Max Gladwell

Harrison Ford was in top shape for Indy IV, performing many of his own stunts. Here’s how he did it.

We believe that fitness is just as much a part of green living as the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle. After all, what’s the point in being carbon neutral if you can’t pedal a few miles or climb a flight of stairs? Some would say that this more BLUE than green. We say it’s the total package: our quality of life. Which is a long-winded way of setting up this profile on our friend Jamie Milnes.

Milnes is a top-notch personal trainer to many celebrities and Hollywood heavies. One of his longtime clients is Harrison Ford. As many know, Ford is also a champion of the environment with Conservation International. He recently did a PSA for rainforest preservation in which his chest was partially waxed. At 65 years young, Ford looks fantastic and performed incredibly in his fourth appearance as Indiana Jones. Some of this can be attributed to Milnes’s purpose-driven approach to fitness and conditioning.

Unlike many celebrity trainers, he doesn’t focus on “rock-hard abs” or “the perfect ass”. He trains for performance and lifestyle. It could be for cycling, tennis, or martial arts. It could be for the role of Indiana Jones in your sixties. If that calls for a six pack, that’s what you get. In many ways, Milnes is promoting a sustainable form of fitness that’s free from all the bullocks. (Indeed, Milnes is a Brit.) Fitness is just a means to an end. The end is a better quality of life.

Recently, Milnes started a nonprofit fitness initiative with an inner-city high school that aims to make fitness fun and put the “education” back in physical education. It’s part of his Get Fit, Go Play philosophy, and he hopes to expand the program to more schools, both public and private. It was the first time Spinning was integrated into any high school PE program.

The below interview was conducted by his colleague, Valerie Waters, and initially posted on her blog:

Jamie, tell us a little about your background and how you came to train Harrison Ford?

I’m originally from Manchester, England. I came to the States almost 15 years ago and established my training career in New York City. After a few years I moved to LA, primarily for the lifestyle. I love mountain biking, snowboarding and kayaking, which isn’t very easy to do when you’re living in New York City. I was introduced to Harrison through another client of mine who I have worked with for a number of years. He started training with me in preparation of his role in Hollywood Homicide, and we’ve been working together ever since. For me, word of mouth has been the best way to build a clientele.

Harrison has been an action hero for many years. How is it that he can still kick the bad guy’s butt and look good doing it, regardless of his age?

Very good stunt men! Just kidding. Joking aside, Harrison moves extremely well…especially for someone in his mid sixties. He’s a living testament to the fact that you can maintain a high level of athleticism if you continue to work at it. He leads an active lifestyle which doesn’t just mean he just goes to the gym to workout. He still skis and plays tennis, among other things, which has also allowed him the ability to “keep kicking the bad guy’s butt.” Working in the gym will definitely help you maintain your health and fitness, but I think playing outside gives you that extra edge. I also think it gives you extra incentive to workout if you know ski season is around the corner for example, rather than just “I’m going to the gym because it’s good for my health”.

I see you and Harrison in the gym regularly and his workouts look tough and ever changing. Is there a method to the madness?

Yes there is. For Harrison, and many of my clients, time is an issue so we don’t necessarily work to the hour. I have set work for Harrison to do each session and when it’s done he leaves, whether it’s 20, 30 or 50 minutes. We put the emphasis on movements that integrate the whole body in multiple planes of motion with high athletic demand. This gives us the most bang for the buck, especially when he is pressed for time. This type of training does, however, require a high level of fitness.

It has been written that Harrison is quite the adventure seeker. He flies helicopters, does most of his own stunts yet he seems to be quietly living his life on his own terms. Do you think diet and exercise plays a part in this?

Undoubtedly. You can’t be as physical as he has been for so long without taking care of yourself. He has definitely taken his fare share of knocks over the years but still manages to do a lot of his own stunts and lead a very active lifestyle. You can be a daredevil and an adventure seeker and never workout a day in your life…but only for so long. You must stay strong and healthy if you want to keep it up year after year. If you have a passion for adventure you can experience a lot more and keep on doing it for much longer if you take good care of yourself. But you’ve got to have the passion…and either you have it or you don’t. Harrison has it.

There is no question that Harrison Ford is always in great shape. Does he diet before a movie role or is he pretty consistent year round?

He keeps active all year round, whether it’s in the gym with his workouts, playing tennis or skiing in the winter. You have to be consistent throughout the year. I don’t mean you have to train hard all year round. Professional athletes don’t even do that. I think the best philosophy is to always maintain a base level of fitness and then when you have something coming up, such as ski season, take it up a few notches. Harrison, like all smart athletes, treats a movie the same way and just shifts into a higher gear for a few weeks before he needs to be ready.

I know they change regularly but can you share a sample Harrison Ford workout?

Circuit 1
Single Arm Dumbell Snatch—- Do 8-10 reps, then switch arms
Hanging Knee Tucks —- Do 12-15 reps
Hamstring Curls on Valslide —- Do 12-15 reps
Repeat circuit 3 times.

Circuit 2
Standing Single Arm Pulley Row —- Do 10-15 reps, then switch leg/arm
Push Ups on Stability Ball —- Do 10-15 reps
Crunch with Single Arm Press on Stability Ball —- Do 12-15 reps, then switch arms
Repeat circuit 3 times.

Any final tips or quotes you can share if we want to keep kicking butt when we’re 65?

Find something that you enjoy doing or something that excites you. That may be mountain biking, hiking, or surfing. Then think about how you can improve your ability to enjoy that activity. The more fit you are the better you are able to handle the work required for any particular activity. And when you can handle that work, you can start to hike steeper hills, or bike more mountainous terrain or surf bigger waves. In other words…get fit and go play! Keep working at it and keep exploring new activities. Don’t settle for quick blasts of activity followed by long stretches of inactivity. Always maintain at least a base level of fitness because you never know when you may need it. Stay ready.

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