In her latest film, Jennifer Garner plays a regular suburban wife and mother who becomes a badass vigilante after her husband and child are murdered by members of a drug cartel. In the movie, Jen’s character, Rylie North, had five years “off the grid” to train. Jennifer herself had three months to get into believable butt-kicking shape. And she turned to celeb trainer Simone de la Rue, creator of Body By Simone, to get her there.
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All About Variety
Jennifer trained with de la Rue for an hour every day for three months. “It was weights, it was body weight, it was trampoline, it was dance cardio, it was bands… it was everything. It was just a very full workout,” says Jennifer. “That was the main thing.” But in addition to those sessions – which she describes as “hard” – Jennifer also boxed, did Krav Maga and trained with the stunt team.
Watch Jennifer Garner talk about training for Peppermint…
When you’re building the kind of functional muscle Jennifer put on, it’s important to include a variety of different movements to ensure you’re hitting multiple muscle groups from all angles. This lowers your risk of injury and prevents plateaus. It also makes workouts more fun.
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Check out this cute video of Jennifer training with Simone de la Rue…
The Body By Simone Upper-Body Workout
Jennifer built serious upper-body strength training with de la Rue.”It felt great to be so strong, there was nothing I couldn’t do,” she says. Sound awesome? Then do this upper-body workout by de la Rue, which includes the same kinds of moves Jennifer did to get in shape for Peppermint. Beginners should do the workout once a week as part of a three-day workout programme; if you’re more advanced, do it twice a week as part of a six-day routine. Be sure to train lower body, core and cardio on the other days.
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Watch the trailer for Peppermint…
1/ WALL PUSH
Do: at least 10 reps, build to 40 Targets: Chest, triceps, core
Stand facing a wall with feet hip-width apart and toes about 30 to 60cm away from the wall. Place your hands flat on the wall, wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows, keeping your whole body rigid – go deep. When you’ve gone as far as you comfortably can, extend your arms and return to start.
2/ BAND CURLS
Do: at least 20 reps, build to 60 Target: Biceps
Stand on a resistance band, arms by your sides. Hold an end in each hand, palms facing out. With your shoulders down and back straight, bend your elbows, curling your hands towards your shoulders while keeping your elbows in close to your body. Lower slowly back to start, resisting the pull of the band on the return.
3/ CHEST FLY
Do: at least 10 reps each side, build to 30 Targets: Chest, shoulders
Loop the band around a pole at chest height. Standing with your back to the band, take an end in each hand. Step forward to create tension. Extend your arms in front, palms facing inwards, elbows slightly bent. Open your left arm out to the side while keeping your right arm still – don’t let it waver! Bring your left arm back to start and repeat, doing all reps on one side before switching.
4/ RAISE THE BAR
Do: at least 10 reps, build to 30 Targets: Shoulders, back
Stand on the band with your arms in front of your thighs. Hold an end in each hand with your palms facing your legs. Keeping your arms straight, raise them up to shoulder height. Be careful not to lean back as you lift the band. Pause briefly then slowly lower to start, resisting the pull of the band on the return.
5/ PULL AND TWIST
Do: at least 10 reps each side, build to 20 Targets: Mid back, obliques
Anchor a band at shoulder height. Take both ends in your right hand and face forward. Step back and drive your elbow back. Hold it! Then as you exhale, twist your shoulders to the right ‘wringing’ out your waist, but keeping your lower body forward. Return to start. That’s one rep.
6/ WIDE PULL
Do: at least 10 reps, build to 30 Targets: Mid back, biceps, lats
Stand with your knees slightly bent and back straight. Angle your torso forwards with a flat back and hold a set of 1 to 2kg dumbbells with arms extended towards the floor, palms facing your knees. Drive your elbows up and outwards. At the top, your arms should make 90-degree angles. Lower back to start. That’s one rep.
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