October 7, 2025, 6:02 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

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This is what Jesse Williams’ training looks like

Explosiveness and athleticism are especially important for the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star in his latest role in “Hotel Costiera.” His trainer, Yaw Owusu Jr., put together a workout for Jesse Williams to help him get used to explosive movements for the stunt and fight scenes while also building strength:

Pull-ups (2 repetitions per grip)

An important part of Jesse Williams’ training plan was pull-ups, using a neutral grip, wide grip, and underhand grip.

Thus, the actor completed a total of six pull-ups to strengthen his back and arm muscles.

Push-ups (2 repetitions per hand position)

Push-ups were also essential, again with various executions. He did regular push-ups, wide push-ups, and push-ups with palms facing outward.

Jesse Williams completed six push-ups to strengthen his chest, shoulders, and arms.

Rotational Renegade Row (3 repetitions per side)

For this exercise, the 44-year-old got into a push-up position, holding a dumbbell in each hand. With a straight back, core engaged, and legs slightly apart, he performed a rowing motion with one dumbbell, keeping the elbows close to the body. He then rotated his torso to the side of the pulling hand and extended the weight upward before returning to the starting position.

This primarily trained core stability and the oblique abdominal muscles.

Cable Chop (3 repetitions per side)

This rotational exercise on the cable machine particularly challenged the shoulders and upper back.

Jesse Williams stood sideways to the cable machine, with the rope attached above shoulder height. In this position, he grabbed the rope with both hands over the shoulder and performed the movement diagonally across the body downward. It was important to rotate from the core and keep the hips stable.

Cable-Cross-Pulldowns (5 repetitions per position)

This exercise also targeted the shoulders and upper back.

Here, the actor stood between two cable machines and crossed over, grabbing one rope with the right hand and left cable, and the left hand and right cable. The arms were slightly above shoulder height and crossed in front of the body, then Jesse Williams pulled both handles down and out until the arms were about hip height. He held this position briefly before slowly returning the cables.

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It continued with catching and throwing

Medicine Ball Throw (10 throws per side)

Additionally, Jesse Williams also trained with medicine balls. By working with balls weighing about two to six kilograms, he aimed to become more explosive.

For this, he stood about a meter away from a wall, feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding the ball at hip height. He then rotated his torso away, engaged his hips and core, and shifted his weight to the back leg. He quickly rotated his hips and torso toward the wall and threw the ball with power against it, then caught it again.

Catching and Medicine Ball Slam (10 repetitions per side)

This extremely dynamic exercise was again specifically for explosiveness.

Jesse Williams stood shoulder-width apart, his feet slightly turned outward. He then lifted the ball with outstretched arms over his head, engaging his core, bent slightly at the hips, and slammed it explosively to the ground. He quickly returned to the starting position and caught the ball again.

Deadlift (10 repetitions)

Jesse Williams also included a true classic in his training plan: deadlifts with a barbell to strengthen the entire posterior chain.

Hip Thrust (10 repetitions)

With the ninth and final exercise, the hip thrust, he strengthened his gluteal muscles and hamstrings by lying down and pushing a weight upward with his pelvis.

Also interesting: How Stefanie Giesinger trains for beautiful abs

Focus on fundamental movements

Jesse Williams only adapted his strength training to his needs in recent years. “Most of the time, I had no idea about real health and precision,” he revealed in the U.S. magazine Men’s Health. It was only as he got older and more mature, and through working with his trainer, that he realized in 2022 that such fundamental movements could be crucial for his profession. The role in “Hotel Costiera” was “one of the most challenging” he ever had to train for. Additionally, he also worked as an executive producer on the series, putting in 15-hour days.

How strenuous the “Hotel Costiera” training was for Jesse Williams

“It was quite a torture that I agreed to every day,” Jesse Williams said about his workout for “Hotel Costiera” in preparation for the challenging role of a former Marine. “I trained, did a lot of fight training, and practiced stunt coordination. I’m not in my twenties anymore, everything cracks and hurts. I get sprains and strains, so I had to be careful,” he admitted.

During filming, he focused mainly on his diet, training, and choreography to move efficiently and avoid unnecessary movements. Things he clearly enjoyed. “Filming a fight scene on a motorcycle was something I had never done before,” he added. “You have to respect the art and craft of stunt coordination, trust the professionals, and execute it realistically–it was a dream,” he enthused in the “People” interview.