JESSE WILLIAMS BELIEVES in the mind-body connection. The 44-year-old actor says he didn't quite understand just how important mobility, stretching, and strength are for life—and specifically, for his vocation—but he gets it now.
"I wasn't really literate in terms of real health and precision the vast majority of my life," he admits.
What made the difference? Getting older and maturing, for one, but he also had a demanding job and met a trainer that helped him figure out what he needed out of his strength training regimen. Williams acted in a Broadway play in 2022—Take Me Out, for which he was nominated for a Tony award)—that required him to perform explosive, athletic movements. He credits the experience for opening his eyes to how important fundamental movement can be for his line of work.
That's particularly essential for his latest role in Amazon's Hotel Castiera, as a former Marine working as a fixer at a luxury hotel on Italy's Amalfi Coast. This was "one of the tougher roles" Williams has ever had to train for, he says, partly because he wasn't just an actor. He was also an executive producer on the show. He was working 15-hour days, in front of the camera and behind it—so getting good sleep and nutrition became even more important than if he were only hitting his marks and nailing his fight choreo.
"The real plan is executing the plan consistently, building enough of a foundation of learned muscle memory, in terms of movement and kind of your base, so that you can also act—and act in a different language, and be present to adjustments," he says. "I can mess up a line—but if you mess up in choreography, you get punched in the face."
Williams hit the MH Fitness Hub with his trainer, Yaw Owusu Jr. of Peak Vitality Fitness, to demonstrate some of the key exercises he uses to hone his strength and acclimate his body to the types of explosive movements he'll be tasked with repeating in stunt and fight choreography.
2 reps per grip (neutral, wide overhand, chinup)
2 reps per hand position (standard, wide, palms out)
3 reps per side
3 reps per side
5 reps per position
10 tosses per side
10 reps per side
10 reps
10 reps
Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.
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