Looking at Charlie Cox in Daredevil, no one can make out that he had never gone to the gym before. So, how did he manage to get so ripped? The secrets are finally out.

British actor Charlie Cox, best known for playing Matt Murdock in the hit Marvel series Daredevil, impressed everyone with his on-screen fitness. The story is about a blind guy who lives a double life as a lawyer by day and a vigilante by night in New York City.

Preparing for the role required that Cox be heavier and fitter, but instead of going the traditional way, he decided to do things differently. Instead of going to the gym, he trained in MMA to build strength, agility, and fighting skills, all the qualities possessed by his character, Matt Murdock.

The bizarre part was that it was the first time he was actually in the gym. Before Daredevil, Cox's training routine would involve occasional runs, but the series made sure that changed. So, he started training under former boxing and conditioning coach Naqam Washington, who helped him build his strength and endurance for the show's fight scenes.

Cox trained 5 to 6 times a week with one-hour sessions in Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, bag work, and compound lifts, divided into three movements per 20-minute block. His training was coupled with a strict diet of chicken, broccoli, sweet potato, rice, pasta, and the occasional protein shakes with sweet potato.

Eating up to seven meals in a day and keeping the body hydrated resulted in him gaining weight and going from 158 lbs to 176 lbs of pure muscle.

Charlie Cox’s New Training for the Upcoming Born Again Series

For the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series, Cox took it up a notch and hired former MMA fighter and Team KF coach Chris Fields to train him. He trained in striking drills, grappling, and controlled sparring alongside professional fighters. In an interview with The MMA Island Podcast, Fields stated:

"A lot of what we love about MMA looks terrible on camera."

So, for the new series, the goal wasn't to make Cox tougher but to improve on his fighting abilities to make him look appealing on screen.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil