Best known for his role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Dolph Lundgren has maintained an incredible fitness routine over the years. In a recent Instagram post, Lundgren shares a glimpse of his sparring session with a longtime friend, Slavi, keeping up their sparring tradition for 20 years.

The Instagram post, captioned, “Training with my buddy Slavi - we’ve been sparring partners for 20 years,” highlights Lundgren’s basic mindset. He has ensured that training remains an integral part of his daily lifestyle.

In the post, Lundgren and his sparring partner, Slavi, enjoyed a light but technical sparring session. This workout remains one of the best ways to improve martial arts skills and boxing training. The quick movements stimulate real-life fights, helping fighters react quickly to kicks, punches, and movements.

Slavi Slavov is a Bulgarian martial artist and kickboxer. The duo regularly trains together in boxing, Kyokushin karate, and martial arts, often in Los Angeles or during Lundgren’s visits to Bulgaria

Beyond sparring, Lundgren rounds out his regimen with functional strength and mobility work.

How Lundgren trains at 68: A functional strength philosophy

Even at 68, Lundgren religiously follows a workout routine that would put most youngsters to shame. He continues to practice different forms of martial arts, boxing, and weight lifting. What’s even more surprising is his relentless spirit at this age, even after going through multiple surgeries and battling cancer.

According to Muscle and Fitness, Lundgren’s typical workout routine focuses on functional strength training. These include:

• Heavy sandbag carries
• Bosu sandbag chest press
• Light sandbag clean and jerk
• Light sandbag over-the-shoulder carries
• Sandbag toss over the shoulder
• Planks with leg curls

Along with these exercises, he focuses on mobility and recovery, which includes-

• Bear crawl into side plank
• Bosu band flye
• Machine ball X’s
• Bosu dumbbell clean and jerk

Lundgren’s training philosophy primarily focuses on performing supersets and circuits. He pairs different types of exercises together with minimal rest in between sets. This helps him improve endurance while maintaining his power and strength.

Post his difficult cancer journey, he also admits to training smarter instead of heavier.

"It was a tough fight to have for about five years... but now it's better — so I'm back to normal, working out," he admitted to PEOPLE magazine during an exclusive interview at the BAFTA TV Tea Party in Los Angeles.

"I've calmed down a little bit," he said. "I don't stay out as late. I don't work out as hard, but I do hit the gym four, five times a week. I am just a little kinder to myself physically, I think”.

Lundgren’s health journey and fitness routines prove one thing- it is okay to slow down when your body needs you to. Moreover, slowing down is not a sign of losing.

Do you have a training partner like Lundgren with whom you have been training for years now?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi