Trainer Jason Walsh turned “Captain Marvel” star Brie Larson into a bona fide ripped superhero by building on basic moves, like lunges and squats, before graduating to more complex moves in the gym.
On the Playbook fitness app (free on iTunes and Android), Walsh demos two weeks worth of 45-minute workouts inspired by Larson’s actual sessions. Here are some of his top moves.
Trap bar dead lift
Works your: glutes, hamstrings and low-back muscles
Walsh likes to perform a dead lift with a hexagon-shaped trap bar (shown here) rather than a straight bar. Larson worked her way up to dead-lifting a whopping 215 pounds, but if you’re a beginner, you can start by lifting just the bar without any weight.
Stand in the middle of the bar with feet hip-width apart. Keeping your back flat and your core tight, hinge yourself at the hips, then bend your knees and grab the handles with both hands.
Using your glutes and hamstrings, lift the bar off the ground, keeping your arms slightly bent. At the top of the lift, thrust your hips slightly forward and hold for one breath. Bend your knees and hinge at the hips to lower the bar to the ground. Work your way up to five sets of eight.
Medicine ball toss
Works your: hip flexors, glutes, abs and obliques
Walsh works with Larson on a medicine-ball toss.TheImageDirect.com
Stand a couple of feet from a wall with your legs slightly wider than your hips and your knees slightly bent. Hold a medicine ball in both hands. Twist your torso to one side, and toss the ball into the wall, catching it in front of you and bringing it back to that same side. Do three rounds of 10 tosses on each side.
Sled push
Works your: glutes, calves, hamstrings and core
Larson was able to push a Jeep thanks to all the time she spent working with this sled-like device. You can control how heavy the sled is by adding or removing weighted planks.
Standing an arm’s length behind the sled, lean in with your back flat and your core tight. Push the sled forward slowly, using your glutes and legs, bending each leg — as if doing a mountain climber — for each step. Aim to push for a full minute — about 30 seconds in one direction and then turning and pushing back toward your starting point.
