FAST AND FURIOUS GAINS
Rapper-actor Ludacris earns his right to enjoy the good life by pushing his limits in fast and furious sweat sessions
The rapper/actor Ludacris explains why consistency is key to Hollywood muscle
Ludacris – Chris Bridges to his mum – likes press-ups. A few minutes ago, he was performing classic reps; then he moved on to T press-ups (pressing up, then shifting into a side plank). Now, he’s doing another variation: a snake, which stretches his spine while building his chest and triceps.
His forehead shines with sweat, but the 43-year-old rapper and actor – best known for his role as Tej Parker in the Fast & Furious film series – doesn’t stop. “No matter how many I do,” says Bridges, “it’s the only exercise I don’t mind.” His voice rises to the frenetic staccato familiar from bangers such as “Rollout
(My Business)” and “Southern Hospitality”. “Until I cannot. Fucking. Do them. Any more!”
This morning in Atlanta, Bridges spends two hours pushing himself: he takes on everything from bodyweight moves to bench presses. It’s hard work, but the way he sees it, by going all out with his training for six days a week, he earns the right to enjoy the good life. “My goal isn’t to look like the most ripped, biggest guy in the gym,” he says. “I just want to be functionally right between the man who works out hard and the motherfucker who drinks beer and whiskey on the weekends.”
So, he hits his garage gym and completes challenges set by trainer George Bamfo Jr. When Bridges isn’t filming movies such as F9, the ninth entry in the Fast & Furious franchise, he spends most of his working day juggling and evaluating various projects. But right now, all of his devices are back in his kitchen. He’s focused. “If I get a text, email or phone call,” he says, “it just fucks up the consistency.”
Bridges knows that consistency is key, because he spent the start of his career without it. He rose as a rapper in the early 2000s, buoyed by a string of hit singles, then in 2003 appeared in the second Fast & Furious instalment. But as his star rose, travelling and touring destroyed his discipline. “One day, I happened to look down and there was a gut just looking back at me,” he says. “I was, like, ‘No way! Where did that come from?’”
He started doing one-hour sessions a few days per week. Then, in 2019, while prepping for F9, he met Bamfo, who instituted his current regimen. “On day five or six, before you get that rest day,” he
“I happened to look down and there was a gut just looking back at me”
says of training with Bamfo, “that’s when it’s hell.”
It’s a hell that Bridges relishes. His eyes narrow as he grabs a pair of gymnastic rings and hoists his 80kg body upward. Tightening his core, he lifts his legs to perform an L-sit. “We never worked on this stuff,” says Bamfo. “As he has gotten stronger, he’s been able to do this.”
Bridges shows off that strength throughout this workout, following the L-sits with decline sit-ups and bench presses. He finishes with 10 rounds of 30-second treadmill sprints. When it’s all over, he is drenched in sweat and ready for a few ice-cold beers. “I’m more of a four-pack kind of guy,” he says. “Save the other two packs for Friday and Saturday nights.”