Stephen Graham has shared his strict regime to completely transforming his body for a new role. The Liverpool-born actor stars as a bare-knuckle boxer in new Disney+ show A Thousand Blows.
The actor is known for playing gritty characters in British realism shows, but this particular role required something more from him: an intense training schedule.
The 51-year-old spilled his secrets when he appeared on the Off Menu podcast, where comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble welcome celebrities into their ‘magical’ restaurant and divulge their guest’s dream three-course meal.
Before talking about his food favourites, Graham shared the physical toll that bulking up for the role had on his lifestyle, saying it was “a lot of eating and a lot of training.”
“To get into that shape, it took six months; it was all done properly. I had an amazing trainer, Rob, who did all of my training and also all of my diet and everything. And then I had a good friend, who did all of my boxing training with me, our Graham. I was with him like three times a week and I was training 5-6 times a week as well.
“But I got all of my bloods tested and everything, and my kidney and my heart – you had to go through a full MOT first. And then we slimmed down, and then we kind of built up the muscle as we went along. The total process was six months.”
On the topic of food, Graham admitted that he just “followed everything” that they told him to do. He said: “It’s lots of protein, lots of chicken, fish, vegetables, and small amounts of carbs, and you just have to keep eating these on a regular basis. Lots and lots and lots of protein.”
Co-host James asked if this protein-based, strict diet took the fun out of eating for Graham. He explained that in the beginning, when slimming down, he found it hard.
Going into more detail about his daily meals, the actor shared: “The eating, the rice and the chicken and stuff, and broccoli, it was okay. And then you throw in a wholemeal bun as well.
“But when it comes to like 9:30-10 o’clock at night, and you’ve got to eat another 120mg of natural yoghurt, with two scoops of whey, and one maltester as your treat”, Graham joked. “It’s a bit hard, you know, forcing that down.”
The strict diet and training regime gave Graham a whole new appreciation for athletes and the physique they aim to achieve. Although he did admit that after filming was finished, the actor, while mostly keeping his physique, did give himself some well-deserved treats.
“Chrimbo’s just finished, so there is a bit of turkey and cheese and crackers and all that around me a little bit,” Graham confessed. Overall, it seems the diet is something he’s continued to keep up.
Benefits of protein diets
The NHS say protein has a wide range of health benefits, saying it is essential:
- For strong muscles
- To fight off infections and help recovery
- For healthy skin and blood
Studies also suggest that a higher protein intake increases the level of appetite-reducing hormones GLP-1, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin while reducing your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.
This could all help you to lose weight naturally, as a protein-filled diet would likely lead to feeling full for longer.