Jacob Batalon is following in Spider-Man’s footsteps and working on his fitness.
The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star detailed in a new interview how he lost 112 pounds since the end of 2019, when he first decided to embark on a fitness journey after realizing how unhealthily he had been living.
“Even when I wasn’t doing anything physical, I found myself getting sleepy at work and it was because of all the fat food I was eating,” Batalon, 25, told Men’s Health.
“I felt like I could barely walk upstairs without being out of breath, and this one day I kind of just saw myself without a shirt on and it was just ridiculous,” he continued. “I could not believe I let myself get this far. That’s what sort of started it all.”
Batalon, who plays Peter Parker (Tom Holland)’s sidekick Ned Leeds in the superhero franchise, began 2020 by hiring a personal trainer who put him through grueling 90-minute workouts — an hour of strength and half-hour of cardio — six days per week. He also shared that his girlfriend inspired him to switch to a plant-based diet.
“I found a lot of light in the dark in the sense that a lot of people were suffering,” he added. “And I was fortunate and lucky enough to have found my health and all those things.”
The “Night School” actor also said exercising with equipment such as a medicine ball helps his mental health.
“It just feels more dynamic than lifting a few weights,” he shared, adding, “It also helps release a lot of anger.”
But when it comes to rounding out his derriere, Batalon is all about the burpee.
“I really enjoy getting big quads. I focus on getting a nice-shaped butt. Burpees are something I was introduced to in high school, but I never liked doing them,” he explained. “When I worked out with my trainer, that’s something that we would do constantly. It’s his way of torturing me, but in a good way.”