Brie Larson, an acclaimed actress known for her roles in movies like "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," her Academy Award-winning performance in "Room," and her portrayal of Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has captivated audiences worldwide. Beyond her acting talent, fans admire her enviable fitness and radiant appearance. Her transformation is more than just about looking good for the camera; it’s a story of self-discipline, mental strength, and personal growth.
Brie Larson's Initial Transformation
Before Larson was cast as the first female superhero lead in the Marvel Universe, she embarked on a journey of self-reflection and transformation. The decision to get fit wasn’t fleeting; it was part of a larger goal to push her boundaries. In 2019, Larson began intense physical training for her role as Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. The expectations for the film were high, and the physicality of her role meant that Larson had to build strength and agility. Unlike many celebrities who turn to extreme measures for quick weight loss, Larson took a mindful approach to her transformation. The key to her weight loss wasn’t about following a restrictive diet plan, but rather about learning how to fuel her body in the right way.
“I’ve always been athletic, but I wanted to take my training to the next level,” Larson explained in interviews. “When I took on the role of Captain Marvel, it wasn’t just about the character’s strength, it was about my own strength too."
Brie Larson's Diet Plan
Mindful Eating and Nutrition
One of the most significant changes she made to her diet was cutting out processed foods and focusing on protein-rich meals and healthy fats. She introduced more fruits, vegetables, and lean meats into her meals, while also ensuring that she stayed hydrated. The goal wasn’t just weight loss; it was about total well-being.
Embracing a ‘Bridge Meal’
For her training for Room, for which she gained nearly 7kg of muscle, her nutritionist Dr. Philip Goglia turned her onto ‘bridge meals’. Or, in more simple terms, a between-meal snack usually consisting of vegetables or nuts. “The purpose of a bridge meal is to get to lunch so that you don’t overeat lunch,” Dr. Goglia told People. “You’re using fat metabolism and that will be your bridge meal to get to dinner so that dinner is an appetite environment that will not allow you to crave carbs because you’ve already eaten… you’re kind of full.
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'A Little Fat and a Little Sugar'
While most people doing high-intensity training would avoid things like sugar and fat, Dr. Goglia made it part of the routine. According to People, while training for Room, Larson would start her day with a protein shake (consisting of a protein powder, fruit, almond butter, water, and ice) to get her going. “The most recent science has shown that a little bit of fat and a little bit of simple sugar will actually increase intensity rate while you train early in the morning… and allow you to still continue to train and burn fat,” Goglia said.
Balanced Diet
While Larson’s Captain Marvel training did involve a fairly strict diet regime, she also balanced it with some treats. She instead focused on indulging in things in moderation. If she had an intense workout session, she’d reward herself with a cookie or a donut. Some nights, she’d celebrate a successful shoot with pizza.
Meal Preferences
Brie likes to keep her breakfast fairly simple. For lunch, Brie isn’t so focused on cutting things out of her diet. Instead, she tries to focus on eating wholesome, nutrient-dense foods. While filming Room, Brie ended up eating a lot of fresh vegetables and lean proteins. Her go-to lunch was something like a salad. However, when filming Captain Marvel, Brie was able to eat whatever her body was craving. Some days, this meant grabbing a sandwich while others, it meant eating salads packed with tons of fresh veg and lean proteins like grilled salmon or chicken. Dinner is when Brie gets to really indulge, especially when she’s training super hard. Her favourite recovery meal is pasta. But she’s still careful to only indulge in those carb-heavy meals when she’s getting regular intense workouts in.
Fruits as Dessert
Larson likes to eat fruit for dessert when she’s prepping for a role. “The purpose of a fruit dessert, like a little cup of berries or a fruit snack after dinner is to actually spike your insulin so you sleep deeply in a hypoglycemic state.
Brie Larson's Workout Routine
If you’ve seen Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, you’ve witnessed her physically demanding training firsthand. To prepare for her role, Larson didn’t just rely on her existing fitness level-she pushed her body beyond its limits. She worked with personal trainers and experts who crafted a tailored workout plan to increase her strength, endurance, and flexibility. Her typical workouts involved lifting weights, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and incorporating exercises that emphasized functional strength. She also trained in stunt choreography, which helped her develop the agility needed for her role. By the end of her training for Captain Marvel, Larson had added 15 pounds of muscle to her frame. The combination of strength training and her focus on building lean muscle mass played a huge role in her weight loss.
Read also: How Alison Brie Got in Shape for GLOW
Strength Training
Considering a big part of her transformation into Captain Marvel was her strength, Larson embraced weights in her training. Whether she was doing hip thrusts with 180kg barbells or lunges with weights hoisted overhead, Larson used weights to up her strength and define muscles. Leading up to filming, she went through fight training twice a day, four days a week. When it came to toning and strengthening, Larson and her trainer used resistance to toughen things up. Brie Larson’s workout routine isn’t something for the faint of heart. This helped her pack on the muscle quickly.
Cardio and Fight Choreography
Much of her cardio while filming came not from running on the treadmill, but from fight choreography training.
Maintenance and Bodyweight Exercises
After building her strength and getting her muscle tone where they wanted it for the film, Brie was able to focus on maintenance rather than building more bulk. Instead of training with weights all the time, she shifted to bodyweight exercises and incorporated exercise bands, BOSU balls, and medicine balls into her routine more frequently.
Dance
Brie Larson is known for committing to her roles-and yes, that means committing. But now, she's embarking on a new adventure: dance. "My routine is very specific right now, because I'm very focused on dance," she exclusively told Women's Health at an October 8 Thorne mocktail event. The 35-year-old first began dancing last year, when she told her Instagram followers that "her inner voice was telling me to dance." Thus, she began dancing for six hours per day for seven months, culminating in a performance for friends and family. Now, the actress is still dancing, but for fewer hours each day.
She dances for more than three hours every day. Since she's already mastered the basics, she's now learning specific choreography; she also wants to work on "going lower and going backwards." Aside from the endorphins, Brie especially loves that the rehearsal provides a time for her to be phone-free for a few hours each day. "I don't even think about my phone during that time-it's just time with my body and figuring out how to use it," she says. "I doubt that I'm the only person that looks at themselves sometimes and you're like, 'Wait, I'm in here.' I want to understand my body better. I want to learn about it. Our bodies are just going to change, so this is my body today."
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Low-Impact Workouts
When Brie isn't dancing or training for a role, she'll turn to some light cardio, stretching, or Pilates as her go-to workouts. "I love hot yoga. I love Pilates. When I'm in New York, I also just love going for long walks. I walked for an hour today-just listened to music and walk," she says. "I can be pretty full-on with how I do things, but there are also times when I take it easy."
Ballet
"Over the holidays last year, my inner voice was telling me to dance. I don’t have a dance background, so these thoughts were strange to me. Mastering ballet techniques and seeing improvements in your abilities can boost self-confidence and self-esteem," she tells us. He explains: "For those who are used to getting their exercise fix from visiting a gym or attending an intense class, ballet may seem a little odd at first. "Through increased stretching by performing ballet exercises, muscles become longer and more resistant to restrain."
Starting ballet as a beginner
Don't be disheartened if you don't find ballet immediately easily.
- Pliés - A simple movement most who aren’t even familiar with ballet know.
- Élevés and relevés - These are two different movements that involve raising your heels from the floor, rolling up onto the balls of your feet.
- Tendus - French for ‘stretch’, this involves slowly brushing your working foot outwards until it rests in a strong point away from you.
- Sauté - This is the simplest jump step in ballet.
Mental and Emotional Challenges
While her physical transformation was awe-inspiring, Larson also spoke about the mental and emotional challenges that came with her journey. “It was harder mentally than physically,” she explained. Her journey was about more than just the aesthetics-it was about mental resilience and learning to love herself through the process. Larson openly admitted that she struggled with her body image at times, just like many of us do. “One of the most empowering things was realizing what my body was capable of,” Larson said. Her experience with weight loss became intertwined with personal growth and self-love. It wasn’t about meeting external expectations but rather about achieving internal peace and empowerment.
Continuing the Journey: Post-Captain Marvel
Even after her training for Captain Marvel and her notable transformation, Larson continues to prioritize health and wellness. While she no longer follows the same intense workout regimen, she has made fitness a permanent part of her lifestyle. Larson also remains committed to mindful eating, continuing to make nutrition a priority in her everyday life. She shared that she has learned to be more mindful of her body’s needs and to listen to it.
Larson's Holistic Lifestyle
Larson opened up about her skincare routine to Allure. She says that skincare and beauty are priorities to her. “And then around the time I was training for Captain Marvel, I started to become interested in [beauty] again. I had rejected it for so long that I could come to it with my own approach, outside of what I felt like was being imposed upon me. One of the things I [am] trying to learn how to do in quarantine is a smoky eye, which I did not think was going to be part of my journey, but I love it now. Larson tells Allure that she uses skincare rituals. “[Now] for my job, I really use [beauty] as a tool of conveying a person that’s separate from myself. I’m trying to get under the skin of the person that I’m playing. And that means shifting my mental state. I think Short Term 12 was the first time that I had parted my hair in the center. I would do these really long, hard days on that shoot, and I would come home and immediately brush my hair over to a left part. Larson tells Allure that she likes to scuba dive to stay in shape. “I started scuba diving, and that became a whole new revelation as to how I get in and out of characters. You can’t just dive into the ocean. You have to have a plan. Larson makes sure to take care of her skin in both the morning and the night. She tells Allure, “Now, inside my home that I’ve been in for months on end, my skin-care routine has become how I begin and end my day. I am much more regimented about it than I ever was before because it’s like, ‘Okay, the day has begun. I’m going to wash my face. Larson tells Allure that she likes to use natural skincare products, and she has two that she likes in particular. “To wash my face, I might use coconut or olive oil. When I used to travel and do pressers and things and I didn’t want to bring tons of products, I would just ask the hotel for olive oil.
Home-Made Meals
During Brie's initial dance training, she snacked on protein bars and shakes. But soon, she realized that it wasn't enough food for her. "I was like, 'You need to romance yourself,'" she said. "I'm single, and it's like, 'I'm not cooking for myself, and how could I let any more in until I know how to romance myself?' I was like, 'Well then, we'll change.'" So, Brie started a new routine: On Sundays, she hits her local farmers' market for produce, then goes to the grocery store for any other ingredients she may need. She then meal preps her dishes for the week: For breakfast, it could be a frittata incorporating lots of veggies, meanwhile for lunch, she loves a chili, a protein-filled salad, or even tacos. Because of this, Brie adds that she's begun to understand produce seasons, which makes her feel more "grounded." Throughout the week, she then cooks herself dinner every day, rarely ordering takeout. "It's just a way that I relax," she says. "There's just nothing better to me then, at the end of the day, I'm cooking something that I'm excited about and watching a movie."
Wellness Practices
Aside from her workouts and diet, Brie makes her health a priority every day. She also drinks lots of water, takes Thorne supplements, and avoids drinking "too much" alcohol. "Those are the things that make me feel really good," she says. "I ask a lot of myself every day, and I feel like I can meet it." To unwind, Brie journals, partakes in cold plunges and saunas, takes her dogs for a walk, reads, and plays video games.