Mehcad Brooks Just Proved There's Nothing CGI About His 'Mortal Kombat' Gains

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Actor Mehcad Brooks went all in for his Mortal Kombat workouts—and clearly, he hasn't been slacking off since the movie premiered on HBO Max last week. Yesterday Brooks, who plays Jax Briggs in the latest film adaptation of the classic video game, posted two shirtless photos to Instagram displaying his shredded physique. No special effects there.

In a caption to the post, Brooks tagged his personal trainer Andrew Schuth, as well as the Nino Pilla International Academy of Martial Arts where he did some of his training for the movie. Brooks' character, Jax, is known for his impressively swole upper body, and it's fair to say the actor achieved the gains necessary to convincingly play the cybernetically-enhanced super-soldier. (His intense commitment to the role, of course, also factored into the film's famously gruesome fight scenes.)

Recently, Brooks spoke to Men's Health Australia about his rigorous diet and fitness regimen, which reportedly involved consuming about 12,000 calories a day. His intense workouts included—among other things—boxing with 25-pound weights while running at full speed on a treadmill. The actor even had to break away from his vegan diet to meet his high protein goals, and says he wound up with a "caveman body."

Brooks isn't the only Mortal Kombat star to undergo a dramatic physical transformation for the movie, either. Co-star Joe Taslim spoke with Men's Health about his own martial arts-centric workout routine, which prioritized speed and agility over building muscle. Actor Ludi Lin, who portrayed the character Liu Kang, also broke down his diet plan in our Eat Like video franchise, including how snacking on whole vegetables helped him maintain his eight-pack.

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