Rocky IV Workout Recreated for the Gym—and Sylvester Stallone Noticed

A fan workout gets noticed

Artem Puzin’s Rocky IV workout does more than revisit a famous training montage: it translates the film’s rough-and-ready exercises into a routine people can do in a gym. Sylvester Stallone noticed the tribute, liking Puzin’s Instagram Reel and turning a fan recreation into a moment of recognition from the actor who played Rocky Balboa. That interaction gives the video a second story: a familiar scene from a sports film has become a template for social media fitness content.

Puzin is a Russian boxer and content creator known online as “Puzin the Motivator.” His combat-focused workouts draw inspiration from figures including UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and Greco-Roman wrestler Alexandr Karelin. For his latest video, he reworked movements associated with Rocky’s preparation to face Ivan Drago, trading snow and improvised equipment for familiar gym tools. The adaptation keeps the reference recognizable while making the exercises easier to stage in an ordinary training space.

Stallone’s like prompted Puzin to post a response. “This is a sign for me to not just copy the workout and put it on the internet,” he said. “Hard work and discipline … is seen my legends, so I’m sure everything I do is worth it.” The wording is personal and a little awkward, but the point is clear: for Puzin, the like turned a routine post into acknowledgment from the star whose film inspired it.

The eight-move session

The routine mixes strength, conditioning and coordination, with several exercises evoking specific moments from the film. Its structure alternates loaded movements with timed drills, which gives the session a boxing-inspired rhythm rather than making it a simple list of weight-room exercises. The prescribed volume is substantial across the full workout, so the sequence reads as a demanding template, not a casual warm-up.

• Pullups: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Barbell walking lunges: 4 sets of 20 reps
• Jump rope: 3 sets of 3 minutes
• Rope rotations into triceps extension: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Incline straight-leg hip raise: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Slip rope: 3 sets of 3 minutes
• Barbell twist: 4 sets of 30 reps
• Overhead press: 4 sets of 10 reps

From movie montage to gym floor

Puzin opens with pullup variations that echo Stallone’s work in the film, alternating the position of his head relative to the bar. The next exercise, barbell walking lunges, shifts the focus to the legs and gives the routine a more conventional strength-training base. That pairing sets up the workout’s central idea: familiar exercises can carry the visual cues of a cinematic training sequence while still asking for ordinary gym equipment.

Jump rope adds a fast conditioning interval. For the film’s improvised rock-hauling sequence, Puzin uses a cable station: he rotates a rope attachment through a pull that finishes with a triceps extension. The movement brings the torso and arms into the workout without requiring a bag of rocks. Here's the thing: the substitution matters more as a practical translation than as a faithful recreation of how the original scene was performed.

He follows with a bench-assisted straight-leg hip raise, then slip-rope drills that call back to Rocky’s boxing practice. Barbell twists stand in for the movie’s wooden yoke, while overhead presses provide a gym-based version of the heavier lifting in the montage. The exercises shift between trunk control, movement practice and pressing strength, giving the session more variety than a straight run of lifts.

It’s a demanding mix of loaded lifts, core work and timed drills. Puzin’s listed sets and reps offer a clear template, though the source recommends adjusting the workload to match individual ability. That caveat is useful: a set-and-rep list can make a workout look plug-and-play, but the right load and pace depend on the person doing it. For viewers who want to carry the Rocky spirit into a final conditioning push, the original suggests finishing on a StairMaster. A hard finish, if you’re prepared for it.

Why the tribute travels

This is more significant than it looks as a piece of fitness media. The workout depends on a shared reference: viewers recognize the movie’s training imagery, then watch Puzin convert it into movements they can identify from a gym. Stallone’s like strengthens that connection, but it doesn’t certify the routine or turn a film montage into a training program with a single correct interpretation.

If you're working in this space, the useful lesson is how clearly the video links inspiration to execution. A recognizable reference can draw an audience in; the practical details determine whether the content gives that audience anything to use. Puzin supplies the exercises and volume, while the adaptation leaves room for viewers to adjust the session to their own capacity. And yet, the appeal remains partly theatrical. Rocky’s training scenes are built to make effort visible, and this routine borrows that energy for the gym floor.

Follow Artem Puzin on Instagram here.