First things first: Brie Larson is in incredible shape. Full stop.
Whether she is casually doing one-arm pullups or nailing pushups with chains wrapped around her body, Brie puts in major work at the gym.
I won’t lie: When I agreed to work out like Brie Larson, Captain Marvel herself, for an entire week, I was a little intimidated. According to Brie’s personal trainer, Jason Walsh of Rise Movement, she works out five days a week and focuses primarily on weightlifting. Her upper- and lower-body strength routines do not mess around and are worthy of superhero status.
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I have always been an athlete and loved fitness, so I was ready for the challenge. And let me tell you, it was definitely a challenge. But before I break down what I learned from Brie’s intense workouts, I want to make something clear: I did not and cannot do one-arm pullups…but a girl can dream.
Disclaimer: Since I don’t know Brie’s exact weekly workout schedule, I created my own plan based on Instagram posts, YouTube vlogs, interviews, and demos from her personal trainer. Here are my biggest takeaways...
1. Don’t underestimate weighted pushups.
Brie has posted multiple videos casually doing pushups with clanking chains wrapped around her body. Since I naturally did not have an extra chain laying around, I rested either a 5- or 10-pound plate on my back while doing four sets of 12 pushups.
TBH, this was really hard. My first day I was overly confident and started with a 10-pound plate. After the second set, I downsized to 5 pounds. Rather than breaking position and trying to finish the set, this was more manageable and allowed me to focus on correct form.
The following days I planned to do two sets with 10 pounds and two sets with 5 pounds. Yes, going down in weight was technically “easier,” but keeping correct posture and completing the sets without rest was still tough. My arms were toast after my sets, and my chest was sore the next morning.
2. Bulgarian split squats are a total lower-body workout.
At first glance, a Bulgarian split squat doesn’t look that bad. But don't be fooled. Doing the move without any additional weight is hard in itself, but Brie typically does it with dumbbells in each hand. So therefore, to get the full Captain Marvel experience, I pushed myself to add the weight.
Holding a 15-pound weight in each hand, I did three sets of 10 reps on each leg. I quickly learned (and felt) that these squats work your entire lower body. I could simultaneously feel my quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves all actively working. The more the merrier, right?
After having surgery on my right knee a few years ago, I tend to favor my left leg when doing normal squats. While I try to correct my habit, this move left zero room for overcompensation on my dominant leg. After my final set, both of my quads were on fire and my legs were tenderly sore the next morning. Notice a pattern?
3. Washboard abs do not come easy.
Brie is known for her chiseled core, and she works for her six-pack. In addition to her already core-strengthening resistance training, I attempted to replicate a 10-move core circuit. The circuit is a 10 x 10 burnout: 10 exercises, 10 times each, with no rest in-between.
- Roll ups
- Double leg lifts
- V-ups
- Star abs
- Single leg lift, right
- Single leg lift, left
- Corkscrew
- Rollovers
- Double leg lifts
- Eagle crunch
The V-ups and corkscrews are particularly tough, but each exercise targeted a different part of my core giving that full burnout effect.
I ended up loving this core routine so much I decided to do it every day. While the entire circuit doesn’t take long to complete, I tried to focus on holding correct form and honoring the no-rest rule between moves. At the end of day seven, I can totally feel the effects. My core feels stronger, tighter, and toned.
4. Lots of exercises work your core—beyond the obvious ones.
As part of her lower-body strengthening routine, Brie frequently incorporates walking lunges with an overhead lift.
To replicate this, I held a 20-pound plate above my head and lunged the length of my gym. I completed three sets of 20 reps—so 10 lunges on each leg per set. Paying extra attention to form to protect my knees, I worked to keep my hips symmetrical.
While my legs were definitely putting in the work, I also felt my core engage. With my torso upright, my core muscles helped stabilize the overhead weight. More core? Hell ya!
5. Warming up is critical.
Before each workout, Brie thoroughly activates her muscles. Starting with yoga flow poses to stretch her body, she then moves into static planks to activate her core, triceps dips to engage her arms, and runner’s lunges to prep her legs. So, every day, before each lifting session, I spent 20 minutes mimicking her routine. This dynamic warm-up allowed me to assess my body before lifting and stimulate my muscles for the upcoming workout.
A light warm-up can decrease risk of injury, increase range of motion, and prepare the body for success, so I am thankful I took the extra time for it.
6. And recovery is so necessary.
After training like a literal superhero for a week, I was thankful for a rest day. Instead of pushing myself and fighting through the soreness, I gave my muscles a chance to regenerate. After a day of stretching (I tried Brie’s daily stretching routine) and some light yoga, my body felt recharged.
After one week of working out like Brie Larson I definitely feel stronger…and sorer.
While her workouts can seem intimidating, they are not impossible. I quickly learned that there is a modification for everything. Chances are you do not have a chain to wrap around your body while you do pushups, and one-arm pullups are not an everyday move, but that's okay. Instead, there are plenty of ways to modify and/or increase the difficulty level.
By starting small and trying different moves (while focusing on proper form!) I was then able to add the extra weight, building my stamina and power. I found that after just one week, my muscles were adapting and ready to take on more. And I can confidently say that Brie Larson is Captain Marvel for a reason.
