Does an exercise regimen that requires you to eat like a beast and then take a long nap sound appealing? If so, pay attention as sumo master turned actor Taylor Wily spills the art’s deepest secrets.
Eat and Sleep
“Sumo wrestlers don’t eat breakfast. You train till you’re starving, then have a lunch that’s so big you feel like you can’t eat for days. We eat chankonabe, a stew of chicken or fish with vegetables and rice. It’s healthy, but we eat three huge bowls of it, then sleep all afternoon. That’s how we gain weight.” (Aim for 5,000–10,000 calories a day.)
Stomp
“The workout starts and ends with shiko: the stomping of the feet. It’s a two-legged stance, a little wider than your shoulders. Squat so your butt is below your knees, then lean and lift each leg straight up, sideways, alternating. We do it to the point of exhaustion. And if your master’s in a bad mood, you’ll do 1,000 in a day.”
Split
“Between the leg stomping, we stretch. Flexibility is everything in sumo. We stretch our bodies till we all can do the splits. We also do squats with a guy sitting on our backs as well as duck walking: You get into a squatting position and walk around like that. It’s also done to exhaustion. We do this every day, even on Christmas!”
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How to Work Out Like a Sumo Wrestler
Hawaii Five-O star and former sumo champ Taylor Wily shows you how to exercise like the really big boys.