It's obvious from her roles in films like "Suicide Squad" and "I, Tonya" that Margot Robbie is no stranger to transforming her physique with challenging exercise routines.
Robbie's trainer, Andie Hecker, has described the star's workouts — which are two to three hours a day, five days a week when she's preparing for a role — as "very intense" and told Shape that she wouldn't recommend it "as the norm for anyone who isn't a highly trained athlete."
Since most people (myself included) don't have the time in their day for a three-hour workout, I chose some of the moves that Hecker has shared with various publications to come up with a strenuous week-long exercise routine that incorporates barre- and Pilates-inspired moves as well as ab- and glute-centric moves.AdvertisementHere's what it was like working out like Margot Robbie for a week.
Keep in mind that just because a certain routine works for a
Day one: I tackle a variation of Robbie's intensive ab routine
To start the week off, I decide to focus on a few of the actress' ab workouts.
I'm already feeling pretty apprehensive as Robbie has said she did 100 sit-ups a day to get the core strength needed for her role in "I, Tonya," as well as plenty of planks, hip dips, and pikes to achieve the physique of Harley Quinn for "Suicide Squad."
Based on the workout routine that Hecker shared with The Hollywood Reporter, I grab a mat and do 30 planks to pikes where I use my core muscles to lift up my hips toward the ceiling. Because I don't have the Pilates reformer machine that Robbie typically uses, I swap in a stability ball to complete these moves. AdvertisementAt this point, I'm already feeling the burn in my core, and I'm dreading the rest of the moves I still have to do.
Next, still in the plank position, I attempt arm lifts by bringing them forward and back one at a time. After, I do single leg lifts. Hecker has said Robbie typically does about 40 to 50 of these, but I'm shaking after just doing 30 with frequent breaks.
I lay on the ground for about five minutes and then attempt 15 hip dips on each side.AdvertisementAt this point, my abs are on fire, and doing 100 sit-ups in a row seems even less appealing than before. I manage to do 25 before collapsing on my mat.
I'm pretty disappointed in myself for not even getting through half of the routine, but at least I feel happy that I pushed myself as much as possible today. I don't remember the last time my entire core hurt this much.
Hopefully, I'm able to do more as the week goes on.AdvertisementDay two: I spend the day doing different variations of leg lifts
When I wake up, my abs are in so much pain that I can't even sit up in bed. Still, I'm happy to see they're already looking much more defined.
I feel motivated to spend the day working on my lower body. AdvertisementI typically tend to do weighted leg exercises, but Hecker told The Hollywood Reporter that for Robbie's role as Harley Quinn, she had the actress do a lot of ballet- and barre-inspired, non-bulking leg exercises to sculpt her inner and outer thighs.
Hecker told Shape Magazine that she'd typically have Robbie start a three-hour workout with about 45 minutes to an hour of swimming. Because I don't have access to a swimming pool or three hours to spend at the gym, I decide to warm up on the treadmill for about 10 minutes.
Next, based on some of the moves Hecker has shared, I do one minute each of jump squats (I don't have a Pilates rebounder machine, so it's my version of the trampoline jumps that Robbie typically does), then I jump rope and do one-legged hops to mimic Bosu ball jumps and get my heart rate up. AdvertisementI follow up with one minute of big-circle leg rotations, double leg lifts, outer thigh lifts, one hundreds, and mountain climbers.
The mountain climbers are a struggle after all the plank work from yesterday, so I'm happy to take one minute of rest after each circuit before launching into a second and third set. Although Robbie typically completes this circuit four times, I call it quits after just three.
I've always considered myself someone with a strong lower body, so I'm surprised to find smaller muscle groups that I didn't know existed burning while I do these barre- and ballet-inspired workouts. I've never tried a barre or ballet class, and I find myself wondering if I'm missing out on toning certain parts of my body.AdvertisementUnfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I don't have the ankle weights that Robbie uses to up the intensity on these workouts, but my legs are on fire after the second round of moves.
I also find my whole body shaking when I try one of the comprehensive side-plank moves that Hecker told The Hollywood Reporter targets the "core, obliques, bottom hips, top outer thigh, and outer glutes."
To start, you hold your side plank while on your elbow and lift your outer leg up toward the ceiling and down again 30 to 40 times. Next, you repeat the same thing but by bringing your top leg forward and back. AdvertisementRobbie does these outer-thigh movements with a 2.5-pound weight attached to her ankle, which I can't imagine. Even though I don't have a weight on my leg, I legitimately feel like I'm going to collapse after doing these moves.
I have a lot more respect for the strength of ballet dancers after this grueling workout.
Day three: I attempted one of Robbie's full-body workouts with ballet jumps
In an interview with People, Hecker said that Robbie focused on outer booty and thigh moves to get her ready to rock the shorts that Harley Quinn wore for "Suicide Squad."
"We did a lot of heavy-weighted, low reps of arabesque pulls hooked up to resistance pulleys, as well as arabesque lifts with heavy ankle weights in order to build and lift the butt," she told People.
She also cited ballet jumps as "the most challenging form of cardio" in an interview with Who magazine, and I quickly learn this is not an exaggeration. AdvertisementI start with three sets each of 20 reps of body-weight squats and arabesques, and 25 reps of triceps extensions to target my arms, butt, and legs.
As someone who tends to do fewer reps with heavier weights, I definitely notice it takes a little longer to feel the burn. However, my legs are still a little sore from yesterday, and I'm covered in sweat by the time I'm done with three sets.
Before hitting some of my arm and ab exercises, I decide to mix things up with 10 ballet jumps, otherwise known as sautés. They're pretty similar to a jump squat, except your toes are pointing outwards and your heels are together. You bend your knees into what's called a demi-plié and then jump up and land in the same position.AdvertisementI am not able to jump up very high, but I am surprised by how much my legs are feeling it after just a few, and I'm relieved when I get to move on to the upper-body section of the workout.
Next, I do 30 lateral raises with 3-pound weights, 20 reps per arm of bicep curls with 5-pound dumbbells, and 20 lateral raises going forward and backward.
To finish off my workout, I do 25 tabletop crunches and 25 clamshells on a mat before collapsing. AdvertisementAlthough this workout was very challenging, it's been my favorite day so far because I feel like this routine is an efficient way to work out all the different core muscle groups without spending hours at the gym.
Day four: I'm getting better at Robbie's plank variations
The workout yesterday was challenging, but I'm surprised by how sore my calves are today. Although I'm barely able to walk, I'm am ready to tackle a full day of abdominal exercises after taking a breather for a few days.
Again, I pull out a mat and drop down to do 30 plank-to-pike combinations using a medicine ball. My arms are shaking around the 20-rep mark, but I push through and only take a two-minute break before doing 30 reps each of arm lifts and leg lifts from a plank position. AdvertisementMy body is covered in sweat at this point, and I'm struggling to get into a side plank and do 30 hip dips without taking a break. I grab some water and head to the treadmill to walk it off for about eight minutes before heading back to the mat to see how many of Robbie's 100 sit-ups I'm able to get through today.
I surprise myself by doing 40 with one small break, which is quite a bit more than I was able to get through the first day.
I think taking a break from abs but trying to keep my heart rate up by doing some cardio to break things up is the move going forward.AdvertisementDay five: I struggle to get through the ballet jumps
I wake up dreading attempting Robbie's butt and outer-thigh routine for the second time. My lower body is still recovering from the exercises over the past couple of days, which is not something I'm used to.
I stretch out and take a five-minute walk on the treadmill to warm up before going into one minute of jump squats. Next, I do 60 seconds each of jump rope and one-legged jumps where I take turns balancing on each leg.AdvertisementI'm definitely feeling it a bit, but it feels kind of good to warm up my legs again once I'm over the initial hump. I do two more sets of these warm-up moves.
However, it turns out I spoke too soon because I'm struggling as I hunker down for one-minute sets of leg rotations, double and outer leg and thigh lifts, and one hundreds, before finishing off with 60 seconds of mountain climbers.
I'm sweating profusely and my legs are hurting after just two sets, so I just let myself collapse on the ground and hug my legs to my chest to rest for a while. AdvertisementTo finish up, I do the side plank lifts, raising my outer leg up and down and then forward and back about 35 times each before calling it a day.
Day six: The ballet jumps are still killing my legs
I'm still feeling sore today, but also energized and motivated to hopefully fly through Robbie's full-body workout. I just have to get through the lower-body portion first.
To start, I stretch out my calves and thighs before doing three sets of 20 to 25 reps of body-weight squats and arabesques. I then attempt 12 ballet jumps, really feeling the impact in my calves and thighs as I dip down and jump up.AdvertisementMy legs are shaking by the time I'm done, and I'm again relieved to spend the rest of the day focusing on my upper body. Who knew ballet jumps would be the hardest move I'd attempt all week?
I know I'm cheating, but I sit down on the bench before grabbing a 5-pound weight to start my arm exercises. I do 25 triceps extensions, followed by 30 lateral raises, 20 bicep curls, and then 20 front and back lateral raises. My arms are definitely feeling it, but it's doable with these low weights and I'm not feeling as exhausted when I'm sitting down.
Once I'm done, I head to the mat and grind out 25 tabletop crunches and 25 clamshells to finish off the day's workout.AdvertisementI'm sweaty and tired, but feeling good.
Day seven: I am finally able to get through 100 sit-ups
I've been trying different variations to try to hit 100 sit-ups in one day without success, so I decide to attempt my third and final iteration by spreading out the sit-ups throughout the workout.
First up: 40 sit-ups, which are hard but doable.
Next, I push through the 30 plank-to-pike combinations, which are a little harder than before because of the stress I've already put on my core today. I lay down on the mat and crank up the music on my playlist before attempting 30 more sit-ups and then getting back into a plank position for the arm and leg lifts.AdvertisementMy body is shaking at this point, so I grab some water and rest in child's pose for about 10 minutes before doing the 30 hip dips and laying back down for the final 30 sit-ups.
I have to give myself an inward pep talk before starting on sit-ups again. It's not pretty, and I take frequent breaks throughout, but I push through and hit 100.
I've never done this many sit-ups in one day, so I'm definitely proud of myself.AdvertisementI think Robbie's workout was one of the hardest I've attempted
Hecker did warn fans that Robbie's workout isn't for the faint of heart, but I wasn't quite expecting it to be as strenuous as it was. It appeared to be more of a toning and sculpting routine at first glance, but I was surprised by how sore my body was with the low weights I was using.
Even after condensing Robbie's three-hour workouts to about an hour-long routine, I really felt like I was getting a great workout and exercising some muscle groups that I've never really concentrated on.
At the end of the week, I did think my abs looked more sculpted, but the biggest change was to my legs, which felt strong and lean from hip to toe. AdvertisementI definitely don't think it's feasible for a regular person to take three hours out of their day four times a week to work out, and not everyone has access to the Pilates equipment that Robbie used. However, I think with some small adjustments, most people can easily add some of Robbie's moves into their workout routines.
Personally, I'll definitely be supplementing my classic jump squats with at least 10 ballet jumps going forward.
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