There’s nothing secret about Sterling K Brown’s physique. The Paradise actor, who portrays a special service agent in the Disney+ series, has clear athleticism – the result of a plan built around daily exercise, a rich, varied diet and meditating for at least 20 minutes a day.
For Brown, longevity is the most important aspect of his life – and a key reason why he trains. But his approach to fitness isn’t always conventional. Here’s how he stays in shape to achieve his goals.
Why Sterling Brown Dropped the Weights
Despite his muscular physique, Brown has shied away from heavy weightlifting over the past couple of decades. His drama teachers at grad school in New York advised him against bulking up further, claiming more muscle would detract from his performances. ‘My teachers told me to stop lifting weights,’ Brown told MH. ‘I was like, “What are you talking about?” And they were like, “It’s gonna be hard for things to pass through you with all this musculature. So for emotion, for feelings to flow through, you have to be a vessel, a sieve, rather than something that is heavily armoured”.’
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Taking their advice on board, Brown shifted his focus towards more cardio and less lifting, while still maintaining strength through yoga and calisthenics. In recent years, the 49-year-old’s training has become even more varied.
‘My whole thing is about muscle confusion, trying to do different things all the time,’ he explained to Parade. ‘I go to rock climbing gyms. I will run. I have a son who plays soccer and plays flag football, so I’ll just get out and play with him. I have a bike. I’ve done one triathlon and hopefully in the future I’ll get a chance to do a few more. I have a swimming pool, so I will swim in the backyard. And basketball. I do as many things as possible because that keeps it fun.’
Quick Workouts When Short on Time
With a busy schedule, Brown isn’t always able to train exactly how he’d like. That’s why he’s developed a short bodyweight circuit that challenges his conditioning and can be done anywhere.
‘I have a pyramid workout that I’ll do when I have limited amount of time,’ he told Parade. ‘It consists of 50 jumping jacks, 40 squats, 30 push-ups, 20 butt-ups, and 10 burpees. And then if you have a pull-up bar handy, you’ll do 10 pull-ups. And you’ll cycle through that thing three times. And at the end of it, you want to question whether or not life is worth living. But it is because you just did a bad ass workout. You get to live to see another day. And usually takes less than a half hour.’
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Even when filming, Brown finds ways to stay active on set. ‘Sometimes I just drop down and do 50 push-ups or 50 jumping jacks. Or I’ll find a bar somewhere randomly on set and I’ll just do like 10 pull-ups or something like that. Because the day is so long – it can be 12 hours – and you can’t spend that time just sedentary. You’ve got to move to get the blood pumping and flowing.’
Wanting to Live to 100
All that movement has a purpose. Brown has a clear goal of living to 100 – and staying fit and active when he gets there. It’s a mindset that was sparked during his first triathlon in his 30s, when a man in his 80s finished just 15 minutes behind him.
‘It’s easier to maintain a level of fitness than it is to lose it and try to get it back,’ he said. ‘You want to do enough that you feel like you’ve done something, but not so much that you don’t wanna do it again tomorrow. So it’s not about trying to kill yourself. It’s about trying to give yourself the inspiration to continue.’
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He continued: ‘I just don’t want to give in to the statistical analysis that says that is my fate. So I try to do things as proactively as possible to ensure that I’m around to see my children’s children and be of value to them when they come into the world. There’s so much to live for, and I don’t want to sell myself short by thinking I don’t have a right to longevity and vitality any more or less than anyone else.’
Peptides, Stem Cells and Injections
Brown is doing everything he can to support his longevity goals – something highlighted by a recent injury. After joining a pick-up game of basketball with his son’s teenage friends in 2025, he tore his Achilles tendon making a sharp change of direction. But rather than relying solely on rehab, the actor also turned to injectable therapies to support his recovery.
‘I take peptides,’ he told MH. ‘I’ve done PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections a few times. I’ve done stem cells. If it’s going to help, hit me up. I am blessed to be in a place where I was like, “Oh, I can do it, so let me do it.” I think the peptides have been very, very helpful. I think the PRP has been very, very helpful too. I’m not necessarily sure which one is doing what between PRP, between stem cells and the Wolverine BPC 157, but I do know that I feel stronger.’
And despite having suffered two ACL injuries before, Brown is determined to return to full fitness. ‘For me, the body is a use-it-or-lose-it machine. If you cut things out simply because injury is a possibility, then you’re cutting yourself off from a world of experience and potential benefits,’ he said. ‘Trying to find ways to move and continue to move – that’s the most critical part.’
This article by Ryan Dabbs was originally published on Men’s Health UK
