Getting into shape for the role of Harley Quinn in the recently released movie Suicide Squad was a tough feat. The already selvete actress, Margot Robbie, had to gain muscle and strength as well as tone her body in preperation for the little outfits her character wore throughout the movie. If you want a superbad body like Margo Robbie, here are 6 ways the actress acheived her workout goals for this project.
1. It took 3 hours of working out a day
Margot Robbie had 3 hour workouts with her trainer Andie Hecker, so that Robbie could be ready to wear Harley Quinn’s tiny costumes. The workouts were mainly full body, which was the most effective method of toning. Usually when you work the full body, more calories are burned all around. What received the most attention were specifically the abs and glutes, since these two areas were the most visible during the movie.
2. When the filming started, the workouts increased
Robbie trained 4 to 5 times a week before Suicide Squad started filming, but increased her sessions and the intensity of her workouts during filming. When exercising towards a goal, don’t stop when you’ve arrived at your destination, this is actually when you need to go even harder. Hecker made sure that the workouts were super well rounded and didn’t over work any particular muscle, but rather gave Robbie the chance to improve and condition her whole body.
3. Ballet tones a lot more than you think
Ballet was one of the main exercises that Robbie’s trainer used to tone her legs and glutes. The dance-based sport is a great way to lift and build muscle, while also stretching the whole body to really tone things up.
4. There was a lot of cardio involved
To really tone up and shed any excessive weight, Robbie did a ton of non-bulking cardio exercises that are super effective like such as jump rope, running, swimming, trampoline jumping and ballet jumps – which are a very challenging form of cardio.
5. High weight – Low reps
The trick for Robbie was to lift heavier weight, but do less repetition. A big part of her workouts was also adding heavy ankle weights to always keep the glutes working. Surprisingly, Robbie’s trainer refrained from doing squats, since she believes they're very focused on quads, rather than glutes, which are more effectively worked out with isometric exercises (workouts that involve less movement and more hold).
6. Calories were not restricted
It’s always tough disciplining yourself when it comes to food and Robbie, who is a huge fan of burgers, waffles and fries, did attempt to eat well but didn’t restrict herself too much. When you exercise around 3 hours a day, you need calories to sustain yourself. She did however make an effort to cut out saturated fats (the unhealthy kind), sugar, and chocolate. Abs are made in the kitchen after all.
