Wonder Woman is strong, powerful, and fierce. She’s the kind of superhero women around the world look up to, because she can do whatever she wants without help—most of the time. Now, while you cannot gain her superhuman strength, you can train like the real world Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot, and get the body of a warrior goddess. Gal Gadot, who starred in Wonder Woman and Batman vs. Superman, trained hard with celebrity fitness trainers Mark Twight and Thomas Bradley, as well as Hayley Bradley, to get a physique that is both feminine and strong.
Here is how Gal Gadot trained for her role as a superhero, so you can get motivated to do the same.
About Gal Gadot
So who is our Wonder Woman? You might not know this, but Gadot served in the Israeli Army when she was younger as a fitness trainer. Her lifestyle is thus very active, and she spends a lot of time practicing yoga, Pilates, and lifting weights. A true bad ass, Gadot even spends her free time as actively as possible and is a devoted mother.
Now there’s a superwoman we can get behind.
Nutritional Focus
Something that everyone can mirror, whether you consider yourself a superhero or not is Gal Gadot’s focus on nutrition. Though the actress does have a positive body image and understands the purpose of eating clean and healthy, she does it the right way. She is noted for saying that she doesn’t restrict herself too much. If she wants ice cream, she’s going to have ice cream! Of course, you also need to keep in mind that some like Gadot is burning a crazy amount of calories every single day, especially when she is training for roles like Wonder Woman.
If you are more sedentary, you’re going to have to be a bit less liberal with your caloric intake (but it’s still fine to have a cookie once in a while, okay?).
With that in mind, let’s look at the two things Gal Gadot stays true to nutritionally:
Drink Plenty of Water
It’s interesting to point out that Gadot swears by drinking at least a gallon of water a day. More importantly, her trainers insisted on that amount. Part of the reason is because she worked out for so long throughout the day, she needed to stay hydrated. Christina Shanahan, the senior editor for InStyle magazine followed Gadot’s workout and hydration regimen and said that drinking that much water curbed her cravings for food and also helped her power through all the intense workouts. So, if you want the willpower of Wonder Woman, don’t deny yourself hydration. Drink plenty of water!
Eat a Balanced Diet
Gadot’s diet is not one of fads, nor is it too difficult to figure out and emulate. She focuses on wholesome foods. Hayley Bradley, Gadot’s fitness trainer, has said that poor nutrition and lack of sleep can reduce the effectiveness of training by 20 to 30 percent. So, if you can’t do anything about missing some shut eye, you should be tidying up your diet.
Gadot sticks to a simple regimen of a plate divided between protein sources and vegetables, like avocado toast and a side of sliced peppers and tomatos and celery. It sounds simple, but it fuels her body and is nutritionally balanced.
Of course, Gadot has also said, “I don’t restrict myself, I can eat anything. It’s all a matter of measurement.” In other words, portion control.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Gal Gadot nourishes herself, she followed a juicing method called, The Beauty Detox Solution, that is popular with many female celebrities. It might work for you as well.
Gal Gadot’s Workout Routine
Now, before getting into the exercises Gadot did, we need to discuss the amount of effort that went into sculpting her Wonder Woman body. Gadot has been active for most of her life, so she was already lean about the time she started prepping for her superhero role. Still, even with her lifelong pursuit of fitness, it still took an astounding six months of preparation for her to look the part.
Not only that, but Gadot was actively training for about six hours a day during those six months. She reportedly did two hours in the gym, two hours of choreography for fight scenes, and then did another two hours of horseback riding. On her off days, she supplemented with things like MMA, paddle boarding, TRX, and more.
As you can see, Gadot did not fear getting down and dirty. She lifted heavy. Instead of transforming into She-Hulk, she became Wonder Woman. In other words, if you think lifting weights is going to make you bulky, look to actresses like Scarlett Johanson and Gal Gadot.
So, while you obviously are not going to work out for six hours every day, that is the kind of motivation you need. If you want to become a warrior, you need to think like a warrior and commit to the training involved. Just remember, all the hard work pays off, and you will have some serious fun with the Wonder Woman workout if you keep that in mind.
A Wonder Woman Workout
Without further ado, let’s dig into the Wonder Woman workout. Gadot’s trainers put her on a similar workout to Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, who were Batman and Superman, respectively. This meant a cardio warm-up, loads of high intensity interval training, and then more cardio.
The full body workout that was originally featured in Muscle & Fitness looks like this:
Warm up
- Rowing Machine – 5 minutes at an easy pace. Gadot’s trainers chose the row machine because it is low impact and low risk. She couldn’t afford to get hurt but still needed cardio endurance for her grueling schedule.
Workout
- 1) Rowing – 5 minutes of 10 second sprints/50 second easy effort;
- 2) Mountain climbers or bear crawls – 1 minute;
- 3) Bird dogs or crab walks – 1 minute;
- 4) Burpee broad jumps – 1 minute; repeat 2-4 twice through then finish with
- 5) Pull-ups, 7 sets x 3 reps; 6) Pushups, 5 sets x 3 reps
Gadot would also work in a barbell complex with a fat bar. The exercises included a Romanian deadlift, bentover row, reverse curl, push press, and squat. It was a series of four rounds, with 1 set of 5 reps at 33% of 1Rep Max (1RM), 1 set x 5 reps at 43% 1RM, 4 sets x 5 reps at 53% 1RM, and 4 sets x 3 reps at 63% 1RM.
Let’s get a bit more in depth with some of these exercises so you know what you’re doing.
Bear Crawl
The bear crawl is an exercise meant to sculpt the arms, shoulders, core, and lower body. You do them by crouching down on all fours, with the wrists under the shoulders and hips over the knees. You hips are slightly higher than your head (or you can keep everything level, with a straight back). Next, crawl forward. Right hand and left leg move together. Next, your left hand and right leg move.
Bird Dogs
This is a core exercise where you are on all fours. While engaging the core, you extend the right leg and left hand forward then the right hand and left leg forward.
Crab Walks
If you decide to substitute bear crawls for the mountain climbers, you aren’t going to want to do bird dogs, so swap in crab walks. To do this exercise, sit on the floor with your feet about hip distance apart and your arms behind you. Your fingertips are pointed towards your hips. Next, lift your hips from the floor, just high enough that you feel your core tighten. Don’t create a tabletop.
Next, walk forward by moving the right hand and left leg. Take another step by moving the left hand and right leg. Repeat this cycle so you walk four times forward and four times back. You can even add corners once you get used to moving in one direction.
Burpee Broad Jumps
The burpee broad jump (or the broad jump burpee) is just as it sounds. You broad jump into a burpee or burpee into a broad jump. Either way, you’re still doing something explosive and tiring.
The Barbell Complex
Curious about that barbell complex? Here’s what it means: A barbell complex can be done a number of ways, but it is typically a collection of exercises that are performed back-to-back and the number of reps is completed for each exercise before moving onto the next. The barbell never leaves your hands.
Now, you can try a couple of variations. Some people like completing a single rep of each exercise and moving onto the next, cycling through the number of reps until each exercise has been completed. This is great if the movements flow together.
Another variation is doing the complex as it is listed above but doing as many reps as you can in a set amount of time.
Wonder Woman Workout Part II
Gadot likes to mix things up, as any true athlete does. Since you never want to do the same workout over and over again, you need to add some variations to your regimen. Here are some Wonder Woman inspired workouts you can do in addition to the workout listed above:
Push and Pull
The exercises include:
- Jog for 1 mile as a warm-up
- Pull-Ups – 3 sets x 10 reps (if you cannot do this bodyweight, use an assisted pull-up machine)
- Pushups – 3 sets x 10-15 reps
- Lunges with Dumbbells – 3 sets x 10 reps on each leg
- Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbells – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Kettlebell Swings – 3 sets x 12 reps
- Sprints – [Superset] 3 sets x 60 secs
- Heavy Bag Punches – [Superset] 3 sets x 60 secs
- Jump Rope – [Superset] 3 sets x 60 secs
Battle Ropes
Because Wonder Woman didn’t learn how to throw that lariat on the treadmill. Here is how it is done:
- Jog for 1 mile or use the row machine for 5 minutes as a warm-up
- Chin-ups – 3 sets x 10 reps (if you cannot perform a bodyweight chin-up, use an assisted pull-up machine)
- Burpees – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Tuck Jumps – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Front Squat – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Clean and Press – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Shadow Box – [Superset] 3 sets x 60 secs
- V-Ups – [Superset] 3 sets x 60 secs (can be substituted with Dead Bugs or Mountain Climbers)
- Jump Rope – [Superset] 3 sets x 60 secs
Of course, you can always throw in a few MMA or parkour classes for good measure, but that is up to you!
Wrapping Up The Wonder Woman Workout
Let Gal Gadot be an inspiration. She has been through the army, pregnancy, and training as Wonder Woman and is now seen as a fitness idol. Take some notes on how she did it—like drinking plenty of water and having a clean, nutritious diet. Next, work hard and don’t quit, even when you don’t feel strong. Wonder Woman had difficulties too!
Use these tips and the workouts, and you will be well on your way to becoming a real life superhero.
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