Vin Diesel Does Men’s Fitness, Talks Getting in Shape for Movies

Vin Diesel has always been in great shape, and his appearance in “Fast Five,” last week’s number 1 at the US box office is no exception. Being in top shape is always important, but only if it brings weight to the character he’s playing, the actor tells Men’s Fitness.

As his fans must already know, Vin is not afraid to stop going to the gym and even gain some weight if that’s how the character he’s playing is supposed to look like.

He always tries to look the part, in what the mag describes as “a physical type of method acting,” and, at the end of the day, succeeding at that is what’s most important for him.

Of course, Vin also knows a lot about the roles that are usually offered to him, having worked as a bouncer for years – and, as such, having seen things not many have, and getting in more fights than he could count.

“I learned so much in bouncing that I bring to these characters. You have to be able to read people,” the actor explains (story via here).

“Speak with a New York City cop, and they talk about having to read people. Bouncing is like that but without the badge and the law. You’re a gunslinger for hire, basically. And you learn a lot in that field of work,” Vin adds.

Once he agrees to do a part and he imagines how the character may look, Diesel starts training. That can either mean toning up and putting on muscle mass, or no longer going to the gym and gaining weight, as was the case with “Find Me Guilty.”

“I don’t do a service to myself if I succumb to serious powerlifting. I have to be somewhat mindful of being typecast. I want to be the character and not just look built,” Vin says.

“When I do a role like Riddick, I don’t want to look boxy. I want to be pantherlike, I want to be agile. I have to do yoga or Pilates because I’m trying to get a completely different movement with my body,” he further explains.

Vin Diesel says he doesn’t care how he’s labeled by the media or what it makes of his movie career. As long as he knows he “knocks each role out of the park,” his self-esteem will be intact.