American actor Sylvester Stallone strikes at a punching bag in a boxing ring while his coach, Burgess Meredith (1908 – 1997), watches during training at a gymnasium in a still from the film, ‘Rocky,’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. Stallone wears a ‘WIN “ROCKY” WIN’ T-shirt. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)
American actor Sylvester Stallone strikes at a punching bag in a boxing ring while his coach, Burgess Meredith (1908 – 1997), watches during training at a gymnasium in a still from the film, ‘Rocky,’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. Stallone wears a ‘WIN “ROCKY” WIN’ T-shirt. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)
American actor Sylvester Stallone strikes at a punching bag in a boxing ring while his coach, Burgess Meredith (1908 – 1997), watches during training at a gymnasium in a still from the film, ‘Rocky,’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. Stallone wears a ‘WIN “ROCKY” WIN’ T-shirt. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)
American actor Sylvester Stallone strikes at a punching bag in a boxing ring while his coach, Burgess Meredith (1908 – 1997), watches during training at a gymnasium in a still from the film, ‘Rocky,’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. Stallone wears a ‘WIN “ROCKY” WIN’ T-shirt. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)
Sylvester Stallone wanted to take the Rocky franchise to a different level than before. At that time, he wanted to make the third movie of the series that could be considered one of the best. However, by the time the third movie came out, Rocky became the best boxing movie franchise. For Rocky 3 to be a success, Stallone followed a vigorous diet routine which even became hazardous for his own health.
He even revealed that the diet he was taking, consisted of very high-protein food products. Stallone used to consume oatmeal cookies which were made of brown rice and he also used to drink around 20 cups of coffee in one single day. He also added some tuna fish to his diet for a day or two, and now this obviously paid off well in a way as Stallone looked beautiful in the movie. But it definitely took a toll on his body.
Sylvester Stallone’s diet for Rocky 3 made him weaker
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‘Sly’ Stallone revealed that his diet during this film was mainly focused on his body fat being as down as possible so that he could look aesthetically pleasing. And as a result, at that time he worked hard to get his fat down to 2.9%. Now this wasn’t enough, as he felt a decline in “physical or mental energy”. He did not feel healthy most of the time.
However, he was still adamant about maintaining that body fat throughout the movie and staying true to his character.
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Stallone even stated how he used to experience brain fog and mental exhaustion whenever he went on to film the boxing sequences with his fellow actor, Mr. T’s Clubber Lang. He even talked about how sometimes during the complex fight sequences, he had to take breaks in between to restore his energy back.
But this never put a stop to Stallone’s motivation as he kept going and this is the reason Rocky 3 was such a success. Even a bodybuilder drew inspiration from ‘Rocky’ when he used to be “skinny and insecure” and made an instant change in his diet.
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Well, Stallone’s sacrifice proved to be successful as the movie was definitely the most unique in the whole trilogy. What is your favorite movie in the Rocky franchise? Let us know in the comments section.
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