WHEN STAZ NAIR needs to prepare himself for an acting job, he's all business. His physical training is solely focused the needs of the character—and whether those needs are based around real-life backgrounds or in fantasy and science fiction worlds, which was the case for two of his most notable roles in HBO's Game of Thrones and Netflix's Rebel Moon saga.
Nair played a Dothraki warrior in the former (and joked to MH that he's loved to speak to Thrones star Jason Momoa about his Dothraki workout plan), and a character named Tarak, who speaks to animals, as part of the ensemble cast in the latter. Both roles, however, featured a distinct lack of shirts. Nair ate and approached his physical prep to look the part. "When I train, I train very hard and very vigorously. I don't really have a middle ground," he says. "I'm yet to find, even at the tender age of 32, to find a middle ground."
When he doesn't have a role to sculpt his body to fit, he's much more likely to relax. "My wife thinks I'm more cuddly when I'm huskier," he says. So his main fitness goal is just just stay active, though activities like hiking and martial arts.
Nair stopped by MH HQ to shoe off some of his favorite strength training movements. The compound exercises were all part of that tough Rebel Moon training plan that left him, in his words, feeling "royally F-worded" after putting it into practice. While working through the movements of the workout, Nair admits that he hasn't trained in about a year—so he's not kidding. Still, he's able to enjoy the discipline that allows him to achieve his goals and create his characters.
Staz Nair's Favorite Exercises from His Rebel Moon Training
Barbell Back Squat
3 sets of 8, 6, and 6 reps
Barbell Deadlift
3 sets of 8, 6, and 6 reps
Barbell Bench Press
3 sets of 8, 6, and 6 reps
Leg Raise
30 reps
Bicycle Crunch
40 reps per leg
Crunch
30 reps
Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.
