The Workouts Hilary Swank Does To Stay Fit AF At 45
When someone says the name Hilary Swank, you probably think of one thing: Million Dollar Baby and Hilary’s portrayal of a badass amateur boxer who’s training to go pro. Throughout the movie, an intensely ripped Hilary kills it in the ring. The actress told The Hollywood Reporter that she worked out five hours a day to get in shape for this role. “I had to eat 210 grams of protein a day. I had to eat 60 egg whites in a day, and I couldn’t. So every morning I would drink them,” she said. The actress revealed that she actually put on 23 pounds of muscle in the gym for this role (sheesh!).
And while she may not be training in the ring anymore, Hilary has managed to keep up a pretty rigorous fitness routine. As in turns out, she’s been a fitness fiend since she was a kid. “I grew up playing sports, so for me, exercise is like braiding hair,” she said in an interview with Man Repeller.
If you’ve ever taken a look at Hilary’s instagram, you’d see she was a regular at the gym prior to quarantine, and posts her training sessions on #FitnessFriday to give her followers a glimpse into her hardcore workouts. Hilary can be seen doing strength training, regularly lifting kettlebells, and using a combination of machines and resistance bands. Keep reading to see the exact workouts Hilary Swank swears by for staying healthy and maintaining her incredibly fit bod.
1. She’s a pullups champ.
Hilary’s upper-body strength is on full display in this workout video where she challenges actor Misha Collins to some pullups. While Misha struggles to get his chin above the bar, Hilary does it, no problem and with a kid on her back (!!).
2. You could say she’s into strength training.
When she was younger, Hilary was more focused on sports like swimming and basketball, she told Man Repeller. But as she’s gotten older, she’s learned the value of hitting the gym and doesn’t shy away from strength training. “Now I do weights too—more resistance training because I find that that’s one of the best ways to keep calcium in your bones and to stay flexible,” Hilary said in her interview.
3. She loves a good circuit workout.
Hilary usually combines several challenging exercises to create circuit-training sessions. Here she’s doing a box jump to kettlebell squat, stability ball pushups, and incline renegade rows. This combo of moves gives the actress a serious full-body workout. The box jump to squat is a great lower-body exercise involving several key leg muscles (think: glutes, hamstring, and calves). Meanwhile, the BOSU ball tests her stability and the rows will challenge her core and upper body.
4. She plays tennis for fun.
Tennis is one of Hilary’s more recent fitness passions. “I wasn’t introduced to [it] until about four years ago,” she said in an 2016 interview with Coveteur. “And now I am completely obsessed with it. Had I found it earlier, I probably would’ve tried to pursue it as a career. I absolutely love it; I love the exponential room for growth, and I also love the challenge,” she added.
5. She uses cable machines on the regular.
Hilary can be spotted on the cable machine throughout her IG account. And for good reason. ICYMI, cable machines are a super versatile way to build muscle. “The cable machine allows you to recreate all of your body’s basic functional movements with added weight: push, pull, squat, twist, bend,” Mike Clausen, fitness and performance exercise specialist and owner at DIAKADI: Fitness Performance Life.
6. She’s not afraid to go hard.
Hilary doesn’t shy away from tough workouts. Here she’s doing a set of kettlebells swings and an intense sled push back and forth on and outdoor patio (which btw, is a serious challenge!). Sled pushing is a total body exercise that requires both serious strength and proper form. Clearly, Hilary’s mastered both.
7. She’s into slider exercises.
Sliders are an easy way to up the intensity of bodyweight movements. Here, Hilary does a pushup with plank jack using two discs, giving her core and glutes a major workout. Sliders are an “instability surface,” which “forces you to engage your muscles the entire time” to do the move correctly, Janeil Mason, head trainer at Brrrn in New York previously told WH. And of course, Hilary makes it look easy.
8. She likes to hit the trails.
When it comes to outdoor workouts, Hilary can usually be found hiking the trails with her adorable dogs. “Hiking is part of relaxing to me, strangely, because it’s a way to let my mind go,” the actress said in an interview with Conde Nast Traveler. “I love walking through the big redwood trees where I grew up. And wherever I am, I try to find somewhere to smell the trees and flowers and bark and moss and rain… It’s one of my biggest joys.”
This article originally appeared on Women’s Health US.
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