Theo James is back for season two of The Gentlemen, and it’s a return to form for the 41-year-old actor: going toe-to-toe with a colorful cast of international crooks while wearing great suits and delivering snappy one-liners. Both charming and boasting an undercurrent of menace, James’ performance in the show makes it easy to see why he regularly crops up as a bookie’s favorite to become the next James Bond (though he reckons that ship’s sailed).

The key to James’s physique is a 15-year commitment to boxing—and his coach Shahzad Ali. A mixed martial artist turned sometime actor (he has appeared in Guy Ritchie’s sister series, Mobland), Ali began working with James in 2011. “I think he just fancied giving boxing a go,” says Ali. “It’s intense, but you get into a flow state that is useful in acting.”

With middle age and fatherhood acting as new opponents, Theo James prioritizes fitness now more than ever. While Ali keeps the hooks and jabs in check, he also works with strength coach and Third Space PT Ethan Chen.

Come out swinging

According to Ali, James is a quick student in the ring. A decade and a half after they began working together, they’re now giving it all in their sparring sessions, with neither man pulling his punches. Not that you’d hear James bragging about any knock-outs. “He’s very modest, and he never speaks about his boxing skills,” says Ali.

These days, film commitments mean the pair might only train a few times a month, but Ali says James never loses a step, even when it’s been a while. “He’s really built up this resilience over time. Now, he’s at a stage where he defends his ground and when he moves, I’m struggling to catch him.”

There’s a reason so many actors (Marlon Brando, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro) throw themselves into boxing. The ancient art of pugilism requires focus above all else. Let your mind wander and you’re likely to end up with a bloody nose. Acting isn’t quite as brutal, but the intense focus is an obviously transferable skill. “There are a lot of parallels,” Ali agrees. “You need to be well prepared. You need to work on your fundamentals, and to perform well, you need to be calm.”

It’s this zen-like state that can help James find quiet in the storm. “During pad work I’ll tell him, ‘Look how controlled and calm you are on set. Bring that to the ring with you. Listen to what’s going on and react to that, instead of trying to pre-empt it,’” says Ali.

Dealing with an old injury properly

Not only is James busy with meetings, roles, life, and family, he also finds time to fit in weekly weights sessions with Chen alongside the occasional bout in the ring. “Theo’s very grounded,” says Chen. “He’s always focused. Whatever I tell him to do in the gym, he does it. But sometimes I have to slow him down and get him to relax, because he wants to excel all the time. He’s non-stop, and I find it quite inspirational.”

Chen started working with James a few years ago as he was prepping for the action movie Fuze. The brief at the time was slightly less ‘action star’ and more ‘beat up dad.’ “He was dealing with a torn pec, and a damaged back, I think from jiu-jitsu training,” explains Chen, who is an ex-rugby player for the Philippine national team.

The injuries were so debilitating that James was unable to perform as he’d like in the gym, so he had lost some strength and mass. Chen stepped in, creating a program of isolation and unilateral work designed to strengthen James’ weaker right side, and get the nerves firing once more. “Some of it was getting him used to knowing how to use those chest muscles again,” says Chen.

Before working with Chen, James had taken a ‘more is more’ approach that didn’t exactly serve his injuries well. “He would just keep going, trying to lift heavier, which made everything worse,” says Chen. “We stopped that.”

Staying strong well into his forties

With James back in action, thoughts turned to the second season of The Gentleman. James’ role, as the new head of an upper crust British family padding the coffers with the proceeds of an illegal weed business, is more nuanced than an out-and-out action part. But it does require him to move well, with the air of a capable (if posh) bloke.

“There was no brief to make him look a certain way, but among PTs we can always tell whether an actor loves working out, or if they’re just in the gym because they have to be,” says Chen. “Theo is the former. He loves training. He loves lifting weights. He loves feeling strong.”

Training was four sessions per week, organized along an upper/lower body split. And because there was no overarching goal, James was free to indulge his passion projects. “He wanted to improve his pull-ups after being injured and we’ve got him to where he’s doing sets wearing a 20kg weighted vest,” says Chen.

Improving his deadlift is the current project. “He’s really strong, but he wanted to prioritize his deadlift to where he could lift 200 kilos,” says Chen. Again, there’s no Hollywood studio mandating these goals. Nor is Chen guiding the way. It’s all coming from James as someone who loves playing around in the gym.

Like the rest of us, James is apparently not a fan of leg day. “There are certain exercises, like Bulgarian split squats, which he’ll only do if he’s training with me,” laughs Chen. “He does lean into upper body stuff.”

Next on the agenda? Becoming bigger and stronger than he’s ever been. “He won’t mind me saying this,” says Chen, “but he knows people have a certain idea of him in shows like The Gentleman, and he wants to open up the roles he’s being considered for. One of his favorite movies is Sicario, so he’s experimenting with becoming broader and maybe a more intimidating presence so roles like that might be on the cards.” A Sicario x The Gentleman crossover? We’re here for it.

The Theo James workout

James’ boxing workout is intense, but it will help get you fitter, faster, and more in tune with yourself. This is the beginner version.

“I’ve been a boxing coach for over 20 years and it’s all about rhythm and flow,” says Ali. “It’s about timing, reflexes and being in tune with your body.” This workout will help with that, and get you in ring-ready shape, while you’re at it.

Jump Rope – 1 x 3-minute round
Start with skipping to raise the heart rate, warm up the shoulders and the legs. “It’s great for rhythm, timing, and coordination,” says Ali. “It also helps prepare the feet for the movement patterns used throughout the session.”

Shadowboxing – 1 x 3-minute round
Keep it relaxed and controlled. The focus is on technique rather than speed or power—working on clean movement, balance, breathing, rhythm and precision. “It’s an opportunity to prepare the mind and body for the main workout,” says Ali.

Sparring – 6 x 3-minute rounds
Sparring is where everything comes together. “We work on timing, distance, defense, reactions, counter punching and head movement whilst learning to stay composed under pressure,” says Ali.

Pad Work – 4 x 3-minute rounds
“The pad work reflects what's happened during sparring. We reinforce what worked well, improve areas that need attention and practice specific drills to sharpen technique,” says Ali.

Heavy Bag – 2 x 3-minute rounds
“By this stage we're already fatigued, so the heavy bag is mainly about conditioning,” says Ali. “We focus on maintaining good technique while throwing powerful combinations, finishing the session by giving it our all and building the endurance needed to keep punching effectively under fatigue.”

Cool Down
If you have any juice left you can throw a short ab workout of your choice in here before easing into ten minutes of stretching to improve mobility and aid recovery.

A version of this story originally appeared in British GQ.