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5 Ways Actors Get in Shape for Roles
Actors must fit certain body criteria for different roles. This may include physical characteristics such as dying or changing hair length or physique specifications by adding weight, losing weight or building muscle. More often than not, actors are working to keep a muscular, lean physique for roles. Here are some ways actors maintain excellent body shape.
1. Swimming
Swimming can be a full-body workout. Laps are often a favored exercise, as there is variability in which strokes are used, and it burns calories while helping with cardiovascular conditioning. Your body faces resistance with each push through the water. This resistance work builds muscle, cuts fat and increases endurance. Working out in the water reduces the impacts felt by joints, making it an optimal choice to add to your rotation.
Water aerobics and other training exercises are wonderful alternatives to swimming laps. You can target specific muscle groups. For example, kick drills holding on to a kickboard can build muscle strength in the legs. Water crunches can tighten and tone core muscles. The water is great for stretching and relaxing your muscles after other workouts, too. You can improve flexibility, facilitate healing and recover in pools. Research in ground pool cost and consider adding a pool to your yard to have unlimited access to train like the stars.
2. Core
Looking fabulous for a role, especially one involving swimsuits or minimal clothing, requires core strength workouts. A strong core promotes stability, balance and good posture, among many other things. Core workouts aid in the definition of abs. Most actors you see on television have great abs thanks to a strict diet and a lot of core work, in addition to other workouts. Popular core workouts include crunches, planks and dead bugs. These exercises can be performed anywhere with no equipment. They are also great to stack onto the end of a run, swim or other workouts.
- Weight-training
Many actors credit weight training for significant muscle gains for roles or definition. You can target specific muscle groups such as the biceps or glutes, or you can opt to focus on whole-body movements. Beginners can start with bodyweight or light weights.
4. HIIT
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a series of all-out efforts followed by a quick recovery. This technique is effective because it keeps the heart rate elevated and burns fat in a shorter period while keeping your metabolism increased for up to two days after completion. These workouts can be completed with bodyweight only, meaning you can perform them anywhere. This may be a massive perk to actors who are on the road for a role. Another key benefit is getting an intense full body workout done in a half-hour or less makes it easy to squeeze exercise into a busy day.
- Diet
Lastly, diet plays a significant role in obtaining and maintaining an optimal body physique. Actors may follow extremely strict diets leading up to filming a particular role. Well-balanced, nutritious meals that contain lean proteins, fruits and vegetables are optimal. Some may cut carbohydrates altogether. Some may cut a significant amount of calories. Others may follow specific diet trends, like keto. The actors pay very close attention to what they choose to consume, knowing it all affects desired body shape.
You have probably been impressed by an actor’s physique on more than one occasion while watching movies. If you’ve found yourself wondering how to get a body like that or how the actors manage to stay in such great shape, the answer is hard work and commitment. Commitment to movement and setting aside time daily to work out is key. Finding one or two workout types you enjoy can help you look forward to working out. Maybe you prefer boxing over running or swimming. That’s okay! Try different workout techniques to see which ones benefit your body type the most and which ones you look forward to doing again. This makes working out more enjoyable and less of a chore, so you will be more inclined to exercise regularly. Diet and a variety of intense workouts and stretching routines all contribute to achieving optimal physique and improved overall health.