5 Ways Gabriel Basso Trained For His All-Action ‘The Night Agent’ Role
Season 2 of Netflix’s all-action The Night Agent just dropped. A political thriller centred around low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland, the plot escalates as he finds himself caught in an increasingly tangled conspiracy. Tasked with protecting a whistleblower, Sutherland relies on both wits and physical prowess to survive. Bringing the character to life required both intensity and realism – and Gabriel Basso was the man for the job.
The 28-year-old prepared for the series with a refreshing philosophy that prioritised health and functionality. Already in great shape thanks to his combat sports background, Basso neglected the well-worn Hollywood-actor route of hefty calorie deficits and bodybuilding aesthetics. Instead, he prioritised building the raw, functional strength required to perform realistic action sequences.
‘I think the biggest thing for me was going back to early 1900s where their approach was health first, strength second, and looks third,’ he told US Weekly after Season 1 has just aired. ‘… the aesthetic and looking good is a byproduct of the first two.’
Gabriel Basso’s Fitness Routine
Though much of his training flies in the face of ‘routine’, here are five things we know about Basso’s varied methods.
There’s Plenty of Heavy Lifting
There’s no shortage of strength training in Basso’s routine – but not always as most of us know it. On Instagram, he’s been seen hoisting massive stones and 140kg sandbags alongside more traditional weights work. Of course, lifting big builds overall strength, but there are added benefits brought by the uneven shapes and weight distributions of awkward objects like stones and bags. There’s a greater demand placed on the stabilising core muscles, for a start, and grip strength is tested far more than with conventional weights. Basso’s commitment to such exercises means his strength is not only impressive but also applicable to the dynamism of his role. ‘I pick him up and I slam him to break his choke,’ Basso recalled of one intense scene. ‘There’s no way for him to help me and pop off the ground. I was actually having to deadlift the guy off the ground and slam him. It was pretty fun.’
MH Fitness Director Andrew Tracey: Basso is seriously strong in this department. Odd objects like sandbags and stones test your body and build strength in ways that machines and barbells may miss. Often no 2 reps are the same, and sandbags have a habit of repositioning themselves mid-rep, forcing you to compensate. This type of raw lifting has massive carry-over to everyday life, as well as combat sports, and again, stunt work.
He Revels In Combat
On Basso’s Instagram there are several clips of him throwing punches at a heavy bag, and in his US Weekly interview he said, ‘I already was in shape because I fight and stuff in real life.’ For Basso, combat training is ideal prep for the gritty, hands-on fight scenes in The Night Agent. Boxing drills build his aerobic base and sharpen his reflexes.
MH Fitness Director Andrew Tracey: There’s a difference between someone who looks the part with their top off, and someone who can convince an audience they genuinely know how to throw a punch. Basso’s background in martial arts no doubt pays off on-screen, while also give him a base level of conditioning to handle the rigours of stunt work and fight choreography.
And Throwing His Weight Around
Basso has also shared footage of judo training. Martial arts are excellent for building functional strength and balance. As Basso explained to US Weekly, he focuses on strength that translates to realistic action sequences. Referring to Season 1 of The Night Agent, he said, ‘I was doing all the fighting in the stunts. Everything was something that I could do realistically.’ Judo prepares him for the physicality and fluid movements of these scenes.
MH Fitness Director Andrew Tracey: Just like his striking training, Basso’s Judo training lends itself to making action scenes look credible. Asides from the fitness gains, the increased proprioception (ability to sense the body’s position in space) as well proficiency at safely landing from falls and throws that you can develop from grappling sports like Judo probably helps massively with stunt work where using the body with precision is key.
He Delivers Some Hammer Blows
Another striking (literally) element of Basso’s training involves using a sledgehammer to smash rocks by the roadside. This old-school workout builds power and endurance, and done right can also lead to healthier shoulders. It may not build huge amounts of strength but sledgehammer striking is a full-body conditioning exercise, recruiting everything from the shoulders down.
MH Fitness Director Andrew Tracey: Using sledgehammers to build fitness is a well worn cliche in fitness, but Basso ups the ante here by opting to swap striking a tyre for smashing concrete blocks, taking away the ‘bounce back’ the tyre provides – meaning each strike must be delivered with massive force.
With Some Axes Thrown In For Good Measure
One of Basso’s least conventional training methods is axe throwing, which he’s documented on Instagram. While your local gym’s unlikely to have an axe-throwing station (probably worth complaining if so), axe throwing does develop focus, hand-eye coordination and grip strength – helpful skills for playing a character who needs precision under pressure.
MH Fitness Director Andrew Tracey: It may not build ‘fitness’ in the sense we traditionally think of it, but CrossFit actually includes accuracy (as well as coordination, stability and balance) in its core tenets of fitness. There’s no doubt this preparation carries over to making scenes involving shooting look more realistic. Also, it’s fun, and this is reason enough to do something in fitness.
5 Functional Workouts To Try For Yourself
Isaac Williams is Multiplatform Editor for both Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK, guiding and supporting the content teams to create content across all platforms.
Isaac’s love of health and fitness began at Loughborough University, where he graduated with a History and English degree in 2014. His first job was at Men’s Running magazine, where he progressed from Staff Writer to Editor. Among his highlights of those four years include completing a 24-hour track race (never again), just about finishing a multi-day ultramarathon in the Azores, and chugging his way around a ‘beer mile’.
Isaac ventured into the world of freelance journalism in 2018, interviewing some of the biggest names in sport – like Anthony Joshua and Ben Stokes – and writing features for the likes of The Guardian, Red Bull, ShortList and BBC Countryfile. He was also a regular contributor to an adventure series called ‘The Man Who’: interviewing some of the world’s most extreme explorers from the wilds of Caffè Nero.
In late-2019, Isaac became Editor of Men’s Fitness UK. In his five years there, Isaac was responsible for editing the monthly magazine and managing website content, ultimately helping the brand transition to a ‘digital-first’ approach.
He joined Hearst UK as Multiplatform Editor in December 2024, where he manages day-to-day digital output, edits content and writes articles on all things health and fitness.
When he’s not hammering at his keyboard, Isaac enjoys exercise and trying – unsuccessfully, so far – to teach his baby son to kick a football. You can follow Isaac on Instagram @isaacw1993.
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