‘Aquaman’ Star Jason Momoa Explains Why He’s No Longer Lifting Heavy at Age 45

Jason Momoa is joining Mark Wahlberg on the list of action stars who are curtailing rigorous workouts as they get older. The Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star revealed to Men’s Journal the exercises he doesn’t see himself doing again.

Asked if his days of heavy lifting are over, the 45-year-old was hesitant to completely rule anything out but expressed serious doubt about returning to some workouts. “I'll lift when I’m getting ready for a movie like this, usually with dumbbells and cable machines,” he explained. “But there are certain exercises I don’t think I'll do again, like the flat bench. It just doesn’t make sense for me to do that anymore.”

Momoa said the decision was made to safeguard himself from over-exertion. “I still get tempted from time to time to go max lift, and to add those extra two extra plates on. But that’s when I need to have a conversation with myself and make sure I don’t do something that's going to do more damage than good,” he admitted. “I’ve got a little more wisdom now. I’ve been through this dance for 45 years.”

He continued: “Being injured is such a downer. It’s such a drain, mentally, especially when you enjoy getting after it. And it’s those memories of what it was like to be injured that keep me in check.”

Momoa told Men’s Journal that he’s taken up training with kettlebells and resistance bands, which finds “very nurturing…The moment I discovered kettlebells, it was a game-changer,” he marveled. “The great thing about kettlebells is they torch the legs in a real way but also train everything else including the core, and they get you really strong. Even when the weight is just a fraction of what you can actually lift.”

However, with time being of the essence, Momoa says the people around him are just as important as the exercises. “I don’t have much time these days, so it’s about how quickly and how powerfully I can bang it out,” he explained. “Keeping good people around me who love to train and inspire me is a huge part of being successful.”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in cinemas on December 22. You can find Momoa’s full interview with Men’s Journal here.