COVER STORY
and he was incredibly supportive . I think it was my new-found love for lifting that spurred me to want to achieve something incredible . I just knew a ‘ normal ’ life wasn ’ t for me . I wanted more- much more . I wanted action .”
A modest Martyn started college again in his early 30s . “ Starting college again as a mature student was a strange experience because I was mixing with a bunch of 18 year-olds ,” Martyn says . “ Sometimes that was hard for me , but I knew that if I really wanted to make it as an actor I ’ d have to bite the bullet and learn in order to develop the skills required to become a success .
MARTYN ’ S TYPICAL FILM SET WORKOUT REGIME
“ When I ’ m on set , I tend to train two or three body parts per session , as sometimes I might only be able to get three sessions in a week ,”
says Martyn .
WORKOUT 1
Chest and back Chest fly Dips Bent over row
Chest press Deadlift Pull-downs
Martyn performs 5 sets and 15-20 reps of each exercise and rests for a maximum of 60 seconds between sets . He incorporates drop sets and forced reps into his back and chest workouts .
Shoulders and arms Shoulder press Lateral raise French press Rope push-downs
Upright row Barbell curl Dumbbell curl
Martyn once again performs 5 sets and 15-20 reps of each exercise , resting for a maximum of 60 seconds between sets . Forced reps and drop sets also apply .
Legs and abs Leg press Leg extension Crunches Oblique twists
“ I ’ d moulded my body into something really quite unique and a few years into my training I actually did begin to believe my dreams could come true . I wanted to be bigger , faster and stronger than any action star out there . I wanted to be the next BIG thing .
“ I ’ ll always remember I was sitting watching TV one day when Scott called me and said there was a role that had opened up on a James Bond movie . He said he thought I ’ d be perfect for it and asked if he could put me in touch with his agent . The next thing I knew , I was sitting in a room auditioning alongside Dave Bautista !”
Squats Leg curl Reverse crunches
Martyn performs 5 sets of each exercise for 12-10 reps of his legs and abs exercises . He does mostly forced and drop sets during this workout .
Dave went on to land the role , but it wasn ’ t the last time he and Martyn would meet . “ My agent was incredible from day one ,” says Martyn . “ He landed me the part of ‘ Koshmar ’ in ‘ Undisputed 4 ’, and set the ball rolling for me . “ Just twelve months later I joined Dave on the set of ‘ Final Score ’, I couldn ’ t believe it !”
Martyn has enjoyed roles on a huge variety of high profile films , including ‘ Kingsman 2 ’, ‘ Viking Destiny ’, ‘ Kill Ben Lyk ’ and ‘ Robin Hood ’. And it doesn ’ t end there for the 6 ’ 7 ” superstar . “ I ’ m currently working on a film with WWE studios starring Shawn Michaels and Becky Lynch ,” he reveals . “ It ’ s called ‘ The Marine ’ and I play a character called Oscar Hayes who is the brother of Maddy Hayes ( played by Becky Lynch ).” “ Oscar is a heavy handed Irish-man out to defend his father ’ s name .” “ There are some awesome fight scenes and I ’ m having a blast .”
Martyn says he enjoys being portrayed as the bad guy . “ Most of my roles have been a bad guy of some description ,” he notes . “ I like this as in real life I ’ m actually a gentle giant , so it really enables me to act and play something I ’ m not .”
When questioned about training on set , ‘ the man who can ’ says he copes , but not with ease . “ Training is hard when I ’ m on set ,” Martyn admits . “ The priority when you ’ re there is obviously filming , but it ’ s really important I maintain my body mass in order to retain the stature required to portray the roles I am cast for .”
“ Because I lose weight easily , I have to try to eat whenever I can as I no longer have the luxury of training and eating all day .” “ Living out of a suitcase makes training very challenging .” “ I often ask fans if they know where the nearest gym is so I can just nip
14 MUSCLE & FITNESS / MARCH 2018