Action Bronson is primarily known for two things — spitting creative rhymes and hosting Fuck, That’s Delicious on Viceland. You can add “crushing it in the gym” to that list. Since April of 2020, Bronson has shed 127 pounds from his frame. At one point, the 36-year-old tipped the scales at 375 pounds.
In June of 2020, Bronson posted a video to Instagram of him doing push-ups with a caption that said: “I was on a path that leads straight to the graveyard. Eating for sport took its toll, but it’s my fault and it’s on me to fix it.” His most recent post shows the rapper (rightfully) gloating about his new 248-pound physique.
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Since Bronson has committed to a healthier lifestyle, he hasn’t wavered. At least once per week, “Bam Bam” updates his fans with gym videos. His workouts are varied and extremely tough. For example, he followed up a 33-inch box jump with 100 100-pound kettlebell swings, T-bar deadlifts, a 445-pound trap-bar deadlift, 100 sumo squats, and then 100 “five-second” squats (which, we guess, means he does eccentric reps.) That’s just one workout. Bronson also channels his longtime passion for the sport of Strongman and hits up tire flips and farmer’s carries.
The Flushing, Queens native is an avid sports fan who often shoutouts his heroes on his songs (he’s recorded six albums and three EPs). In the world of rap, Jordan, Jeter, and Barry Sanders are all common name-drops. But Bronson is one of if not the only rapper(s) to call out four- and five-time World’s Strongest Man winners, Zydrunas Savickas and Mariusz Pudzianowski. In the 2011 song “Mystic Moves” by Shaz Illyork, Bronson raps:
I got the Ruger for Christmas / Scoop up your princess / My team moving rocks like Zydrunas Savickas.
Back in August of 2020, when Bronson was just over 100 pounds down, he made an appearance on the hit YouTube chicken wing interview show Hot Ones. (Let it be known that the man opted to eat grilled chicken instead of fried wings. That’s dedication.) Host Sean Evans asked him about his love of strongman and how it has infiltrated his lyrics and lifestyle.
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Early in the interview, Evans gave the nod to 2006 WSM champion Phil Pfister being an inspiration for Bronson. The rapper responded by saying that his favorite strongman is five-time WSM champion Mariusz Pudzianowski of Poland.
“I study these men. [Strongman] is something I’ve loved since I was a child.”
In the music video for “Latin Grammys,” a song on Bronson’s latest album “Only For Dolphins,” the rapper deep-faked his face onto the body of four-time WSM winner Magnus Ver Magnusson (1991, 1994-1996). The footage is of the 1995 WSM contest, which took place in Nassau, Bahamas. You can check out the music video below via Bronson’s YouTube channel. Bronson…err…Magnusson won the event that year:
[Related: The 6 Biggest Moments From The 2020 World’s Strongest Man]
With a name like Action, don’t expect Bronson to rest on his laurels. In his Hot Ones interview, he also mentioned that he isn’t where he wants to be yet. Who knows, maybe he’ll challenge Oleksii Novikov for the WSM title next year. Then, someone will have to rap about Bronson for a change.
Feature image (left to right): “Action Bronson” by Roy Martinez is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / @bambambaklava on Instagram
