Well: The Workout: Becoming Rocky Balboa

Not many Broadway stars have to dodge punches on stage. But for Andy Karl, it is all in a night's work.

Mr. Karl, 39, plays the title character in the musical "Rocky," a high adrenaline show based on the original 1976 film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. To prepare for his role, Mr. Karl devoted himself to a grueling gym routine devised by a personal trainer.

But his workouts do not end at the gym. The role requires the actor to go through the punishing training routine of a boxer every night, along with four choreographed fights that include some full-contact punches.

For his efforts, Mr. Karl was nominated in April for a Tony award for best actor. The winners will be announced on Sunday night.

Recently, we caught up with Mr. Karl at his gym in Manhattan to learn about training to play the iconic boxer, his exercise and diet strategy for achieving "the Rocky look," and why black eyes and bruises are part of the job. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation.

Can you tell us about your physical preparation for the show? What goals did you have in mind?

Rocky is a fighter. He's in great physical shape, and Sylvester Stallone has always been in great shape. So I had someone to look up to and a movie to judge my own physical attributes. The goals were basically to keep my stamina up and also to put on some more mass, which is hard when you're doing eight shows a week under hot lights.

Were you always a fit person?

I had always gone to the gym but never taken on a trainer. I knew I had some goals to put on some mass, but to do that, my trainer and I worked on intrinsic muscles – the ones underneath the big muscles that can actually build those larger muscles. Just going to the gym and doing a couple of bicep curls and bench presses doesn't quite do it, so my trainer and I worked on a lot of core, and we worked on shoulders, because a boxer has to have good shoulders.

How did you build muscle?

We do a mix of things. We do many kinds of circuits to strengthen my core. We use the TRX straps, which allow you to use your body weight in different ways. We do a lot of unique training with kettlebells so you can strength-train in ways that keep you limber. And we also use weights.

Do you train every day?

We try to find as many days as we can. With the show there's a lot of press, and there's an award season that's coming up. But I know how important it is to get in here and work out. It makes me feel much better to do the show after I've worked out because things are pumping and things are good. So I do get in here every day either by myself or with my trainer, and maybe take one day off. But when I do take a day off I feel guilty about it.

How much time do you spend working out?

I spend a good hour working out. It's a pretty intense hour. But working out in that condensed amount of time and hitting a lot of muscles pushes your stamina. It's imperative for what I do every night, and to understanding Rocky's mentality. Rocky gets the offer of a lifetime to fight the heavyweight champion of the world, so he has to put the extra time into working out and getting mentally prepared and strong.

Are you taking a beating in this role?

Pain has become a part of my life, but one that I actually like now. We're doing full-contact punching. I'm getting hit in the head a lot. Rocky takes a lot of punches, so I've had black eyes. I've had bruises. I've had a sore neck. But it's taken me to another level and I feel great.

Can you tell us about the big fight scene at the end of the show?

It's the most epic part of our show. I finish a song basically talking about how I've got to push through and keep on standing, and then the whole place lights up like it's Madison Square Garden. The ring comes down from the ceiling and out into the audience. We have a huge Jumbotron come down, we have screens, we have all sorts of amazing things to make the audience feel like they're watching a real live fight.

It's a unique part of our show that our director came up with, and it works every time. I see all the faces out there in the audience because the entire place lights up. I see everyone wide-eyed and cheering.

Had you ever boxed before this show?

I had been working with the show for about three years before it got to Broadway. I'd done some preliminary workshops, and the producers made sure I got some boxing training so I knew my fundamentals. I appreciate any fight I see now because you can tell that everyone has a different style. Rocky fights low and slow, and he hits to the body a lot. But Apollo [Rocky's opponent] hits to the head and gets a lot of points that way.

We heard you got some tips from Stallone himself?

Yes. One of the things he said to me was to make sure you throw your punches from your shoulders. So I try to incorporate that into the choreography as much as I can. I take a lot of pride in him offering this role to me because it came down to his decision. It's a great honor, and it's a challenge. I grew up watching the films, and I want to honor the guy who's at the helm of the ship.

Do you follow a special diet?

My biggest thing is trying to eat as clean as possible. That helps me with my performance as well because the cleaner you eat, the better your voice is going to sound. If you eat a lot of cheese and dairy it's going to affect your voice. The other part is making sure that I'm feeding the muscles to help with the weightlifting that I'm doing. I think I've lost and gained about 15 pounds since I started rehearsals back in December. Its just one of those things where you're going to sweat a lot, you're going to work out a lot, and so you have to eat. And I'm starving half the time.

What does "eating clean" mean for you?

For me it's keeping away from a lot of bread and milk and trying to eat chicken and vegetables and not a lot of extra products thrown on top of everything. Right now, I need all the help that I can get just getting through these workouts and the show.

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