Blakely is a trainer with more than 25 years of experience, and the man behind Paul Mescal\u2019s muscled torso in Gladiator 2 \u2013 not to mention his work with Glen Powell, Gerard Butler, Joe Quinn and many more. <\/p>\n
As someone described by Mescal as \u201cthe biggest man I have ever seen in my life,\u201d Blakely is also a master of building muscle, with bulging biceps that double as a supplementary CV. <\/p>\n
The methods behind his A-list clientele\u2019s impressive physical transformations are surprisingly simple. But simple doesn\u2019t mean easy. <\/p>\n
Why boring basics work <\/p>\n
You might expect a celebrity trainer to bombard their clients with exercises you\u2019ve never heard of, high-tech training equipment and pricey recovery tools. Not so with Blakely. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a boring answer, because everyone\u2019s always looking for that shiny new thing, but it\u2019s the basics that will get you more results than any fancy new exercise or supplement,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
Novel methods are easy to sell; that is why you see so many of them on social media. But the brawny person you see demonstrating a new exercise on Instagram most likely built it with good old fashioned strength training<\/a>, says Blakely, then filmed this visually interesting exercise as an afterthought. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in this industry for 25 years and I\u2019ve been involved in bodybuilding at quite a high level, and nothing has really changed all that much,\u201d he says \u201cPeople are still pretty much doing the same stuff. <\/p>\n \u201cCompound exercises [multi-muscle movements like squats, rows and presses] are important. You can do high volume training or you can do low volume training at a high intensity. They both work, as long as the nutrition is there to support it and you\u2019re recovering adequately.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>I did goblet squats every day for a month \u2013 the results surprised me<\/a><\/p>\n The power of consistency <\/p>\n This approach has staying power because it works. Mescal\u2019s goal was to replicate the look of a back row rugby player \u2013\u00a0strong and athletic, rather than a cartoon-like Marvel hero. He trained for 45-60 minutes, five to six times a week, and gained eight kilogrammes of muscle in three months, all while performing in A Streetcar Named Desire on the West End. <\/p>\n How can the rest of us undergo a similar uptick in our fitness and physique? \u201cDo exactly the same things,\u201d Blakely says. \u201cFocus on the 95 per cent, not the 5 per cent. <\/p>\n \u201cLift weights with good form, apply progressive overload<\/a>, do some cardio, hit your protein goals every day<\/a>, make sure you get enough rest and eat whole foods where you can \u2013 all the basics. If you keep stacking weeks of doing these nuts and bolts, you wouldn\u2019t even have to do it all that well and you would still get impressive results.<\/p>\n \u201cSix months of average eating and training will leave you looking way better than the guy who just had three amazing weeks somewhere in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n However, there are a few caveats which give actors a headstart in the quest to build muscle and burn fat. <\/p>\n \u201cThe thing with actors that people don\u2019t usually factor in is that a lot of them are genetically gifted anyway \u2013 that is part of the reason they are actors; they look a certain way,\u201d says Blakely.<\/p>\n Most of us have hectic routines to contend with when trying to get in shape. Actors do too. Although, as Mescal acknowledges, they are afforded other advantages: \u201cYou have one of the best trainers in the world. You have your food delivered to you. It\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Actors also have a bonus dose of extrinsic motivation, Blakely points out. They are going to be blown up to the size of a cinema screen in a few months time, and their physique will be immortalised in film \u2013 a persuasasive impetus for cleaning up your diet and hitting each workout with renewed vigour. <\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>Do these three things each week to be fitter than most Brits<\/a><\/p>\n Paul Mescal\u2019s trainer\u2019s simple three-step method for guaranteed muscle growth<\/p>\n Blakely says people often become bogged down in the minutiae of strength training while remaining blind to the fundamental principles that make it effective.<\/p>\n \u201cAll you need to do for hypertrophy [muscle growth] is stabilise the target muscle, activate it and then put intensity through it,\u201d he says. In other words: lift a weight, lift it well, and lift it to the point it feels challenging. <\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing I think most people miss out on is: don\u2019t concentrate on moving a certain weight, concentrate on activating a specific muscle,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n This means being cognisant about the muscle that is meant to be working. As an example, if you are doing a dumbbell bench press, rather than thinking about pushing your hands away or pressing the weight towards the ceiling, think about squeezing your chest. This way, you\u2019ll get the activation you need to stimulate growth in the area you want. <\/p>\n \u201cI teach my actors to train really efficiently,\u201d Blakely continues. \u201cEach rep should look the same \u2013 the dumbbell or barbell should always follow the exact same path. You\u2019re drilling in on that working muscle and you\u2019re not letting off until the set is over.\u201d<\/p>\n For beginners, however, he recommends doing more sets and reps per muscle. This is because they are new to the exercise and \u201cnot generating the same intensity through the muscle\u201d with each rep. <\/p>\n And what does this requisite intensity for muscle growth look like?<\/p>\n \u201cThe movement will slow down as you get towards the end of your set,\u201d Blakely says. \u201cIf it stays the same speed, you are not training close enough to failure. The last couple of reps should be slow, grinding to a halt, and then you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n \u201c…You\u2019ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That goes against our survival mechanisms, so you\u2019ve got to learn how to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>I spoke to one of the world\u2019s leading kettlebell experts \u2013 this is how to transform your body with just one weight<\/a><\/p>\n Why you shouldn\u2019t follow Paul Mescal\u2019s workout plan and diet for Gladiator 2<\/p>\n Having seen the pictures you might be left feeling like taking Mescal\u2019s workouts and diet plan for a spin. That\u2019s understandable, given the actor was in enviable shape for Gladiator 2. But Blakely advises against it \u2013 and not for the reasons you might expect. <\/p>\n \u201cYou could do worse,\u201d he says. \u201cBut people respond differently to different exercises \u2013 they have different biomechanics. People also process macronutrients differently. You can\u2019t give everyone the same cookie cutter plan. You have to learn your client, learn their metabolism and work out what they respond well to.\u201d<\/p>\n Appearing on the Graham Norton show, Mescal recalled his first meeting with Blakely, and it demonstrated this approach.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m standing there in my underwear and he just starts circling me like a shark,\u201d Mescal says. \u201cHe goes, \u2018OK, there\u2019s a canvas to work with\u2019. Then he starts grading my body parts and goes, \u2018The arms, we\u2019re going to struggle with\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has quite long limbs, so we focussed on bringing his arms up as much as possible,\u201d Blakely explains. \u201cJust by looking at someone\u2019s physique, their [muscle-building] genetics are obvious because of their shape, their muscle, bellies and their levels of body fat, relative to what they\u2019ve been doing already. <\/p>\n \u201cIf Paul said he had been training his arse off already, I would have been worried. But the fact he hadn\u2019t been doing anything [strength training-wise] and already looked like that was promising. He already had an athletic background which I could factor in too.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>This is the most boring fitness article you\u2019ll ever read \u2013 but also the most useful<\/a><\/p>\n The takeaways that will upgrade your training<\/p>\n There is no workout plan for you to follow in this feature. That might disappoint some people. But you are probably familiar with the old adage about teaching a man to fish versus simply handing him a fish. <\/p>\n Blakely has provided a fishing lesson for those looking to build muscle. If you can nail the nuts and bolts of your workouts and nutrition \u2013 \u201clift weights with good form, apply progressive overload<\/a>, do some cardio, hit your protein goals every day, make sure you get enough rest and eat whole foods where you can\u201d \u2013 you will be on the right track.<\/p>\n If you can do these things consistently, your health, fitness and physique will transform. <\/p>\n![\"Rotten](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/gladiator-ii-GL2_12129R_rgb.jpg\")
Rotten Roman: Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott\u2019s \u2018Gladiator II’ (Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2184887743...jpeg\")
(AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n