(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been pretty busy in Hollywood, both on the big and small screen. You’ve probably first seen him landing leading roles in DC’s Aquaman, the critically acclaimed HBO series Watchmen and he’s landed the lead role Jordan Peele’s upcoming Candyman. The 33-year-old actor certainly has no problem tackling major roles, especially since he just announced he’ll be starring in the Matrix 4 with Keanu Reeves.
While fans can only guess who Abdul-Mateen will be playing in the next installment of the Matrix franchise, there’s one thing they’ll know for sure: the actor is in amazing shape for whatever the film will throw at him.
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
While prepping for his new role, the actor has taken to posting his workout routines on his social media for fans to enjoy–meaning it’s a “thirst trap” for the ladies. Even though most of us know he’s in great shape anyway, especially after a very revealing moment in Watchmen series (wink, wink), many of the ladies are still drooling over these new videos.
When Abdul-Mateen II broke down his Watchmen workout for Men’s Health, he described his training goals for The Matrix. “I want to be able to look good and be cut and lean, but also move and be quick,” he said. “That requires its own type of workout.”
In the clip, Abdul-Mateen II takes on a series of intense exercises, most of which target his back, pecks and his backside.
He starts with a round of sprints on a SkiErg machine, which ramps up his heart rate, burning fat and challenging his entire body. Next, Mateen II takes up a med ball for rotational wall slams. He’s breaking out of the sagittal plane of movement (front-to-back and up-and-down) to include some transverse plane (side-to-side) and rotational plane (rotational) work, which makes the routine more natural, since people move in all three planes in real-life activities.
While no details have been revealed yet about who Abdul-Mateen II is playing in the Matrix, the actor said in an interview on The Daily Show that he’s excited about the story the movie will tell.
“I don’t always have a six-pack,” Abdul-Mateen II told Noah with a laugh after being asked about physique. “I find myself perpetually in roles that require me to work out. [After] the last day of Watchmen, I stopped going to the gym for months. I just got back into the gym about one month ago; I took a five month hiatus because I don’t like working out.”
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Since being on screen so much, you would think acting was Yahya’s first love. Acting is actually the second career for this rising star, who obtained his undergraduate degree in architecture from UC Berkeley. After getting laid off in 2010 from his job as a city planner in San Francisco, Yahya decided to…
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