How Taylor Kitsch Got His Sexy, Muscular Body

USMagazine, Monday, March 12, 2012, 2:56pm (PDT)

It takes a lot of work to get a buff body like Taylor Kitsch.

The former Abercrombie & Fitch model, who headlines the big-budget movie John Carter, stays in shape by working out at TSB-44, a private boxing gym in L.A.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's buff boys

"[Boxing] will keep you honest," Kitsch, 30, tells the April issue of Men's Health. "It's about pushing yourself and attempting to exceed those limits, and pushing the guy beside you."

David Paul, who runs the gym, oversees Kitsch's workout, which includes a series of abdominal sets with punches and stretches, bag drills and 27 rounds of "run and shoots" -- sprints alternating with jabs and uppercuts.

"You knock out both cardio and weights, really, in an hour and a half," Kitsch explains of the tough-as-nails exercise. "But you're drenched 99 percent of the time."

Kitsch, who often trains with his assistant, Trey, began boxing when he was first cast on Friday Night Lights; he prefers it to simply running and lifting weights.

VIDEO: How to avoid winter weight gain

"People hate cardio," Kitsch tells Men's Health. "I hate cardio. But pick the five top songs that you love. Do your cardio during these songs, and you're done. I'd say 95 percent of the time you don't even know you just did it."

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly