“I’m starting to realize that I’m 51 years old, I need to stay in my lane and know that I don’t have to try to out-lift everybody or outwork everybody,” Wahlberg tells PEOPLE exclusively

PHOTO:  F45 TRAINING

While you were most likely on your fifth dream, Mark Wahlberg has already hit the gym and polished off his second breakfast of the day.

Known for his 4 a.m. workouts, the fitness-focused actor — who doubles as an F45 Training investor — chatted with PEOPLE about the evolution of his gym routine, from his teenage years as a Calvin Klein model to the present day as a dad of four.

Wahlberg’s regimented workout schedule has piqued the interest of fitness fans; however, the reason behind the intensity of his workouts has shifted over the years.

“I’m starting to realize that I’m 51 years old, I need to stay in my lane and know that I don’t have to try to out-lift everybody or outwork everybody,” Wahlberg tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I just have to push myself a little bit more and continue to just try to drag this beautiful life out as long as I can.”

 F45 TRAINING

The actor says he’s “getting more results” with the new approach to his gym grind and shared the “smart advice” he now puts into action during every sweat session.

“I target muscle groups. I don’t have to lift as heavy, but I have to have better form, a longer hold and a longer squeeze … I just wish I would’ve listened to the people who were trying to tell me these things and give me this kind of advice 20 years ago.”

And that fresh mindset is what sets Wahlberg’s workouts apart from his younger days in the gym. “I think because I’m training smarter, I’m getting the rest that I need. I’ll go three days on, one day off.”

The Oscar-nominated actor has famously buffed up for roles in films like Shooter, The Fighter and Lone Survivor — while also sporting jacked physiques in 2013’s Pain & Gain opposite fellow fitness fiend Dwayne Johnson, and stripping nude in 2022’s Me Time alongside gym nut Kevin Hart.

In fact, getting in shape for movie roles is in part what drives Wahlberg’s motivation to workout. “It has kind of dictated what I’ve been doing and how I’ve approached the upcoming four or five months every year for the last 20-some-odd years,” he admits.

“I mean, I’ve fluctuated my weight from 215 lbs. to 137 lbs., which is pretty extreme,” Wahlberg adds, while also recalling the 30 lbs. he put on for 2022’s Father Stu (and noting he would “probably not” do that again). “It took quite a toll on me,” he says of the weight gain.

Mark Wahlberg. MARK WAHLBERG INSTAGRAM

He’s in the midst of training for a film, but fitness involves factors unrelated to work as well.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I rely on it just to be able to get up and conquer my day as a dad and a businessman,” Wahlberg says. “Just being motivated to continue to try to inspire people and utilize those talents and gifts that I’ve been given for whatever specific reason those gifts have been bestowed upon me.”

“So obviously, my faith, my family and my fitness are the things that everything revolves around,” he says. “I’m just trying to train smarter.”

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Now, the wise Wahlberg is bestowing his workout wisdom on fellow gym goers with F45’s free week of fitness classes available on April 17 to 23. Deemed “Wahlberg Week,” the launch features seven performance-based workouts designed by the actor himself and celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson.

“The great thing about F45 is the community of people,” says Wahlberg, recently named Chief Brand Officer. “Everybody’s encouraging everybody to be the best version of themselves. That’s what makes it so unique and special.”

“I had never walked into a gym before where I saw people from every level of fitness working out together and supporting each other,” he continues. “More importantly, I’ve seen people get more results at F45 than any other gym or any other workout that I’ve ever seen.”