Movies don’t always get training scenes right – there’s often a focus on what looks cinematic and cool rather than what works. However, one thing’s for sure – a good training scene can be really badass! Here are some of the best training scenes in cinematic history that are sure to pump you up and hopefully inspire you to keep on going.
- Rocky IV
The Rocky films have always had good training montages, and we could even consider it to be the iconic training montage series. However, Rocky IV definitely has the best of them, when Rocky is training for his epic showdown with Ivan Drago. A grand mix of sawing firewood, pulling a sled in the snow, incredible pullups, and other workouts headline some of the hardest training we’ve ever seen on the silver screen.
- Kickboxer
You see Jean-Claude Van Damme, the ‘Muscles from Brussels’, and you immediately think “martial arts!” His filmography is one of the widest of any action star. One film in particular stands out for its training scene and martial arts prowess – Kickboxer, where Van Damme’s character learns muay thai in the jungle, and even kicks a banana tree apart. A whole tree!
- Karate Kid
When Mr. Miyagi taught karate to Daniel LaRusso, it was famously through menial tasks like doing chores, which turned out to be a way of training his muscle memory. The fascinating “Wax on, wax off” scene finally shows how all the boring work paid off into martial arts moves, and it’s one of the best training scenes ever in our opinion.
- Bloodsport
Another Van Damme martial arts movie, Bloodsport is a cult classic featuring him as a ninjutsu-trained fighter. How he got those skills is an important part of the film, and he gets a training montage full of unusual techniques and methods to go with it!
We only had space for four of our favorites, so what did we miss? Any classic training montages that YOU think should have been included?
