The secret to how Tom Cruise, 61, maintains his unbelievable physique

Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars after he first exploded onto screens after his breakthrough role in Top Gun back in 1986. 

As well as becoming renowned for executing all his own stunts, fans have also swooned over the actor’s incredible muscular physique, which he hasn’t shied away from showing off over the years. 

Top Gun kicked off his successful film career as he stripped off in jaw-dropping scenes while playing volleyball. 

And the star, 61, proved he’s still got it as he flaunted his shirtless physique while taking a dip in the sea in Majorca over the weekend.

Almost 40 years since he first stripped off for those jaw-dropping scenes in Top Gun, here MailOnline reveals just how Tom Cruise maintains his insane physique.  

Fitness Regime  

There isn’t one secret to Tom’s ultra fit lifestyle, after the star revealed he enjoys a wide-ranging list of physical activities to keep in shape. 

He told Men’s Health: ‘Sea-kayaking, caving… fencing, treadmill, weights… rock climbing, hiking… I jog… I do so many different activities.’ 

Constantly challenging his body, the star follows a five day workout plan which included three days of weight training sessions and cardio as well as two days of more ‘out-there’ activities like fencing or hiking. 

Incorporating a range of exercises into his routine, a few of Tom’s favourite include one-armed barbell presses, weighted lunges and deadlifts. 

A typical workout split from the star would begin with day one focusing on triceps, shoulders and chest before he enjoys one of his ‘fun’ activities on day two. 

Day three would then focus on biceps, back and traps with a range of deadlifts and hammer curls, before another ‘fun’ day on day four. 

Finishing off the week with lower body and legs on day five, Tom’s final workout of the week incorporates leg press, squats and calf raises. 

Dolph Lundgren, 66, also follows a five day training programme to stay in shape. 

The Swedish actor and filmmaker focuses on chest and arms, then back, then shoulders and biceps before also adding in two leg and core focused days. 

Expert PT Nick Lower previously told British GQ that Tom has the best team in the world who keep on top of all the latest fitness science and technology.

He explained: ‘I do know that he uses this very expensive, high-end machine that instead of just being a normal chest press machine, for example, it works you on your eccentric load, pushing you back. 

‘So instead of doing a set of 10, you could do a set of five and you’ve done just as much work. 

‘Whatever he’s doing, it works. You meet him in the flesh and he looks 10 years younger’. 

Diet and Nutrition   

As well as exercise, Tom also follows a regimented diet plan. Instead of three main meals a day, the star reportedly opts instead for 15 small snacks. 

His decision to snack fits better with his busy lifestyle, with Tom opting for fruit which helps reduce any anxiety in comparison to crisps or chocolate. 

In 2020 it was revealed he was consuming as little as 1200 calories a day as part of a David Beckham devised diet plan. 

Avoiding sugary snacks, processed food, and carbohydrates, Tom favours grilled foods and low-temperature prepared foods cooked for him by his personal chef. 

Low temperature cooking is reportedly better for you than high-temperature cooking which has been associated with accelerated aging and chronic tissue inflammation. 

Tom will opt for foods like salmon dark chocolate, raw oats, blueberries, ginger, beets, broccoli, olive oil, tomatoes, and spinach.

He also makes sure to incorporate antioxidant-rich foods like fruits, nuts, and vegetables that are also anti-inflammatory in nature and supplements his diet with added vitamins and minerals. 

Singer Sting also credits his amazing shape to his macrobiotic diet which consists of a lot of vegetables and grains, and aims to avoid toxins and processed food that contain preservatives.

So devoted is the singer to his diet that he reportedly keeps his own personal chef on tour with him in order to keep it up while he is away from home. 

Back in 2015, Tom’s co-star Simon Pegg revealed a little about the star’s healthy eating habits as he told E!: ‘Tom is disciplined to a T. It’s amazing’.

The comedian added that Tom offered his chef’s services on the set of the fifth installment, explaining: ‘it wasn’t like boring rabbit food or a protein shake. It was like great stews and these lovely little dates filled with peanut butter and sprinkled with coconut for snacks, and these little balls of truffle that were great.’

And debunking rumours that the movie star made the cast follow his strict diet, Simon said ‘He was like, “Here: If you want to do this thing that I do, do it, too.” It was all him. It was given to us by him.

Stunt Training 

Tom is famous for completing all his own stunts, and last has never been afraid of undergoing extreme physical training throughout his career to pull then off.

Last July Tom executed the most dangerous and biggest stunt in cinematic history  after he rode a motorbike off a cliff and fell from the sky in his latest Mission Impossible film. 

The star undertook years of training, including 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps, for the scene and made sure he was well-trained, both on the bike and in terms of BASE jumping.

A motocross track was built, on which the star jumped 80ft tabletops, a whopping 13,000 times across his training.

He said of the experience: ‘I have to get so good at this that there’s just no way that I miss my marks.

‘You train and drill every little aspect over and over and over and over again.’ 

Despite the stunt being incredibly dangerous, Tom didn’t wear a helmet for his ride off the cliff.

He doesn’t usually wear helmets for any of his stunts, and on The Sunday Project last weekend, he revealed why.

‘[It] Just doesn’t look cool,’ Tom said.

‘I wear helmets when I ride motorcycles, and when I’m training, and I wear pads,’ he explained.

‘But when you start to go film, all the pads come off. So I train in helmets, but when I’m jumping and racing high-speed bikes, then it’s not cinematic.’

Sylvester Stallone was equally committed to his films and used to change his workout regime based on his main goal for his relevant projects. 

For Rocky the star concentrated on building muscle mass, and by Rocky III his body fat percentage had dropped to 2.9% which was dangerously low.