The Mike O’Hearn Show: Gunnar Peterson On Training Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, & Pro Athletes

Mike O’Hearn and iconic trainer Gunnar Peterson dive deep into training history, techniques, and the secret to transforming into a fit life like Sylvester Stallone.

Gunnar Peterson is an iconic personal trainer best known for his work with celebrities and professional athletes. He’s been known to train Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and was the trainer for The Lakers.  There is a reason why so many high profile individuals seek out Peterson. He has truly valuable insight into strength training and fitness. That’s why in this week’s episode of Generation Iron’s and Barbend‘s The Mike O’Hearn Show, Gunnar Thompson shares stories of training Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and how anyone, regardless of money or genetic talent, can transform via fitness.

A gym membership, fancy gym equipment, and a personal trainer are all valuable resources you can invest into for optimizing your fitness. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s not necessary to succeed in the fitness world. In fact, the greatest thing about strength and fitness is that it can be done by all walks of life – at zero cost. It’s clear that Gunnar Peterson is a high profile celebrity and pro athlete trainer. But he wants the general public to understand that just because you can’t afford a trainer like him, doesn’t mean you can’t live and look like Sylvester Stallone.

And that’s what this entire episode’s conversation is all about. Mike O’Hearn sits down with Gunnar Peterson to discuss the true secrets behind living a fit life. What can the general public learn from the insights of Peterson? And what can they take with them from this conversation to transform their life? Let’s jump into it.

The Human Body Is Very Forgiving: It’s Never Too Late To Start Being Strong And Fit

One inspiring conversation topic that Gunnar Peterson touches upon with Mike O’Hearn – is on the forgiving nature of the human body. Yes, the body can be very fragile and fall victim to injury or illness. But on the other hand, it’s also very resilient and forgiving. A fit lifestyle can start at twenty, thirty, or even in your forties and fifties. You can’t turn back time and stop the damage you may have done from an unhealthy lifestyle. But no matter what you’ve done, you can always start to become fit in the present.

“I was a fat kid,” Gunnar Peterson states during our interview conversation. He continues:

“When I learned about this and I saw, ‘Wait if I do that and then I do that and I tacked on this and I didn’t need that.’ I start looking different. Which means I start feeling different. Which means I start carrying myself differently. Which means I start seeing myself differently. People see me differently. I want to share that.”

Gunnar Peterson experienced the limitless transformative powers of fitness directly. And he wanted to share it with the world. To him, the biggest travesty is the idea that fitness is for a select elite few group of people. That you need to be athletically gifted to be good at fitness.

That’s not true – and Peterson wants the world to understand just how forgiving and flexible the human body can be no matter what point in your life you start. Peterson explains:

“It’s never insurmountable… the body is so forgiving. You can be a meth head, undernourished, not sleeping and start making some changes and you come out of that and you go, ‘I can turn into a physically fit, healthy, contributing member of society…’ to me that’s super powerful.”

Sylvester Stallone’s Fitness Secret… And It’s Not His Money

When people look at action star celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and The Rock – they may think that their physiques are only possible due to the untold riches they’ve accrued from their films. The general excuse is that someone like Stallone can still have abs over 50 because he has the money to invest in a trainer like Gunnar Thompson.

While we will not pretend that money doesn’t afford more time, flexibility, and resources – it’s also unfair to assume money is the only way to look like Stallone well past his 50s and into his 70s.

In fact, Gunnar Peterson explains that Stallone’s success might be directly related to a work ethic he had from the start. This includes his dedication to fitness. So what’s the secret? How can a person who finds fitness a chore learn to be motivated and dedicated like Sylvester Stallone?

Gunnar Peterson explains that it comes down to never giving up, even in the face of multiple failures. Easier said than done right? Well, one secret Peterson realized about himself and in successful action celebs like Stallone was this – always make time for fitness even in the face of failure.

What does Peterson mean by this? Here’s an example. If life throws a curveball at you and takes away your free hour usually dedicated to a workout. Don’t just throw that entire day’s workout away. First try to find another time to squeeze in your planned training. If that doesn’t work – still attempt any sort of workout. Even if it’s just for a spare 15 minutes.

This may not be your planned hour workout. And no – training for 15 minutes will not majorly improve your strength or fitness levels. However, it does continue to train your mindset. If you squeeze 15 minutes here and 30 minutes there because life has become too hectic, you are still building a second-hand subconscious focus on fitness and bettering yourself.

That’s the hardest part. And if you can eventually make working out second nature to every single week of your life – then the mental battle becomes easier. Then the scheduling a full workout becomes less stressful. Suddenly, everything feels easier and you are more motivated to prioritize fitness in your life.

“I was with him on Rocky Balboa, the sixth installment of the original Rocky series,” Gunnar Peterson states. He goes on:

“It was more like, when can we get the workout in? He’s never going to miss it. And it might be the morning, it might be before shooting, maybe he’s not there for the first couple shots, maybe he’s there late. And it’s just going to be wherever he is, let’s just get it, let’s get this done.”

Sylvester Stallone was directing, acting, and producing in Rocky Balboa. So time to train was very limited. But it was also important. Not only because he values fitness in his personal life but because his role in the film required a boxer’s physique.

So he would squeeze in a workout, no matter how long or short, whenever he had a window of opportunity. Peterson explains:

“So I’m in my gym and I get a text… from his right hand guy who would say, ‘Sly is on his way to you.’ And always knew there was a break in his day and he would drive from downtown, knock out a workout, and then go back and finish shooting.”

Wrap Up

There is rarely a life circumstance or personal deficiency that prevents an individual from being fit. We might not all be able to look like The Rock but we can still dedicate ourselves to fitness like The Rock. It’s never too late, you’re never too old, your genetics are never too flawed. The hardest part is to train your subconscious to always find room for fitness. Once you do that – the hard part is over and the real transformation begins.

Gunnar Peterson goes into far more detail about his training philosophy, workout tips and insights, as well as more stories of training celebrities and pro athletes. You can check it all out in our full interview on The Mike O’Hearn Show above. Make sure to watch new episodes every Friday. Only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever podcasts are downloaded.