Fitness & Exercise

Eric Fleishman, AKA "Eric The Trainer," famed celebrity trainer, unexpectedly died at the age of 53 on Thanksgiving, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Fleishman passed Thursday morning at his home in Glendale, CA.

Eric served as a personal trainer to many big stars in TV, movies and the music industry, working with everyone from Def Leppard, Journey, Fall Out Boy, and Nickelback to Kirstie Alley, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Ethan Suplee and Jason Priestley, amongst many others.

Many of his celeb clients also counted Eric as a friend.

But, Fleishman didn't only work with the famous and wealthy ... he also trained the people who keep Los Angeles safe. Law enforcement.

Eric, over his 3+ decade career in fitness, also worked with LAPD, L.A. Sheriff's Academy, California Highway Patrol and numerous SWAT teams across the county.

Fleishman originally got into the business after being inspired by fitness and health pioneer, Jack Lalanne.

During COVID lockdowns, Eric gathered his famous friends and held a benefit concert that raised thousands of dollars for the Feeding America charity.

Fleishman is survived by his wife Alysia and son Henry.

Action Bronson's time in the squared circle wasn't just a one-time thing -- the rap star tells TMZ Sports he's ready for his next wrestling opportunity ... saying there's "storylines galore" just waiting for him!!!

The "Subzero" MC recently made his debut with All-Elite Wrestling this year at Grand Slam ... teaming up with Hook to beat Matt Menard and Angelo Parker in an awesome match.

Bronson was legit impressive in the showdown -- throwing dudes over his shoulder and slamming them to the canvas in the entertaining appearance.

But, AB tells us the September event was just the beginning -- 'cause he's waiting by the phone for his next shot.

"I'm ready to go," Bronson said at LAX. "I'm always ready."

When we asked if this is a new career to add to his resume, Bronson says it's something he'd love to do ... but the clock is ticking.

"I'm an old man, bro. I'm an old man. But, I still got some good athleticism in me. Seven more years of athleticism if I play my cards right. I'm telling you."

Bronson says he doesn't have one specific opponent in mind ... adding, "I see storylines galore. I feel like there's a storyline for the next 10 years with me."

BTW -- Action Bronson has been losing a ton of weight recently through boxing and weightlifting ... and he tells us the mindset he has when it comes to getting right.

A one-time Olympic boxer has been arrested for threatening to go on a shooting rampage inside a Florida gym.

Azea Augustama was taken into custody in Miami and booked on three felony charges -- two counts of issuing written threats to commit a mass shooting and one count of threatening to kill or do bodily harm.

He was ordered held on $3 million bond at a court hearing.

According to an affidavit, obtained by TMZ, Azea's membership at Miami's Boxr gym got yanked earlier this month after he had a heated argument with someone.

Then, on Tuesday, Azea had the police escort him back into the gym to retrieve the possessions he had left behind, but they had disappeared.

Azea later took to social media to vent his anger over his missing belongings ... making "threats to kill or do bodily harm with a firearm," the affidavit states.

He went so far as to tag the gym in a few of his threatening Instagram posts, which also included a deposit receipt for an AK-47. He later deleted the receipt.

Police were notified about the threats and tracked Azea to the pawn shop where he had originally put down the $150 deposit for the weapon.

There was not one, but TWO Bradys working out at QB at Buccaneers practice on Wednesday ... 'cause Tom's son got in some drills while visiting Dad -- and TB12 loved it!

15-year-old Jack swung by Tampa's day-before-Thanksgiving practice for a few hours -- and at points during the afternoon, he got to toss around the pigskin in front of Tom.

The high schooler -- who actually plays free safety and a little bit of quarterback for his H.S. team -- looked good ... rollin' out of the pocket with two hands on the ball, just like pops.

The younger Brady also showed off a similar follow-through as Dad as well!

Afterward, Brady spoke with media members about Jack -- his son with Bridget Moynahan --being around ... and he said he was super grateful for the opportunities.

"It's the best," Brady said. "I had him out here for training camp last year, which was amazing for a dad. It was pretty special. As much as I can be around him, the better it is."

TB12 said earlier this year on his 'Let's Go!' podcast that he never envisioned Jack following in his football footsteps ... but watching him play now is "one of the great highlights of my life."

In fact, Tom said the kid "actually moves better than I did at his age."

Andrew Garfield will turn 40 next year, but that hasn't stopped him from getting in the best shape of his life -- as evidenced by a new photo shoot.

AG flashed his abs in a recent GQ shoot ... and it's clear the 39-year-old actor's been recently putting in the work -- because it shows!

Of course, Andrew's always been in pretty great shape, most notably while playing 'Spider-Man' in his early 20s -- but despite reprising his superhero role last year, Andrew's been steering clear from physically-demanding performances -- starring in films like "Tick, Tick... Boom!" and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."

Andrew left everyone's jaw dropped back in August when he snapped a shirtless pic with a fan while on vacay, showin' off just how ripped he's recently become.

Shawn Mendes is making a strong case to be Canada's finest export ... for the latest evidence, look no further than these pics of him taking a stroll without a shirt!!!

The "Treat You Better" singer ditched his shirt Wednesday and went on a hike on one of Los Angeles' many trails ... looking like a certified hunk.

Shawn worked up a sweat on his journey ... which only made him look even hotter.

The guy's checking all the boxes here ... flowing dark hair, the right mix of tattoos, six-pack abs, and just enough body hair. Yes, please!!!

Handsome looks aside, it's good to see Shawn looking happy and healthy ... remember, he's not performing right now because he canceled his world tour for a mental health break.

TMZ broke the story ... Shawn told us he pressed pause on his tour to enjoy the simple things in life, along with some therapy, in order to regain his life balance.

The last time we saw Shawn, he was going to church with Justin Bieber, who also put his tour on ice for a mental health break.

If any haters are still out there doubting Jake Paul ... boxing champ Lawrence Okolie clearly believes they need to drop that opinion ASAP -- praising the guy as the real deal in the ring following a sparring sesh with the former YouTuber on Wednesday.

Okolie and Paul traded blows at PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani's Kamani Club in Dubai ... getting in work so intensely, they were drenched in sweat.

And, afterward, Okolie said Paul is no joke with the gloves.

"He's better than most boxers," the WBO cruiserweight world champ said, according to boxing reporter Michael Benson. "People just hate because of his influencer background."

Of course, many boxing fans have discredited Paul, despite his 6-0 record ... simply because none of his victories have come against actual boxers.

Paul, though, has tried to fight real boxers in the past few months ... setting up matches with both Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. But, both bouts fell through before the first-round bell could sound.

Zac Efron is blowing people away with his transformation in the upcoming film, "The Iron Claw" ... and he's got a seal of approval from a very important person -- Kevin Von Erich, the wrestling legend Zac's portraying.

Kevin tells TMZ ... not only does Zac's depiction get a big thumbs up ... it sounds like his daughters are on board with the casting choice, too.

As for Zac's physique, Kevin says that's no easy task to pull off -- telling us it was pretty time-consuming to stay in shape like that back in his prime ... giving props to the actor for lookin' that good.

FYI -- the upcoming film is all about the Von Erich legacy ... showcasing the family of wrestlers breaking into the game, starting way back in the '60s. Alongside Zac, Jeremy Allen White will be playing Kevin's brother, Kerry.

Kevin has had little to no involvement with the film, aside from talking to the director, Sean Durkin, a few times. He hasn't spoken to Zac about the role.

The Problem Child looked more like the Problem Cowboy ahead of his fight against Anderson Silva ... 'cause Jake Paul showed up on horseback to his open workout on Wednesday!!

The undefeated boxer -- who's known for his grandiose antics before bouts -- decided to one-up himself in Phoenix ... by doing his best Canelo Alvarez impression and making friends with a foal.

Of course, Canelo is known for his love of animals ... and has showcased his horse-dancing skills over the years.

Paul eventually got off his horse and got to work ... showing off his moves in the ring.

But not only did Paul ride on a horse -- he had several HPs on his wrist, too ... with a Bugatti watch he wore to the open workout!!

TMZ Sports has learned, JP was rockin' a Bugatti Chiron 16-cylinder Tourbillon watch made by Jacob and Co.

The limited edition is designed with 18k of rose gold, anti-reflective sapphire crystals, and a 30-degree inclined Tourbillon cage. Unsure what Jakey dropped ... but we're told the retail price for this bling is $380k!!!

Silva also had his time to shine during his workout -- although, he did not have a horse.

Paul is now the favorite (-190) to beat Silva on Saturday ... after initially coming in as the underdog.

Silva says he's been training like crazy to prove the doubters wrong ... and after reports he was knocked out twice in sparring (which he says was NOT true), he released a statement confirming he's in fantastic fighting shape.

"I am fit and ready to fight and the only knockout people should be worried about is the one I'm about to deliver to Jake Paul on Saturday night."

Kanye West is persona non grata for Peloton -- the exercise company is banning his music from any new future classes.

Peloton took a stance Wednesday in a statement to Pelobuddy ... "We take this issue very seriously and can confirm Peloton indefinitely paused the use of Kanye West’s music on our platform. This means our instructors are no longer using his music in any newly produced classes and we are not suggesting any class that includes his music in our proactive recommendations to Members."

They add, "You should know this was a decision we made immediately following his remarks. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns and thank you for being a Member of our Peloton community."

The statement comes on the heels of Peloton's Alex Toussaint -- a popular cycling instructor -- declaring he would not be playing Ye's tunes during any of his classes. He said this on Monday during his Hip Hop Ride at 7 PM ET ... without ever naming the guy.

Toussaint said he doesn't tolerate hate speech and that he stands with the Jewish community -- going on to promise he would foster a safe space and not play "that artist." It seems his bosses felt that policy should apply across the board ... and it's a big deal.

There's been a lot of folks wondering what might happen to Kanye's music as he continues to fall from grace. Until now, there hadn't been many rumblings about censoring//muting his catalog -- but at this point, it appears the door's starting to be opened a bit.

If Karl-Anthony Towns was trying to be a leader for publicly criticizing Anthony Edwards' diet, it had the complete opposite effect -- so says Chandler Parsons, who's calling the star's comments "super wack."

As we previously reported, KAT told reporters he wants to help change what the 2020 #1 overall pick is putting in his body after a bad loss on Monday ... saying, "I know y’all think it’s funny up here when he talks about Popeyes and all that s***. That doesn't make me happy to hear."

Parsons got wind of KAT's statements ... and he's completely against how he went about it.

"It's just super corny for him to say that," Parsons said on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back."

"I don't know if it's his attempt of trying to be a leader, but leaders don't do that in public. Leaders privately pull their player or their teammate over there and they talk about that or they get with the training staff, they get with the chef, they get with whatever they have to get  to to address this issue."

He added ... "You do not air that out after a bad loss when emotions are already high. Doing that to another star player on the team, I just think that's completely out of bounds. That's not how you lead. That's not how you get things done and I just think that's super wack."

Rainer Schaller -- who owns Gold's Gym, among other brands -- is still missing after his plane disappeared off the coast of Costa Rica, and his gym's parent company says the plane crashed.

The RSG Group issued a statement Monday confirming Rainer, his family and two others were on board the plane when it crashed.

There is still no official word if Rainer died ... though there are reports two bodies were found, plus luggage and pieces of the twin-engine plane.

The airplane wreckage was found at sea, so the situation does not sound good.

As we reported ... Rainer's flight disappeared overnight Friday, with the plane vanishing off the coast of Costa Rica on a flight path from Mexico.

Rainer Schaller -- who owns Gold's Gym, among other brands -- is missing alongside his family after their plane disappeared overnight ... with officials all but confirming they're dead.

A private plane carrying Schaller, his partner Christiane Schikorsky, their children and a reported fitness trainer are listed as the five passengers who have gone unaccounted for since their aircraft vanished off the Costa Rican coast while traveling from Mexico Friday.

Reports say the plane lost all communication with a control tower while it was flying near Barra del Parismina in the Caribbean Sea -- and now, the Costa Rican Coast Guard is saying they've found several pieces from what they believe is the wreckage, including at least 2 bodies.

The identities of the two corpses have not officially been announced just yet, but some reports say Costa Rican officials are declaring Schaller among 6 people (pilot included) that are presumed dead at this point. A search is still underway to find the others ... some personal belongings, like luggage, have been retrieved in the open sea though.

Schaller is the founder and CEO of the RSG Group -- which runs and operates a string of gym chains across the world, including McFit, John Reed and of course ... Gold's, which he acquired a couple years ago after it filed for bankruptcy in the pandemic.

While all are notable names in the fitness world, Gold's in particular is incredibly popular here in the States -- with some famous clients utilizing its services over the years, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Muhammad Ali, Hillary Swank and so, so many more.

Shawn Michaels got a chance to train Logan Paul one-on-one... and the WWE legend was so impressed with the YouTuber's talent and commitment to wrestling, he tells us he's down to train Logan anytime!

Michaels joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... and the Hall of Famer says he was shocked with 27-year-old Paul's performance at WrestleMania 38.

"I saw him at WrestleMania and just thought he did a fantastic job," Michaels said. "I was honestly like everybody else at 'Mania, a fan, and I thought he did a heckuva job."

Logan, a big fan of the Heartbreak Kid, expressed interest in training with the legendary wrestler ... and on Thursday the men finally got together at the WWE Performance Center in Florida.

"Just getting a chance to speak with him, clearly, he's a bright young man," Shawn says, adding, "He's fully committed to what he does, and certainly fully committed to this, and I appreciate that."

Physically, Michaels was also impressed ... "[Logan's] clearly athletic as heck. So he's naturally gifted in a lot of areas."

And, because Logan was such a good student, Shawn had a blast.

"It was a heckuva lot of fun. I thought it was incredibly productive. I will say I'm someone who knows of him, but didn't know too much about him, but I've come to appreciate and like him quite a bit cause again he's very passionate about this and committed, and again, when you got that kind of moldable clay to work with, it's really fun."

As far as working together in the future, Shawn says he's open and willing to train Logan again.

"Our performance center down here will be open to him anytime, and if there's anything I can do to help him," Michaels says.

Tennis legend Boris Becker has found a second career while locked away in an English slammer ... he's become a popular prison yoga instructor!

German tabloid Bild, citing a source close to the 54-year-old, reported this week that the convicted criminal has begun to thrive while behind bars ... teaching fitness routines to his fellow prisoners -- and losing a ton of weight.

The outlet reports Becker has made fast friends with inmates at Huntercombe prison in England, hosting yoga classes for around 45 people. Becker, according to the outlet, has also given up alcohol, become a regular in the facility's gym, and lost around 17 pounds.

"As a sportsman," the source close to Becker told Bild, "he knows only too well the highs and lows of victories and defeats. He is sharing his life experience with his fellow prisoners."

As we reported, Becker was initially sentenced to 2.5 years in prison back in April after he was accused of moving a ton of money in an effort to hide funds following his declaration of bankruptcy in 2017.

The former No. 1-ranked tennis player allegedly transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from his business account to other accounts after declaring bankruptcy -- a big no-no.

In announcing Becker's sentence, the judge ripped into the former tennis star ... saying at the time, "You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy."

Michael Myers was killin' it at the gym this week.

Sorry, had to.

Former pro pitcher Logan Chitwood gave meatheads a scare at the gym this week -- by dressing up as the "Halloween" villain and getting in a workout!!

The hilarious prank was caught on video ... showing the YouTube star working on his biceps and triceps while decked out in the slasher's navy jumpsuit, mask, wig, and boots.

Chitwood stayed in character the whole time -- you can even see him holding a fake knife while pullin' this off ... but he did struggle a bit when he tried to do a one-armed pull-up.

The prank got a mixed reaction from the folks at the gym ... with some laughing and recording while the serious gym rats stayed focused.

You know who thought it was hilarious, though?!? LeBron James ... saying on his IG, "That some 💩 I would do!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣"

In fact, the NBA superstar -- who seems to be a huge Michael Myers fan -- has a fake replica of the slasher at his mansion for Halloween decor and recently watched the new "Halloween Ends" movie.

"Halloween Ends was so GOOD!!!!" the 37-year-old said on Twitter, "@jamieleecurtis you're such a LEGEND & BADASS #MichaelMyers"