Jake Gyllenhaal got absolutely jacked for this year’s Road House remake, reportedly getting down to 5% body fat for the role originally played by Patrick Swayze.
His six-pack spoke for itself, but his trainer, Jason Walsh, tells the Post that Jake faced a particular hurdle when it came to his diet — so he had to get creative.
“Working with actors to get in role-ready shape is a unique challenge and requires full commitment — mind and body — to achieve the physique they’re looking to achieve,” said Walsh, who has also worked with Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, Miles Teller, Allison Brie and Bradley Cooper.
“Every client is completely unique in terms of the approach we apply and the timeline we’re against.”
He previously broke down Jake’s Road House workout for Men’s Health, highlighting the use of mobility drills, a Proteus Motion machine, isometrics, heavy sled work, safety bar squats, forearm drills, offset loaded bag drills, floor presses, chain pushups, suspension trainer push-pulls, push-pull rips and climber sprints.
But super intense muscle-building exercises could only do so much if the 43-year-old star wasn’t getting enough protein — and he needed a lot of it.
“We had him on an intense regimen that required a drastic protein boost that was almost impossible to hit with his regular diet,” Walsh said.
For most people, that would mean picking any of the endless options of whey protein powders out there — but whey gave Jake digestive issues, and he wasn’t crazy about how they went down, either.
Whey, in particular, can cause problems for people who are lactose intolerant, which is about 65% of the population. People can also be allergic to it.
“Jake had an adverse reaction to the taste and textures of protein supplements on the market (which tend to overcompensate on sweetener to disguise the taste of indigestible protein sources), which was hindering his progress as he required regular supplementation,” Walsh explained.
Those protein issues were a catalyst for the trainer to create his own plant-based protein powder, RISE311, “which Jake quickly adopted in its early days and was shocked at how delicious, smooth, and easy to drink it was.”
According to Walsh, the actor would have it as a post-workout treat and liked the flavors. Ultimately, though, it was down to Jake and his dedication.
“You can have a great trainer, a great program, great team — none of this matters if you don’t have the right person to do it all,” Walsh told Men’s Health. “Jake did the work. He earned it.”
While Jake got the star treatment with Walsh’s protein powder creation, it was made available to buy for the masses earlier this year starting at $54.95 for one pouch.
“In a perfect world, the average person would get all of their daily protein from their diet, but most people do need a supplement,” Walsh said. “Protein plays a vital role not just in muscle building, but for overall health. It supports immune function, metabolism, skin health, and even satiety, making it essential for maintaining energy and recovery.”
Walsh’s advice? Shoot for 30 grams a day with sufficient leucine to ensure “optimal muscle protein synthesis and utilization.”
