A new role completely reshaped François Arnaud’s approach to fitness.

At 40, the actor found himself training harder than ever after landing a breakout role that demanded a level of fitness he had never sought before. If you felt a temperature rise since November, it's probably because of a Heated Rivalry between some good-looking hockey players.

The Canadian show has been all the rage since its premiere and has brought the cast into the limelight. To portray a hockey player on screen, the cast had to go through intense training sessions, and Francois Arnaud, who portrays American hockey captain Scott Hunter, was no different

In an interview with Men's Health magazine, Arnaud got candid about his training routine...

Before Heated Rivalry, Arnaud was known for roles that were driven by screen presence, rather than looking the part physically. He played Cesare Borgia on The Borgias, a role that needed more psychological depth, and later starred on Midnight, Texas as Manfred Bernardo Jr., who had more of a mystic flair. A long way from the athletic conditioning he portrays as Hunter.

"For the longest time, I think I was afraid of working out too much. And now, this year in particular, my whole outlook on it kind of changed. I was like, I want to look like I've never read a book. For a brief moment in time, I achieved it."

Arnaud had to make sure he trained for the physical as well as the glamorous aspect of the show. He started from the basics and learned how to skate under pro hockey player and stunt coordinator, Sam Fergus. He stated that he was doing his best until the very last day of shooting, when he accidentally sliced his hand open.

Then came a fitness regimen that transformed him completely.

Francois Arnaud Heated Rivalry fitness routine

Here is a full breakdown of the fitness routine that transformed Francois Arnaud into Scott Hunter.

Warm up

• Stretch

• Leg lifts: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps
• Tricep press downs: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Bicep curls: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Lateral raises: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Besides his gym workout routine, Arnaud also likes to run, and he stated that he ran an equivalent of a marathon every week, which is 26 miles.

What do you think about his transformation, and do you have another favorite character in the show?

Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Joyita Das