The actor revealed to Shortlist that it's nearly impossible for any actor to remain as toned in real life as they are on the big screen.
[Sylvester Stallone in 'Bullet to the Head]
"Looking as ripped as I do on the Bullet to the Head film poster is a temporary situation - you can't maintain it," he explained.
The star then quipped: "When I first saw myself [on the poster] I thought, 'F**k, I look sickly!' I'm actually very smooth in real life."
Stallone also acknowledged that he has been very self-conscious about his body at times, especially as he's grown older.
"I have all kinds of chest injuries; I tore my vein during Rocky II and had 60 stitches. If you've seen Rocky Balboa, you'll know how bad they look," he said.
© Rex Features / Action Press
"It got worse and worse, and people were saying, 'Urgh, has he got varicose veins?' So I thought, f**k it, and covered them with a tattoo of my wife. Then the tattoo started to grow and it went to a skull and before I knew it, I was a mural."
Stallone stars in his latest film Bullet to the Head as a hitman who teams with a Washington DC detective to solve two murders.
Bullet to the Head is now playing in the US and in the UK. Watch a trailer below:
