Gladiators is back, again. This time on the BBC. And leading the charge in this revival of the leotard parade is none other than the colossal presence of Giant, also known as Jamie Johal.
In all seriousness, he did earn his spot on the show fair and square. Before donning the gladiatorial ‘armour’, Jamie was a professional bodybuilder. Apparently, if you wanna look good in lycra and still be able to chase the kids around the garden with the hose, you have to switch up your training.
“Before I was cast as Giant, I was training every muscle group at least once a week,” Jamie told Loaded. “But Gladiators brought in more functional training, more dynamic and explosive movements. Now, it’s a mixture between strength training and being all-round fit and athletic.”
So, what makes Giant more than just a knob in a leotard? To be fair, his dedication to his ‘craft’ is unwavering. During the intense filming schedule, Jamie still hits the gym to keep himself in peak condition. “During filming, we all train at least four times a week, even though the schedule is pretty intense,” he says. “For this series, we filmed five to six days a week, so a lot of time was spent crushing the contenders and getting our training that way too.”
Giant’s favourite event is ‘The Duel’, where his huge quads give him an edge. “The duel is all about having a solid stance,” he says. “Training my legs to be conditioned is key. I just stand there with the quads tense 24-hours a day. ‘Hang Tough’ is my achilles heel, though. Being 208 pounds, hanging from one arm is not the best thing for me to do.”
Right-ok. Stand there tensing the old tree trunks 24/7 and you’ll be ready to impress the missus with your masculine prowess. No point lying to yourself! Who didn’t watch the original Gladiators and wish they were Hunter?!
“I loved the original Gladiators,” says Jamie. “It’s amazing to be able to do those guys a great service by making this as good as possible. Hunter was fantastic, and I’d describe my character as being similar to his – a nice guy, but very, very good at the events.”
The catch? You have to pack in 1200 calories before you even board the morning commute.
“I’m renowned for my morning breakfast of oats, banana, whey protein powder, and almond butter – totaling about 1200 calories,” says Giant. “During filming, I’d eat bagels with chicken breasts, almond butter, and bananas throughout the day, and a big protein-packed evening meal. And if it was a tough day, I’d throw in a pizza for good measure.”
For those eager to witness the greatest lycra parade on the box, you can catch it or catch up on on BBC One or BBC iPlayer.