Actor Bradley Cooper, known for his versatility and commitment to each role, surprised the film industry with the physical transformation he underwent to play Chris Kyle in the film ‘The Sniper’.At 51 years old, Cooper returned to details about that process during an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he revealed the magnitude of the changes he had to face both in his diet and in his daily training.
His goal was clear: to gain 24 kilos in less than six months, going from 84 kg to 107 kg, to faithfully embody the most lethal sniper in United States military history.The starting point of this metamorphosis was the recognition of the physical similarities he shared with Chris Kyle.
They were both the same age, height, and shoe size, but there was a considerable difference in weight.“I was 50 pounds lighter, so the first thing was to eat 6,000 calories a day,” Cooper explained, highlighting the importance of diet in the process.The purpose was not only to gain weight, but to build robust and believable musculature on screen.
The eating plan designed for Cooper was as demanding as it was unconventional.When starting the regimen, he tried to consume those 6,000 calories a day exclusively through whole foods.“It was a big mistake,” he acknowledged.The actor said that, during the first week, despite having the help of a professional chef, his body was unable to adapt to such a volume of food.
“I couldn’t get up,” he confessed, describing the feeling of heaviness and discomfort that prevented him from even moving normally.The experience led him to consider his strategy: Ultimately, he opted to split his caloric intake, allocating about half to protein shakes.In this way, he managed to maintain the caloric goal without the initial digestive problems.
The physical challenge was not limited to food.The training routine was designed to maximize the increase in strength and muscle mass in the shortest time possible.Cooper trained twice a day under the supervision of renowned trainer Jason Walsh, with the specific goal of gaining strength.He explained that his program completely excluded cardiovascular exercise, focusing solely on strength training and, in particular, deadlifts. “I had three days of rest. No cardio. It was all strength training, focused on deadlifts,” he pointed out.
The weekly training schedule was strict.The sessions began on Mondays at 5:30 in the morning and were repeated in the afternoon, at 4:30 or 3:30.The scheme continued Tuesday morning and afternoon, resting on Wednesday, resuming Thursday and Friday, to rest again on Saturday and Sunday.
The demand not only fell on the frequency and number of repetitions, but also on the attention to key muscle groups for the character.Cooper spent considerable time training his neck and shoulders, ensuring a solid presence on camera.
Aside from diet and training, the actor was categorical about his assumption about steroids.”There is cancer in my family. I had skin cancer and something like that terrifies me. So I wasn’t going to do it,” he said, ruling out any type of performance-enhancing drug.This rejection remained firm throughout the entire process, partly for health reasons and also because of the desire to achieve the goal in a natural way.
Supplementation, however, did occupy an important place in his preparation. Cooper highlighted the role of creatine, both in the past and in his current life.“Creatine played an important role, and still plays it,” he said. Even outside of the film context, supplementation remains in his daily routine.
The actor related how this supplement has influenced his motivation and physical performance, especially in personal challenges.He mentioned that he is a member of a group of parents at his children’s school, with whom he competes by doing 100 push-ups a day.“If you don’t do them, you have to pay 10 dollars to a common fund,” he explained. The group’s goal is to reach 800 push-ups, after which they celebrate together in Chinatown.
Over time, the group increased the goal to 150 push-ups a day, a number Cooper believed was possible thanks to creatine.Additionally, the actor shared that watching a YouTube video allowed him to correct his technique, which, added to supplementation, made the increased volume of exercise more manageable. This discipline, forged during the filming of ‘The Sniper’, continues in his daily life, making a difference not only in his appearance, but also in his well-being and physical capacity.
