Fitness
Jonathan Daviss Trains With Big Weights to Get ‘Outer Banks’ Ripped
JONATHAN DAVISS IS not the type of guy to go light. When he showed up to the MH Fitness Hub to show off his workout, he didn’t need to stack weight plates on the bar to recreate a working set of back squats. But the 24-year-old star of Netflix’s hit Outer Banks series—who introduced himself simply as JD on camera—didn’t even think about slacking, even though he was only demonstrating his routine. He threw 315 pounds on the barbell, stepped up to the rack, and repped out his set.
That willingness to load up the weight might just be because he has a different mindset than the norm. “I’m one of the weird ones,” Daviss said. “I actually prefer doing legs over arms.” He called out squats, hang cleans, power cleans, or deadlifts as his favorite exercise, depending on the day—all major movements that will build up leg strength and power—mostly because he knows he can use heavy weights for those movements.
Daviss has built a workout with trainer Rhys Athayde that allows him to push big weights while also prepping him for his Outer Banks role as Pope Heyward—who, as the pair joked, has his shirt off for a lot of the series. The combination of heavyweight lifts, jumps, and dedicated core work help him to look the part. It also helps that the actor has an athletic background: He played two years of varsity football in Texas, and he credits his training knowledge on that experience.
Check out Daviss’s workout, which challenges the actor to harness his power and strength to build up his body for Outer Banks.
Jonathan Daviss’s Outer Banks-Ready Workout
Warmup
Resistance Band Stretch and Floor Work
The Workout
Barbell Bench Press
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Single, Double Leg Box Jump
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps each
Barbell Back Squat
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Cable Kickbacks
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per arm
Core Superset
Farmers Carry
5 sets of 20 yards
Hanging Knee Raise
30 second hold, then reps to failure
Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.
It is possible to counteract age-related mobility decline. Fact. While research shows that hip mobility reduces by 6-7% per decade after the age of 55, other studies show that long-term stretching and mobility after the age of 60 can produce meaningful improvements – and mobility and stretching coach @stretchy.bendy says there’s one exercise everyone needs: lateral lunges with hip rotations.
‘Want to move like you’re 25 when you’re 65? You need this move,’ she says. ‘When you think about your everyday movement, we’re basically moving forwards and backwards. But our hips are made to rotate in and out. When we stop rotating our hips, we get an achy lower back, cranky knees and of course, stiff hips. This move will bring rotation back.’
Here’s exactly how to do it.
Instructions
- Stand wide, feet pointing forward, then send your hips back and bend into your right knee.
- Check your knee alignment – make sure it’s above your ankle, pointing in the same direction as your toes. You don’t want it to fall in.
- While your hips are sinking back, hips squared, take the straight leg and simply go up onto your heel and rotate, so your toes are pointing up, then rotate to tap your toes down.
- Continue for 4-6 reps, then repeat on the opposite side.
‘Add this to your daily routine and I promise you’ll feel amazing, age well and move well forever,’ @stretchy.bendy says. And don’t just take her word for it – her followers concur it works. One wrote: ‘I was 83 but after I tried this, I’m 63 again.’
As for how long it’ll take for you to feel a significant difference in your hip mobility, one study on home-based exercise programmes that included daily hip rotation work showed noticeable improvements in hip range of motion (how far your hip joint can move, in all directions: flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and rotation) after six weeks. Squatting down to pick something up or getting into a chair should feel easier, as should crossing your legs and getting in and out of a car. Any lower back pain should also reduce.
If you do feel any pain, @stretchy.bendy recommends ‘keeping your stance narrower, reducing the depth of the lunge, and skipping the rotation (toe lift)’. ‘Always listen to your body and stay in the ranges that feel strong and supported,’ she adds. ‘And if your physio or medical professional has given you specific guidelines, follow those.’
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!. Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red.Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, where we showcase the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise. She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how.Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.
Through the upper-level course Exercise Testing and Prescription, Elon students will work one-on-one with volunteer participants from the university community.
Share:
Members of the Elon community have the opportunity in Spring 2026 to receive individualized fitness programming through a partnership with students in the Department of Exercise Science.
Through the upper-level course Exercise Testing and Prescription, students will work one-on-one with volunteer participants from the Elon community. Students will conduct fitness assessments, learn about participants’ health histories and goals, and design customized exercise programs. Throughout the semester, students will meet individually with participants at times that are mutually convenient to help guide progress and make adjustments as needed.
National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, along with two sessions of resistance training. While these recommendations provide a general framework, they often leave individuals wondering how to tailor exercise to their own lifestyles, schedules and health goals.
“The exercise necessary to improve fitness takes time from other things, and exactly what to do to get the benefits you want can be hard to figure out,” said Liz Bailey, assistant teaching professor of exercise science. “The best exercise program for most individuals is one that is designed to meet individual goals and takes into consideration individual likes/dislikes, time and access.”
Research consistently demonstrates the benefits of improved cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness. Higher fitness levels are associated with a reduced risk of premature death and improved symptoms of mild depression. At the same time, prolonged sedentary behavior — such as sitting more than seven hours per day — has been linked to increased risk of conditions including diabetes and dyslipidemia.
“We want to empower participating individuals so they can access some of the many benefits increased fitness can bring,” said Liz Bailey, assistant teaching professor of exercise science. “The opportunity to work with an individual is also a valuable learning experience for the students and me, so participants have the potential to make a lasting impact on us as well.”
Community members interested in participating or learning more are encouraged to contact Liz Bailey, assistant teaching professor of exercise science, at ebailey@elon.edu.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – In this week’s edition of Your Fitness, Gainesville Health and Fitness trainer Adam Brandel shows you some different chest workouts you can do and different variations of the push-up.
For more information on these workouts and more, you can go a to the Gainesville Health and Fitness website HERE
RELATED: Your Fitness: Learn about group HIIT classes with Gainesville Health & Fitness
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2026 WCJB. All rights reserved.
Biosecurity
What we know about the Rhode Island hockey game shooter
Where AP voters ranked South Carolina women’s basketball after another top 10 victory
From Smithfield to Sanford, what we know about the ‘monumental’ change
Tennessee Republicans push bills targeting LGBTQ+ community
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
‘ShamWow Guy’ reveals what is motivating him to run for Congress: ‘This woke mess won’t clean itself’
Mapping forced displacements and settler attacks by Israel in the West Bank
Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon, dies at 84
Video: At Least 2 Killed During High School Hockey Game in Rhode Island
Tom Emmer blasts Democrats’ double standard on SAVE Act: ‘They require photo IDs’ at their own DNC
-
Alabama1 week agoGeneva’s Kiera Howell, 16, auditions for ‘American Idol’ season 24
-
Illinois1 week ago2026 IHSA Illinois Wrestling State Finals Schedule And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on Passionate Lines From Popular Literature
-
Science1 week agoTorrance residents call for the ban of ‘flesh-eating’ chemical used at refinery
-
Politics1 week agoWest Virginia worked with ICE — 650 arrests later, officials say Minnesota-style ‘chaos’ is a choice
-
Science1 week agoTrumpRx is launched: How it works and what Democrats say about it
-
Fitness1 week ago13 best fitness watches for 2026, tried and tested
-
Health6 days agoJames Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death