The 49-year-old Couture appeared in the first Expendables, as well as David Mamet’s “Redbelt” and the “Scorpion King 2.” With “Expendables 2,” the ensemble cast sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s 2010 blockbuster, the Las Vegas native could be posed for a breakout role.
But long before Couture hit Hollywood, and even before he became a UFC household name, he was a force in fitness. Couture boxed during a six-year stint in the U.S. Army, and later served as a wrestling strength coach at Oregon State University. That background proved valuable for both his career in mixed martial arts and now as an actor, playing roles like Toll Road, a character that specializes in hand-to-hand combat.
We recently spoke to Couture about his physical preparation for “Expendables 2.”
What was your conditioning like going into “Expendables 2?”
I was coming off competing and in great shape. I own and run a training center in Las Vegas. During the shoot, I trained just about every day.
What were those workouts like?
I love to grapple. I do a bit of sparring and I spend three days a week in the gym with Jake (Bonacci, a strength coach at Couture’s facility).
The workout starts with a dynamic warm-up routine. We do core and body weight exercises with dynamic moves. Kettlebells, dumbbells or a barbell. With Jake, it’s a different workout every time; I come in and do what’s on the books that day.
The workout starts with a dynamic warm-up routine. We do core and body weight exercises with dynamic moves. Kettlebells, dumbbells or a barbell. With Jake, it’s a different workout every time; I come in and do what’s on the books that day.
Did you ever see yourself becoming an actor?
Acting is outside the box for me and not something I saw myself doing. But I’m certainly excited that athletics opened the door to be able to do it. Now I see acting as the next stage of my career.
When you came into fights you had a strategy and adapted. Do you apply the same strategy when
working as an actor? Did you do any ad-libbing while filming?
Yes, that’s one of the nice things about working with (Stallone). He’s not caught up with words on the page; he has a ton of ideas, knows how to make things spontaneous and realistic. Certainly, when it came to the humor in the movie, Sly made a lot of adjustments in the dialogue, which kept me on my toes.
What was your favorite memory from working on “Expendables 2?”
There’s a scene in which we roll into this Soviet training facility that was mocked-up like New York City. We stayed the night in a mocked-up pizza parlor. There’s fun dialogue and we wake up the next day, realizing we’re about to be attacked, so all hell breaks loose.
So what type of training did you do to prepare for the role?
We put together an intense routine for a month and a half. I trained twice a day, three to four days a week. It’s close to what I did in camps when preparing for fights.
I did giant sets or supersets, such as pull-ups, kettlebell squats and push-ups –sometimes with a weight on my back. In between each exercise, I do some explosive exercise such as a medicine ball chest pass, clap push-ups or jump lunges.
I did giant sets or supersets, such as pull-ups, kettlebell squats and push-ups –sometimes with a weight on my back. In between each exercise, I do some explosive exercise such as a medicine ball chest pass, clap push-ups or jump lunges.
Do you have a training philosophy?
Simulate the competition you’re training for. I incorporate five-minute rounds into the training cycle with one-minute breaks. That’s what my body has to do in my sport. There’s intensity to that.
What’s your favorite exercise?
I’m a big fan of explosive things, like plyometrics. Those translate to dynamic movements for my sport. I love box jumps and medicine ball smashes.
Are you active on days off from training?
For active rest, I mountain bike ride. At 220 pounds I’m not made for swimming or long-distance running. I did play around with some yoga, but it hasn’t become a part of my routine yet.
What part of your workout is just for fun?
The goal of one-on-one combative sport is to push your opponent to the point he wants to physically give up. We call it breaking your opponent. There is something enjoyable about experiencing that.
Now that you’re approaching 50, do you train any differently?
One of the things I had to learn was to listen to my body better. I was notorious in my twenties and thirties for overtraining. I used to call myself a princess, tell myself to suck it up and get to the gym, even when I really should have taken a day off and let my body recover. It affected my ability to get the kind of performances I needed on the wrestling mat.
Listening to my body was one of the things I figured out as I transitioned from wrestling to competing in mixed martial arts.
Listening to my body was one of the things I figured out as I transitioned from wrestling to competing in mixed martial arts.
Where does your drive and determination come from?
I developed a strong work ethic from my mother. She was a single mom working a couple of jobs to makes sure we didn’t want for anything. That left a burden of chores and things to do in the house for us kids. I made sure they were taken care of. I’m wired that way.
RANDY COUTURE’S EXPENDABLES 2 WORKOUT
Jake Bonacci, a strength trainer who specializes in MMA conditioning, has worked with Couture since 2007. Here, he shares the the strength-training workout that he used to prepare Couture for “Expendables 2.”
WARM-UP
“The exercises in the warm-up reflect what the workout will be,” says Bonacci. “It takes 20 minutes and we do 10 reps of each exercise to prepare Randy’s muscles, sense of balance, and nervous system for the workout.”
1. FOAM ROLLING: Start with soft tissue massage using a long foam roller. Take turns rolling the muscles of the upper and lower body along the roller in slow strokes to increase circulation and lengthen muscle. Pay special attention to tender spots, trying to work them out of your muscles.
2. DYNAMIC STRETCHING: Walkouts and Knee-Hugs-to-Forward-Lunges mimic the movement patterns of the workout in an exaggerated yet controlled manner.
3. HIP ACTIVATION: Place a green mini band around the base of thighs near knees. Walk laterally to wake up the muscles of the hips.
4. CORE ACTIVATION: A combination of three rotational and stabilizing movements prepares the core for a full-body workout.
PT. 1: Kneeling Split-Stance and Chop - A mobilization exercise for the inner thighs with rotation (performed while holding a weight to perform Woodchops) helps develop trunk and lower body stability.
PT. 2: Prone Plank - Abs, obliques, serratus, pecs, traps, erectors, and quads are exercised isometrically throughout 45-seconds holds (Couture increases the challenge by adding weight on his back.)
PT. 3: Glute Bridge Raises: Working glutes, hamstrings and back muscles, this move wakes up hip muscles in preparation for jumps and lunges.
5. STRETCHING: Using a stretch stick, take an overhand shoulder width grip on the stick, extend arms overhead and tilt torso laterally to lengthen lats. Then, rotate downward, place the stick on shin (tilting to the right stretches left lat). Rotate and turn down to right shin, stretching left lumbar region.
1. FOAM ROLLING: Start with soft tissue massage using a long foam roller. Take turns rolling the muscles of the upper and lower body along the roller in slow strokes to increase circulation and lengthen muscle. Pay special attention to tender spots, trying to work them out of your muscles.
2. DYNAMIC STRETCHING: Walkouts and Knee-Hugs-to-Forward-Lunges mimic the movement patterns of the workout in an exaggerated yet controlled manner.
3. HIP ACTIVATION: Place a green mini band around the base of thighs near knees. Walk laterally to wake up the muscles of the hips.
4. CORE ACTIVATION: A combination of three rotational and stabilizing movements prepares the core for a full-body workout.
PT. 1: Kneeling Split-Stance and Chop - A mobilization exercise for the inner thighs with rotation (performed while holding a weight to perform Woodchops) helps develop trunk and lower body stability.
PT. 2: Prone Plank - Abs, obliques, serratus, pecs, traps, erectors, and quads are exercised isometrically throughout 45-seconds holds (Couture increases the challenge by adding weight on his back.)
PT. 3: Glute Bridge Raises: Working glutes, hamstrings and back muscles, this move wakes up hip muscles in preparation for jumps and lunges.
5. STRETCHING: Using a stretch stick, take an overhand shoulder width grip on the stick, extend arms overhead and tilt torso laterally to lengthen lats. Then, rotate downward, place the stick on shin (tilting to the right stretches left lat). Rotate and turn down to right shin, stretching left lumbar region.
STRENGTH WORKOUT
With Couture’s fight days behind him, his workout today has switched from conditioning to strength, comprising supersets and giant sets. Supersets involve performing an exercise set immediately after a different exercise set with no rest taken between exercises. Giant sets, meanwhile, comprise three or more exercise sets in succession with nearly no rest.
“Randy doesn’t like to wait between sets because he’s pressed for time. This training scheme gives him as much volume as he can get in the hour we have,” Bonacci says. “This keeps him moving quickly throughout the workout.”
1. Barbell Push Presses: (8 reps the first set, 6 the second, and 4 for the third)
Superset 1 (perform all sets of these two exercises back-to-back before moving on to Superset 2)
2a. Neutral, Wide Grip Pull-Ups with Weight Vest: (8-6-4)
2b. Kettlebell Split Squats: (6-5-4)
Superset 2
3a. Dumbbell incline press (10-8-6)
3b. Lat pull-downs (10-8-6)
4. Alternating Kettlebell Swings, 5 per side
5. Giant Superset (2 sets of 4 Exercises. Perform 10 reps for first set, 8 reps for the second set. Take a 15-second break after each exercise, and a 60-second break between circuits.)
5a. Dumbbell Upright Row
5b. Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
5c. Dumbbell Curl
5d. Band Triceps Pushdowns
“Randy doesn’t like to wait between sets because he’s pressed for time. This training scheme gives him as much volume as he can get in the hour we have,” Bonacci says. “This keeps him moving quickly throughout the workout.”
1. Barbell Push Presses: (8 reps the first set, 6 the second, and 4 for the third)
Superset 1 (perform all sets of these two exercises back-to-back before moving on to Superset 2)
2a. Neutral, Wide Grip Pull-Ups with Weight Vest: (8-6-4)
2b. Kettlebell Split Squats: (6-5-4)
Superset 2
3a. Dumbbell incline press (10-8-6)
3b. Lat pull-downs (10-8-6)
4. Alternating Kettlebell Swings, 5 per side
5. Giant Superset (2 sets of 4 Exercises. Perform 10 reps for first set, 8 reps for the second set. Take a 15-second break after each exercise, and a 60-second break between circuits.)
5a. Dumbbell Upright Row
5b. Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
5c. Dumbbell Curl
5d. Band Triceps Pushdowns
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