Image Source: Getty / Vivien Killilea
Orlando Bloom shared his upper-body workout routine with his six million Instagram followers on Monday. The actor’s workout routine is impressive — in the videos, he works his biceps, abs, and back with a trainer, and his grimaces are enough to show that the workout is a tough one. His caption further proved how remarkable this workout really is: the Pirates of the Caribbean star reflected on how far he’s come physically, writing, “I broke my back when I was 19 and they said I’d never walk again.”
It’s not the first time Bloom has spoken about the life-changing and near-fatal injury, which took place more than 20 years ago. Last August, he posted a throwback image of himself biking while wearing a back brace, captioning the upload, “That’s me in my back brace circa 1998 about 3months after I fell 3floors and crushed my spine, narrowly escaping death and paralysis…grateful everyday for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live life on my edge (safer now).”
Bloom’s latest post includes three separate video clips. In the first, he completes bicep curls with a weighted EZ curl bar, and his form is solid: the father of two brought the bar above his chest and back down to his hips, focusing on his breathing and keeping his upper arms anchored while curling the weight up to his shoulder level.
In the second clip, Bloom, who’s engaged to longtime partner Katy Perry, takes to the floor to strengthen his core with an ab wheel, which works the abdomen, back, and arms at the same time. The workout is great for overall stability, and as evidenced by the intense focus on Bloom’s face, while it looks doable, it’s anything but easy.
The third clip in the carousel showed Bloom demonstrating how to use a lat pulldown machine to strengthen and tone his back muscles, showing off a scar he sustained from his injury at the same time. As he finishes up his reps, you can hear a second voice — possibly his personal trainer — urging him on. Commenters did, too: Chelsea Handler commented to say, “Oh, well, excuse us! Somebody is walking.”
Resilience is a skill we can all benefit from. After all, it’s why we often turn to quotes like “if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again” and “fall seven times, stand up eight.” For Bloom, these are more than trite sayings — he lives it, as evidenced by his strenuous gym regimen.
Check out Bloom’s moves above.