MAXIM fitness guru, Alexa, trains versatile Aussie actor DAN FEUERRIEGEL with some killer kettlebell drills…
DAN WHO?
Dan Feuerriegel is an Australian actor who has appeared in Winners & Losers, All Saints, McLeod’s Daughters, Agents of Shield, Chicago Fire and NCIS but his original claim to fame was as journalist Gavin Johnson in Home and Away. He is best known for his portrayal of gladiator recruiter and chief lieutenant Agron in the STARZ drama Spartacus. In 2021, he was cast in NBC’s Days of Our Lives as fan favorite EJ DiMera – Samy Brady’s greatest love – and is currently living in Los Angeles
HELLS BELLS: From Spartacus to Soapie star
Whether you’re going to play a fierce army General capable of commanding 30,000 troops or the son of a crime boss hell bent on seducing a soap opera’s sweetheart, there’s no doubt you’ve got your work cut out for you – both on- and off-screen. And while he may no longer be Spartacus’ right hand man, Dan Feuerriegel is still a weekend warrior battling it out at home with the kettlebell as his weapon of choice.
THE WORKOUTS
Dan’s workout schedule was dictated by his hours on set. More often than not, we had four days every two weeks where we had the liberty of time and he would head out to Runyon Canyon for a 2-3 hour hike wearing a 20kg weight vest or carrying a heavy kettlebell (16-20kg). Outside of that, we had to work within a very limited timeframe of 15-20 minutes. This meant we had to be extremely efficient. There were three major elements to Dan’s training:
1 – BULLETPROOFING: NO WARMUP, NO PROBLEM
Dan had a previous shoulder injury that we had to work around. Due to time constraints, we didn’t always have the option of a comprehensive warmup, so it all came down to exercise selection where we emphasized upper body stability within his main sets. We substituted out the more traditional exercises like bench press for a “safer” alternative in the floor press (which reduces the range of motion, and introduces a dead stop at the bottom of the movement emphasising control), and used single arm variations for anything requiring an overhead component.
Top Tip: If you struggle with mobility when it comes to pressing overhead, chances are you’ll need to release your upper back, lats and/ or pecs. A combination of extension work, foam rolling and trigger pointing can be a useful start, followed by activation drills like scap pushups, kettlebell bottoms up holds/carries and banded pull aparts.
2 – STRENGTH & STABILITY: YOU GOT A KETTLEBELL, YOU GOT A GYM
With only 15-20 minutes to work with, I gave Dan a number of brutal full-body “functional bodybuilding” type circuits to rotate through, utilising protocols that had enforced rest periods. Because of COVID, he had to train primarily at home, so the only equipment we had access to was a couple of KB’s and a resistance band.
Kettlebells are incredibly useful and versatile tools. They are dynamic so require deliberate control and because their weight is not distributed evenly, it creates the need to counterbalance and stabilise during movement which improves core strength, balance, and coordination. They allow you to create a nice flow within your workout minimising transition time, and the fact that they’re thicker than your barbell or dumbbell means that they’re great for improving grip strength.
3 – CONDITIONING: LOADED CARRIES FTW!
Carry sessions are awesome as low impact and less boring options for cardiovascular conditioning, where you get the added benefit of structural/joint stability and core work.
Here are some of Dan’s sample circuits for you to try:
FULL BODY: Each 3 move circuit essentially comprises push, pull and legs.
15 min EMOM
Min 1: 8-10 x Floor Press in Glute Bridge
Min 2: 8-10 x Gorilla Row
Min 3: 12 x Dual Rack Hold Reverse Lunge
5 rounds total
15 min AMRAP
6-8 x Offset Pushups each side
12 x Alternating Top Down Bent Over Row
16 x Dual Rack Hold Lateral Lunge/Cossack Squat (regress to Goblet hold if needed)
Descending Ladder for Time
10-1 x Crush Grip Floor Press
10-1 x Crush Grip Bent Over Row
10-1 x Goblet Squat
15 min Tabata Sets: 20 secs max effort/10 secs rest (each set is 4 mins, rest 1 min between sets).
Set 1: Russian Twists
Set 2: Overhead KB Swings
Set 3: Thruster (full squat to overhead press – can do dual KB or alternating overhead)
ARMS & ABS: These were additional workouts for days where he had time to put in for the extra pump and/or had to film a shirtless scene.
For time: 4-5 rounds
10 x Turkish Sit Ups
10 x Kneeling KB Horn Curls
10 x Kneeling Overhead Tricep Extensions
For time: 4-5 rounds
8-10 Pullovers in Hollow Rock
10-12 Skullcrushers
6-8 Kneeling eccentric Bicep Curls each side (use 2 arms to help on the way up, and one to lower).
For Time: Band & Bodyweight Only
Descending Ladder Pushups: 20-2 (drop by 2 reps each set) Follow each set with 15 x Banded Pull Aparts.
ABOUT ALEXA
“Action Alexa” is an internationally published celebrity trainer, sports model and nutrition and lifestyle coach with over 15 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, and has worked with NZ’s world champion rugby team, the All Blacks. She has qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Champs and was named as one of the Five Toughest Trainers in Asia during her seven-year stint in an MMA gym in Hong Kong.
By ALEXA TOWERSEY
PHOTOS: Lola Míche (KETTLEBELL); JPI (Days of our lives)
For the full article grab the June 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
