then walk/jog for 2 mins for about 20 mins

    A strech routine as well

    please let me know wot you think mate :D

  33. Rod said,

    October 31, 2007 @ 3:13 pm

    Hi Clark
    it all sounds very good to me, thanks for the great contribution
    All the best
    Rod

  34. Clark said,

    November 1, 2007 @ 10:15 am

    If any of you guys are unsure of how to execute certain exercises or not sure wot a certain exercise is, check out this amazin web site:

    http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

    Simply click on the name of the body part you are interested in under the EXERCISES section and it will give you a list of all the exercises for that body part and also show you how to perform each one with a little video and a full exaplanation. So dont risk injurying yourselves on those deadlifts that your unsure about check out the site, cheers
    Clark :P

  35. Michael said,

    November 1, 2007 @ 6:42 pm

    I found Michael’s comment on the 1500 calories quite interesting and helpful.

  36. Dan said,

    November 12, 2007 @ 9:53 pm

    Hi Rod,

    Just wondered what the views on alcohol consumption and muscle building are? I’m currently drinking one or two glasses of wine 3 times a week and due to me being a student I would have one blow out a week with my friends….how much will this effect my projected muscle growth?

    Regards,
    Dan

  37. Rod said,

    November 13, 2007 @ 8:24 am

    Hi Dan
    as far as my limited knowledge extends I don’t believe the amount you mention drinking will affect you in any way, certainly not in the growth of muscle.
    The danger with alcohol (other than over the top amounts) is the sugar which leads to weight gain.
    In fact, a couple of glasses of red wine a night seems to be regarded as beneficial
    Regards
    Rod

  38. Paul J. Siegel said,

    November 17, 2007 @ 1:40 am

    Rod,

    It’s been quite a while since the last post I did on here. Over he course of the months, I’ve worked out hard, in the process sustained a lower back injury (not related to the D.C. workout, but to a minor vehicle accident), and have once agai (just 1 week ago) returned to the gym.

    As I attempted the D.C. program along with some minor workout additions of my own, let me tell you, three weeks passed - and the feeling alone of the new body felt great! Once the soreness was no more (during the first week), come the second week, it was incredible. I’d be in-and-out from the free weights room in just under an hour. My skin feeling like it was going to explode given to the muscles being pumped.

    Just under one month into it, I got a little carried away in my vehicle and the D.C. workout was no more. (Almost 11 months, keeping in mind that my last post was on Nov. 2006.) But as of this past Sunday, I returned to the gym. The prior D.C. program changed my body dramatically in those short 3 weeks. The only reason right now, which I am still able to maintain a fit body is because I run a mile or two every day - and have been doing so in that time.

    But I am back. Hopefully in little time, I will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness to you all (before-and-after) of that this D.C. program can do.

    Until then, keep up the good work on the site, Rod, and God speed.

    Paul J. Siegel

  39. Rod said,

    November 17, 2007 @ 8:43 am

    Hi Paul
    thanks for the encouraging update, though I am sorry to hear you were laid up.
    This page gets a lot of visitors and I’m sure they’ll be interested to read your account and see that this exercise regime actually does work.

    Good Luck
    Rod

  40. Rob Hughes said,

    November 17, 2007 @ 3:18 pm

    I have actually comleted the routine put together by Simon Waterson as I purchased the workout from him in full.

    I was amazed at the results but it was certainly hard, physically and mentally. The routine he put together for Daniel is around 45 minutes long (weights only) with some abdominal work and a burst of cardio at the end. The total time is around 1 - 1hr 10mins dependent on the individual.

    The workout also includes all the dietary advice that Simon recommends as well as mental preparation.

    Rob

  41. Rod said,

    November 17, 2007 @ 3:57 pm

    Rob
    thanks for sharing the results and the recommendation, I took out the email address to stop you getting spammed to death by email harvesters.

    Purchasing the full workout sounds like a great way to go, thanks for bringing it to both my and other readers attention.

    Anyone reading this should take a look at Simon’s site below, it’s highly recommended and purchasing the full workout routine mentioned by Rob is the way to go if you are serious about this.

    http://www.simonwaterson.com/homepage/index.htm

    Thanks again Rob
    All the best
    Rod

  42. Rich said,

    November 19, 2007 @ 8:52 pm

    Anyone followed a specific diet with the workout and what are the recommendations?

  43. Rod said,

    November 20, 2007 @ 8:15 am

    Hi Rich
    thanks fo rthe comment and welcome to the site.
    I would check out the comment from Rob Hughes for this info then go to Simon Watersons website where you can buy the whole thing.
    That’s the best way I think
    Regards
    RC

  44. George said,

    December 9, 2007 @ 12:11 pm

    Hi Rod,
    I am 114 kilos and 6 feet tall.. but i have little tummy.. i want to know is can my hands take my weight.. i mean is it ok.. because i really don;t wanna over do it.. i do regular exercise.. but after casino royale.. i always wanted to have a body like craig..
    Please do let me know is it ok do this exercise even if being this heavy??
    regards
    george

  45. Rod said,

    December 9, 2007 @ 2:31 pm

    Hi George
    I’m not really qualified to give such advice I’m afraid but starting steadily should be OK. The pull-ups and dips are quite brutal and presume a certain level of strength and fitness. Concentrating on the weights is probably best as you can tailor the weight accordingly and gradually build up.

    Leaning more toward the cardio side initially should shift some weight and make things easier.
    Hope this helps a little
    Regards
    RC

  46. Rei said,

    December 15, 2007 @ 5:19 pm

    That is a very inspiring article!!!
    Thank you very much. I will do the exercises )))

    Really this article leaves me with positive state of mind! Good job!

  47. Simon said,

    December 26, 2007 @ 11:21 pm

    Rob / Rod

    Could you please let me know which actual program from Simon Waterson’s site you ordered?

    Thanks in advance.

  48. Rod said,

    December 27, 2007 @ 9:09 am

    Simon
    I’ve not actually ordered a program from the site myself I’m afraid.
    Sorry I’m unable to help

  49. Steven said,

    January 3, 2008 @ 10:22 am

    These people always forget the essential problem with ordinary fat people: before working out, you should lose all the visible fat, or you won’t feel the change of weight. WYou can get confused eating less and working out more. When I was obese at 15, I went to the gym for weight-lifting and aerobic programs and I could not see a substantial loss of weight. It was the opposite. I was gaining. Then, a friend woke me up and told me ‘If you want to do things straight, first you get to lose all the fat. Then you can start thinking of working out’.

  50. Rod said,

    January 3, 2008 @ 10:52 am

    Steven
    I could not agree more !
    For a start you don’t know where you are until the fat comes off.
    Secondly you’ll see little visual muscle gain if you are overweight.
    Finally I think the 1st thing should be to be fit, actually getting to look like Daniel Craig is something of a side issue.
    Cheers
    Rod

  51. Ruffles said,

    February 1, 2008 @ 8:06 pm

    Just wanted to share my two cents on the workout and say cheers for posting it, Sir Rod!

    I’ve followed this for the last month and a half, having already been in reasonable shape and doing some sport and gym intermittently.

    I didn’t stick entirely to the letter due to time constraints (had to space it out into two sessions) and having no equipment yet with which to do pull ups.

    Wow.

    Having adjusted my diet and also running three/four times a week, the results are obvious. If anyone is looking for getting toward that Daniel Craig physique, this workout (even taken just as a basis) is absolutely spot on with no bullshit.

    Bring on the summer!

  52. Rod said,

    February 2, 2008 @ 9:08 am

    Ruffles
    that’s great thanks for taking the time to give us some feedback.
    It will help others to as well, seeing it does work and is also realistic in as much as it can be fitted inot a ‘real’ life schedule.
    All the best
    Rod

  53. DC said,

    February 5, 2008 @ 10:11 pm

    OK, I’m in a bit of a dilemma right now. I am also a great fan of DC and the latest Bond movie, Casino Royale. Inspired by the comments above, I want to try again to possibly lose some weight and adhere to a strict program to get fit. Right now I’m 17 1/2, about 185 lbs, 5′11″. Does anybody have any advice on how to stick to the program, and how to do it properly, i.e. should I lose weight first, or start the program above? I would greatly appreciate any advice!
    p.s. I don’t have any equipment as of yet, this will probably affect my program, yes or no?

  54. Rod said,

    February 6, 2008 @ 8:29 am

    DC
    I would concentrate on stripping the weight first. Cardio and a low fat diet will do that.
    Still do the muscular side of things, possibly using free weights, as it also helps strip excess weight off.
    This is just my opinion and I’m not a qualified instructor but I would strip the weight off priimarily
    Rod

  55. Simon said,

    February 21, 2008 @ 1:40 pm

    As I understand it, the problem with stripping the fat first is that you can greatly lower your metabolism, which means you can’t then eat to build muscle as it all gets stored as fat.

    Isn’t it better to build a solid base of muscle which will in-turn burn the fat away? You’ll be getting fitter and burning fat while you’re doing this anyway.. it just probably won’t show on the scales.

    I’ve been following a very similar program for the last 6 weeks, and already the fat loss is accelerating on its own. Was nothing for a couple of weeks, but is now just starting to really kick in. I am hoping this will be more permanent and more healthy way to lose the fat, although maybe slightly slower at first.

  56. Rod said,

    February 21, 2008 @ 1:57 pm

    Simon
    there’s something in what you say. A route down the middle may be best.
    Weight training is great for stripping weight off but the potential downside is the amount you need to eat to feed muscle growth.

    If you are seriously working out then this can of course be balanced out but if not you could end up building muscle which can’t be seen and also carrying excess fat.

    As to weight, muscle mass is denser than fat so if you’re putting muscle on and losing fat you could actually be gaining weight so I don’t believe weight per se is really a big issue.
    You only need look at your body and you can see any excess fat - so what the scales say is neither here nor there I believe when it comes to assessing fat

    What you’re doing seems to be working so I would stick with it. Thanks for sharing the encouraging news and continued success - pleased it’s working for you
    Regards
    Rod

  57. Simon said,

    February 21, 2008 @ 2:13 pm

    Yeah, makes total sense Rod.

    My view is that, even though during the training you won’t see the muscle, it will then be a lot easier to shift the fat, after you’ve built a solid base, than if you did it the other way round.

    My actual weight has just started to drop now, but its minor. But I know I’ve packed on LOADS of muscle in a short space of time, so that, combined with the difference I can visibly see, leads me to believe at least some fat is coming off - although that’s not my initial goal. I’m looking to start stripping fat once I’m confident I’ve got a good solid base of muscle to work on.

    Thanks again for this. It was this page that inspired me to get onto all this, and I can honestly say I’ve never felt better.

  58. Anthony Henderson said,

    February 27, 2008 @ 5:22 pm

    Bench press his own body weight? I hope he means he can do repetitions of it because he looks as though he only weighs 200lbs. I think he could probably bench about 270lbs for one rep which is a very large weight for someone of his size.

    And the way he exercised, in 45min sessions, is the way to build muscle. There’s no point spending an hour and a half at the gym and taking your time; hit the weights hard, train to failure and eat a high protein diet and you too will begin to look ‘as though you could kill someone’. Peace out.

  59. DC said,

    March 4, 2008 @ 1:33 am

    Thank you everyone for the comments above. I think I will adhere to what you guys said about probably lifting first, and as that progresses, the fat will start to burn off. I’ll see how this works out in the end. Again, thank you for the helpful input!

  60. Thomas said,

    May 6, 2008 @ 1:53 am

    Rod i was wondering wat kind of ab workouts DC did and if maybe you could tell me how to get the same results if im not fully functional in my left arm

  61. Rod said,

    May 6, 2008 @ 8:04 am

    Thomas
    I’m not sure exactly though he does say he simply used and exercise bike for fat stripping.
    I would imagine plenty of cardio to strip the fat and some form of sit ups which work for you in your situation will do the trick
    Regards
    Rod

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