Zoe Saldaña's staple lower-body workout uses just 4 exercises - here's how to do it
The 48-year-old star uses compound exercises like squats to build lower-body strength and stability
With a demanding lead role in the successful TV show Lioness, Zoe Saldana knows how important it is to stay strong and healthy. The 48-year-old plays a CIA soldier in the drama, which finished its latest season earlier this year.
The character encouraged her to improve her strength through weight training. Zoe told US Today: "Weight training is essential, especially for women of a certain age. It gives you strength you never thought you had, and that gives me so much confidence. It's like you can do difficult things. Building muscle for [character] Joe inspired me."
The actress trains with fitness coach Elena Ferretti. The pair often share their sessions on Instagram. In an interview with WSJ, Zoe said she does her workouts early in the morning, around 4.30 or 5 am, so she can spend time with her family.
Her latest lower-body workout uses four common exercises. You can do it at home with a good set of dumbbells, or in the gym.
Barbell back squat
The squat is a favourite of Zoe's - and for good reason. The squat is a quadriceps exercise that works the legs, but it also targets the glutes and strengthens the core and lower back.
Here's how to do a squat:
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Lift the barbell over your head and hold it across your upper back.
- Bend your knees into a deep squat.
- Slowly stand up straight again.
- Repeat.
Want to try this workout at home? You'll need a barbell set like this one from HOMCOM. This set comes with six plates and a bar, offering resistance up to 20kg.
Alternatively, you could use a set of dumbbells. This set from Northern Gym Equipment is the current favourite of fitness instructor and digital health editor Grace Walsh. She says: "I love how easy it is to click the weights on and off while saving space in my home."
Kickbacks
This kickback exercise is technically known as the frog reverse hyper. It's a glute exercise that strengthens the hamstrings and hips and improves lower-back stability.
Here's how to do it:
- Lie face down on a bench, with your hips just off the edge.
- Slightly bend your legs at the knee and keep your feet together.
- Engage your glutes and lift your legs together.
- Slowly lower your legs back down.
- Repeat.
Romanian deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is another staple glute exercise. Zoe does this one with a barbell, but two dumbbells work just as well for this exercise.
Here's how to do it:
- Stand with your shoulders back and chest lifted, holding the barbell in front of your thighs.
- Keeping a slight bend in the knees, hinge at the hips and lower the weights down the front of your legs while keeping your back flat.
- When your chest is parallel to the floor and you feel a hamstring stretch, drive through the hips to return to standing.
- Try it for three sets of 8 to 10 repetitions.
Walking lunges
Walking lunges are a single-leg movement, improving balance and strength in the lower-body muscles, lower back, and core.
Here's how to do it:
- Step one foot forward and the other back into a split stance - or lunge.
- Lower the back knee toward the floor while keeping the chest upright and front knee tracking over the toes.
- Step forward, staying in the squat position.
- Keep walking for 30-60 seconds.
- For extra intensity, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell while you do this exercise.
We know these are Zoe and her PT's favourite exercises as she shared a similar workout earlier in the year to promote the new series, revealing that she "swapped" Pilates for strength work in her 40s.
"Rediscovering techniques that you would have otherwise disregarded" has been really interesting, she said in the WSJ interview, at an age "when your body needs a little more of a shake-up and a lot more attention".
