The superhero body transformation has become something of a right of passage for the action movie actor. But while many prioritise looking their best on screen, Hollywood star Danny Ramirez prefers a strong body that can move athletically.
Having played a naval flight officer in Top Gun: Maverick, a soldier in The Last of Us, and Joaquin Torres (aka Falcon) multiple times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ramirez has needed to be in peak physical fitness to perform those roles to the best of his ability. Instead of smashing through bodybuilding weights in the gym, though, the 32-year-old has prioritised movements that help him stay sharp, rather than exercises that just make him look good.
Functionality Over Aesthetics
'Being an athlete my whole life playing college soccer, I don't think I could ever work out just for aesthetics,' Ramirez told Men's Journal. 'For Top Gun, I was like, I can't just work out my traps, my shoulders, and my abs. And so for me to be able to believe in the philosophy, I want to be able to move better.
'I feel like if I ever put aesthetics as the main thing, you fall into body dysmorphia in a week, then that becomes your main thing, and you only operate based on how you look. And so tomorrow if I go out to the field and I do some ladder work and some cone drills, I'd feel better than if I just came back and I looked at myself in the mirror.'
How Danny Ramirez Trains for the MCU
Ramirez's training regimen has still helped him develop impressive muscles, though they are just a by-product of becoming stronger throughout his body. Playing Falcon in Captain America: Brave New World, for example, needed him to believably act like a hybrid between a human and the bird.
'Obviously, he's [Joaquin Torres] more athletic than ripped,' Ramirez said. 'He's a falcon. He's agile. Even though he's an embodiment of a jet, there is an agility to him that Bruce Lee embodies in his physicality. And so a lot of what I ended up doing was training as though I was going to go to the NFL, and then cardio boxing and kickboxing, and Muay Thai. And by default, you end up just shredding up.'
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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_