There's Actually A Saxon-Coded Item In Patrick Schwarzenegger's Gym Bag

It’s hard to pick a character on The White Lotus that stands out more than the rest, but Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon is definitely up there. From putting his naked body on full display in the Season 3 premiere to participating in *that* incestuous moment in Episode 6, the chauvinistic finance bro made his mark on audiences, leading fans to question what Schwarzenegger is like IRL.

Thankfully, his mom, Maria Shriver, said he’s far from the brazen guy you see on TV every week on an April 1 episode of The Today Show. But there is one thing the 31-year-old actor and his on-screen alter ego do have in common — and that’s what’s in their gym bag. (Hint: You’ve actually seen his character frequently use it on the hit HBO show.)

“I just feel like a new human being after I work out,” Schwarzenegger tells Elite Daily while promoting his partnership with Brooks Running. Exercise is a big part of who he is, which is why his off-screen regimens are so important for his mental health.

Below, Schwarzenegger dives deep into his current workout routine, how he made the most of his breaks on the White Lotus set, and what his dream treat-yourself day would look like with his fiancée, Abby Champion.

Elite Daily: Congrats on your Brooks Running partnership! How important is running for your mental health?

Patrick Schwarzenegger: It's massively important. I mean, running, long walks, weight training, working out — they’re important to my physical health and well-being. It's that time of the day that I get to be alone, and it's just me, myself, and I; I get to listen to music or zone out and look at the ocean, or the beach, or do a hike. It's kind of my form of therapy and freedom.

ED: When you're not able to run or exercise, what other forms of self-care do you do?

PS: Honestly, when I can’t exercise, I'm not the same person that day. I have other things that make me happy, but after exercising, I feel like a different type of human than I did before. But I also love relaxing and watching a movie, hanging out with my friends and my family and my fiancée, swimming, getting outdoors — just feeling the vitamin D and the breath of fresh air.

ED: Are you into massages, too?

PS: My God, I love them. In Thailand, I would get massages all the time — me and Parker Posey. Parker was equally obsessed with massages. She would get body work and all these different things, and I would, too. We were always comparing notes on which place we loved.

ED: I love that. It's also so much cheaper in Asia. I'm from the Philippines.

PS: Yeah, it's too cheap. I end up tipping them more than what the massage costs. They loved me there.

ED: Walk me through your current workout routine. Does it vary day by day, like Monday's arms, Tuesday's legs?

PS: I mostly do push, pull, legs (PPL). One day, I'll do things that involve pushing; that's usually for chest, triceps, and shoulders. The next day, back and bicep. Another day, legs. Then I'll usually end with a run or another type of cardio.

In the early mornings, I take long walks. I go with my fiancée to get a coffee, then we walk down to the beach, say our gratitude and prayer list there, and walk back. It’s another time that we get to spend alone. The sun's rising, you can hear the birds, and all the kids are on their way to school — it's a great part of the day.

ED: The internet seems very interested in the cast’s abs, especially since it seems like it's a White Lotus must. Do you have a specific core workout?

PS: I don't. I kind of just throw in some ab exercises like sit-ups, reverse leg raises, reverse leg crunches, and hanging leg crunches at the end of a workout, a couple of days a week max. I actually don't work out my abs much at all. I'll do some core stuff in Pilates, but I don't know — Walton Goggins probably has the best abs. You should ask him.

ED: In between long hours of filming, how did you make the most of breaks on set?

PS: It depends on whether you're filming with a big ensemble or more alone. When I was with the whole White Lotus family, we had word game competitions. Every day that we were on set, me and a whole group of people — Mike White (EP), Dave Bernad (EP), me, Jason Isaacs, Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook — would see who could get the Wordle, the Quordle, and Octordle. We'd add all our scores and whoever had the lowest score would win that day. Usually, Mike or Jason won. We would also listen to music. Jason would bring his portable speaker. That was the way we passed the time.

ED: How are you at Wordle?

PS: I was probably second to third best in the group.

ED: Not bad. As for wellness trends, what’s the wildest one you've tried?

PS: I haven't tried many absurd things. I guess cryotherapy, saunas, ice baths, things of that nature. When we were in Thailand, there was this place that we would all go to on the weekends that had ice baths, saunas, and CO2 baths. We would go there all the time.

ED: What about skin care or skin trends? Have you tried any out-there ones?

PS: I'm guilty of just using whatever my fiancée tells me or gives me. Cetaphil, Osea, Kiehl’s — whatever she gets, I use. I'm not as picky. I don't go out and shop skin care stuff, except for a good shaving cream and aftershave I like, and getting a good razor blade.

ED: What are three items that are always in your gym bag?

PS: A pair of great running shoes like the ones I’m wearing, the Glycerin Max; a protein bar or snack bar — like my Mosh bars, which I co-founded with my mom — something that's high in protein, low in sugar; then I would say probably AirPods. Or if not AirPods, some hydration or protein powder.

ED: It's very Saxon-coded to have protein powder.

PS: Yeah, exactly.

ED: Lastly, what would your dream treat-yourself day look like?

PS: I'd probably do what I do on a normal day: wake up, go walk to get a coffee, go on a stroll with my fiancée, see some sort of outdoors, whether it's the beach or the ocean.

Here in New York, I would go to the West Side Highway, take in the sun, look at the water, work out, have banana pancakes, and some bacon. Then I would do some sort of activity with her. Maybe go to a spa — that sounds nice — get a massage, and have some delicious food. Just hang out, relax, and do some sort of activity.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.