Doing This "Really Tough" Move Transformed Chris Meloni at 64: "I'm Ashamed..."
The chiseled Meloni has never been more relatable as he reveals which workout he originally dreaded trying.
As the Law & Order franchise's resident "Zaddy," you can bet Christopher Meloni has some good fitness tips up his sleeves.
In an April 2024 interview with Men's Health, Meloni discussed beefing up for his Law & Order: Organized Crime return. Whether Stabler is running after a perp or jumping through a hurdle for his squad, he never fails to experience chaos. Meloni needs to stay physically prepared for these gripping action sequences, but how?
Per Men's Health, Meloni's personal trainer is a big proponent of compound movements, exercises that employ multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Squats, deadlifts, and chest presses are great compound movements that can be incorporated into a workout. Despite Meloni's years of training and physical prowess, he was embarrassed to admit that it took him a while to come around to squats.
"Squats—I'm ashamed to say—were kind of new to me," he said. "I always shied away, because they're really tough." But Men's Health reports Meloni has gotten stronger and "more in tune" with his body since adding this workout into his fitness plan.
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How Christopher Meloni stays in "Zaddy" shape
Meloni prefers to wake up early and get workouts done first thing. "I'm a get-it-done guy," Meloni told Men's Health in 2021. "I get up. I stretch for about 30 minutes. Sometimes I'll even do a bit of yoga before I get into it, and then it's, you know, release the hounds."
"Workouts are so intense, and in combination with also being at work 14 hours a day, I have to supplement," Meloni explained. "So yeah, I do chocolate protein powders, usually with frozen bananas, and a little bit of filtered coffee."
For lunch, the Law & Order: OC star sticks with his self-dubbed "Meloni Meal," consisting of ground chicken, brown rice, spinach, and a dash of Worcestershire. The dish is often Meloni's dinner, too.
"I have to juggle the correct kinds of foods, but I have to ingest enough calories to push the weight that I need to push in order to kind of maintain…" Meloni explained. "I really eat everything. My philosophy—well, my diet—is I'm basically horse-trading all day. I like to pick and choose where I'm going to ingest my cholesterol or my heavy fats or starches."
Meloni loves the "ritual" of exercise and everything about working out because, "For me, It gets my head right. It centers me, gets me connected, mind and body. You feel as though, 'I've accomplished something for the day.' It's almost like a religious experience."
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Watch the Season 5 premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime on April 17 at 10/9c on NBC and Peacock.
