What To Know
- David Chokachi, who played Cody Madison on Baywatch from 1995 to 1999, is returning for the reboot at age 58.
- He intensified his fitness routine, waking at 3:30 a.m. and incorporating weighted rucking, to prepare for the role.
- The Baywatch reboot is set to premiere in January 2027.
Baywatch star David Chokachi dropped jaws with his toned physique ahead of the show’s January 2027 reboot.
On October 25, Chokachi — who played Cody Madison in Baywatch from 1995 to 1999 — took to Instagram with a screenshot of a Fox News Digital article about how he prepared physically for the reboot.
“Returning to Baywatch at 58 gave me another reason to push myself,” he captioned the update, which featured a shirtless photo showing off his chiseled abs. “Still learning, still challenging myself, and putting that energy into my work and the community I love. Plenty more to do.”
In the article, Chokachi detailed his 3:30 a.m. wake-up time each day and his drive to replicate his original Baywatch success.
“With Baywatch, I realized, on the original, the more fit I was, the more stories they’d write for me, the more episodes I’d be in… not that money is everything, but you want your character to take off,’ he explained. “So I did the same thing on this, but I like doubled down because I was the original coming into this new cast and I wanted to make a statement, and I made a statement.”
In the comments, Chokachi’s followers were in awe of his dedication to fitness — and the obvious results — at nearly 60. One Instagram. user declared, “Crushing the fit game & the acting game, brother — keep it up!”
Another marveled, “What!! 58! A true example of living forever young! Great work!”
Someone else exclaimed, “Congratulations, my friend. You are major major inspiration.”
A different fan pointed out, “Washboard abs can also be done at 3:00 pm.”
Meanwhile, yet another follower commented, “Yes @therealdavidchokachi. You’re still doing it, brother!”
In a separate post, Chokachi gave a shoutout to Men’s Fitness for its recent article about him. The piece featured Chokachi running a 5K race while wearing a 40-pound rucksack alongside members of Malibu’s volunteer community fire brigade.
“Love that they touched on the benefits of RUCKING, too,” Chokachi wrote on Instagram. “Walking with weight adds a cardiovascular challenge, increases energy expenditure, and puts your endurance to work. It’s a big part of my training, and I’m a huge believer in it.”
Baywatch aired for 11 seasons from 1989 to 2001. In addition to Erika Chokachi, the reboot cast includes Stephen Amell as Hobie, Erika Eleniak as Shauni McClain, Kelly Packard as April Giminski, Michael Bergin as Jack “J.D.” Darius, Jessica Belkin as Charlie, Shay Mitchell as Trina, Hassie Harrison as Nat, Thaddeus LaGrone as Brad, Brooks Nader as Selene, Noah Beck as Luke, Livvy Dunne as Grace, and Nadia Gray as Lisa.
Baywatch (original series), streaming on Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi, and The Roku Channel; Baywatch (reboot), premiering in January 2027