I’m kind of more proud to present this training template than a few of the others. Not because of the effort I’ve put into it or the training methods used, but because this is about a hometown hero of mine - Dave Bautista. Another wrestler turned actor from the glory days of the WWE, Bautista’s always been insanely yoked and jacked. In this training template we’ll take a look at his physique and training methods over the years. As well as what it took to prepare for the (slightly) coveted role of Drax The Destroyer.
The Glory Days
Bautista started out in the glory days of the WWE. Debuting bac in ‘99 before it was called the WWE. He trained with Afa Anaoi of the Wild Samoan Training Center, as well as Cesar Gracie - attaining a purple belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. So he’s the perfect muse for a PrymaFit template. When he was training for the WWE he had to prioritize developing athleticism and functionality. This is pretty much the rule of thumb for athletes in their developmental stage entering the WWE. Prior to this he was an active bodybuilder and focused solely on hypertrophy. From what I’ve gathered through research - his training for WWE functionality would have included lots of mobility and agility work. As well as fight choreography, things from martial arts such as breakfalling, etc. Pretty much how a stuntman would train. This is obviously how he was so prepared to enter hollywood, as there’s clearly a lot of training for acting going on as well.
Going Hollywood
After Dwayne Johnson gave them the blueprint, many WWE actors started testing the waters in Hollywood. Acting in everything from blockbuster to B-Movies. This includes actors like Triple H, who had a pretty decent career. This is most likely what led to WWE starting a production company a little over a decade ago. Bautista ignored that completely, it seems, and jumped into some minor roles followed by leading roles in independent films. Most notably House of The Rising Sun and Man With The Iron Fists. It’s pretty impressive that not much time had gone by before he got roles such as the Drax role, Blade Runner, and Spectre, among others. With all of his stunt training learned in the WWE, Bautista could apply it when needed and return to his bodybuilding methods. This is more or less a bro split, but a pretty functional one from what I’ve seen. While I can’t find anything about his pre-wrestling days, it seems like he tailored this split to make him injury proof. As well as to avoid the common trope of his muscles being all show and no go like most bodybuilders. As of now, Bautista trains with Joe Bennett out of the Mi40 gym in Florida. Bennett’s been dubbed the Hypertrophy Coach, which pretty much speaks for itself. He gets people jacked. He gets people shredded. Bautista was no exception, and it’s Bennett who helped him prepare for his role as Drax in the MCU. This is mainly where I extrapolated this template from. It’s a 3 day on/1 day off/template. And the volume is very high, with plenty of compounds and short rest periods - making this for advanced athletes/lifters. If you start on Monday, you’d rest Thursday and start again Friday. This template is modified from his original split so that it can be performed at home with minimal equipment. This time, the implement of choice will be a suspension trainer. This can be gymnastic rings, the Jungle Gym XT, TRX, Gold’s Suspension Trainer, etc. You can anchor it from the ceiling or a bar, but you don’t need to. Just note, however, that when you see “ST” precede a movement that means that the movement was invented to be used on a suspension trainer, as opposed to gymnastic rings. The main difference here is that on a suspension trainer it’s typically easier to hook your feet and to adjust the straps individually. Whereas on the rings, it’ll be easier to do movements like the Rings Turned Out Pushup. It’s still a bro split, just a little more functional - though that’s due mostly to Bautista - and maybe a little more fun. If you’re new to PrymaFit there may be some movements you’ve never seen or tried before. Hopefully they’ll make you feel as though you’ve got more than what you paid for out of your suspension trainer. Just remember to pace yourself and use proper form. If you’re an advanced lifter, but not an advanced calisthenics athlete, you may want to scale the movements or reps. This can be done by either changing the angle - how parallel you are to the ground, with movements getting more and more difficult the more parallel you are. Or by scaling back the sets/reps or opting for a bar variation. Bautista Functional Suspension/Ring Training Bro Split
Day 1 - Back and Shoulders
*Flyes done in Superset
Day 2 - Chest and Arms
*Pec Deck and Narrow Pushup done in superset Day 3 - Legs
*Lying Leg Curl and Leg Extension done in superset
Day 5 - Back and Shoulders
*Final two movements done in superset
Day 6 - Chest and Arms
*Flyes and Dips done in supersets
Day 7 - Legs
Conclusion
This training template is probably the least in-depth one I’ve done to date as far as the article around it. That’s because there’s very little information on Dave Bautista’s training over the years. Though pictures and media document his physique changes and athleticism, there’s no real insight into how his training has changed or improved over the course of the past 20 years. That being said, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Bautista may have learned some primal and functional methods throughout his days as an entertainment athlete but he seems to have stuck to what worked best for him. Dedicating a day to each major body part while hitting a minor body part in that same session. He’s maximized this for strength as well as hypertrophy and this training schedule allows him to stay consistent. Remember that this is pretty advanced due to all the volume, even for calisthenics athletes. So if you’re an advanced lifter, don’t underestimate this type of training. That being said, even the original Bautista was high volume for Bautista and he would do active recovery on rest days. Emphasis on the recovery. This would be something like light cardio (not HIIT) and mobility work like yoga. You could even try to stand so incredibly still...that your movement becomes invisible to the naked eye. Or just stick with mobility work. So give this template a try. You may just find this is the type of split that works best for you. Or, you may find that nothing works for you like the splits you’ve made a staple thus far, and that this is something better reserved changing things up after hitting a plateau. Stay Prymal, King Kalos
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Shredded ShamanLifelong athlete and martial artist. I'm on a mission to bring back the good old days of Physical Culture and make this fit lifestyle a lot more enjoyable. Archives
October 2022
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