Good Vibrations

Hollywood icon Mark Wahlberg is a master of squeezing the most out of every minute of his day. As he jumps on board the F45 bandwagon, a move that looks set to shake up the fitness landscape, MH sat down with the star to discover exactly what makes him tick.

- Scott Henderson and Ben Jhoty

IT'S THE JULY 4 HOLIDAY WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES AND THE CITY IS WELL AND TRULY 'SHOCK'.

A 7.1- magnitude earthquake rocked Southern California overnight, leaving Angelenos, many still hungover from holiday festivities, a little dazed.

I’m feeling a tad shaky myself but for reasons that have less to do with tectonic instability and more to do with the fact I’m due to sit down with a flesh-and-blood force of nature: Mark Wahlberg.

It’s around 30Ëš Celsius and morning haze has given way to a bluebird sky as I arrive at F45’s plush Sherman Oaks studio. It’s slightly cooler inside but the place is heating up quickly, with 30 sweaty bodies working through a series of high-intensity, bang-for-your-buck movements. The studio is a giant cube of white, with a two-storey ceiling and roof-to-floor windows facing out onto a five-lane thoroughfare.

Wahlberg arrives at 12:30 on the dot, coming straight from Mass. He’s wearing a white grandpa tee, baggy workout shorts and oversized Nikes. Everything is brand new, his shirt and sneakers crispy fresh. He stands at the entrance and surveys his domain with his celebrated entourage in tow. A huge diamond cross hangs on a gold chain around his neck, while a single Apple Air Pod is tucked in his ear and remains there right up until we begin our chat at a dimly-lit Mexican dive bar called Te’Kila, just across the road.