Rocky IV-Inspired Gym Workout Brings the Film’s Training Moves Indoors

Artem Puzin has translated the wintry training scenes of Rocky IV into a gym routine, trading snow and improvised outdoor equipment for familiar strength and conditioning exercises. Sylvester Stallone liked Puzin’s Instagram Reel featuring the workout, giving the boxer and content creator a personal nod from the actor who played Rocky Balboa.

The routine is inspired by a film montage, not a clinical training program. Its eight exercises mix upper and lower body strength work, core movements, coordination drills, and cardio. The listed volume is substantial, so readers considering the session can treat it as an example of how film inspired training might be adapted, rather than a standard that everyone needs to match.

From film scenes to gym exercises

Puzin, who calls himself “Puzin the Motivator,” makes combat focused workouts and draws inspiration from athletes including UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and Greco Roman wrestler Alexandr Karelin. After Stallone liked the Reel, Puzin described the response as a sign to do more than copy the workout and post it online. He said he felt that hard work and discipline had been seen by legends.

The gym version keeps the montage’s broad mix of movements while changing how some scenes are performed. Pullups recall Rocky’s variations on the bar. Lunges and overhead presses bring strength exercises into the session, while jump rope and slip rope drills add movement and cardio. A cable station provides a gym based way to perform a pulling motion inspired by Rocky hauling a bag of rocks.

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The routine’s listed sets and reps

• Pullups: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Barbell walking lunges: 4 sets of 20 reps
• Jump rope: 3 sets of 3 minutes
• Rope rotations into triceps extension: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Incline straight leg hip raise: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Slip rope: 3 sets of 3 minutes
• Barbell twist: 4 sets of 30 reps
• Overhead press: 4 sets of 10 reps

What the exercise mix involves

The session opens with pullups, then moves to weighted walking lunges. Pullups challenge the upper body; lunges involve the legs and hips. The source describes the film’s pullup variations as preparation for Rocky’s neck and shoulders to withstand blows, but the gym exercise itself doesn’t establish that it prevents injury or prepares someone for boxing. Training effects depend on factors such as technique, load, experience, and the rest of a person’s program.

Jump rope provides a short, timed cardio interval before the cable movement. Puzin’s rope rotation into a triceps extension combines a turning motion with an arm extension. It echoes the film’s rock hauling scene, but using a cable is a practical gym interpretation rather than a direct recreation. The exercise calls for control through the movement; the video format doesn’t show how it might need to be adjusted for different abilities or equipment.

An incline straight leg hip raise follows, then three minutes of slip rope work per round. The hip raise is described as challenging the abs, obliques, inner thighs, and legs. Slip rope drills ask the person to move their head and body as if avoiding punches. The final barbell twists and overhead presses bring the workout back to trunk and upper body strength.

A demanding template, not a universal prescription

The prescribed sets and reps add up to a long, varied session, especially for someone who is new to these movements or hasn’t trained recently. Puzin’s routine is built around a boxing inspired montage and includes both strength work and timed drills. The source doesn’t provide study results, comparisons, or evidence that this exact sequence improves fitness more than other routines. Stallone’s reaction is an entertaining endorsement of the Reel, not a measure of the workout’s safety or effectiveness.

As with any training plan, ability and experience matter. A person adapting the routine may want to consider the movements, total workload, and available equipment in light of their own circumstances. Anyone managing an injury, health condition, or uncertainty about a particular exercise can discuss suitable options with a qualified health professional. The practical appeal is the translation: a memorable movie sequence becomes a set of recognizable gym drills, while the actual workload remains something to tailor rather than imitate automatically.

To follow Artem Puzin on Instagram, visit his profile.