With Hollywood searching for the next Bond, Daniel Craig’s lean, powerful physique remains the benchmark. Here’s how he built it – and how you can too
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Whoever is handed the keys to the Aston Martin next will inherit more than one of cinema’s most famous roles. They’ll inherit a physical standard that didn’t really exist before Daniel Craig.
With speculation growing over who will become the next James Bond, every rumoured contender faces the same inevitable question: can they convincingly become Bond? Not just in the way they deliver a one-liner or wear a tuxedo, but in the way they carry themselves physically.
It wasn’t always like this.
For decades, Bond was defined by sophistication rather than strength. Sean Connery possessed effortless charisma (he was also a former bodybuilder in his youth), Roger Moore charm and wit, while Pierce Brosnan combined elegance with enough athleticism to handle the occasional fight scene. They looked believable as spies, but none fundamentally altered the public’s idea of what James Bond should look like.
Then, in 2006, Casino Royale arrived.
When Craig emerged from the Caribbean Sea in those now-famous blue swimming trunks, it became one of the defining movie moments of the century. The scene lasted only a few seconds, but its impact was enormous. Bond no longer looked like a gentleman who happened to get into fights. He looked like a man who could survive one.
His broad shoulders, dense muscle and lean, athletic frame transformed the character overnight. Almost immediately, men everywhere wanted to know how he’d done it.
Even today, nearly 20 years later, variations of “Daniel Craig workout”, “James Bond physique” and “Casino Royale body” remain among the most searched-for celebrity fitness transformations online.
Craig didn’t just redefine Bond. He redefined what an action hero could look like.
Building a body that looked dangerous
One of the reasons Craig’s transformation has stood the test of time is that it never looked exaggerated.
He wasn’t the biggest actor in Hollywood, nor was he chasing the paper-thin, ultra-shredded aesthetic that has become common in superhero films. Instead, his physique projected something much more believable: genuine strength.
Craig himself has spoken candidly over the years about the realities of preparing for Bond. Staying in shape wasn’t glamorous. It meant months of disciplined training, careful nutrition and relentless consistency. During filming, maintaining the physique became almost a full-time job.
That honesty makes the transformation all the more impressive.
Everything about Craig’s body served the story. His thick shoulders suggested years of physical work. His powerful legs looked capable of sprinting across rooftops or climbing cranes. Even standing still, he carried the kind of presence that made you believe he could take on multiple opponents without hesitation.
That was exactly what the filmmakers wanted.
The Bond of Casino Royale wasn’t relying solely on gadgets or charm. This was a Bond audiences believed could fight his way out of trouble.
Training like a secret agent
Much of that transformation was overseen by renowned performance coach Simon Waterson, a former Royal Navy physical training instructor who has since become one of Hollywood’s go-to trainers for physically demanding roles.
Waterson’s philosophy is refreshingly straightforward. Actors shouldn’t train like bodybuilders. They should train like athletes.
Rather than isolating muscles with endless machine work, Craig’s sessions reportedly revolved around compound lifts, bodyweight exercises, kettlebells and high-intensity circuits. Workouts flowed from one exercise to the next with minimal rest, keeping his heart rate elevated while developing functional strength and muscular endurance.
It wasn’t unusual for sessions to combine heavy lifts with rowing intervals, boxing drills, burpees and suspension training. Every workout was designed to prepare Craig for the demands of filming rather than simply improving how he looked without a shirt.
Waterson has often said his goal is to create bodies that perform first and impress second. Craig became perhaps the perfect example of that philosophy.
Why Bond’s training was ahead of Its time
Looking back, it’s remarkable how modern Craig’s training now seems.
Long before terms like “hybrid athlete” and “functional fitness” dominated social media, Bond was already training that way.
Instead of dividing the week into traditional bodybuilding splits, Craig’s programme combined strength, conditioning, mobility and recovery into a complete performance plan.
Strength came from movements such as squats, deadlifts, presses and pull-ups.
Conditioning was developed through rowing, boxing, sprint intervals and metabolic circuits that mirrored the physical demands of action scenes.
Mobility work helped him move efficiently while reducing injury risk throughout long shooting schedules.
Today, this balanced approach has become one of the biggest trends in men’s fitness, proving that Craig’s Bond wasn’t just ahead of his time on screen – his training was ahead of its time too.
Fuel for Performance
Training was only half the equation.
Craig’s nutritional approach was built around supporting performance rather than chasing short-term aesthetics.
Lean protein formed the foundation of most meals, helping preserve muscle through demanding training blocks. Complex carbohydrates provided the fuel needed for long filming days and intense workouts, while vegetables, fruit and healthy fats supported recovery.
Processed foods and alcohol were reduced significantly during filming, but there was nothing extreme about the plan.
No miracle detoxes. No celebrity crash diets. Just sensible, disciplined eating repeated consistently over many months.
It’s a useful reminder that the physiques we admire are rarely built by spectacular moments of effort. They’re built by ordinary habits repeated long enough to become extraordinary.
The Men’s Fitness Bond workout
If you want to build a physique inspired by Daniel Craig’s Bond, don’t think like a bodybuilder.
Think like someone preparing for the toughest job interview of their life.
The aim isn’t maximum muscle mass.
It’s lean strength, explosive fitness and the ability to perform when you’re tired.
A1. Trap-Bar Deadlift
4 sets × 6 reps
A2. Pull-Ups
4 sets × Max reps
Rest 90 seconds.
B1. Dumbbell Bench Press
3 sets × 10 reps
B2. Walking Lunges
3 sets × 12 reps each leg
Rest 60 seconds.
C1. Kettlebell Swings
3 sets × 20 reps
C2. Farmer’s Carries
3 × 40 metres
Rest 60 seconds.
Bond Conditioning Finisher
Complete five rounds:
- 250m row
- 10 burpees
- 10 push-ups
- 30-second plank
Rest 90 seconds between rounds.
Focus on maintaining movement quality throughout. Bond never looks exhausted—he simply keeps moving.
Why Daniel Craig’s Bond body still sets the standard
As Hollywood prepares to introduce a new James Bond, there will inevitably be endless debate about who has the acting credentials, who has the charm and who can carry one of cinema’s most iconic franchises.
But there will be another conversation too. Who looks like Bond? That’s a question Daniel Craig fundamentally changed.
His version of 007 wasn’t defined by impossible muscle mass or an unsustainable level of body fat. Instead, he embodied something far more aspirational: a body built for action. Strong enough to fight, fast enough to chase, fit enough to keep going.
In many ways, that philosophy feels even more relevant in 2026 than it did when Casino Royale was released. As more men move away from chasing extreme physiques and towards training for longevity, performance and real-world capability, Craig’s Bond has become the blueprint for a different kind of fitness.
You may never need to leap from cranes or survive a high-speed chase through Madagascar.
But you can train with the same principles that made Daniel Craig’s Bond so convincing.
Build strength. Prioritise conditioning. Recover properly. Stay consistent.
Because that’s the real secret behind one of cinema’s greatest transformations – and whoever becomes the next James Bond will have one very high standard to live up to.
