It was a 45 day stretch in prison at age 16 that led Mark Wahlberg down the path to his famous body. In an interview with Men’s Health, the model turned rapper turned actor/producer says,

As young as I was, I had to be in the best shape possible. That’s as real a world as you’re going to be in, you know? You need to be able to survive. Instead of hanging out on the corner, I’d go to the gym. The gym was in the exact opposite direction from the trouble.”

He believes there’s a lesson here for everyone–that is, the gym can keep you away from all sorts of negative outcomes. It’s time better spent. He says,

“Next thing you know, after the gym, you want to eat. Then you’re going home to rest, to shower. Instead of going out all night and getting into trouble, you’re waking up early to go to the gym. It helped me focus.”

Even now that he’s a mega-star, his focus still remains. As for his workout, Mark believes in keeping it simple. For 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, he picks two or three body parts to focus on and works hard and fast. He also never does ab exercises. I know, trust me, I know! The actor also says he doesn’t do any fancy, smancy workouts. He hates cardio and says,

“Running on a treadmill? I’d rather watch a chicken roast.”

His workout changes only when work changes it; for example, he played hockey 2 hours a day for months while filming Four Brothers. (His character is a hockey player.) “Can’t get a better workout than that,” he says.

Unlike most Hollywood stars, Mark never uses a trainer. He says,

“I do my own routine. My philosophy–and this is also true of golf–is that I’m not going to listen to someone who’s not in better shape than I am. Just like you don’t want to listen to someone who doesn’t have a better swing than you. That’ll cause some harm. Now, some people do have more knowledge than they do genetics, but I know my body. I like to do my own thing.”

If you’d like to see more of Mark’s body in action, check out “The Happening” playing in theaters tonight! It’s a perfect Friday 13th movie!

He really is such a great inspiration and I love that through all of his success he remains so humble and devoted to his family. What do you guys think of his workout?