Street Smarts

Weights, a skateboard, and protein-packed meals keep S.W.A.T.’s Alex Russell feeling fine.

- MARIA NEUMAN

WHEN ALEX RUSSELL WAS 15, HE HIT A WORK out crossroads. “I got cast as Cosmo Brown in Singin’ in the Rain and had to learn to tap dance,” says the Australian actor. At the time, “I was skating up at my school on a Saturday and attempting to kickflip a seven-stair. (For nonskaters, that’s rolling up to the top of the stairs, kickflipping, and landing at the bottom.) I probably tried it 30 times to no avail. The next day at musical rehearsal, I couldn’t dance. I couldn’t even walk without limping. I had to make a choice.”

While his footwork and acting skills set him up perfectly for the role of wise-cracking Jim Street in S.W.A.T., it was his switched-up gym sessions with Hollywood trainer Paolo Mascitti that took his physique to the next level. Here’s how he did it.