Flula Borg shattered stereotypes when he revealed his super ripped physique before playing supervillain Javelin in last year’s blockbuster, The Suicide Squad. But as the German actor and comedian eagerly awaits his latest project, Pitch Perfect: Bumpers in Berlin, the funny man is always very serious about maintaining his health and fitness.
M&F sat down with Borg for a catch-up, to find out how he managed to maintain his impressive physique, and we soon discovered it was all about mixing things up and having fun.
Stick to a fitness program
“Paolo Mascitti, my very wonderful ‘man trainer’ from Italy; he likes to yell at me and tells me not to eat all the food from his country, including pasta and also pizza,” jokes Borg. “He has a lot of equipment, but it’s simple things like dumbbells, you know, some things for some pulldowns and some pullups. Just push some things, pull some things. Very basic. Basic like algebra. [It’s like the A-Team]: He’s Mr. T and I’m Face, or Murdock.
Borg still trains four times a week. “I love routines,” he says. “I am a German, I like everything that is very organized. And, of course, our muscles: they learn to adapt and make everything easier. Then you stop seeing those gains, so it’s nice to have Paolo there to remind me to change, bring in new exercises, different number of reps, new positions, etc.
How Flula Borg maintains a balanced lifestyle
The actor and comedian will work different muscle groups each gym session to enable recovery. He breaks his training routine as such: legs, shoulders, back and chest, but points out that you use your biceps, triceps and other auxiliary muscles for many exercises. While Borg has well-developed abs, he shares that he doesn’t need to isolate abs to work them hard. “A squat, or a deadlift, or if you’re standing flying on a machine, you’re also using your abs,” he says. For those who want to replicate Borg’s impressive abs, his best advice is to cut out the sugar.
“I can ab-crunch my face,” Borg says. “There’s no point if I don’t eat healthy, you know? I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, no carbonated or sugary drinks, no desserts, but I take breaks. I must have a “crazy vacation” where I just eat Benjamin and Gerald ice cream and burgers from In-N-Out Burger when I’m in Los Angeles, otherwise why do we live? What purpose?”
Training is great for his mental health
“It was a lot of fun because once I started training for the javelin, I got signals in my brain that the exercise is very good for my brain,” he shares . “So I now have to keep doing it, and I really like resistance training. You know, we’re not allowed to become men hitting each other on the street, so to release these rages that I I feel, I just pump nice weights and then I feel like a very, uh, sassy man! I mean, we have so many rages sometimes, so many things that bother us. I can eliminate all of those things by lifting pounds with my hands.
Flula Borg uses Instagram to stay accountable
While this “crazy vacation” is a welcome break, the actor and comedian also use it as a way to reset and make sure he doesn’t feel the passion and commitment he puts into being. the best version of himself. “Why am I posting these thirsty Instagram pics? asks Borg. “Well, I’ll tell you, it’s because I’m ready for every superhero and villain movie. That’s why I do this. I don’t care about likes. I want to do some dope stuff, and like I said, you feel good when you exercise.
How Flula Borg Matches Her Physical Goals With Her Acting Aspirations
“I’m not trying to go crazy in terms of construction, because then I’ll only be playing Boban Marjanovic’s replacement in the new John Wick movie,” laughs Borg. “So I try not to get too big, so the reps are usually between six and 10, and once in a while we try to go hard or go home, but most of the time it’s It’s fair until I get tired but not like ‘super let’s max out bros, ‘I don’t care ‘how much bench do you do? I don’t care. I don’t understand.
Don’t punish yourself for temporary slip-ups
“I’m a delicate chandelier,” says Borg, who is now 40 (“In theory,” he adds). “I may look very nice, but if you pat me a little, I break and explode. This is how it works if I don’t sleep well or drink a lot of alcohol. This has always been the case for me, so I learned early on to deal with these things if you can help it, and the other thing: as soon as you make a “mistake” [with your training and nutrition], we do not care? The trick is always to get back into the routine. That’s what I would always forget. I would feel bad, then I would eat more “Benjamin and Gerald” ice cream and then it’s terrible, terrible, terrible, but if you make a mistake, fine. We do not care? Let’s move on to the next day.
Above all, have fun with the training
If you don’t follow Flula Borg on Instagram, you’re missing epic reels like Borg trained by Nicole Scherzinger, or his interactions with housekeeper Yolanda. “Nicole terrified me and taught me that fear can burn a lot of calories,” jokes Borg. “Nicole also trains with Paulo and I was very lucky to have a crossroads, like the crossroads of Ghostbusters, except good things happened, and it was a lot of fun.” In the end, Borg just wants to impress Yolanda. “Yeah, Yolanda is the pinnacle of all things,” he shares. “She’s Mount Everest and I’m Death Valley. I’m just trying to get to Yolanda’s level in every way and of course… ‘Why is everyone so serious?’ I know the Joker said that and it was terrifying! But, in general, why are we so serious with Instagram? There are many six-packs in the world. Share them if you want, but I would like to entertain you AND then maybe show you a pack or two.
Flula Borg reprises his role as Pieter Krämer, a character who has fallen on hard times and seeks redemption in the highly anticipated return of Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (season premiere Nov. 23 on Peacock), and tells Muscle & Fitness that happy to be back with the popular franchise. “I can show people that I’m not just an idiot on the internet. In fact, I like to do things like rapping and yes…wearing mesh!
