Matt Damon, 55, arrived on screen in La Odisea looking noticeably lean and defined, and trainers say the reaction from gym-goers has been immediate. The body he built for the role has become a reference point that is pushing a new fitness ideal, one that prizes function over sheer size.
Popular trainer Iván Perujo described the shift in terms of what that physique represents: strong, but also agile, resilient and functional. A body built to survive a shipwreck, draw a bow or travel the Mediterranean for twenty years, not simply to impress.
Perujo said the conversation in gyms has moved on from who is the strongest man to who is the most functional, someone who can run, climb, lift, endure an exhausting day and recover quickly. He calls it the Odysseus body.
Five Months, Five Days a Week
To get there, Damon spent five months working with physical trainer Matt Stump, who designed a strength programme split between upper and lower body. They trained five days a week: two sessions focused on the upper body, two on the legs, and a fifth dedicated to cardiovascular and metabolic work, including incline treadmill walking with a weighted vest.
Much of the preparation took place not in a high-end facility but in the modest gym at Damon’s home, equipped with only dumbbells, a cable machine and a barbell.
The goal was not oversized arms but a balanced physique, combining compound movements, targeted work on shoulders, biceps and triceps, weekly cardio sessions and a protein-rich diet that reduced body fat and brought out muscle definition. Damon lost around seven kilos during the process, finishing at approximately 75 kilos.
Why Functional Training Is Winning
Perujo, who has built a following through body-transformation challenges, argued that modern training is no longer only about building muscle. His own programmes combine strength exercises with explosive movements, cardiovascular work and functional patterns that force the body to stabilise constantly. Squats, pushes, pulls, lateral movements, unilateral exercises and core work are increasingly replacing routines built around a single muscle group.
There is also a health argument. Perujo noted that after the age of forty, progressive muscle and power loss accelerates physical ageing. He said maintaining strength is an investment in health, that good muscular strength guarantees greater longevity and a lower risk of mortality, and that training is not only about looking better in the mirror but about reaching one’s seventies and eighties with independence.
A study of nearly 7,000 men aged between 40 and 90, published in the journal Plos One, found that those with greater mid-arm muscle circumference had a 24 percent lower chance of dying, since arm muscles contribute to grip strength, itself a longevity indicator. A separate study published in The Lancet confirmed that lower grip strength was associated with a higher risk of premature death.
On diet, Perujo said extreme regimes and endless bulk-and-cut cycles are giving way to more sustainable strategies based on adequate protein, unprocessed foods and healthy body composition. He described the aim as reducing the fat that conceals muscle without sacrificing strength or performance, which is exactly the approach used to build Damon’s physique for the film.
Perujo summed up the contrast between the Hercules ideal and the Odysseus one: a body that is less spectacular in terms of volume but more complete.
