For her role in the movie Terminator 2 Linda Hamilton got into amazing shape. She got strong arms, chiseled abs and shapely shoulders. Not only did she look good, she also performed like a kickass warrior princess in the film.
Her Terminator 2 Workout.
Linda was working with personal trainer Anthony Cortés who also helped Edward Norton beef up for American History X. Apparently she shed 12 pounds of fat with diet and exercise. Her routine included running, biking, swimming, climbing stairs as well as free weights, mini-trampoline drills, walking lunges and abdominal work. They trained six days a week for 3 hours. The thing is she got into amazing shape after giving birth just 20 months ago.
Linda Goes Crazy with Military Style Training
It seems that in order to provide authenticity for the film, Linda hired an Israeli commando to prep her for the action scenes. She says, she did “judo and heavy duty military training.” Linda adds that she “learned to load clips, change mags, check out a room upon entry, verify kills.” She was all show – all go.
Linda Hamilton’s Feats of Strength
She could easily bench press 85 pounds for reps, run eight miles and pump load a 12-gauge shotgun with one arm. We all saw her kicking ass in the movie. Apparently it was not all movie magic, but she was tough for real. She relaxed her regimen after the movie. After shooting the movie, Linda relaxed her diet a bit and also trained less frequently – just five workouts a week. You can not go at such intensity for too long. Even Olympic level athletes relax after a major competition.
A Routine That Linda Hamilton’s Trainer Recommends
Four times a week – 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per exercise:
Mondays, Thursdays – Chest, shoulders, triceps
- Dumbbell bench press
- Inclined flies
- Lateral raises
- Front raises
- Kickbacks
Tuesdays, Fridays – Back, biceps
- One-arm rows
- Bent-over rows
- Standing curls
When I watched the movie for the first time, I couldn’t even do one chin up. Later, I started going to the gym and found a way to train for pull-up & chin-up mastery.
Films Like These Never Cease To Motivate Me
Big time! What do you guys think about movies that feature actors and actresses in great shape? Do you get motivated? What are your favorite Hollywood underdog fitness movies? Oh, and go watch Terminator 2 if you haven’t done so!
Note: Check out Visual Impact for Women. This an outstanding workout aimed at women who want to get slim, fit, and feminine.
I love this article! I just started the P90X program, and I was having a hard time with the diet. You know, the usual 6 meals a day. I hated it so much! Reading the articles in here, I see that I don’t have to do that. Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 was my inspiration for so long, I finally decided to do something about it. One question I had was, I gain muscle in my legs very easily, so I’m scared of doing things like the running up the stairs, or running on an incline. All things that burn fat, but I don’t want to get muscle legs! Right now I need to lose about 13% body fat. I weigh 123 pounds.
Susan
just get a tape measure and track the circumference of your thighs (4 inches above the knee as well as at the widest part) once a week . If any exercise makes your legs get too big for your liking, drop it. Simple huh 🙂
Cheers,
Yavor
Nice, thanks. I never thought to do that before! 🙂
as a trainer, i wonder how does that last 3 hrs? i could see maybe 20 minutes…
Sirloin869:
“Her routine included running, biking, swimming, climbing stairs as well as free weights, mini-trampoline drills, walking lunges and abdominal work. They trained six days a week for 3 hours.”
How is that not three hours?