If you're wondering how Keanu Reeves became the muscle bound movie star that he is today,
watch on as we look at all the intense training that has helped get the actor into master
assassin shape.
Keanu Reeves made his first foray into action with the 1991 bank-robbing surfer flick Point
Break. This not only meant that he had to be capable of performing stunts and action
scenes, but that he also had to learn how to surf.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Reeves and co-stars Lori Petty and Patrick Swayze
all spent two months taking lessons from the world-renowned pro surfer Dennis Jarvis. As
Jarvis explained, Reeves had never surfed before, and all three actors were beginners.
Still, even though Reeves was inexperienced, he gained a passion for the sport and continued
to surf as a hobby.
Surfing is a challenging sport that demands a great deal of strength, especially in the
shoulders, chest, legs, and core. While Reeves didn't necessarily get super ripped for Point
Break, the effort he put into learning to surf surely moved him into a new level of
physical fitness and capability.
1994's Speed was the first movie where audiences could see Reeves really pack on the muscle,
and while we don't have a lot of information on how he got in shape for it, we do know
that he went to extra lengths to perform some of the most demanding and dangerous stunts
himself.
"Are you, like, the devil, you know, the daredevil adventurous type?"
"Once in a while, I kinda dabble but not really. Not really."
Perhaps the most notable example of this was the notorious bus boarding scene, in which
he leapt from a Jaguar onto the speeding bus. Reeves wanted to tackle the stunt himself,
according to director Jan de Bont, who told Entertainment Weekly,
"He was nervous in the beginning, then he got addicted to the adrenaline."
Although de Bont told Reeves he couldn't do the stunt himself, Reeves practiced secretly
off-set. When it came time to shoot the scene, Reeves just went ahead and jumped, much to
the director's shock.
For many people, The Matrix was the first time they got to see Keanu Reeves in full
action-star mode. But it might surprise you that despite all the action scenes Reeves
filmed in The Matrix, intensive workouts really weren't part of his routine. His character,
Neo, was never intended to be buff, and even when he was training for the martial arts
scenes, he had to take it somewhat easy due to a spine injury.
However, that doesn't mean that Reeves didn't put in plenty of sweat and effort. According
to Kung Fu Magazine, Reeves and co-stars Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss went through
four months of kung fu and wire work training to ensure that they had the martial arts skills
necessary to nail the complex choreography required to shoot the movie's intricate fight
scenes.
Keanu Reeves has a much more moderate approach to dieting than a lot of his fellow Hollywood
celebrities. Speaking to Men's Journal, Reeves described his training diet as,
"Low sodium, low fat, and the night before a big fight sequence, I still eat a steak."
It's a habit that he began while filming The Matrix and that he seems to indulge whether
training for a movie or not. Reeves said that between his films, his diet doesn't change
much, and that he enjoys,
"Steak. Red Wine. A nice single malt with a big ice cube."
That doesn't mean he doesn't maintain any additional dieting parameters. Reportedly,
Reeves tends to avoid overindulgence, and sticks to foods like chicken, steak, rice,
vegetables, and pasta.
Over the years, Keanu Reeves has frequently pushed his body to the limits. With Reeves
in his mid-50s, it's important that he puts in plenty of effort to avoid injury.
When training, the actor spends a lot of time on stretching and warm-ups, and his actual
workout routine tends to focus on resistance bands and bodyweight exercises, which are
easier on the joints than free weights. Speaking to Muscle and Fitness, Patrick Murphy, Reeves'
trainer of 25 years, said,
"Keanu's body was put through the wringer. I had to implement the safest, most effective
program possible."
This meant focusing on a high-volume, low-impact routine with limited rest. In other words,
injury was avoided by focusing on performing a high number of repetitions rather than lifting
heavy weights.
It's safe to say that John Wick is Keanu Reeves' most physical role, and since the assassin
has to spend pretty much all of his time fighting bad guys, Reeves has to be pretty ripped.
However, according to Men's Health, Reeves has a workout routine that's surprisingly
limited, utilizing just six central movements.
The first is a reverse lunge front dumbbell raise, which is a full-body workout that hits
the legs, shoulders, and chest. Second is a BOSU lunge shoulder press. In addition to
working out the lower body and shoulders, this particular technique is great for developing
balance. Third is a reverse-step resistance band row, which continues the lower body workout
while shifting the upper-body emphasis to the back.
Fourth is a squat with TRX shoulder iso-hold, which is a squat variation that hits the lower
body and shoulders. Movement number five is a stability ball dynamic plank, which develops
core strength and balance. The final move in Reeves' workout is a banded lateral walk
pallof press, which helps to develop shoulder width and leaves mere mortals feeling sore
the next day.
It may seem like a fairly light routine, but it ensures that Reeves is both strong and
mobile, which comes in handy for martial arts training.
While training for the John Wick movies, Reeves' workouts have tended to emphasize speed and
endurance over strength. If you watch his fights scenes carefully, he's rarely doing
anything that requires major muscle, but instead, he performs a series of highly intricate,
rapid movements over a long period of time.
To develop this capability, Reeves moves through his workout in a fast-paced circuit. Speaking
with Men's Health, trainer Patrick Murphy explained that Reeves cycles through his workout
routine about five or six times within an hour and a half. According to Murphy,
"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."
As anyone who has seen the resulting fight scenes knows, these efforts have paid off.
Once the action starts, Reeves doesn't seem to stop moving until it's all over.
While Reeves performed some fight scenes in Point Break and Speed, his first substantial
martial arts training came while preparing for The Matrix. According to renowned martial
arts trainer Yuen Woo-ping,
"We had to start from scratch training him from the basics, but he was very hardworking
and put in a great deal of effort."
Reeves' martial arts knowledge kicked up a notch for the first two John Wick movies,
for which he trained extensively in judo and achieved expert-level skill. This went even
further for the third installment, for which Reeves learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
According to director Chad Stahelski, their approach was,
"We're gonna sit in a gym for six months and just get as good as a stunt guy. Not learn
moves, but literally be trained as a martial arts stunt performer."
That training began several months before shooting, and it spanned seven days a week
for four or five hours a day.
In an Instagram post from December 16, 2019, Taran Tactical wrote,
"Keanu starting his training for John Wick 4 & Matrix 4."
Taran Tactical is a training company that helps actors like Reeves learn how to realistically
use firearms. Reeves has trained with Taran Tactical before, working his way through elaborate
courses and shooting AR-15s, semi automatic pistols, and semiautomatic shotguns. Reeves
has become an incredibly proficient shot, taking out all manner of targets. And with
the additional training for his upcoming movies, it looks like we're in for a whole lot more
of the "gun-fu" we've come to expect from the actor.
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