How ‘Rings of Power’ Star Ismael Cruz Córdova Trains for Middle-earth Action
ISMAEL CRUZ CÓRDOVA does his own stunts. Well, at least most of them.
To nail all the flips, kicks, falls, and fights he's tasked with as his character Arondir, an Elf soldier with a soft spot for his human charges in Prime Video's Rings of Power, the actor has to stay in stunt-ready shape.
Originally a cardio fanatic, Cruz Córdova says he was skeptical of strength training for a long time. He grew up a swimmer, and dabbled in dance and jogging over the years. You can even catch him in the front row of a spin class from time to time. "But now, I need both to do a mixture of both [cardio and strength] because I need the stamina for the stunts that I'm doing," he says.
Stunting is a dangerous game, so Cruz Córdova prioritizes training movements that emphasize joint health and stability to ensure he can safely execute all his action moves. He focuses a lot of his training around movements he often does in filming, like plyometric pushups to movements that mirror his on-screen exploits, like practice bracing falls. Upon being cast in Rings of Power, he also took up martial arts lessons to be able to perfectly execute his fight scenes.
"I have to make sure that my fitness level is at the top of what I can do, so that I can be supported. I have to do my stunts but I have to make sure that I'm safe so that I can continue production," he says.
Cruz Córdova popped by the Men's Health Fitness Hub recently to show us how he prepares for everything Middle-earth throws at him.
Ismael Cruz Córdova's Middle-earth Ready Workout
Warm Up
Shadow Boxing
5 minutes
Stretching
5 minutes
The Workout
Plyo Pushup
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Dumbbell Squat Jumps
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Alternating Lateral Raise
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Reverse Lunge Jump
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Bent Over Alternating Row
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Kettlebell Woodchopper
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
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