Latest news with #Mephisto
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How to get an ultra-ripped physique in your 50s like Sacha Baron Cohen - as Borat star unveils his post-divorce revenge body
Sacha Baron Cohen has shocked fans with his jaw-dropping transformation for the role of Marvel's hot supervillain Mephisto. The British Borat actor, 53, who split from Australian actress Isla Fisher in 2023, after more than two decades together, looked worlds away from his former self as he showed off his ripped body in the new issue of Men's Fitness UK. He revealed he had just three weeks to get into superhero shape, putting in the 'hard work' ready to portray Mephisto, a devil-like figure who makes Faustian bargains. Speaking to the publication, Sacha revealed he and his celeb-loved trainer Alfonso Moretti concentrated on short workouts of 25 minutes, a diet high in fibre and protein as well as low in sugar and '100 push ups a day'. Celebrating his topless cover, the Ali G star also quipped on his Instagram page that he used 'private chefs and personal trainers'. But for people who want to avoid pricey options like personal cooks and trainers, fitness experts have thankfully told FEMAIL the secrets to getting an ultra-ripped body over the age of 50 like Sacha. Mark Harris, fitness expert at Mirafit, said: 'For anyone aiming for a similar physique, it's all about the right approach.' He noted that those hoping to achieve a toned physique like Sacha's need to establish 'a well-tailored workout routine that combines cardio and strength-training elements, while still including substantial recovery periods'. 'I recommend aiming for around three to four weekly training sessions, focusing on weighted exercises such as deadlifts and squats. 'Prioritising form over reps is essential for avoiding any injury which could stunt progress. Cardio is beneficial on less intense days; even a brisk walk can effectively manage weight and boost recovery. 'On recovery days, opting for yoga or pilates sessions can help reduce injury risk while improving flexibility and mobility, which can boost performance during workouts. 'These active recovery days allow people to strive towards their fitness goals, such as achieving Sacha's incredible physique while prioritising rest.' Mark concluded: 'Overall, with the right approach to fitness, I believe anyone, at any age, can reach their fitness goals. The combination of recovery, strength-training, cardio and amending lifestyle habits has allowed this actor to achieve a slimmer and more defined physique. 'With the help of expert trainers, Sacha has credited short but intense workouts as his focus. This means rigorous strength and cardio-based routines, combining a variety of functional movements, high-intensity interval training and weight lifting, giving him this incredible transformation. 'He also credits nutrition as a massive element to his success, claiming he "replaced beer with protein shakes". This highlights his commitment to his fitness regime, revealing how amending unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as alcohol intake, plays a massive role in fitness success.' Meanwhile, Rachael Sacerdoti, a personal trainer and nutritionist, said that 'regular people' should skip the complexity of Sacha's intense transformation and instead focus on getting 'genuinely stronger in basic movements'. Her tips included: 'Eating 35-40g protein per meal, not just post-workout. Training a minimum of three times weekly with complete focus rather than six mediocre sessions. Sleeping 7-9 hours non-negotiably. Most importantly, give yourself time.' 'Sacha had a short amount of time combined with unlimited resources and die hard discipline. You need the same focus, even if your timeline stretches longer,' urged the fitness expert. 'People in their fifties have better mind-muscle connection and discipline than younger individuals. 'While hormones shift with age, they remain sufficient for significant muscle building and fat loss. Women may need to focus more on strength training to combat post-menopausal muscle loss, but the principles remain identical. 'The real victory isn't looking like a Marvel character, it's proving your body can still undergo remarkable transformation at any age.' Elsewhere, Kunal Makwana, personal trainer and founder of KMAK Fitness in the UK and US, who has trained hundreds of men over 50, insisted that the 'first three weeks are when you're likely to see the biggest change'. 'You're not going to become ripped overnight but if you commit, you'll look and feel drastically better within 21 days,' said the fitness expert. The trainer explained: 'The key to a lean, defined look after 50 is resistance training as you're losing muscle mass every year. Focus on compound movements like squats, presses, and rows which are high impact and will give you amazing results. 'Low-impact cardio, even just walking, helps burn fat without stressing your joints. It helps with fat loss at any age. 'For most men over 50, training once a day for 45–60 minutes, 4–5 times a week, is ideal. A typical weekly routine should include two upper body sessions, one lower body day, one full-body metabolic workout, and one or two active recovery days. 'On Day 1, you'd focus on upper body strength with dumbbell bench presses, overhead presses, tricep dips and incline push-ups, followed by a core finisher like planks and leg raises. 'Day 2 would be lower body and core: bodyweight squats to warm up, followed by goblet squats, lunges, glute bridges and ab work like dead bugs and plank shoulder taps. 'Day 3 is for active recovery: walking 10,000 steps and doing 15 minutes of mobility work, targeting the hips, back and hamstrings. It's not a rest day where you lie on the sofa, it's about keeping your body moving so your joints stay happy and your recovery stays on track. 'Day 4 is back to upper body, this time with a pulling focus, so rows, lat pulldowns or assisted pull-ups, bicep curls and rear delt flys, with a core finisher like Russian twists. 'Day 5 is a full-body metabolic session with a 20–30-minute high-intensity circuit made up of kettlebell swings, push-ups, squats, dumbbell snatches and planks.' The fitness expert said: 'Most men over 50 are eating way too little protein. Aim for at least 1.6g per kg of body weight per day and cut back on processed carbs and booze to help get rid of belly fat. 'This isn't about starving yourself, it's about cleaning up your diet. You want nutrient-dense foods, not just fewer calories so incorporate lean meats, veg, whole grains and healthy fats. 'Hormones like testosterone and cortisol have a huge impact on body composition. Getting 7+ hours of quality sleep and drinking 2–3L of water daily will support fat loss and muscle recovery. 'The goal isn't to train like a 25-year-old. It's to train like a smart 50+ man who wants to look incredible, stay injury-free, and feel strong and capable. 'Sacha's physique is lean, athletic and realistic which is what makes it so aspirational. Most guys over 50 can see real changes in just three weeks with this kind of approach. You don't need to be extreme, just consistent and your body will respond fast.' Sacha underwent his superhero makeover ahead of stepping into the Marvel universe as a devilishly good-looking demon. Posing shirtless for the fitness magazine cover, the actor looked incredible as he showed off his chiselled abs and toned arms. Speaking to the publication, Sacha revealed he turned to Matthew McConaughey to get the phone number of celebrity trainer Alfonso Moretti, who has well-established reputation for transforming physiques on impossible deadlines. He joked: 'I called Matthew and asked for help. After asking who I was and how I'd gotten his number, he finally gave me Alfonso's contact'. Sacha went on to have a FaceTime meeting with Alfonso, who got him to strip down to his underwear during their first chat. Due to the short time frame and Alfonso workout methods, Sacha was tasked with being 'consistent' by doing '100 push ups a day'. But the actor's incredible transformation was far from marathon workouts and extreme dieting, as they concentrated on short workouts and a diet high in fibre and protein as well as low in sugar. He said: '25-minute workouts that were sustainable. Even while filming, the workouts happened. In the past, I would've thought you needed hour-long sessions. 'But the short sessions made it so much easier to stay consistent - even with the demands of being on set.' By the two-week mark, Sacha's wardrobe team had to spend $5,000 (£3,600) altering costumes because his body had changed so significantly. He was leaner, stronger, and fitter than ever before. His trainer Alfonso gushed: '100 per cent committed. He could be filming for 15 hours, start at 6am, finish at nine at night and he'd still send me a text: "Do you have time for a workout?"' Revealing his new appearance on his Instagram Story, the funnyman quipped: 'This is not AI, I really am egotistical enough to do this.' He also wrote that he is 'hard launching my mid-life crisis' and 'debuting my new character: middle aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes' His trainer also shared the magazine's photos to Instagram and wrote that he 'could not be more proud' of Sacha after working out with him. 'Sacha trusted my process and followed the plan exactly. Not only did he earn better health and fitness with incredible aesthetics…but also… The COVER of Men's Fitness!!!' Moretti wrote. 'From Borat to Buff full article coming this Friday! For now, enjoy the pictures. Tell me he doesn't look absolutely incredible!' In a recent press conference, Marvel chief Kevin Feige confirmed that Sacha will be portraying the MCU character. Sacha first rose to fame in the 1990s with his Ali G character, the infamous spoof wannabe gangster who became a comedy star. He also starred as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan, and played the role of flamboyant Austrian fashionista Bruno. He split with Australian actress Isla Fisher in 2023, after more than two decades together. The former couple share three children.
Toronto Star
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Have you seen Sacha Baron Cohen's ‘jaw-dropping' makeover? Every man over 50 needs a Marvel gig
Sacha Baron Cohen has gotten buff for his role as Marvel villain Mephisto. You could iron your shirt on his rock-hard belly, writes Vinay Menon. mensfitnessuk/Instagram Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Pink Villa
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Sacha Baron Cohen Reveals He is Using Ozempic for Physical Transformation in Marvel's Ironheart
Sacha Baron Cohen has entered the MCU as one of the deadliest villains. The actor stars as Mephisto in the Marvel series, Ironheart, marking his debut in the season finale. While the character was quite lauded, the actor prepared himself physically to fit the role. The Borat alum looks ripped in the pictures of the cover story of Men's Fitness UK. In a conversation with the media portal, the actor went on to admit that he used ozempic to transform his body. The comedian shared the pictures of his toned back in the post he dropped on Instagram. Sacha Baron Cohen reflects on his body transformation Clarifying the air over the pictures he shared on Instagram, Sacha Baron Cohen, on his Instagram story, revealed, 'This is not AI.' He added, 'I really am egotistical enough to do this.' Speaking about Ozempic, The Dictator star claimed that while some depend on a fitness coach, he fell for Ozempic, which was prescribed to him, considering he is type-2 diabetic. 'Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, and others use personal trainers.' He admitted, 'I did all three.' In another Instagram story, the actor shared his photoshoot pictures and alongside wrote, 'Hard launching my mid-life crisis.' In the following snap, he added, 'Debuting my new character: Middle-aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes.' Moreover, Baron Cohen's coach gave credit to the movie star. Sharing the magazine cover, the trainer wrote in the caption, 'Sacha trusted my process and followed the plan exactly. Not only did he earn better health and fitness with incredible aesthetics… but also…The COVER of Men's Fitness!!!' As for his Marvel role, the studio head, Kevin Feige, revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen will reprise his role of Mephisto in the upcoming projects.
The Guardian
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘This is not AI': why oiled-up abs are the least radical thing about Sacha Baron Cohen's reinvention
It is a rite of passage for almost every comic actor working today. You spend years – sometimes even decades – curating a reputation as a happy go lucky, physically anonymous everyman. Then Marvel comes knocking, and you realise that you might have to share a scene with Chris Hemsworth, and next to him you're going to look like a weedy twig-worm hybrid. The next thing you know, you're all over the internet, greased up and flexing. Which is a very long way of saying: Borat's got abs now. Sacha Baron Cohen is this month's Men's Fitness magazine cover model. His pecs are popping. His biceps are bulging. His forearms look like a sack of live snakes. His pants are, conservatively, two and half inches lower than they really should be. His entire torso looks like it's been rolled around in margarine. He is, to use his own words, 'hard launching my mid-life crisis'. And this is all because of Marvel. Sacha Baron Cohen stars in the Disney+ TV show Ironheart as Mephisto. Which might be news to a lot of you, since Ironheart was released right at the moment that superhero fatigue hit such terminal velocity that president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige essentially chose to promote the Fantastic Four movie by promising everyone that he wasn't going to make as many TV shows any more. But, really, that's beside the point. Because, of all the shredded topless comic actor torso reveals, the only one to go on to any substantial screen time was Chris Pratt. It has now been 12 years since he took his top off for Instagram to show his transformation from 'the schlubby one from Parks and Recreation' to 'man with abdominal muscles', and he has since been in six MCU films, a Christmas special and several other projects that relied on him looking ripped. Contrast that with Kumail Nanjiani, who went from a round-faced, Oscar-nominated writer in 2017 to looking like a vacuum-sealed walnut bag in 2019. And this because he had been cast in The Eternals, in which he effectively had a bit part as one of about 300 new superheroes. Aside from a voice acting gig in one episode of What If…?, that has been the sum total of his MCU output. Which is still a ton compared to Sacha Baron Cohen, whose Mephisto appeared fully clothed in just one episode of a television show that has left no cultural footprint whatsoever. The point is that, while a Marvel gig might ostensibly be the impetus to start pumping iron, it isn't necessarily the end goal. For all anyone knows, we may never see Mephisto again. But the image of Cohen clutching a pair of dumbbells while being covered in more goose fat than a cross-channel swimmer will live for ever. Especially since his earlier career relied upon him showing off as much of his body as he could. Go back and look at photos of him in a mankini as Borat, and you'll see what a change this is. That said, despite being leaner and better defined now, those pictures demonstrate that the most effective element in his transformation may well have been a comprehensive chest wax. Still, let's allow him this moment. If nothing else, Cohen is being neatly self-deprecating about how he looks on Instagram, quipping: 'Some celebs use Ozempic and some use private chefs, others use personal trainers. I did all three,' and 'This is not AI. I really am egotistical enough to do this.' And if it means that he's moving away from comedy – there's no way that Borat can ever wear another mankini unless he's going to aggressively rebrand himself as a thirsty divorcee – then so be it. Between Ironheart and last year's Disclosure, it seems like that's where he was headed anyway. Besides, this reveal puts Sacha Baron Cohen one step closer to the next chapter in the MCU playbook: complaining about how horrible it is to look like this. Chris Pratt did it, claiming that he had to drink so much water that his life became a 'nightmare'. Kumail Nanjiani did it, making a colossal show of getting to eat some cake like a normal person. And so it will inevitably be with Sacha Baron Cohen. That is, unless Mephisto becomes a central part of the MCU in the future. If that's the case, the brand sponsorship with Veet must be just around the corner.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sacha Baron Cohen Shocks Fans With Muscular Body Transformation to Play Marvel's Mephisto: ‘This Is Not AI… Hard Launching My Mid-Life Crisis'
Sacha Baron Cohen is shocking fans with his Men's Fitness U.K. cover story, which includes photos of the muscular body transformation he underwent before filming scenes as Mephisto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 'Borat' creator debuted as the infamous comic book villain in the Disney+ series 'Ironheart' earlier this summer. 'Some celebs use Ozempic and some use private chefs, others use personal trainers. I did all three,' Cohen quipped on his Instagram story while sharing the shirtless photos of himself. He also told fans: 'This is not AI. I really am egotistical enough to do this.' More from Variety Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios' Future, Focusing on Lower Budgets, Less TV and More Robert Downey Jr.: 'Look at "Superman," It's Clearly Not Superhero Fatigue' Marvel Plans to Recast the X-Men and (Eventually) Tony Stark After 'Avengers: Secret Wars,' But 'Reboot Is a Scary Word,' Says Kevin Feige John Malkovich's Red Ghost Cut From 'Fantastic Four'; Director Says 'It Was Heartbreaking Not to Include Him' (EXCLUSIVE) Cohen wrote in other posts: 'Debuting my new character: Middle-aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes… Hard launching my mid-life crisis.' Marvel fans originally expected Mephisto to pop up years ago in 'WandaVision,' and Baron Cohen was always at the top of fan-casting wishlists. 'Ironheart' producer and 'Black Panther' director Ryan Coogler told Variety last month that he was thrilled Marvel waited until 'Ironheart' to debut Baron Cohen's Mephisto. 'I just absolutely love that we're not meeting him in 'WandaVision' or 'Agatha [All Along].' You're meeting him through this stressed-out, young Black genius,' Coogler said. 'When you watch the show, it's like, 'Oh, that was how you always were gonna meet him.' It wasn't gonna be in 'Loki.' That's the trickster; that's how he works. That's where he's gonna be: in a pizza shop in Chicago, like, where you would absolutely never expect him.' Head writer Chinaka Hodge said the decision to introduce Baron Cohen's Mephisto was a 'collaborative' one, adding: 'I could tell the story about process, and you would know how benevolent Kevin Feige is. But I will say that it was a collaborative effort, where we all landed on Mephisto together, but there was one of us in the room who led us there, and I'm eternally grateful for him leading us that direction.' It's currently unknown when Baron Cohen will pop up again as Mephisto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he'll certainly be in great shape whenever that time comes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Men's Fitness UK (@mensfitnessuk) Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples
