The Bear is back in the spotlight following the surprise release of 'Gary', a standalone episode centred around Richie and Mikey Berzatto. The episode has also renewed interest in Jon Bernthal, whose iconic portrayal of Mikey helped make the show a breakout hit.
But long before the new episode landed on Disney+, Bernthal had already become known for another physically demanding role: Frank Castle in The Punisher. During filming, the actor went all in – physically and mentally – to embody the antihero, rucking across Brooklyn Bridge at midnight and powering through three-a-day workouts to stay in character.
Jon Bernthal's Training
In an interview with Men's Journal during season 2 filming, Bernthal described his daily routine as 'a beast'. He continued, 'Today we got up at 4 in the morning.' He later explained that every day he would complete three separate big, different workouts a day. 'It’s pretty gnarly,' he said.
Workout 1
The first of those workouts was a lifting session. 'Usually we’ll start with a little strength work, whether it is taking on squats or the bench press, doing five sets of three at the maximum weight,' says Bernthal. 'There’s a lot of supersetting, and bodybuilding weight practices.'
Workout 2
'Then we work on a lot of metcon [metabolic conditioning], doing as many rounds as we can, trying to get each movement just right. It will usually be about five or six full-body moves, like pull-ups or cleans. We’ll do that for somewhere around 20 minutes or so.'
Workout 3
To finish, Bernthal does boxing or jiu jitsu workouts between scenes. 'I always want to box,' he says, 'but they really try to keep me working my whole body as much as possible. Learning the fights for the show or weapons training is almost a whole other workout on top of that.'
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The brutal training wasn't just about building muscle mass. When interviewed by Rotten Tomatoes about getting into the mindset of the role, Bernthal shared: 'A lot of it just means, for me, really having the discipline to adhere to a certain lifestyle which means the first few weeks, putting on a 60-pound backpack and walking over the Brooklyn Bridge all night long until the sun came up. I don’t know why I did it. I just did it. It’s weird. It’s actor crap. It’s what I do.'
Jon Bernthal's Diet
When it came to Bernthal's diet, his methods were just as rigorous, with a focus on lean protein and veg. He shared: 'I’m on the job now. I’m pretty strict about what is going in the body. It’s also a bit of a mindset thing for the character of Frank. I don’t want to be feeling a big cushy meal. I don’t want to be escaping him through food. It’s not good for the character, or my body.
'It’s about fuel that will get me through the day. Just lean meats and vegetables. I keep it really simple. I’m on the “no anything” diet plan. I would do anything for some pizza right now.'
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
