{"id":1028238,"date":"2026-08-27T22:10:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1028238\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T22:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:10:33","slug":"the-hollywood-trainer-behind-matt-damon-and-emily-blunt-gets-all-his-celebrity-clients-to-master-these-six-fundamental-exercises-and-you-should-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1028238\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hollywood trainer behind Matt Damon and Emily Blunt gets all his celebrity clients to master these six fundamental exercises\u2014and you should too"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"A<\/p>\n

Trainer Jason Walsh’s celebrity clientele reads like a stroll down Los Angeles’ iconic Walk of Fame. Matt Damon, check. Emily Blunt, check. Bradley Cooper, check.<\/p>\n

The Hollywood trainer <\/a>and co-founder of plant-based protein brand RISE311<\/a> is behind some of the most eye-catching physical transformations to grace the silver screen.<\/p>\n

From John Krasinski in 13 Hours to Miles Teller in Top Gun: Maverick and Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, the 50-year-old<\/a> strength and conditioning coach is well-versed in building blockbuster muscle.<\/p>\n

\"WEST<\/p>\n

Actor Matt Damon, wife Luciana Damon and personal\/celebrity trainer Jason Walsh attend the grand opening of Rise Nation Fitness Studio’s in Los Angeles on Aug 21, 2015 | Credit: Getty Images\/ Mark Davis<\/p>\n

But regardless of their fame or past sporting pedigree, there are six fundamental movement patterns he gets everyone who walks through his gym door to master before moving on.<\/p>\n

Fail to do so, he says, and everything falls apart.<\/p>\n

“The foundations are so important,” he says, moments after cutting short a remote training session with Road House actor Jake Gyllenhaal to speak with Fit&Well.<\/p>\n

“You might have a plan to build this beautiful house, but if you don’t anchor the house with an incredible foundation, something could come along that just f**** it all up, you know.”<\/p>\n

Walsh prefers to nail down those fundamentals with primitive movement patterns we’ve learned since birth: lunging, squatting, carrying, rotating, pushing and pulling.<\/p>\n

“These are the basics,” he says. “These are the fundamentals of the house.”<\/p>\n

Failure to master these fundamentals, he argues, is the reason most people struggle to build momentum and consistency with exercise.<\/p>\n

“If you don’t, you’re going to get hurt. You’re going to get frustrated. You’re going to get p****d off and you’re going to stop. Then this whole cycle starts over again.”<\/p>\n

Pressed on which of his Walk of Fame celebrities still practice these fundamentals, and how often, he replies: “Everyone. Every day.”<\/p>\n

“We work them into our warm-ups. We never ever lose the fundamentals. It’s not an Instagram workout. It’s not flashy or cool. We teach people. We stress them. We rinse and repeat.”<\/p>\n

Over time, through repetition, that mentality builds discipline, he says.<\/p>\n

It builds the foundations that allow you to build the house\u2014or body\u2014fit for the big screen.<\/p>\n

“You can’t replicate it. There’s no pill for it. There’s no shortcut.”<\/p>\n

How to put Walsh’s advice into practice<\/p>\n

Whenever Walsh works with a new client\u2014celebrity or otherwise\u2014he starts with a movement screen to address any injuries or weaknesses.<\/p>\n

“I treat everybody like they’re new,” he says. “We do an assessment. I look to see how their body moves, look for the red flags and then I address those issues.”<\/p>\n

His work with The Odyssey star Matt Damon is a prime example.<\/p>\n

“He’s a client I’ve worked with for years and years. [Before our first session] he was very frustrated. He told me his shoulder hurt and he couldn’t lift his arm over his head. He couldn’t play with his kid because his back hurt.”<\/p>\n

Previous trainers, he explained, hadn’t addressed underlying issues and asymmetries.<\/p>\n

Walsh took two weeks to unlock Damon’s tight shoulder. Then another two to fix his back.<\/p>\n

“It was like this weird ah-ha moment. At that point he was like, ‘Dude, I’m all yours. You’ve earned it.’ All of that stuff gave Matt the foundation and ability to train hard.”<\/p>\n

To resolve long-standing imbalances, as he did with Damon, Walsh will break down and rebuild six key movement patterns: the lunge, squat, carry, rotation, push and pull.<\/p>\n

These will then become the cornerstone of every warm-up, using bodyweight and isometric holds to improve muscular strength and joint stability.<\/p>\n

Here’s how you can apply Walsh’s technique to your next workout.<\/p>\n

Build your session by choosing one exercise from each of the options below. Each variation increases in difficulty from left to right.<\/p>\n

Perform each exercise as straight sets for two to three sets of 10-12 reps (30-60sec for the carries), resting 60 seconds between sets.<\/p>\n

Pick a weight that allows you to perform each exercise with good form but that challenges you to complete each set flawlessly.<\/p>\n

The options:<\/strong><\/p>\n