Mark Wahlberg Chest Workout Is The Secret To His Giant Pecs

Could it all be in the recovery?

Mark Wahlberg Chest Workout Is The Secret To His Giant Pecs

Image: TMZ

Mark Wahlberg is one of the fittest men in Hollywood. The 49-year-old Boston native and star of films like Boogie Nights and Daddy’s Home has a physique so sharp it could cut glass and is widely regarded to have some of the best pecs in America.

Discovering the secret to Wahlberg’s success would be like discovering a cure for baldness: men around the world would pay squillions to find out. Luckily, Wahlberg teases much of his exercise routine, regularly sharing on Instagram footage of his workouts from his palatial home gym.

Wahlberg’s latest workout’s got fitness fanatics scratching their heads, however. The bizarre-looking circuit, utilising a variety of novel fitness technologies, looks like the kind of thing a gym newbie would attempt. Yet if Wahlberg’s testimony is anything to believe, it might just be the key to unlocking a ridiculous rig like his.

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Wahlberg, with the assistance of F45 coach Shannon Helm (Wahlberg owns a minority stake in the Australian gym chain), can be seen doing one-legged pushups, his leg balancing on an exercise ball. If that wasn’t hardcore enough, he’s upped the ante by using Perfect Pushup handles on top of a Power Plate, whilst also wearing B Strong BFR armlets.

While the exercise looks a bit ridiculous and gimmicky, there might be some science to back up Wahlberg’s claim that using these tools you can “cut your workout time in half…and get way more gains.”

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The Power Plate is an interesting piece of equipment that essentially uses vibrations to stimulate muscles to contract and relax as much as 30 more times a second than with normal exercise. While the science isn’t settled on whether or not vibration plate equipment like the Power Plate can reduce recovery time, some fitness experts suggest that because it exercises multiple muscle groups at once, it can reduce how long you need to work out.

A professional-grade Power Plate like Wahlberg’s is an expensive piece of kit – top of the line Power Plate models can cost up to $18,000 – although you can find cheaper vibration plate brands for sale that will achieve similar effects.

B Strong armlets are an example of BFR (blood flow restriction) technology. Also called occlusion training or hypoxi training, BFR’s exactly what it sounds like: you intentionally restrict bloodflow to the parts of the body you want to work out in order to prevent blood leaving the muscles. The theory is that this forces muscles to grow quicker and can reduce recovery time. It’s a potentially risky technique but there’s plenty of evidence to support it.

Combining these technologies with a more traditional workout technique like pushups allows Wahlberg to effectively target specific muscle groups and hone his workout, reducing exercise and recovery time. You should always consult a PT or other health professional before jumping in and using these sorts of technologies, but it’s hard to argue with Wahlberg’s results.

Gimme another 20, Marky Mark.