'So precise and so powerful' - Anne Hathaway's personal trainer reveals the workout method she used to train the star for new films

Those who've already ticked the first of the three films off the list at the cinema will have noticed the star's particularly strong and toned physique as she flowed through mega popstar Mother Mary's dance routines.

With a combination of strength-training and Pilates-inspired workouts, Anne's personal trainer, Monique Eastwood, helped her prepare for the role. "Training Annie for this back in 2022 was such a special experience. We were preparing her for a demanding dance role with intense choreography, and it was a real process. I worked alongside choreographer Dani (@danivitale) to help get Annie strong, connected and truly ready for those dance and movement moments on screen," she wrote on Instagram, having attended the premiere of the film.

"She is completely captivating in this film. So committed, so precise, and so powerful in her performance as a pop star," she wrote.

Last year, we checked in with Monique to see how she creates the workouts for A-listers like Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt. She told us that "posture and alignment" are the key focus, with "flow" exercises and dynamic strength training the priority. Here's one of you to try below, but Monique shares all her workouts and training insights on the Eastwood Fit app.

Anne Hathaway's workout

1. Squat with upper body rotation

Combining a squat with a rotation challenges the core as there's constant body movement and changes of direction, says Monique. "The standing leg and buttocks in the curtsy into the kick are challenged a little more with the multi-directional movement and balance workout."

Here's how to do the squat with rotation:

• Standing on your yoga mat with your feet shoulder-width apart, come down into a squat. You can do this movement with or without dumbbells.
• Rising from the squat, take a step back into a curtsy lunge (as shown in the video above).
• At the bottom of the lunge, engage your core, and rotate to the same side as your front leg, adding a 'twist' to the movement.
• Come up towards a standing position, and as you do, kick forward with your back leg from the curtsy lunge in a controlled way.
• Repeat the exercise 5 times on both sides.

2. Side lunge

A side lunge is one of the best quadriceps exercises, challenging leg strength and stability and improving hip flexor strength. It will also require good balance, recruiting the core muscles.

Here's how to do it:

• Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart on your yoga mat, bring one leg out into a side lunge.
• At the same time, bring your arms up together bent by your forehead.
• With an engaged core and controlled movement, come up from the lunge. Bring your arms down to your sides, bring your feet together into a narrow stance (with feet less than shoulder-width apart).
• Put your weight onto the balls of your feet and squat down, while lifting your arms out to the sides.
• Come up from the squat and in one flowing movement, bring a foot back into a back lunge, and bring your arms over your head into a tricep extension.
• From here, lift your back leg up from behind you, forward into a 'high-knee' position. Try and stay balanced on the one leg for a moment, before bringing it down.
• Repeat 5 times on both sides of the body, making 10 repetitions in total.

3. Plié

This ballet-inspired move is a staple in Monique's workouts. It's a real challenge, but well worth the effort, she says. "The pelvis, hips, glutes, inner thighs, and all the leg muscles are challenged by these movements, and the back muscles are working every time the arms move away from the core. This exercise also stimulates the brain to focus on body control."

Here's how to do it:

• Stand on your mat with your feet wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed outwards to about 45-degrees.
• Bend your knees and float your arms straight out to the side.
• Make sure your knees are aligned over your feet, keep your upper body lifted with your spine straight. Ensure your tailbone is tucked under your pelvis. Come down to a comfortable position.
• Rising up onto the balls of your feet, bringing your arms out in front of your chest. Bring your legs together.
• Repeat the movement, extending your leg out into the wide plié again.

4. Plank combination

The plank exercise is another one of Monique's favourite moves. In this exercise, she combines the classic movement with a side plank variation, challenging balance, strength, and mobility in one.

Here's how to do it:

• Coming down onto your yoga mat, come into the plank position, resting on your hands. Be sure to engage your core.
• Lift your right knee across to your left elbow.
• Rotate your body to one side, transitioning into a side plank.
• Extend the bent right knee out, with your leg straight, pointing away from your body.
• Hold the position for a moment, then rotate back into your side plank before coming back into a standard plank.
• Bend both your knees and come back onto your heels.
• Lift your knees off the floor.
• Return to the plank.
• Repeat the exercise 5 times on each side.

To celebrate the release of Devil Wears Prada 2, the PT launched a series on Instagram called 'The Prada Challenge', serving as a two-week introduction to her unique training method. While it's already started, you can catch up on the app.

How to make this workout easier

If you're struggling with this workout, don't worry, you're not the only one. Anne Hathaway told The Independent that when she first started training with Eastwood, "there were so many of her signature moves I couldn't do properly - my knees wobbled terribly". Here's an alternative...

What are the benefits of this workout?

• Different from a standard Pilates or weights workout: As the sessions are different, the workout is "constantly stimulating and improving their [Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt's] body awareness, ability, and endurance," says Eastwood.
• A full-body workout: This workout is a full-body session, targeting all the lower and upper-body muscles, including the core, shoulders, back, and glutes.
• Builds core strength: Looking for a core exercise to strengthen your abdominal muscles? Eastwood's plank variations are ideal as "you hold the plank position while your leg does different movements," says Eastwood. The other leg builds strength at the same time as it has to keep your body weight stable.
• Versatile: It's also a very versatile workout that can be adjusted depending on what you need to focus on and how you're feeling that day. "Some days we use lighter weights and flow more like dancers, and other days we use heavier weights to add a different challenge," she says.
• Builds mobility and strength: This way of training also "really does stimulate more muscle with the way the body has to activate and fire to accomplish each directional change," Eastwood says, meaning the workout builds both mobility and strength at the same time.
• Improves balance: Many of the movements in Monique Eastwood's unique workout style challenge balance in a new way as you have to stabilise your entire body, which is "great for mind-body control and focus", she says.