You've probably seen the viral video of two chiseled MMA fighters squaring off before a flying knee turns the scene on its head, except that is Jake Gyllenhaal looking like an absolutely ripped fighting machine, not an actual MMA fighter.

For Doug Liman's upcoming Road House remake, Gyllenhaal took to the cage as UFC middleweight brawler Elwood Dalton and looked every jacked inch the part. The guy from Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain has got some moves, and the body to match. What’s more, he’s able to hold his own against former UFC fighter Jay Herion.

Now we have a trailer to follow up Gyllenhaal's octagon cameo, showing Dalton go from his UFC pomp to taking on a job as a bouncer, looking after a Florida Keys dive in his own mild-mannered and occasionally hyper-violent style. Looking at his moves – and utterly shredded physique – it's obvious that Gyllenhaal has taken the role to heart. It's a good job, too, with Dalton up against a seriously beefed-up antagonist in the form of Knox – played by Conor McGregor playing Conor McGregor.

Gyllenhaal is no stranger to drastic transformations. For Nightcrawler, he reportedly ran 12 miles a day, honing his body to get the leaned-out look of a coyote. For Antoine Fuqua’s boxing drama Southpaw, Gyllenhaal reportedly worked out twice a day, packing on 28 pounds of muscle to play the lead role. To help us understand what it takes to get fight-ready, we called up MMA middleweight Fabian Edwards to get his professional analysis on Gyllenhaal’s training, and what you can borrow to get yourself octagon-ready.

The Origin Story

If we’re talking MMA, Edwards is the man to talk to. The 30-year-old fighter–and brother to champion Leon Edwards–was born in Jamaica before moving to the UK as a child. To date, his record is 11-2, with four wins by knockout. He hasn’t trained with Gyllenhaal (or fought against him), but as a fellow middleweight, a lot of what we see in the Road House clip was familiar to him.

“He’s ripped in this clip, but not too big, and that’s accurate for a middleweight,” Edwards explains. “I’m about 185 pounds now, and he looks similar.” As Edwards explains, it isn’t all about size at this weight class. “You don't want to be carrying too much mass because it slows you down and makes you tired,” he explains. “Gyllenhaal has a solid shape, and it shows he’s worked hard.”

Fighting Talk

Watching a film with someone who’s really into that particular thing can be tough, as all you hear about is all the mistakes being made. So how did Edwards feel watching this actor have a crack at the sport he’s dedicated his life to?

“I was watching him with one of my friends and we agreed it looked very believable,” Edwards enthuses. Gyllenhaal is known for immersing himself in his roles, but there’s a difference between doing thousands of sit-ups and actually learning a complex sport. Edwards has a few pointers, but overall, he offers a positive appraisal of Gyllenhaal’s efforts.

“The flying kick was good. Solid,” he says. “The only thing I didn't like was him backing up against the cage and taking some unnecessary shots. You don’t want to do that, but he had a great finisher. You can see that he’s put time and effort into this.”

Weighing In

While the trailer shows Gyllenhaal's character in various degrees of painful trouble, most of it is a cakewalk compared to weighing in before a fight. Famously, the weigh-in is a punishing part of a fighter’s preparation, and one Edwards was able to offer some insight into.

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“Before a weigh-in and a fight, you’ll typically have about eight weeks’ preparation,” he says. “It doesn’t get easier!” he laughs about cutting weight. “I’ve been doing this for eight or nine years now, but even when I’m tired, I step onto the mats, and I’m good to go. I have a lot more to give.”

It’s difficult to say how much time Gyllenhaal had to get in such great shape before filming, but it’s likely his nutrition followed a similar plan to Edwards’. “You have to start with diet,” he explains. “You need to find a diet that works for you, that’s sustainable. If you have a diet that’s too harsh, you’re going to crash and have a binge.”

Which isn’t to say it’s all about chicken and broccoli. “My nutrition is covered for me, but you can pretty much eat what you want. You just have to make sure the portion size is right,” Edwards explains. (He’s referring here to lean meats and veg, not baked goods, before you get any ideas). “I'll be on three meals a day, and two shakes a day. And I'd be training two to three times a day, six days a week.”

Laura RadfordThe Workout

“I’d start my day off with a run, followed by a strength and conditioning session later,” Edwards says of a typical pre-fight training camp. “Do that four or five times a week, and in eight weeks, you should start to notice changes.”

Gyllenhaal’s shape here is toned but slim, with a tapering upper back leading to a slim waist. As such, Edwards’ suggested workout is all about explosive movements that burn fat and help you firm up at the same time. Give it a go a few times a week and see if you notice a difference.

Morning run – 5K

Pre-breakfast means you’ll burn fat stores, not the food you’ve just eaten. If you’re aiming to hit the gym later, short and fast is better than long and slow. It’ll also help you fit it in before work, too.

Evening workout

Doubling up won’t be feasible every day, but don’t beat yourself up about it. Work through the below, with one minute’s rest between sets and a longer rest before exercises. If your gym is busy and equipment scarce, feel free to mix the order up, working in certain moves when that particular kit is free.

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1. Squats – 3 sets of 12Set your feet. With a straight back and chest facing forward, sit back on an imaginary stool. Go as low as you can, hold, then push through the heels to stand up. Go straight into the next rep to keep your heart rate up.

2. Box jumps – 3 sets of 12Grab a box. If you haven’t done these before, start small. Squat down, then using your arms for momentum, jump explosively up and forward to land on the box with bent knees. Step gracefully down, and repeat.

3. Pull-ups – 3 sets of 12Grab a bar with a wide grip, palms facing away. Pull through the shoulders and upper back, slowly bringing your chin over the bar. Go even slower on the negative until you’re hanging with fully extended arms. Power back up again and feel the burn.

4. Sled pushes – 3 setsLoad up a sled with a decent but not too heavy amount of weight. Get down low with extended arms and a flat back. Dig in through your toes as you power the sled across the floor. Keep your head down, and dig deep.

5. Crunches – 3 sets of 30You know the drill. Lie on your back. Engage your core to lift your torso off the ground towards your knees, keeping your hands out of the way behind your ears or across your chest. Make sure your abs are taking the brunt, not your back, and go extra slow on the descent for that extra burn. Bored of crunches? You can go wild here, adding in or swapping out as many different core exercises as you like.

This story originally appeared on British GQ with the title, “How to get Jake Gyllenhaal's MMA-ready Road House body”.

Tom Ward is a UK-based journalist and author. He has reported on spelunking microbiologists, the quest to dive to the bottom of the Arctic ocean, torturous ultramarathons in the Mojave desert and Tennessee backwoods, Brexit preppers, Edmund Hillary’s search for the Yeti, and one company’s international quest for quiet. ‘The... Read moreXDavid Taylor is a freelance writer, editor and broadcaster whose work has appeared in GQ, Esquire, the Independent, the Sunday Times, the Telegraph and the BBC, among others. He's covered travel, culture, tech, sport and fitness for a variety of publications, with a current interest in the wider culture of... Read moreInstagramRelated Stories for GQStrength trainingCardio