As fans flock to see the highly anticipated blockbuster, Suicide Squad this weekend, they’ll get an eyeful of the beautiful and talented, Margot Robbie. Playing the role of Harley Quinn, the stunning Aussie will be showcasing her physical prowess and superfit physique.
To achieve the desired look and level of athleticism for her super villain role in Suicide Squad, Robbie turned to top Hollywood trainer, Andie Hecker. With a clientele list stacked with top tier celebs, Hecker knows how to deliver big time results for big screen stars.
In Robbie’s case, the goal was to make her abs pop and butt perk just a little more for the role. But why would such a gorgeous woman need to make any changes to her already, smokin’ hot bod? Hecker answers this question with one of her own. “Have you seen the costume?” she laughs. “It’s tiny with really tiny shorts and her midriff is bare and she’s wearing fishnets. Basically she needs to look like a sexy badass!” So with a tailor made training regimen to achieve that goal, Hecker went to work and helped Robbie make the transformation needed to kill it in her very revealing costume.
Here’s an overview of the training that helped to get Robbie ready for her very skimpy Suicide Squad outfit.
Sample Training Day
Early morning, Hecker would take Robbie to a lap pool and have her swim for 45 minutes to an hour, mixing up freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke in order to keep a variety of upper and lower body muscles engaged, while not overworking any one particular muscle group.
They would then break for a few hours before hitting the gym. Once there, Robbie would do an hour of sculpting on various fitness apparatuses. Hecker likes to use the Pilates reformer because its resistance and capabilities are so versatile. In addition, they’d also use stability balls, bosu trainers and a simple mat.
Sculpting Session
Light stretching on the mat.
Mat abs, such as supine single leg knee tucks, scissors, double leg knee tucks, and leg lifts.
Move to the Pilates reformer to start working the legs and outer glutes, including a side-lying series of single leg circles, sweeps, and parallel bicycles with Robbie’s top foot in a loop attached to the rope, which leads to the reformer pulley.
Bridging series, supine. Double leg, with a flex ring toner secured between the thighs, just above the knees. Bridge up, squeeze, then back down halfway. 50 to 100 reps.
Holding handles supine, holding legs low, challenging the lower abs, and doing various arm exercises such as tricep presses, lat pulls, and arm circles.
Planks on the reformer
Finish out with some arms. Standing balanced on the Bosu trainer (single leg). 3-5 lb weights and high reps for lean, toned arms. Bicep curls, ballet arms (2nd position to 1st position burns out the delts), military presses, and arm circles holding arms just below shoulder height.
A big manual stretch to wrap it up.
Evening would bring a cardio jump session, switching between mini-trampoline (rebounder) — not just bouncing up and down, but single leg jumps from the floor to the trampoline (20 reps each leg), then jumping on and off from side to side for about 20-30 reps. For example, jump rope for 5 minutes, skipping across the Bosu for 30-40 reps, jumping with both feet from the floor to the Bosu; active rest of plank mountain climbers and alternating leg lifts and holding planks, then back to jumping: this time ballet jumps, which are by far the most demanding of the exercises.
Hecker’s 3 Tips for a Sexy Superhero Physique
1. When your muscles begin to fatigue, that’s the time to keep going for a few more reps. This is when the breakdown of the muscle occurs, and this is the time when you are creating actual change in the body — strength wise and aesthetically.
2. Focus on form and technique, so you get the most out of your workout. Margot used to be a ballet dancer, so her technique in most exercises is impeccable.
3. You can spot tone but you can’t spot reduce, so know what you want for your body and what best suits your fitness needs. If you’re looking for a quick change and don’t have time to do both — go with cardio for slimming down, and strength/resistance training for toning up.
To learn more about Andie Hecker check out her new fitness studio in West Hollywood, California.
