Cobra Kai came to an end earlier this year, but Tanner Buchanan is holding the memories he made and his acquired martial arts skills close to his heart. In an exclusive interview with Hollywood Life, the 26-year-old actor shared that he keeps in shape through the high-intensity, boot camp-style group exercise course STRONG Nation.
“What I like about it is you can kind of do it anywhere,” Tanner said while explaining how the exercise program fits into his work schedule. “If you can’t make it to a class, I know that they have some classes online that you can always take. And funny enough, with my career, I travel so much, and, and I’m not able to get to the gym a lot, which is not a great thing for me, as I usually have to stay in shape quite a bit.”
Tanner is no stranger to fitness. On Cobra Kai, he played Robby Keene for all six seasons. He began with almost no martial arts experience — which he jokingly called “non-existent” — but ended up performing “95 percent” of his own stunts in the final season, he told Hollywood Life. Tanner also finished the show with lifelong friendships, calling Ralph Macchio and William Zabka the “adopted dads” of the younger cast members. And as fans know, Tanner is engaged to co-star Mary Mouser.
While recollecting his favorite emotional Cobra Kai scene, Tanner recalled Robby’s tearful season 6 locker room conversation with his dad, Johnny (played by William), as the character reflects how karate changed his life.
“I remember that last moment … I was crying and getting emotional just because I knew it was that one last scene [before the show ended],” Tanner recalled. “And I do remember a sweet moment from Billy when he hugged me in the scene. And then, when they called ‘Cut,’ he kind of gave me like a little kiss on the forehead, and he was like, ‘First off, that was amazing. Second off, this has been such an amazing experience to be able to share with you.’ So, then I had to pull it back together, and I was like, ‘No, no, no, I can’t cry anymore.’”
An actor’s lifestyle comes with a hectic itinerary, so Tanner chose STRONG Nation to help him stay fit. The course provides students with a combination of body weight, muscle conditioning, cardio and plyometric training synced to original music reverse engineered to match every move, which Tanner noted “keeps your mind off actually working out.”
The intense course promises a calorie-burning experience along with toning arms, legs, abs and glutes. STRONG Nation differs from other exercise courses through its relationship of moving in sync to the music, which includes fast-paced rhythms such as EDM, techno, house, drum, dubstep hip-hop and fusion genres. As a result, students stay focused on their moves rather than tediously counting each rep. While moves like burpees, squats and lunges can seem daunting, STRONG Nation partnered with some of the most famous music producers, including Timbaland, Krewella and Steve Aoki, to make sure students can enjoy their workout while working up a sweat.
Since the STRONG Nation program works with Tanner’s schedule, he can focus on upcoming projects, such as his role in the upcoming supernatural horror Hide and Don’t Speak. The film follows six teens that “play a terrifying viral Japanese game in which the players summon a vengeful spirit for a deadly round of hide-and-seek,” according to its synopsis.
“It’s definitely a horror that I was surprised no one had even done yet,” Tanner teased, adding that the film will “get your heart pumping, that’s for sure.”
