In a nutshell, Scarlett Johansson’s workout routine is extremely impressive. Led by their longtime trainer Eric Johnson, co-founder of Homage Fitness, the duo has been working since 2016, when they met on the set of Ghost in the shell.
It’s no surprise that Scarlett is as strong as she is brilliant, but how does she stay so fit? And what exactly does Johnson make her do to stay so ready for an action movie?
Here, Johnson shares exclusively with WH how he trains Scarlett to be strong, stress-free and ready for the big stages.
1. Scarlett does a wide variety of workouts
Variety is the spice of… gym workouts? Yes, according to Johnson. He likes to take Scarlett through a wide selection, choosing what he likes best from each. In his words, the approach is “a hybrid of sports performance, core strength training, functional hypertrophy and metabolic work.”
To refresh our fitness lingo: “hypertrophy” involves exercising in a way that builds new muscle tissue, while “metabolic work” includes difficult conditioning exercises that cause the body to become extremely fatigued. quickly.
“I like to incorporate various qualities of Olympic lighting, powerlifting, kettlebells, strength training, bodyweight, yoga and conditioning work,” says Johnson.
2. Scarlett’s fitness goals are based on performance rather than aesthetics.
Working toward goals (and achieving them) is part of why a fitness journey is so fun and fulfilling. But for a goal to be an enjoyable milestone to achieve, it needs to be flexible with everything going on in our world.
According to Johnson, he and Scarlett found performance goals are the key to repeated victories.
“Our training approach is dynamic and truly in tune with one’s state of being,” he says. “Whether it’s an upcoming stunt she’ll need to perform or a gym-specific quest such as a pistol squat, we’ve found more success in pursuing achievable goals based on performance on a certain number on a scale.”
3. She starts most days at the gym, even when she’s filming
We love hard workers and Scarlett works hard, spending almost all her days off at the gym.
“When we’re filming, we’re basically going to the gym every morning to start the day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going 100 percent during each of those workouts. You could say that we follow a daily program of undulating periodization, where the intensity fluctuates.
Any good fitness plan will include varying intensities, including built-in rest and recovery. Pushing the limits every day could be counterintuitive, increasing your stress levels and taking you further away from your goals.
4. His training changes depending on his role
It’s no secret: Scarlett takes on some pretty physical acting roles. Part of Johnson’s modus operandi is making sure his body is able to work, thrive and not get injured under pressure.
“We really want to make sure his body is able to meet the demand that will be put on it,” he says. “It’s rarely a single scene, but often several takes. She must have the prerequisite strength and physical condition to handle this workload without injuring herself or seeing her performance drop.
“So my main goal is to take the physical side of his job off of him. In other words, I want the physical things to be the easy part. This way, she has the ability to focus on bringing her craft (as an actor) to the role. As we get closer to the actual filming, we aim to ramp up the metabolic work through more super and giant sets and more anaerobic conditioning.
What are super and giant sets?
The super and giant series consist of doing exercises one after the other. It’s not as complex as it sounds, but if you do push-ups followed by lunges, it’s a superset. You will typically do three to four rounds of a superset. A giant set is when you come up with three or more exercises linked together in this way.
Why do it? Favored in strength and resistance training, grouping exercises in series allows you to integrate more into a session and target muscle groups more effectively.
What is anaerobic conditioning or metabolic conditioning?
Anaerobic exercise occurs when your body is forced (for whatever reason) to work without oxygen. Think super tough HIIT classes, Tabata workouts, and super sweaty finishers. Exercising in this way requires your body to work harder because less oxygen is flowing to your muscles.
Why do it? It improves your stamina, stamina and overall cardiovascular fitness twice as fast.
5. Nutrition is the cornerstone of Scarlett’s program
An important part of Johnson’s approach to keeping Scarlett living happily is making sure she gets enough protein and quality sources of carbohydrates and fats.
“Nutrition is vital for healing. I can put together the perfect schedule, but none of that matters unless Scarlett can recover from the demands we place on her. Add to that a busy filming schedule and life as a mother and entrepreneur, there’s a ton of ‘stress’ on the whole system,” he says. “Nutrition is one of the best ways to make sure she gets the full amount of everything she has on her plate – no pun intended.” So we want to make sure she’s getting enough calories for that.
6. His sleep quality and stress level are monitored
“Stress management is really the X factor,” says Johnson. “If we can incorporate a few strategies to move our clients into a more parasympathetic state (also known as a rest and digest state), that’s a huge win and will help tremendously.”
“It can be a leisurely walk, incorporating body work (massage), breathing, a sauna or exposure to the cold. The importance of sleep also cannot be overstated. The actual quantity can be a luxury for some, so it is vital to ensure the quality of their sleep.