Ruru Madrid’s back-to-bulk plan: 2,700 kcal meals and Pinoy martial arts
When Ruru Madrid found out last year that he was to reprise his titular role for the second season of the TV series “Lolong,” his first instinct was to bulk up and build muscle. But then he got a call—an offer to star in the drama film “Green Bones.”
He couldn’t look overly buff onscreen, he was told, because his character is a young neophyte prison officer. He wouldn’t look believable, he figured. And so, he promptly dropped his bulking routine.
But while he couldn’t be more grateful that he accepted the project, which earned him a career milestone—the Best Supporting Actor award at the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF)—it did make physical preparations for “Lolong” quite tricky. “It was a struggle because my body size was stuck somewhere in the middle,” he told Lifestyle.
Filming for “Green Bones” ended last Nov. 9; four days later, he was on the set of “Lolong.” All of a sudden, he needed to be buff. “I didn’t have enough time, so I wasn’t as cut as I hoped to be. We were shooting scenes and I was like, ‘Can I not go topless for now, and just wear a sando instead?’” he said, laughing. “I knew I was ripped for season 1 and I wanted to surpass the way I looked then.”
And it didn’t help that his unexpected success over the holiday season had the actor floating on cloud nine. “Everything happening around me was new. So, I couldn’t really eat and sleep well. As an ectomorph, I lose body mass when I stop working out. Bumagsak ang katawan ko,” he said.
Game plan
Now, he’s playing catch-up. But Madrid, 27, has a game plan: gain about 10 lbs more, before transitioning to the cutting phase next month. And hopefully, he said, he will be in optimal shape by the time March rolls in.
“I’m currently on a 2,700 kcal meal plan. I eat 200 grams of protein a day. I have to force myself to eat that much. But that’s the challenge. Because as much as I love seeing the results of my hard work, I also enjoy the process of getting there,” Madrid said.
Taping is four times a week, and he hits the gym just as often, if not more. Aside from lifting weights, he also does a lot of resistance training and push-pull exercises. Sweets? Sure, why not? But only in small amounts, and only on Saturdays and Sundays. He gets four hours of sleep each night (or day), give and take. But as the old adage goes, no pain, no gain. “You will have to sacrifice something,” Madrid said.
Dubbed “Bayani ng Bayan,” the new season of “Lolong” airs weeknights on GMA 7. The primetime action-fantasy series follows Lolong, a man who grew up with a strong kinship with animals, and traces his roots to the Atubaw, a persecuted tribe that harmoniously coexists with crocodiles.
The previous installment had Lolong reuniting the Atubaw with the locals of the rural town Tumahan, where the tribe was once shunned. But just when peace is seemingly within reach, tragedy strikes during Lolong’s wedding to his beloved Elsie (Shaira Diaz). And so, he sets off anew with his giant crocodile, Dakila, this time in search of the Ubtaw, a legendary gem with miraculous powers.
Because the first season was shot during lockdown, GMA Public Affairs had the show’s scope scaled back, using only a few locations for its scenes. But now that there are no more filming restrictions, the production team is free to move around and showcase different locales, from rivers to forests to coconut plantations, from Caliraya to Bulacan to Tanay.
From 15, the cast grew to around 50. The bigger the show, the bigger the set pieces required. And Madrid hopes to put this platform to good use by showcasing Filipino martial arts like the Laraw Kali Pamuok. Created by Ronnie Royce Base, the system meshes different disciplines, including hand-to-hand combat, grappling or ground fighting, and wielding of weapons like sticks and knives.
Combat skills
“Our program is for the Filipino audience, for the regular folks out there,” Madrid said. “Oftentimes, we use boxing or Muay Thai. While there’s nothing wrong with those, I think it would be better if we could prioritize our own… It’s important to promote our own culture. Not a lot of people know about our own martial arts, and I especially want the kids to know more about them.”
Martial arts training is held once a week, with lessons conducted by Base himself. “He’s also a consultant on the set. He supervises our fight scenes and makes sure that the things we do are correct and look realistic,” Madrid said.
But more than gaining mass and fine-tuning his combat skills, injury mitigation is just as crucial, he pointed out. What good are intense, high-flying stunts if you’re sidelined by an injury? He knows the feeling all too well, having sustained a hairline fracture on his foot while performing an action sequence in the first season.
While it was “only a minor inconvenience,” Madrid did require therapy, causing a short delay in shooting. But with all the experiences he has had in his other action projects, like “Black Rider,” he’s now more in tune with his body and knows better how to protect it.
“Everything was new to me then; accidents were inevitable. But now I know my way around and I know how to do things more efficiently…in a way that alleviates risks,” he said. “It’s good that I’m working with the same people. We’re comfortable with each other and we get to rehearse our scenes before we do them before the cameras.
“But of course, my goal is to push myself to the limit and be the best version of myself,” he added. “That way, I get to show something new.”
