IT WAS THE picture that broke the Internet: a few years ago, Lenny Kravitz, 56 at the time, holding a knife to a coconut. You might have had to blink twice to register there was an actual coconut though, as the eyes went directly to the six-pack Kravitz was so conveniently presenting. The man seems to have defied the ageing process.
A few years on and now, closing in on 60, he still looks the same as he did more than a decade ago, all lithe limbs and buoyant charisma as he sung American Woman on our TV screens. With the kind of gym-honed body you’d expect of a 20-year old fitness devotee, much less a man approaching 60, Kravitz has understandably come to be hailed as a superhuman of the fitness world. Now, it’s all we can do but sit up and pay attention when he imparts any wisdom on his workout routine and diet.
That Kravitz has always been passionate about health and wellness is an understatement. The man practically is the living embodiment of what it means to be at one with the body. He’s already spoken at length about his approach to spirituality and training, and rather than submit to the cliches of rock ’n’ roll life that see most rock stars run on adrenaline and booze alone, Kravtiz treats his own body like a temple.
Case in point: he’s one of Hollywood’s most vocal vegans, championing the diet long before Game Changers made it a popular choice. When he recently took Men’s Health on a tour of his fridge, it was stocked with a lot of green and a lot of veggies. With properties in Brazil and the Bahamas, Kravitz even grows his own produce and claims to go lengthy periods adhering to either an entirely raw diet or one which sees him cut out fruit sugars entirely, eating purely vegetables.
But still, even with a keen eye on diet, this is a body that works hard for such gains. Kravitz told Men’s Health, “My best shape is not behind me. It’s in front of me right now. We keep moving that bar as we get older.”
Since the late ‘90s, Kravitz has enlisted the services of trainer Dodd Romero in Miami to help him get in shape. Their routine is one that typically mixes fasted cardio sessions in the mornings, with weightlifting during the day and more cardio just before bed. With Kravitz now spending quarantine at his home on Eleuthera, their workouts are done via FaceTime instead of in-person. Kravitz has traded a treadmill for trails running through his property, a coconut tree as his weight bench and now relies on the elements of the jungle for his own workout. His routine is one that focuses on basic movements working through high-rep sets.
Here, his trainer breaks down a typical full-body dumbbell workout that Kravitz would do as part of his training. Read on to replicate the workout that gets Kravitz fighting fit.
Directions: Firstly, warm up with 2 minutes of jumping jacks, then do each exercise. Rest two minutes between each set.
Dumbbell curl
Stand holding a pair of dumbbells, then curl them up to shoulder height, squeezing your biceps. Lower and repeat.
Sets: 5
Reps: For the first set, do 50 reps. Then 35 in the second, 21 in the third, 14 in the fourth and 10 in the final set.
Dumbbell bench press
Sets: 5
Reps: 50 reps in the first set, then 35 in the second. Follow with a 21-rep set, a 14-rep set, and a 10-rep set.
Bodyweight squat
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bend at the knees and hips and then lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then stand back up.
Sets: 5
Reps: 77 in the first, 50 in the second, 35 int he third, 21 in the fourth, and 14 in final set.
Pull-up knee raise
Hang from a pull-up bar with an over-hang grip. Squeeze your shoulder blades and pull your chest to the bar. This is the start, then tuck your knees to your chest, squeezing your abs. Then lower your legs – that’s 1 rep.
Sets: 4
Reps: 21
