Gal Gadot, renowned for her portrayal of Wonder Woman, has captivated audiences not only with her acting prowess but also with her impressive physique. At 35, Gadot approached her role in Wonder Woman 1984 with a fitness regimen designed to enhance her strength and mobility. This article explores the details of Gal Gadot's weight loss routine, focusing on her nutrition plan and workout regimen.
The Foundation: Nutrition and Balanced Eating
Gadot's dietary philosophy revolves around balance and mindful eating, rather than restrictive dieting. She emphasizes the importance of nourishing her body with high-quality foods while allowing room for occasional indulgences.
The Philosophy of Nutrition
Gadot's nutrition plan, guided by Magnus Lygdback's philosophy, avoids extreme diets and shortcuts. Instead, it promotes balanced eating habits that include savoring the pleasures of food. The core principle is to prioritize nutrition for 17 out of 20 meals within a four-day cycle, focusing on protein, slow carbs, fruits, and vegetables while minimizing simple, fast carbs.
Mediterranean Diet
Gadot, with her Middle Eastern roots, naturally gravitates towards the Mediterranean diet. This approach emphasizes fresh vegetables, olive oil, lean protein, and fruits. She views food as fuel, aiming to provide her body with the best possible nutrients.
Macronutrient Balance
During her Wonder Woman training, Gadot aimed for approximately 100 grams of protein, 200-240 grams of slow carbs, and 80-90 grams of good fats daily. This balance is achieved through a structured meal plan consisting of five meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.
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A Typical Day of Eating
- Breakfast: Fueling up for the day with eggs paired with a slow carb source, or protein-boosted overnight oats. Gal often started the day with protein, enjoying eggs in the form of a satisfying omelet or a jar of protein-filled overnight oats, cooked in butter or her preferred oil. She got creative with her omelet fillings, adding ingredients like smoked ham, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, fresh basil, and artichoke. Green smoothies were also a great side option in the morning.
- Morning Snack: A simple and nutritious protein shake, with around 40 grams of protein. On workout days, she'd also add some carbs to aid recovery.
- Lunch: A power-packed midday meal comprising protein (chicken or fish), slow carbs, and good fats, with a generous serving of vegetables. Midday, she included a satisfying meal that often featured grilled chicken or fish, slow carbs, and healthy fats. And, of course, she loaded up on vegetables, to create a colorful and nutrient-dense plate.
- Afternoon Snack: Kombucha, a refreshing and probiotic-rich beverage, paired with unsweetened Greek yogurt, chopped pears or apples, walnuts, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or any topping she preferred as long as it was nutritious.
- Dinner: Ending the day right with a protein-rich meal, slow carbs (such as whole grain rice), and generous servings of vegetables. Her evenings were filled with equally wholesome meals. She frequently had organic, grass-fed ribeye steak, paired with a slow carb like wholegrain rice or a salad boasting a medley of veggies like kale, fennel, arugula, spinach, and more. Roasted pine nuts added a delightful crunch, and the dressing, made from olive oil, lemon, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper, tied it all together.
Simplifying the Diet
Lygdback offers a simplified approach using hand measurements as a guide:
- Breakfast: One fistful of protein (e.g., eggs) and half a fist of slow, complex carbs (e.g., oats, quinoa).
- Morning Snack: One fistful of protein and half a fist of good fats (e.g., avocado) or slow carbs.
- Lunch: One fistful of protein (e.g., chicken breasts), one fistful of slow carbs, and two fistfuls of vegetables.
- Dinner: Mirroring lunch, with one fistful of protein, one fistful of slow carbs, and two fistfuls of vegetables.
Indulgences and Balance
Gadot doesn't restrict herself from indulging in her favorite foods. She enjoys burgers, ice cream, and chocolate in moderation, emphasizing portion control. This balanced approach allows her to savor culinary pleasures without derailing her health goals. She'll order a beer or a glass of wine with a meal, making sure she doesn’t overeat when she indulges in those slightly less healthy options.
Hydration
Gadot makes sure to drink tons of water every day.
The Workout Routine: Building Strength and Mobility
Gadot's workout routine is designed to build a strong foundation, focusing on mobility and injury prevention. Her training incorporates strength exercises, HIIT, and core work.
Training Philosophy
The goal was not to achieve maximum muscle mass but to build a strong, mobile, and resilient physique. This was on top of the stunts and harness work she did.
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Workout Structure
Lygdback's approach involves a four-day cycle with five workouts a week, each lasting about an hour. The routine includes strength exercises, HIIT, and active recovery.
Strength Training
Gadot's strength training incorporates exercises that target multiple muscle groups, boost stability, and can be done with simple equipment. These exercises are designed to tone, sculpt, and build strength.
Sample Workout
Here's a glimpse into a week of Gal Gadot-inspired workouts:
- Day 1: Cardio and Legs
- Warm-up: 5 minutes of treadmill running and HIIT sprints (3 x 30 seconds each, with 30 second rest in between each sprint).
- Front squats with dumbbells (3 x 12).
- Walking lunges (3 x 20).
- Curtsy steps (3 x 20) and lateral walks (3 x 15) with mini band.
- Skaters (3 x 20).
- Windmills or dragon kicks (3 x 20).
- Day 2: Back, Chest, and Core
- Warm-up: 5 minutes on an assault bike or rowing machine.
- Wide grip lat pull downs (3 x 12).
- Eccentric push-ups (3 sets to failure).
- Alternating standing dumbbell rows (3 x 20).
- Superset: Reverse fly on incline bench (3 x 12) and dumbbell flys on flat bench (3 x 12).
- Core superset: Crossover mountain climbers (3 x 12) and rotational twists with leg kicks (3 x 12).
- Day 3: HIIT and Arms
- Warmup: assault bike (5 minutes).
- Alternating biceps curls (3 x 15).
- Triceps skull crushers (3 x 12).
- Cable biceps curls (3 x 12).
- Triceps push-downs (3 x 12).
- Superset: double bicep curls with a flat back (3 x 10) and lateral raises (3 X 12).
- Hollow hold (3 x 45 seconds).
- Day 4: HIIT, Legs, and Core
- Warmup: treadmill running (5 minutes) and deadmill sprints (4 x 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest in between).
- Leg press (2 x 5).
- Bulgarian split squats (3 x 20).
- Superset: knee tucks on stability ball (3 x 12) and side-to-side hops using a chair (3 x 12).
- Superset: hamstring curls with stability ball (2 x 12) and hip thrusts on a bench (3 x 12).
- Hands to Feet Stability Ball Pass (3 x 20).
- Day 5: Chest, Back, and Core
- Warmup: assault bike (5 minutes).
- Superset: Close grip pull-downs (3 x 12) and side shoulder raises (3 x 12).
- Superset: Dumbbell rows with oblique twists (4 x 12) and incline push-ups (4 x 12).
- Superset: Straight arm pulldowns (3 x 12) and dumbbell straight arm raises (3 x 12).
- Dragon Kicks (3 x 15).
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is a key component of Gadot's workout routine. A sample leg day workout includes treadmill sprinting at an all-out pace for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of walking, repeated three times.
Active Recovery
Gadot incorporates active recovery into her routine, such as walks and snowboarding, to promote blood flow and reduce muscle soreness. Lygdback also encourages real rest days to maximize the benefits of the program.
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Additional exercises
Gal doesn’t typically hit the treadmill to get her heart rate up. Rowing is great cardio, but it can build leg muscle quite easily. Staying true to her love of TRX, the star focuses on bodyweight exercises. When she’s looking to focus on her abs, she does static plank for 30 seconds followed by a one-minute rest. Then she does pushups for 30 seconds and rests for another minute. But Gal prefers to get her ab training in with more non-traditional exercises. She’s a huge fan of swimming and paddle boarding anytime she’s near the water.
Importance of Post-Workout Nutrition
Lygdback emphasizes the importance of consuming a post-workout snack or meal of carbs and protein within 30 minutes of each sweat session to support muscle recovery and optimize results.
Gadot's Daily Habits
Gal tries to eat a nutrient-rich diet free of processed foods and sugars whenever she can. Overall, she likes what Gal is doing. Her workouts can be adapted to work for a variety of body types without causing too much bulk.
Teaching Her Daughters
She also makes sure her little girls know how important it is for them to eat healthy too. Like mother, like daughters! My girls always start their mornings with a filling, healthy breakfast. Smoothies or eggs on toast are their favorites," she shares, adding that she is passionate about teaching them that "eating a balanced diet is so important."
Kitchen Staples
If you visit Gadot's home, you'll be sure to find these five foods that she swears by: olive oil, simple cheap vinegar, Greek yogurt, oat milk and fruits and veggies.