Sean Faris' Never Back Down Workout Plan

In order to prepare for filming the fighting movie Never Back Down, both lead actors – Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet had to get in incredible condition. Faris had to play the underdog in the movie so his character was shown to be less physically impressive than Gigandet’s. However, Sean, though not as ripped as Cam, was still in extremely good condition. In this article we will review some of the principles behind the Sean Faris Never Back Down Workout.



Before working on his muscles, Sean had to practice fighting moves for up to six hours per day every morning

So before lunch he would do sparing and work on his form in the different punches, kicks and holds. He would also practice Jiu Jitsu, kicking and heavy bag punches. This way he was able to add power to his hits – something that really shows on screen.

After his fighting practice Faris would work on building up his body

His physique was built on solid principles – getting stronger in the core free weight exercises like the dead lift, the military press and the squat. Additionally, Sean had to do dumbbell raises so his shoulders would get additional work. This was necessary because well built shoulder muscles really make a good physique extraordinary.



His trainer made him use no weightlifting belt during the heavy free weight workouts. The reason for this was that in this way he would learn to use the natural arch in his lower back. In this way he would lift only as much as he would safely be able to. As a bonus his abdominals would also get a great indirect workout from the heavy squats, deadlifts and military presses.

However Sean injured his body in quite a few ways training for the role

Because he did a high volume of drill such as jumping rope his ankles suffered overuse. He also hurt his thumb as well as his back from a heavy fall.

What happened was that his trainer in the movie, played by actor Djimon Hinsou, threw him way to hard on the mat. The crew continued working – Sean just focused on filming scenes without fights until his injuries subsided.

Sean Faris Workout Plan tips

Because of all the training he actually learned a few valuable lessons. One of his tips is to vary your workouts every 3-4 weeks. Thus your body would be stimulated for new growth after having adjusted to the workout.


[This is a great video showing the training montage in the movie.Inspiring stuff!]


Faris also suggests a gradual approach to increasing the training intensity. Thus with consistency gains are surely to come. But what is more important is that in this way injuries are more likely to be avoided.