Men are salivating and women are envious of the body that Scarlett Johansson burned up the big screen with in Iron Man II.
For women dying to know her secret, you must know that this was no easy feat for the 25-year-old bombshell. In a article on MSN’s Health and Fitness section, personal trainer Bobby Storm lets us in on Johansson’s true feelings about her current exercising regimen.
“The first day she freaked out because it was really hard, but by the end of the five months she had totally changed her lifestyle.”
I’m sure it had something to do with the millions of dollars she stands to make for looking sexy.
The other thing women must know before reading this is that if you are overweight, these tips alone will not give you Johansson’s body. If you are battling a weight problem and want to lose weight check out CrossFit or HIRT (High Intensity Resistance Training), and then come back to add some finishing touches to your body.
These exercises help with shaping and toning the female body and will give you that little bit of extra sexiness you’ve been looking for.
Tougher Push-Ups
Push-ups are one of the oldest exercises in the book, but when you add the twist of moving your body into the shape of a T you challenge your body even more.
Not only do you intensify your challenge, but also target your chest, arms, core and shoulders.
Women’s Health gives a perfect step-by-step example of how to properly perform this exercise.
“Get into pushup position with feet together and hands shoulder-width apart (A). Lower yourself until your chest is 2 to 4 inches off the floor (B). As you push back up, lift your right arm straight up and rotate your body to the right until you form a T, balancing on your left hand and the outside of your left foot (C). Return to the top of the pushup position and repeat to the opposite side. That’s 1 rep. Continue alternating to complete the set. Return to C1 after a rest.”
The workout recommendation is 3 – 4 sets, 4 reps, with 90 seconds of rest in between each set.
Improve Your Booty
This particular exercise helped her create Johansson’s stealthy, sleek, cat-like appearance on the screen. It is great for toning and shaping your legs and buttocks.
Split squats are often people’s least favorite workout to do because of their difficulty and the burn you feel from doing them correctly. About.com provides a great demonstration on how to execute this exercise.
“Stand about 3 or so feet in front of a step or platform and place the left leg on the platform, either resting on the toe or the top of the foot.
Make sure your feet are wide enough that the front knee stays behind the toe when you lunge down.
When you have your balance, bend both knees and lower down into a lunge.
Push through the front heel to stand up and repeat for 10-16 reps before switching sides.”
This exercise is important—your jeans will thank me and your ass will never look better.
Colorful Extension
This is one your going to want to avoid doing in public—not that you’re going to workout in line at the grocery store.
The Flamingo Extension is another great exercise targeting several key areas. It works your back, core, glutes and shoulders. There are many different positions and styles you can do the flamingo exercise in.
To do this move, stand with feet together and bend your left leg slightly, lifting your right foot off the ground behind you. Your knee should be bent to a 90 degree angle.
Bend forward at the hips as you extend your right leg behind you and left arm in front of you so your body forms a T position. Hold your abs in tight, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and engage your glutes as you hold the position. Return to a standing position and repeat on the opposite side.
If you’re a beginner, it’s probably a good idea to try doing the yoga flamingo pose before you get into the full extension version that Johansson uses.
Improve Leap Frog Ability
A great way to improve strength in your lower body is by doing squat jumps. If you already have a regular workout program and are looking to add an exercise, you should switch between this and split squats.
Fit Sugar gives us proper directions on how to do jump squats. It is important that you make sure not to let your shoulders lean out beyond your knees to avoid straining your back.
“Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at sides.
Start by doing a regular squat and then jump up as explosively as you can when you rise up reaching for the ceiling.
When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep.”
Do two sets of 10 reps to begin, once you feel your body getting stronger make sure that you push yourself by increasing it by half a set to a full set.
Get Your Super Hero On
These exercises probably won’t get you a staring role in a major motion picture, and there is also no guarantee it will land you a guy like Ryan Reynolds. However, they will help you tighten and tone.
According to Johansson’s personal trainer Storm, these exercises weren’t the only things she did to acquire her amazing form.
“No workout was ever exactly the same because I didn’t want her to get bored. I wanted to keep her in a place where she wanted to do more. I was having her do a lot of balance, coordination, and core work, but what she really loved was the strength training —things like pull-ups and kettlebells—and the idea of feeling and looking strong.”
All of these workouts can be done from home and free of any equipment, but ladies you must remember to mix in strength training. Kettlebells can be a great workout if done correctly and will help increase strength.
If you want it, then go get it. Keep in mind that Scarlett’s body didn’t happen over night, nor did she workout only when she felt like it. She kept a strictly scheduled, three day a week workout for five months before the film.
Just think, if you start now you could be Black Widow for Halloween. Worst case scenario entertain your man with a little role playing.