'Baywatch' star David Chokachi credits 3 a.m. wake-ups, twice-daily workouts for unbelievable physique at 58
'Baywatch' star David Chokachi credits 3 a.m. wake-ups, twice-daily workouts for unbelievable physique at 58
David Chokachi is in the best shape of his life thanks, in part, to an unconventional routine.
Chokachi, 58, wanted to "make a statement" when he nearly 30 years after he first appeared on-screen as beloved lifeguard Cody Madison.
After climbing out of a dark place following an arduous recovery process due to Achilles tendon ruptures, Chokachi said that he "found a higher operating system" within, and became hyper-focused on optimizing his brain chemistry to benefit both mental and physical health.
'BAYWATCH' STAR BRANDY LEDFORD SHARES FITNESS SECRETS AT 57, SAYS SHE'S 'NOT READY TO HANG UP MY BIKINI YET'
"I'm up at 3.30 in the morning every day and ready to go. My body's like, 'It's time to go,' and everybody thinks I'm insane, but it's my dream window of time, I love it," Chokachi told Fox News Digital.
He cited neuroscientist Andrew Huberman's approach to health as an influence on his own routine and noted that former Navy SEAL DJ Shipley also helped shape his mindset.
WATCH: 'BAYWATCH' STAR DAVID CHOKACHI CREDITS EARLY-MORNINGS, TWO-A-DAY WORKOUTS FOR PEAK FITNESS
Shipley "found this program of stacking micro wins, which are the little things you do, but you do them every day, and you recognize them, like, 'OK, that was a win,'" Chokachi said.
SYLVESTER STALLONE REVEALS SURPRISING HEALTH STRUGGLE BEHIND HIS FAMOUSLY RIPPED PHYSIQUE
"The easiest win you can do in a day is get up early, like, really early – I mean it doesn't have to be 3:30, but if you're getting up before other people are, and you're being productive, subconsciously you start to — your brain starts going, your body starts going, 'I am a badass,' you know? And it works, I'm telling you," Chokachi said.
In the pursuit of personal challenges, Chokachi doubled down with prepping to be on-screen once again playing a role that made him a global superstar.
"With 'Baywatch,' I realized, on the original, the more fit I was, the more stories they'd write for me, the more episodes I'd be in ... not that money is everything, but you want your character to take off," he said. "I've always because I grew up playing sports my whole life.
"So I did the same thing on this, but I like doubled down because I was the original coming into this new cast and I wanted to make a statement and I made a statement."
CARMEN ELECTRA SAYS 'BAYWATCH' PUSHED BOUNDARIES WITHOUT CROSSING THE LINE: 'IT WASN'T PORN'
Chokachi said he trained twice a day for six months before stepping on set.
"And I showed up on set and when it was time to take my shirt off ... we were shooting a rescue and people were just like, 'Oh my God. Dude, what have you ... how old are you?'" he recalled. "They just, they can't believe it."
"I have an ice plunge and a sauna, and that's usually how I start my day," Chokachi said. "That alone burns a lot of ... brown fat, which is the fat we want to get rid of at the fastest rate by being cold, and ice plunge is really good ... it's a positive stressor on your brain."
He added, "So I do that routine, and by the time I've already done that, I'm like, I'm off to the races, like, and I just go."
According to the
