Ludi Lin Shares How He Trained to Throw Fireballs for 'Mortal Kombat'
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Typically, the celebrity fitness plans we highlight for our 'Train Like' series are focused on some type of real-world performance. Whether the subject is an athlete working to excel in their sport or an actor trying to embody a rough-and-tumble role for an action film filled with wire-assisted stunts and special effects, the programs are inevitably tailored to some kind of practical movement.
When the subject is portraying an iconic video game warrior with mythical powers, however, that requires a different type of workout less rooted in reality—but still practical enough that the plan can be effective. So when actor and martial artist Ludi Lin shared his physical prep for the new Mortal Kombat movie with the MH crew, we were in for a different type of approach. Lin plays Liu Kang, the fire-tossing Earthrealm champion who is a major character in the Mortal Kombat universe.
Rather than detailing an extensive martial arts regimen like his costars Joe Taslim or Lewis Tan, Lin instead limited to the focus to one essential move: the Dragon Fire attack. The character has the ability to toss fire at his opponents—a maneuver the actor would need to portray convincingly before the FX crew brought the flames with movie magic.
"In order to do the fireball—the Dragon Fire—I need to work on my stability, my concentration, my power, and my projection," he says. Lin and trainer Owen Chau broke down exercises that the actor used to hone his body for movement in each of those areas of focus.
The disparate parts of the training come together in the end to help Lin move in a disciplined, controlled matter that makes you believe that sparks are about to fly, even without the special effects. You might not be planning to toss fireballs anytime soon, but there's still plenty to learn here to implement in your own training.
Ludi Lin's Liu Kang Dragon Fire Training
Stability Training
Turkish Getups
5 sets of 3 reps per side
Concentration Training
Breathing Drills
3 rounds of 1 minute
Power Training
Pushup
3 sets of 20 reps
Projection Training
Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
10 sets of 10 reps
Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.
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