TO BECOME TERRY Richmond for Netflix’s Rebel Ridge, Aaron Pierre had to train—a lot.
Pierre’s character is an ex-Marine, and the victim of unjust civil forfeiture of funds he was planning to use to bail out his cousin from jail. When he decides to set matters right, the conflict results in a slew of action sequences as Richmond works to expose small town corruption. For Pierre to prep for the physically-challenging role, that meant hitting the weights, wrestling mats, and boxing bags to feel as authentic as possible.
This high-level effort wasn’t totally new to him, though. Pierre has practiced in martial extensively (in boxing and jiu jistu), and often pairs it with strength training and calisthenics even when he’s not training for a role.
“It is the most humbling thing in the world,” he told the MH crew of his martial arts training. He’s always learning something new from his physical practices. “I love being a student. I love being a sponge and absorbing, and just putting myself in situations where I have to evolve, I have to grow.”
Pierre holds a similar mentality when it comes to his strength training workouts. He wants to continue developing his body, and plans to train to continue to out-do his best efforts even as he gets older. “I’m focused on evolution and growing and definitely longevity,” he says. “That’s really how I try to train—in ways that contribute to my shelf date.”
We caught up with Pierre at the Dogpound in New York City to check out his back day session—one of the workouts he used to prep for Rebel Ridge.
Aaron Pierre’s Rebel Ridge Back Day
Pullups
5 sets of 10 reps
Lat Pulldowns
8 to 10 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rows
8 to 10 sets of 10 reps
Alternating Dumbbell Biceps Curls
8 to 10 sets of 10 reps each side
Weighted Pullups
5 sets of 10 reps
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