With gyms open and beach season on the horizon, it’s time to shed quarantine flab.
Who better to offer tips on toning up than movie star and Dorchester native Mark Wahlberg?
The “Ted” star worked out at F45 Training in Medford Thursday, going through a 45-minute circuit of upper body and core strength exercises with a group of about 25 people. F45 trainers said it was a big crowd for a weekday class, but Wahlberg wasn’t surprised, after the year we’ve been through.
“People (want) to get back into working out. People are definitely focusing a lot more on just being healthy,” Wahlberg told the Herald. The actor co-owns the gym.
Wahlberg is known for getting extremely fit for roles: he displayed a cut physique as boxer Micky Ward in 2010’s “The Fighter,” and then pumped up his beach muscles for “Pain & Gain” in 2013. But even he has to work at it.
“Right now I’m beat up. I just did two movies back-to-back. I tore my meniscus and hurt my back. So right now, I’m just trying to maintain and find some balance,” he said.
For what it’s worth, Wahlberg’s “maintenance” translated to some of the heaviest weights on the bar, and extending bent-over rows to full hang-cleans. As someone who took Thursday’s class alongside the star, it’s safe to say he was outworking everyone else.
Did I mention that was two days before his 50th birthday?
“The older you get, the harder it is. It’s much easier to stay in shape than to get in shape,” he said.
At F45 Training, people weren’t just excited to work out with a movie star — they were ecstatic to join mask-free exercise classes where they can curl dumbbells next to their friends.
“It feels so good. It’s so refreshing,” said local Erin Hughes.
Hughes said she put on more weight during quarantine than she’s ever carried and felt “pretty unhappy.”
“I’ve always been an athlete,” she said.
F45 Training’s focus on group fitness classes fills two voids we’ve all felt over the last year: the need to be healthy, and the desire to be together.
“Everybody’s been cooped up for so long. People want to get back in the gym and start working out again, and interact with people. This has such a great community. People are inspiring and motivating each other,” Wahlberg said.
In the end, it’s not just about where you work out, but who you’re with that matters. And if you get lucky, you just might find yourself benching free weights with a Wahlberg.
