I Got Buff for ‘Prince of Persia,’ Jake Gyllenhaal Says

Many fans considered Jake Gyllenhaal an odd choice as the hero of the upcoming “Prince of Persia” film, based on the popular video game and hopefully the first in a successful franchise. Perhaps only too aware of the pressure from the community, the actor took his part very seriously, and this also translated into him hitting the gym on a regular basis to get the body of an action hero.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, which also has fresh footage from the much-hyped “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” film, the actor admits that it’s very likely he got a bit too carried away when getting ready for the part. Still, he says, since he had little to no idea about what the script would be, and certainly less about what producer Jerry Bruckheimer would want from him, he thought it best if he prepared for the worst.

Said and done. “I over-prepared myself [physically] because I never knew how much they were going to ask me to do, so I just made sure I’d be hopefully able to do anything. I guess I’ve gotten buff. It’s going to turn into fat [when we wrap] and I’m going to be happy,” Jake says for ET with a shrug of the shoulders. Photos surfaced earlier this year, showing him on the set of the film, are undeniable proof that he did, indeed, get “buff” for the part.

Fitness expert Simon Waterson was saying a while back that Jake got from a lean to a muscular body with the help of a very strict daily routine based on lots of cardio and resistance training and, of course, few calories. The routine in itself is nothing short of grueling, but it does have excellent results over a short period of time, and this is precisely what Gyllenhaal needed, since he reportedly had only a few months to prepare for the role.

Each day included two workout sessions, Waterson said. “6am: An hour-and-a-half cardio outdoors workout while wearing a 20lb flak jacket to simulate the weight of armor. Interval training – 10min uphill sprint, followed by abs exercises, eg, sit-ups, at the top of the hill. Repeat sequence five times, then a 10min run, followed by stretching exercises. 6-7pm: An hour of resistance training using cables to simulate sword fights, pull-ups, press-ups, abs exercises using weights; finish with stretching,” Waterson explained a while ago.