13 Female Celebrities With Amazing Weight Room Strength - stack (2024)

Female Athletes,Sports News,Strength Training

Brie Larson

When Brie Larson landed the starring role as Captain Marvel, she knew she had to get stronger. To do so, she turned to trainer Jason Walsh, who boasts a long track record of helping celebrities build super hero physiques.

Starting off, Larson had almost no prior experience with training. But she made quick progress under Walsh’s program.

“You’re told women aren’t supposed to have a lot of upper-body strength. That’s bull****. They get really, really, really strong pound-for-pound,” Walsh toldVanity Fair. “For Brie, I think we ended up doingeight Pull-Upsstraight.” Other impressive feats included eight Push-Ups with a 50-pound chain draped across her back andhip thrusting well over 300 pounds.

“I didn’t know what strength was. I was truly an introvert with asthma before this film, so I had a lot of work to do, and I just started to fall in love with it. I started to fall in love with the way my body was changing and transforming,” Larson toldE! News.

“If I was seeing this movie, I think it would mean so much more to me knowing there was that type of dedication put into it and that it’s not, ‘Girls are strongwith CGI…It’s, ‘Girls are strong [period]!'”

Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley—a.k.a. “Rey” in theStar Warssequel trilogy—is no stranger to strength training.The above video shows off some of the intense workouts she’s conquered in preparation for that role. She reportedly boasts a Deadlift PR of 176 pounds.

In addition to plenty of traditional barbell, dumbbell and resistance band exercises, we spy some landmine movements, as well.Landmine movementsutilize an angled barbell where one end is held by the lifter and the other end is secured to the ground. Landmine exercises are awesome for just about anyone, but they’re especially great for those newer to strength training due to their low learning curve, high degree of safety, and ability to be loaded heavy.

Kate Upton lifts.She’s a long-time client of Ben Bruno, a trainer who’s helped a number of female celebrities embrace strength training. We’re big fans of his philosophy, which he can outline in aboutthree sentences.

That’s Upton bear crawl pulling a 300-pound sled in the above video. She was still knocking out some badass training during her recent pregnancy, including theseheavy Reverse Kettlebell Lunges.

Impressive stuff! The week before thisSports Illustratedphoto shoot, Upton hit a PR on Hip Thrusts of 225 pounds for 12 reps. “To me, exercise is about working really hard in the gym to be healthy and feel good and confident about my body,” Upton toldInsiderin 2017. “Weight training helps me do that the best. Lifting heavy weights leans you out if you do it the correct way.”

Jessica Biel is another one of Bruno’s clients. The dumbbells she’s holding inthis videomight not look all that big, but trust us—these sort ofSingle-Leg Squats (a.k.a. “Pistol Squats“) take an insane amount of strength.

If you doubt us, try it yourself.

It looks like Biel’s working in sets of eight reps per leg, which is a great range to be in when building muscle is the goal. A problem a lot of strength training newbies run into is performing way too many reps in a set, which is a symptom of using way too light of weight. Biel can barely eek out that eighth rep on her right leg—she finishes the set with maybe one rep in reserve. That’s the level of challenge you need to build legit strength and muscle and see serious changes in your body.

Kate Beckinsale is an English actress who’s perhaps best known for her starring role as Selene in theUnderworldfilm series. She trains with Gunnar Peterson, former Director of Strength and Endurance Training for the Los Angeles Lakers. Here she is makinga 150-pound tirelook light as a feather, andhere she isdominating a heavy sled push.

Heavy sled pushes(ideally 80% or more of your body weight) are agreatoption for building the muscles of the posterior chain (the hamstrings, glutes, etc.), which is one reason elite trainers love using them to help women get stronger. It’s also proven to help you increase your maximal horizontal force production, a key component of running faster.

Shortly after Alicia Vikander landed the starring role in the 2018 filmTomb Raider, she began working with trainer Magnus Lygdback to gain muscle and strength and transform her body. In addition to bodyweight moves like Pull-Ups, Push-Ups and Inverted Rows, Lygdback included traditional strength training staples like Deadlifts, Front Squats and Tricep Pushdowns into Vikander’s routine. Diet-wise, she ate three meals and two large snacks per day, aiming for 40 grams of protein both at lunch and dinner. Ultimately, Vikander gained 12 pounds of muscle in preparation for her turn as Lara Croft.

“I wanted her to be a very strong physical girl,” said Vikander during the run-up to the film’s release. “This was the first time I really weight trained. I think a lot of girls are intimidated by it, but I felt empowered lifting like that.”

Chelsea Handler

Comedian Chelsea Handler is another Bruno client, and she’s certainly not afraid to keep things light in the gym.

But make no mistake—Handler’s strong. Really strong. She’s pushed500 pounds on the sled, and she’s hip thrusting some serious weight in the above video. Popularized by strength coach and glute training guru Brett Contreras,Hip Thrustsare an awesome lower-body movement. Here is Handler nailing a “Leg Gaunlet” that includesRear-Foot Elevated Split Squatsand several sled movements. Bruno also likes to programEccentric Pull-Up variationsfor Handler, which can be an amazing way to work up to full unassisted Pull-Ups.

Emily Blunt was already a client of Walsh’s when she landed the role of Sergeant Rita Vrataski in the 2014 sci-fi thrillerEdge of Tomorrow, but to better play the tough-as-nails character, she really wanted to enhance her strength. Blunt’s routine included moves like Bent-Over Rows, Pull-Ups and Squat Presses.

As you can see in the scene from the film above, the results were impressive. Walsh says many new female clients come to him specifically referencing that shot as inspiration.

“It was a total-body transformation. (Emily) became this super-strong woman, and she was the hero in that movie!” Walsh toldWell and Good.

Blunt was also expected to wear a 70-pound prop exoskeleton suit during much of filming, and was often required to run and jump in said suit. To help build a body capable of withstanding that pounding, Walsh had Blunt don a weighted vest during their track workouts. She started off with a 10-pound vest before progressing all the way up to a 50-pound model, which is nearly half her body weight.

If I told you super model Nina Agdal could sled push over 500 pounds, you’d probably think I was crazy, right? Well, she can. Andthere’s proof.

That’s trainerAndy Speerrooting her on. “Pushed 527lb today, thats basically 3 baby elephants,” Agdal writes in the caption. Sounds about right.

Photo Credit: Coveteur.com

Emma Stone’s turn as tennis legend Billie Jean King in the 2017 filmBattle of the Sexesearned rave reviews from critics. A big part of Stone’s phenomenal performance was her body transformation—she didn’t need to just talk and act like Billie Jean, she needed to look and move like her, too. Stone teamed up with Walsh, who she’d previously collaborated with to help her prepare for La La Land, to get it done.

“It was a lot, a lot, a lot of weight lifting. And then, after three weeks, you’re like, “I can lift this?! I can do that!” It just becomes very addictive,” Stone toldEntertainment Tonight.

Stone was ultimately able to add 15 pounds of muscle thanks to a steady diet of strength builders likeDeadlifts, Farmer’s Walks, Hip Thrusts, Pull-Ups, Weighted Push-Ups and Sled Pushes and Pulls. She generally did about two strength workouts for every one cardio workout during her preparation, as too much cardio can cannibalize strength gains. Stone used the VersaClimber, which LeBron James has called his favorite piece of gym equipment, for her conditioning.

Shortly after having her second child, Blake Lively began integrating more strength training into her routine. At the time, her goal was to build a strong surfer body for her role in the 2016 filmThe Shallows. Trainer Don Saladino, who also work’s with Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, drew up her plan of attack.

“We take a strength training approach. I do it with any female that I work with. The foundation of fat burning is weight training and cardio is needed, but it’s the sprinkles on the ice cream. If you had to choose one or the other, I’m saying you want to go with resistance training—which is what we did with Blake,” Saladino toldE! News.

One key movement in her routine was the Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift, which his essentially a wide stance Deadlift. After warming up, Saladino had her complete five sets of five reps. “I try to get her to the point where she struggles for five sets of five, but her technique is always perfect,” Saladino toldINSIDER.If you’re struggling at rep five in a set, that’s a good sign you’re using weight heavy enough to build real strength. If you’rebanging out 40-50 reps of a weight lifting exercise in a set–something that’s really not all that uncommon in group fitnessclasses–then odds are you’re just getting tired and not actually getting stronger and building muscle.

“I had to become an athlete,” Lively toldPeopleof her preparation.

Female Athletes,Sports News,Strength Training

Brie Larson

When Brie Larson landed the starring role as Captain Marvel, she knew she had to get stronger. To do so, she turned to trainer Jason Walsh, who boasts a long track record of helping celebrities build super hero physiques.

Starting off, Larson had almost no prior experience with training. But she made quick progress under Walsh’s program.

“You’re told women aren’t supposed to have a lot of upper-body strength. That’s bull****. They get really, really, really strong pound-for-pound,” Walsh toldVanity Fair. “For Brie, I think we ended up doingeight Pull-Upsstraight.” Other impressive feats included eight Push-Ups with a 50-pound chain draped across her back andhip thrusting well over 300 pounds.

“I didn’t know what strength was. I was truly an introvert with asthma before this film, so I had a lot of work to do, and I just started to fall in love with it. I started to fall in love with the way my body was changing and transforming,” Larson toldE! News.

“If I was seeing this movie, I think it would mean so much more to me knowing there was that type of dedication put into it and that it’s not, ‘Girls are strongwith CGI…It’s, ‘Girls are strong [period]!'”

Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley—a.k.a. “Rey” in theStar Warssequel trilogy—is no stranger to strength training.The above video shows off some of the intense workouts she’s conquered in preparation for that role. She reportedly boasts a Deadlift PR of 176 pounds.

In addition to plenty of traditional barbell, dumbbell and resistance band exercises, we spy some landmine movements, as well.Landmine movementsutilize an angled barbell where one end is held by the lifter and the other end is secured to the ground. Landmine exercises are awesome for just about anyone, but they’re especially great for those newer to strength training due to their low learning curve, high degree of safety, and ability to be loaded heavy.

Kate Upton lifts.She’s a long-time client of Ben Bruno, a trainer who’s helped a number of female celebrities embrace strength training. We’re big fans of his philosophy, which he can outline in aboutthree sentences.

That’s Upton bear crawl pulling a 300-pound sled in the above video. She was still knocking out some badass training during her recent pregnancy, including theseheavy Reverse Kettlebell Lunges.

Impressive stuff! The week before thisSports Illustratedphoto shoot, Upton hit a PR on Hip Thrusts of 225 pounds for 12 reps. “To me, exercise is about working really hard in the gym to be healthy and feel good and confident about my body,” Upton toldInsiderin 2017. “Weight training helps me do that the best. Lifting heavy weights leans you out if you do it the correct way.”

Jessica Biel is another one of Bruno’s clients. The dumbbells she’s holding inthis videomight not look all that big, but trust us—these sort ofSingle-Leg Squats (a.k.a. “Pistol Squats“) take an insane amount of strength.

If you doubt us, try it yourself.

It looks like Biel’s working in sets of eight reps per leg, which is a great range to be in when building muscle is the goal. A problem a lot of strength training newbies run into is performing way too many reps in a set, which is a symptom of using way too light of weight. Biel can barely eek out that eighth rep on her right leg—she finishes the set with maybe one rep in reserve. That’s the level of challenge you need to build legit strength and muscle and see serious changes in your body.

Kate Beckinsale is an English actress who’s perhaps best known for her starring role as Selene in theUnderworldfilm series. She trains with Gunnar Peterson, former Director of Strength and Endurance Training for the Los Angeles Lakers. Here she is makinga 150-pound tirelook light as a feather, andhere she isdominating a heavy sled push.

Heavy sled pushes(ideally 80% or more of your body weight) are agreatoption for building the muscles of the posterior chain (the hamstrings, glutes, etc.), which is one reason elite trainers love using them to help women get stronger. It’s also proven to help you increase your maximal horizontal force production, a key component of running faster.

Shortly after Alicia Vikander landed the starring role in the 2018 filmTomb Raider, she began working with trainer Magnus Lygdback to gain muscle and strength and transform her body. In addition to bodyweight moves like Pull-Ups, Push-Ups and Inverted Rows, Lygdback included traditional strength training staples like Deadlifts, Front Squats and Tricep Pushdowns into Vikander’s routine. Diet-wise, she ate three meals and two large snacks per day, aiming for 40 grams of protein both at lunch and dinner. Ultimately, Vikander gained 12 pounds of muscle in preparation for her turn as Lara Croft.

“I wanted her to be a very strong physical girl,” said Vikander during the run-up to the film’s release. “This was the first time I really weight trained. I think a lot of girls are intimidated by it, but I felt empowered lifting like that.”

Chelsea Handler

Comedian Chelsea Handler is another Bruno client, and she’s certainly not afraid to keep things light in the gym.

But make no mistake—Handler’s strong. Really strong. She’s pushed500 pounds on the sled, and she’s hip thrusting some serious weight in the above video. Popularized by strength coach and glute training guru Brett Contreras,Hip Thrustsare an awesome lower-body movement. Here is Handler nailing a “Leg Gaunlet” that includesRear-Foot Elevated Split Squatsand several sled movements. Bruno also likes to programEccentric Pull-Up variationsfor Handler, which can be an amazing way to work up to full unassisted Pull-Ups.

Emily Blunt was already a client of Walsh’s when she landed the role of Sergeant Rita Vrataski in the 2014 sci-fi thrillerEdge of Tomorrow, but to better play the tough-as-nails character, she really wanted to enhance her strength. Blunt’s routine included moves like Bent-Over Rows, Pull-Ups and Squat Presses.

As you can see in the scene from the film above, the results were impressive. Walsh says many new female clients come to him specifically referencing that shot as inspiration.

“It was a total-body transformation. (Emily) became this super-strong woman, and she was the hero in that movie!” Walsh toldWell and Good.

Blunt was also expected to wear a 70-pound prop exoskeleton suit during much of filming, and was often required to run and jump in said suit. To help build a body capable of withstanding that pounding, Walsh had Blunt don a weighted vest during their track workouts. She started off with a 10-pound vest before progressing all the way up to a 50-pound model, which is nearly half her body weight.

If I told you super model Nina Agdal could sled push over 500 pounds, you’d probably think I was crazy, right? Well, she can. Andthere’s proof.

That’s trainerAndy Speerrooting her on. “Pushed 527lb today, thats basically 3 baby elephants,” Agdal writes in the caption. Sounds about right.

Photo Credit: Coveteur.com

Emma Stone’s turn as tennis legend Billie Jean King in the 2017 filmBattle of the Sexesearned rave reviews from critics. A big part of Stone’s phenomenal performance was her body transformation—she didn’t need to just talk and act like Billie Jean, she needed to look and move like her, too. Stone teamed up with Walsh, who she’d previously collaborated with to help her prepare for La La Land, to get it done.

“It was a lot, a lot, a lot of weight lifting. And then, after three weeks, you’re like, “I can lift this?! I can do that!” It just becomes very addictive,” Stone toldEntertainment Tonight.

Stone was ultimately able to add 15 pounds of muscle thanks to a steady diet of strength builders likeDeadlifts, Farmer’s Walks, Hip Thrusts, Pull-Ups, Weighted Push-Ups and Sled Pushes and Pulls. She generally did about two strength workouts for every one cardio workout during her preparation, as too much cardio can cannibalize strength gains. Stone used the VersaClimber, which LeBron James has called his favorite piece of gym equipment, for her conditioning.

Shortly after having her second child, Blake Lively began integrating more strength training into her routine. At the time, her goal was to build a strong surfer body for her role in the 2016 filmThe Shallows. Trainer Don Saladino, who also work’s with Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, drew up her plan of attack.

“We take a strength training approach. I do it with any female that I work with. The foundation of fat burning is weight training and cardio is needed, but it’s the sprinkles on the ice cream. If you had to choose one or the other, I’m saying you want to go with resistance training—which is what we did with Blake,” Saladino toldE! News.

One key movement in her routine was the Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift, which his essentially a wide stance Deadlift. After warming up, Saladino had her complete five sets of five reps. “I try to get her to the point where she struggles for five sets of five, but her technique is always perfect,” Saladino toldINSIDER.If you’re struggling at rep five in a set, that’s a good sign you’re using weight heavy enough to build real strength. If you’rebanging out 40-50 reps of a weight lifting exercise in a set–something that’s really not all that uncommon in group fitnessclasses–then odds are you’re just getting tired and not actually getting stronger and building muscle.

“I had to become an athlete,” Lively toldPeopleof her preparation.