The One Exercise Actress Alison Brie Stopped Doing To Prep For GLOW
Updated: Jul. 16, 2019
Doing her own wrestling stunts meant she had to be ridiculously fit. Find out what Alison Brie did (and didn’t do) in the gym as she prepped for GLOW.
Alison Brie’s Fitness For GLOW
Whether it’s getting a perm, doing pullups or her own stunts, Alison Brie committed to her role on GLOW, the new women’s wrestling series on Netflix. But there’s one form of fitness she’s dropped. And that’s cardio.
Known mostly for her quirky, uptight roles on Community, Mad Men and How to Be Single, latest role as Ruth Wilder on GLOW has her hitting the gym hard. Her pre-filming workout routine was nothing short of impressive.
To prep for becoming one of the ’80s-set Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (or, GLOW) Brie stopped her regularly cardio-filled routine (think SoulCycle) for a more intense regime to build strength without bulking her up. And after watching the show – she did all of her stunts herself – it’s safe to say the change paid off.
Brie’s trainer Jason Walsh (the man behind other celeb physiques like Emily Blunt and Minka Kelly) created a program that would allow Brie’s character to handle the body slams, flips and flying off the ropes (literally). “We did tons of sled push-and-pulls; we did a lot of deadlifting,” Walsh explained to the Hollywood Reporter, adding, “She could crank out 10 body weight pull-ups on her own. It’s insane.”
He says he added hundreds of pounds to Brie’s push-and-pulls, not to mention making her piggyback him. Before you go upping your weights, know that he had her start with using her own body weight. She didn’t show up at first to wear a weighted vest, bar or chains.
Alison Brie’s Fitness For GLOW – On Being Strong
How does she feel about her new-found strength? Brie tells the New York Times: “After we had shot everything, our line producer came up to me and said, “When they cast you, I thought: ‘Look at that little thing. She’s not going to be able to wrestle.’ But you really proved me wrong. You’re so strong.” I was like, thank you. The truth comes out, finally.”
The best part about Brie’s transformation is that it’s a subtle one. She cites this newfound heavy-lifting routine as making her feel “better than ever,” and like a badass. And when you watch her in action, you feel exactly the same way. Of course, when you’re lifting other humans to slam them down in the ring (even if that is more choreography than anything), you need to make it seem believable. Her routine made her more strong than bulky and it’s almost a sneak attack of strength—you don’t really get her full potential until her understated, kind of affable character steps into the ring and it’s nothing but super-toned muscle.
The main lesson learned? Weights don’t have to bulk you up.
Did Alison Brie’s Fitness For GLOW inspire you to do some strength training? Try these challenging workouts:
• Get Healthy, Strong Knees With This 10 Minute Workout
• The 6 Best Arm Exercises for Women
• How To Master Squats (The Right Way)
