Sylvester Stallone Drank 25 Cups of Coffee a Day and Was Forgetting His Phone Number While Getting in Shape for Rocky 3 – Rare BTS Videos

The Hollywood star's ripped "Rocky III" physique came at a staggering cost behind the scenes as his punishing routine pushed his body — and memory — to their limits. Rare footage captures the results, and readers can find the video at the end of the article.

"Rocky III" took Rocky Balboa from the comfortable life of a heavyweight champion and placed him opposite one of his most imposing challengers.

Released in 1982, the third movie followed Rocky as he faced Clubber Lang, the powerful and aggressive contender played by actor and professional wrestler Mr. T. Once again, Sylvester Stallone starred as the Philadelphia boxer, while also writing and directing the movie.

Away from the finished fight scenes, however, Stallone's preparation involved an unusually demanding effort to change his physique and movement. The actor became exceptionally lean for the movie, but the methods behind that appearance took a significant toll.

His approach to "Rocky III" differed from his preparation for the previous installment. After carrying more size in "Rocky II," he wanted Rocky to appear leaner and faster when facing Lang.

According to reports, his body fat fell to around 2.8 to 2.9 percent, and the change was tied to how Stallone wanted his character to fight.

Meanwhile, the diet Stallone followed while trying to maintain his exceptionally low body fat proved particularly taxing.

Rather than relying solely on strength, he modeled Rocky's movement after Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, with greater emphasis on speed and agility. By the time he appeared in "Rocky III," the actor reportedly weighed 166 pounds, with a 50-inch chest, 29-inch waist, and 18-inch arms.

Getting there required considerably more than stepping into the ring for filming. Stallone worked with bodybuilder Franco Columbu, Arnold Schwarzenegger's longtime training partner, on a program designed around reducing fat, retaining lean muscle, and building endurance.

His schedule consisted of two training sessions a day from Monday through Saturday, with Sunday reserved for rest.Monday began with chest and shoulders, followed by arms and abs in the afternoon.

Tuesday paired a morning back workout with legs later in the day, while Wednesday returned to chest and shoulders before another ab session.

Thursday consisted of arms followed by abs, Friday covered legs and then back, and Saturday featured another chest-and-shoulders workout followed by abs. Stallone also did long-distance cardio in the morning, sparred for 18 rounds a day, and performed ab sessions that reached 1,000 repetitions.

One routine consisted of 200 lying leg raises, 200 crunches, 200 side leg raises, 200 dumbbell side bends, and another 200 crunches.

Meanwhile, the diet Stallone followed while trying to maintain his exceptionally low body fat proved particularly taxing. Years later, he recalled:

"My entire breakfast would be maybe two oatmeal cookies made with brown rice and ten cups of coffee because I wanted to keep my body fat down to 2.8 percent. I was forgetting my phone number. I was eating just tuna fish. My memory was shot; it was completely gone."

The physical result remained a major talking point decades later, and reactions to footage from the era reflected that fascination. "My GOD Stallone had an amazing body in the '80s :|," one person commented.

Another shared, "My god [sic] the shape he has been in his entire life is incredible," while a third simply said in part, "Sly was in excellent shape here."

The footage also prompted discussion about the "Rocky" franchise's boxing scenes. One viewer praised their dramatic quality, typing, "Rocky movies were the best Boxing Movies there were as far as the acting in the ring [sic]. Makes it really dramatic how they threw and took punches."

Another person enjoyed the fights but offered a different assessment of Stallone's technique, writing, "Rocky movie fights were all very entertaining but Stallone should have developed some Boxing skills before filming these sequences. He looked like a body-builder who was Boxing for the first time... [sic]."

The finished version of Rocky in "Rocky III" was the product of an unusually intense combination of twice-daily lifting, long-distance cardio, 18 rounds of sparring, 1,000-repetition ab sessions, and severe dietary restriction.

Stallone later made clear that the pursuit of such low body fat came with a cost, including memory problems severe enough that he said he was forgetting his own phone number.

The photos and rare behind-the-scenes footage below offers another look at the physique Stallone built for one of Rocky Balboa's most demanding onscreen challenges.

Photos Show Sylvester Stallone's Shredded 'Rocky III' Physique

Rare Behind-the-Scenes Videos Capture Stallone During His 'Rocky III' Era