MIKE TYSON looks in phenomenal shape ahead of his return to boxing at the age of 54.
The American former heavyweight world champion has dusted off the gloves to take on another boxing legend, Roy Jones Jr, on November 28.
Tyson recently revealed he is at his lightest, leanest and meanest since he was 18 years old, demonstrating terrifying speed and power.
Most would think professional boxers could only get so shredded with seas of weights and gym machinery.
But in fact, at least in his early career, Tyson achieved his chiselled physique using only his bodyweight for resistance.
Rather than pumping iron with thousands of bicep curls and hours of chest pressing, Tyson used just his own natural weight, with very little importance placed on equipment.
This type of exercise – targeting large muscle groups with little machinery – is often called ‘calisthenics’.
In fact, it all sounds too good to be true… until you see just how much the Baddest Man on the Planet did.
Tyson would perform 200 decline sit-ups – where the bench is lowered at an angle to force the body to work harder – 50 bench dips, 50 press-ups and 50 shrugs, according to T3.
That sounds tough enough by itself… but Tyson would perform this workout TEN times per day, six days a week.
Per week, Tyson would therefore rack up 12,000 decline sit-ups, 3,000 bench dips, 3,000 press-ups and 3,000 shrugs.
The only activity there that even requires a weight of any kind are the shrugs – for which Tyson would hold dumbbells, purely for added resistance.
Of course, now Tyson adds a little more to his regime – ensuring he gets plenty of repetitions in on the punch-bag and on the pads, as well as some sparring.
Even then, it’s more about building up muscle stamina rather than brute strength.
Tyson recently confirmed the importance he places on cardio – rather than simply sticking to resistance and weights exercises.
The American claimed: “Cardio has to start, you have to have your endurance to go and do the process of training.
“So something to do is get in cardio, I would try and get two hours of cardio a day, make sure you get that stuff in.”
And, of course, diet is key – with Tyson having to scoff down 3,000 to 4,000 calories per day of what he calls ‘slave food’.
Lean proteins such as chicken and a decent cut of steak, combined with wholegrains such as brown rice are key.
Tyson continued: “You’ve got to make sure you’re eating the right food.
“For me it’s almost like slave food. Doing what you hate to do but doing it like it’s nothing. Getting up when you don’t want to get up.
“That’s what it is. It’s becoming a slave to life.
“Being a slave to life means being the best person you can be, being the best you can possibly be.
“And when you are at the best you can possibly be is when you no longer exist and nobody talks about you. That’s when you’re at your best.”
On top of all that, Tyson revealed he is using stem cell treatment to improve his physical condition.
Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition that usually takes the form of a bone marrow transplantation.
When asked whether that meant his white blood had been spun and put back in, he replied: “Yes.
“As they took the blood it was red and when it came back it was almost transfluid (sic).
“I could almost see through the blood, and then they injected it in me.
“And I’ve been weird ever since, I’ve got to get balanced now.”
With just three weeks to go until his fight with Jones, Tyson will be pushing himself even harder, if that’s even possible, to be ready for action.
