Looking to train like a warrior? Try this Hollywood trainer workout from Jenny Pacey, who got the Wonder Woman 1984 Amazonians into shape…
Hollywood Trainer Jenny Pacey
It’s well-known that Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot, who plays lead character Diana Prince, had to train like an athlete for her role. And in the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, we’re introduced to an army of powerful women – the Amazonian athletes – competing against a young Diana in the Amazon Games. The actresses playing the amazons are as tough as their armour, and behind their athletic ability is a Hollywood trainer workout from Jenny Pacey, who also compiles workouts atgrokker.com.
‘The Amazons trained five days a week for around two to three hours a day, plus they’d have around two or three hours of stunt training,’ she reveals. ‘I created the programming so they would peak for filming in London like it was the Olympics.’ Involving Metabolic Conditioning (MetCon), athletic drills, Olympic lifting, stick mobility, yoga, foam rolling, meditation and more, Pacey’s programme was designed to boost the Amazon actresses’ strength, speed, power and athleticism. Follow her 1000 Rep Challengeworkout to train like an Amazon!
How to do this Hollywood trainer workout:
Perform 10 sets of 10 reps. Alternatively, do five sets of 20 reps, or two sets of 50 reps.
1. ALTERNATE CURTSY TWIST
- From standing, and with a dumbbell held lengthwise between your hands, step your left leg behind you so that your thighs cross.
- Bend both knees as if curtsying, ensuring your right knee doesn’t extend over your right ankle, and take the dumbbell to your right.
- Push through your front heel to stand, then repeat on the other side. That’s one rep
2. PUSH-UP RENEGADE ROW
- Start in a low plank position with wrists under shoulders, your core activated and a dumbbell under each hand.
- Push up to high plank then, leading with your elbow, drive your right arm up and to the side of your rib cage.
- Slowly lower it to the floor and repeat on the other side.
3. ALTERNATING V-SITS
- Lie flat on your back with legs straight out. Hold your arms up in front of you, grasping a dumbbell lengthways in both hands.
- Engage your core and lift one leg up towards the ceiling. Simultaneously crunch your upper body up and reach towards your toes.
- Reverse to lower back down, then repeat on the other side.
4. FRONT SQUAT WITH OBLIQUE TWIST
- Hold a set of dumbbells at your collarbones with both elbows forward in a front rack position, core engaged. This is the starting position.
- Lower your body and sink your hips back over your heels to a 90-degree squat position.
- As you extend out of the squat, twist your elbows past your right knee (draw your left ribs over to your right hips to create a rotation and oblique crunch) and raise your right knee.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
5. KNEELING ARNOLD PRESS WITH HIP EXTENSION
- Kneel on a mat with your knees under your hips and your toes tucked under. Hold a pair of dumbbells horizontally in front of you, with your little fingers together.
- Raise your body up to extend your hips, simultaneously scooping the dumbbells around to tap them above your head for a full shoulder extension.
- Return your hips back to your heels and your little fingers back together for a chest contraction in front of the body. Repeat.
6. SEATED TWIST WITH LEG DROP
- Take a seated position with your heels off the floor, knees together and a dumbbell held horizontally at chest height.
- As you rotate the dumbbell down to the right, drop your left heel, keeping your right leg stable.
- Pull your ribs down, lift your pelvic floor up and draw your belly button in for some core activation.
- Return to the seated position and then alternate.
7. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a set of dumbbells at your sides.
- Bring the dumbbells in front of your hips and hinge forward, keeping your spine long and looking down and slightly forward.
- Squeeze your glutes to stand back up, then repeat.
8. BRIDGE BENCH COMPLEX
- Lie on your back with your heels under your knees. Bend your elbows out to the sides with a dumbbell in each hand and a strong wrist above the forearm, then extend the hips to a bridge position.
- Press the arms as if doing a chest press, as you lower the hips and elbows to the mat while pressing the dumbbells towards the sky.
- Return to the starting position before repeating the sequence.
9. WEIGHTED DEAD BUG
- Lie on your back with your legs extended towards the sky, holding one dumbbell between both hands above the chest.
- Pull your ribs down and your belly button in towards the mat to set your core. Control one leg down to the mat, as you bring the weight back over your head. Tap the heel of the descending leg and the weight on the mat.
- Exhale to come back to where you started, then repeat.
10. ADDUCTOR JUMPS
- Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down as you reach your hands between your legs towards the ground.
- Jump off the ground, bringing your feet together at the top and using your adductors (inner thighs) to draw them in.
- Land with soft knees, then repeat.
