BORIS KODJOE, CURRENTLY starring in ABC firefighter drama Station 19, needs to be in top shape to haul lots of heavy gear even as a fictional first-responder. Thankfully, the actor is no stranger to fitness. Where he grew up in Germany, sports were a way of life. He was a standout tennis player through his college days (which will make one exercise in his workout plan make a little more sense).
Kodjoe, who has had a long career in TV and film with roles in Soul Food, Brown Sugar, First Husbands of Hollywood, and now on Station 19, says he loves training with his friends—but he has one specific workout buddy who he often turns to for tips: his former cast mate (and Men’s Health cover guy) Kevin Hart. “The problem is he takes too many breaks,” Kodjoe told the MH crew of Hart when we dropped in to check out his training routine. “He can’t get a workout in for 20, 30 minutes, so I sort of have to cut that short.”
Kodjoe is now 50 years old, and he admits that the heavy, joint-taxing movements he’s done in the past feel more punishing than when he was a younger man. Instead, he says he’s been working on bodyweight resistance training and cutting down rest periods to hit the upper and lower body. Instead of long workouts with lots of breaks, Kodjoe works with actor, bodybuilder, and trainer Mark “Rhino” Smith to get as much training in as little time as possible.
Check out this hard-hitting, fast-moving circuit session with Kodjoe to see how he trains to stay so strong and fit at 50.
Boris Kodjoe’s Circuit Workout
Circuit 1
5 rounds. Perform each exercise back-to-back with little to no rest.
Jump Squat
30 seconds
Jump Lunge
30 seconds
Lateral Steps With Tennis Swings
30 seconds
Mountain Climber
30 seconds
Crab Crossover
30 seconds
Circuit 2
Perform each exercise back-to-back with little to no rest.
Wide-Grip Pushups
30 seconds
Close-Grip Pushups
30 seconds
V-Shape (or Close-Grip) Pushups
30 seconds
V-Up and Knee-to-Elbow Crunch
30 seconds
Superman Pullbacks
30 seconds
Circuit 3
3 rounds. Perform each exercise back-to-back with little to no rest.
Lateral Raise
30 seconds
Overhead Press
30 seconds
Dumbbell Biceps Curls
30 seconds
Hammer Curls
30 seconds
Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.
Brett Williams, a fitness editor at Men’s Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter who splits his workout time between strength and conditioning training, martial arts, and running. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
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