Margot Robbie gives 100 percent to every role she takes on (the actress did 100 sit ups a day while training for I, Tonya!). So it’s no surprise that her workout routine for Barbie was intense—but incredibly effective, and the results are right there on screen for all to see. “She’s always had a very healthy approach to exercise,” trainer David Higgins told Women’s Health. “[For her], it’s about nothing more than being strong and healthy, physically and mentally.” Robbie’s Barbie workout is not an easy one, but just one hour will give amazing results. Here’s how she did it.
Robbie did a mixture of strength training and reformer Pilates with trainer David Higgins. Higgins shared the exact routine with Women’s Health:
Warm up with a foam roller.
15 reps each with minimal rest
Supine chest press
Bent-over row, right side
Bent-over row, left side
Standing bicep curl
Seated shoulder press
Supine skull crushers
100-rep ab challenge:
20 crunches
20 toe taps (legs together)
20 toe taps, left side
20 toe taps, right side
20 toe taps (legs together)
20 x curtsy lunges, right side
20 x curtsy lunges, left side
Reformer Pilates (2 mins each)
Wheelbarrow
Plank hold
Plank to pikes
Plank hold
Glute kickbacks, both sides
Leg circles
Using a reformer machine gives a low-impact workout with significant results. “Reformer Pilates has so many incredible benefits including increased core strength, injury prevention, correcting muscle imbalances, improving posture, flexibility and so much more,” Marisa Fuller, owner of Studio Pilates in Brooklyn, tells Vogue. “It really is a jack-of-all-trades workout. Reformer Pilates works on core stabilization which is vital to any athlete.”
Strength training has incredible benefits—you don’t have to do hours of dance training like Robbie did to enjoys the benefits of strength and endurance. “Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories,” say the experts at the Mayo Clinic. “It’s important to use proper technique in strength training to avoid injuries. If you’re new to strength training, work with a trainer or other fitness specialist to learn correct form and technique. Remember to breathe as you strength train.”
Beginners are advised to take guidance from an expert if they’re not familiar with using reformer machines. “Pilates isn’t about how fast you perform the repetitions,” Fuller tells Vogue. “Instead, focus on controlling the movement to help isolate and strengthen the correct muscles… Everyone feels out of their element when they try Reformer Pilates for the first time, but don’t let that deter you—with every class you’ll gain confidence and feel the difference in your body as you develop strength and tone. There are a lot of different exercises that you’ll be learning so don’t worry if you don’t feel like you’ve mastered them in your first class!”
Writer Bridie Wilkins tried Robbie’s workout with Higgins, and lived to tell the tale. “As our hour together comes to an end (David has another five clients that day – all in different time zones), I feel good,” she writes for Women’s Health. “Whether for firing question after question at David at the same time as trying to perform the workout or not, I’m more out of breath than usual for a strength or reformer session, but I’m not as whacked as I would be after, say, a run. Every part of my body is aching; my core, my arms and my glutes, but I’ve still got plenty of… Kenergy.”