You might be familiar with the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy”. This expression is particularly applicable to celebrity workouts.
Yes, we can use the exercise regimes of our favourite actors and influencers as inspiration for our own efforts to stay in shape. But the two should never be put side by side, as Jessica Biel has highlighted in a recent Instagram post.
After earning an avalanche of admiring comments for her strong physique in new Prime Video series The Better Sister, the 43-year-old pointed out that the “peak shape” she was in while filming “is not maintainable unless you are living the strictest, most rigid lifestyle with your nutrition and with your fitness, which I cannot do”.
The caveat with celebrity workouts
As a fitness writer, Biel’s transparency is refreshing to see. Actors achieving an optimised physique for a role has become ever-more commonplace in the post-Avengers age, but it’s important for viewers to note that recreating what they see on screen is rarely a viable option.
Case in point: Zac Efron has been open about the impacts of his training for Iron Claw – “Your life goes out the window during prep”. His intense efforts and diuretic use before filming Baywatch also led him to “fall into a pretty bad depression” and “develop insomnia”, he tells Men’s Health.
Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth’s long-time trainer Luke Zocchi previously told me the pair approach top-off scenes in films like preparing for a bodybuilding show. They will know the exact date for filming months in advance, then fine-tune many factors to optimise his look for those few seconds of screen time. As a fitness fan, he’s in great shape year round, but even Hemsworth doesn’t look like Thor for all 12 months of the year.
In summary, not even the actors themselves can maintain their on-screen physique for the long haul, so viewers shouldn’t expect to either.
After shining a spotlight on this on via Instagram, Biel goes on to share a workout from “her plan to get a little bit back towards that [The Better Sister] shape” – and it’s solid stuff for celebrities and the rest of us alike.
Read more: These expert-approved five-minute daily workouts can improve flexibility, strength and longevity
Jessica Biel’s workout
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Rest |
Dumbbell hip thrust |
4 |
10 |
60 seconds after each set |
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift |
4 |
10 |
60 seconds after each set |
Tempo Swiss ball hamstring curl (three second negative, or lowering phase) |
3 |
10-12 |
60 seconds after each set |
Kettlebell goblet step-through lunge |
3 |
6-8 each side |
60 seconds after each set |
Resistance band kickback |
2 |
10-12 each side |
60 seconds after each set |
Kettlebell dead bug |
2 |
12 |
60 seconds after each set |
This is a strength training workout. The targeted muscles are overcoming resistance – whether that’s provided by a dumbbell, kettlebell, resistance band or your own bodyweight – to perform a movement.
In the case of this particular session, the main working muscles are those of the glutes (backside), quads (front of the thigh), hamstrings (back of the thigh) and core (a collection of mid-body muscles responsible for supporting the spine, aiding balance and many more functions). The target number of sets and reps per exercise are geared towards building and maintaining muscle.
If you want to try this workout for yourself, Biel has helpfully demonstrated the exercises in the video below. You can also substitute the Swiss ball hamstring curls for prone resistance band hamstring curls, and swap the kettlebell for dumbbells during the lunges and dead bugs, if you only have a couple of dumbbells and bands handy.
Read more: This is how Stanley Tucci got into the ‘best shape of his life’ at 64
Benefits of Jessica Biel’s workout
The body adheres to the SAID principle, which stands for specific adaptations to imposed demands. As a result, if we apply a resistance that challenges us during each of these exercises, and progress this resistance over time as our fitness improves, the body will build muscle and become stronger. Put simply, it’s adapting to get better at the specific thing we keep asking it to do.
It’s not just the muscles that benefit either; strength training will bolster your bones, tendons, ligaments and more. This reduces your risk of injury and improves physical capacity, often increasing quality of life as a result.
It can also boost balance, coordination and mobility by working your joints through a wide range of motion under load – if you can comfortably sit in a squat and lift objects overhead, chances are your hips, knees and shoulders are in pretty good nick.
Another perk Biel highlights is the benefits of strength training as you grow older.
“My body’s not 20 years old anymore, so I am adjusting my workout to what I need to do,” she says. The video then cuts to the actor in what appears to be the splits.
“You’ve got to build muscle, so that is a key part of my particular routine – [that] and a ton of flexibility,” she continues. “…Let’s get older and stronger together.”
As she alludes to here, strength training can counter a condition called sarcopenia: the age-related loss of strength and muscle. This process can start as early as your 30s, with an article from Harvard Health Publishing reporting that people can lose “as much as three to five per cent [of muscle] per decade”.
“As you move through midlife and into your 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, age-related muscle and strength loss – sarcopenia and dynapenia – become more significant concerns,” Ollie Thompson, an experienced personal trainer specialising in longevity, tells me. “However, if you’ve built greater reserves earlier in life, you’ll be in a stronger position to maintain muscle mass and physical function as you age.
“For someone who has dabbled in fitness during their younger years but hasn’t prioritised staying fit through midlife, I recommend a minimum effective dose of two full-body resistance training sessions per week, along with approximately 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise,” he continues. “This approach helps slow muscle loss, maintain strength and support overall cardiovascular health.”
