MAXIM fitness guru, Alexa, trains one of world’s leading Hollywood stuntwomen, TARA MACKEN. Think you can handle the sessions?…
Actors and directors get most of the praise when a film does well – even composers and screenwriters get their own awards. But the real unsung heroes of Hollywood are the stunt doubles. Whether they’re jumping out of moving vehicles, falling from incredible heights or performing gruelling gladiatorial fight sequences, these are the “shadow warriors” who put their lives on the line to carve those epic action scenes into the history books.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Blockbuster movies are relentless – it’s not uncommon for a crew to end up working 12 hours a day, six to seven days a week – and stunties have to find time to train because their bodies are their livelihood. There are no shortcuts and no excuses. What is important is making sure that sessions are incredibly time-efficient and effective, and that there is a balance of both building and bulletproofing – after all, ain’t nobody got time to get injured. I had the pleasure of training Tara Macken, one of the world’s leading stuntwomen, while she was in Australia filming Thor: Love and Thunder. This is a snapshot of what went down.
WHO IS TARA MACKEN?
You might not know who Tara is but you’ve definitely seen her on the big screen. She stunt doubled Rosie Perez in Birds of Prey, Thandie Newton in Westworld, Tessa Thompson in Thor and The Avengers, Sisi Stringer in Mortal Kombat and Ana De Armas in Ghosted before donning the legendary catsuit as Zoe Kravitz’s double for The Batman and signing on as fight coordinator for J Lo’s new action assassin thriller “The Mother.”
THE WORKOUTS
A good proportion of the stunts in Thor: Love and Thunder involve hanging in harnesses, jumping and landing from height or manhandling another stuntman or actor – so it was incredibly important for Tara to be able to move her body through space with strength, fluidity and explosiveness. Each workout follows a similar format:
- WARMUP & PREHAB: A good dynamic warmup can be a game changer. Ten minutes of mobilisation and activation meant that the nervous system was primed to lift and the muscles prepared to perform the movements in the day’s workout. This is where the majority of her isolated core work took place – not only did we want a strong and sculpted mid-section, we also wanted to safeguard her lower back. We often warmed up with targeted Pilates sequences.
- STRENGTH: Coming from a background of dance, gymnastics and martial arts, Tara had great flexibility but had never lifted weights before. We used a 5 x 5 protocol i.e. 5 reps for 5 rounds with 60-90 seconds rest between sets. This is a safe and effective way to build a base of strength, muscle and movement knowledge for beginners. Exercise selection was also important – I wanted her to be able to challenge herself with the load without risking injury. Glute Bridges, Sumo Deadlifts and Bulgarian Split Squats are fantastic options given they’re less technically demanding and there is much less pressure on the lower back.
Top Tip
One of Tara’s specific goals was to get more glutes, so we modified exercises to prioritise the development of her derriere. You can do this by manipulating a number of variables: utilising extra range of motion in single leg exercises (deficit reverse lunge, Cossack squat, curtsy lunge off a plate/step) spending extra time in the most concentrated portion of a lift (add a ¼ rep in the bottom range of a Romanian deadlift or a triple contraction at the top of a hip thrust), and performing isolation type sets Pilates style (bands and ankle weights) which are great in warmups for improving activation and in finishers for shape and muscular endurance.
- ACCESSORIES/SUPPLEMENTALS: This is where you pick exercises to target any weak links – it could be additional core, single limb or metabolic conditioning. It was important that Tara was both strong and supple – I wanted her to move load, but I wanted her to be able to do it with a full range of motion. Picking supplemental exercises like Cossack Squats that require a lot of mobility (movement around a joint) enabled us to address any imbalances side to side, all while challenging her strength in end range which is where a lot of people acquire injury (most are EITHER strong OR flexible/mobile – NOT BOTH).
Top Tip
Performance in the gym should enhance performance in a work or sports specific setting, not detract from it. I made sure to keep the volume and the load of the workouts below a threshold that would cause significant muscle pain (DOMS) and interfere in her ability to do her job.
MONDAY: Full Body Strength & Stability
6-8 x Staggered Stance Standing Good Morning
12-15 Banded Pull Apart
3 rounds
5 x 5 Glute Bridge – 90 secs rest between rounds.
16 x Alternating Top Down Floor Press in Glute Bridge
16 x Alternating Gorilla Row
16 x Dual Rack Hold Deficit Reverse Lunges
3 rounds
15 x Banded Tricep Pressdowns
30 secs Weighted Hollow Rock Flutter Kick
3 rounds
Top Tip
You can work the upper body without directly working the upper body by choosing specific loading variations in lower body exercises like Dual Rack Hold KB Lunges (KB’s held up in front of the shoulders) and/or Zercher Squats (barbell held in elbows).
WEDNESDAY: Full Body Strength & Stability
3 x 8-10 1 ¼ Romanian Deadlifts
6-8 Scap Pushups
3 rounds
5 x 5 Bulgarian Split Squats – 90 secs rest between sets.
8-10 Triple Contraction Hip Thrusts
8-10 Ring Rows with External Rotation
8-10 Ring Pushups
3 rounds
16 x Cossack Squats (alternating)
8 x Swissball Side Plank Rotations e/s
3 rounds
Top Tip
Using gymnastic rings instead of a fixed bar is a great way to get some additional core and stability work in the mix, and is also great for cranky shoulders, elbows and wrists given that they allow for a more natural movement pattern.
FRIDAY: “Shreddies”
We focused on breathing and work capacity as supplementals most Fridays and used an IWT (Interval Weight Training) type format. Not only do you improve breathing efficiency and work capacity in as little as 20 minutes, but incorporating sprints allows for significant gains in strength, whilst staying as lean as possible.
3 x 10 Overhead KB Swings
6 x Single Leg RDL with row
6-8 Scap Pullups
3 rounds
5 x Sumo Deadlifts.
3-5 Box Jumps/Broad Jumps.
30 secs Sprint – we used the treadmill, but you could do rowing, biking or skiing.
90 secs in which to complete:
Odd rounds: 3-5 Chin Ups
Even rounds: 10 x Sandbag Walking Lunges
10 rounds total
60 secs plank
60 secs Sorenson Hold
3 rounds
BY ALEXA TOWERSEY
For the full article grab the April 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
