Kaley Cuoco has been a TV staple for years, starring in hit shows like 8 Simple Rules, Charmed, and The Big Bang Theory. More recently, she earned an Emmy nomination for The Flight Attendant. Beyond her acting chops, Cuoco is known for her strong, toned physique-something she credits to a dedicated workout routine. Kaley Cuoco is a self-confessed gym junkie and her hard work shows. From intense circuit and resistance training to cardio, the three-time Emmy award nominee does it all.
Kaley Cuoco's Fitness Philosophy
Cuoco has always lived an active lifestyle, but the 38-year-old has become more dedicated to her fitness routine as she's gotten older. “Bottom line is, you know, I’m not 21 anymore,” she previously told Women’s Health. “It used to be so easy, I didn’t have to do as much. Now, (working out is) part of my day.” Like all of us, the actor has days where she's not feeling motivated. In those moments, she reminds herself that "it's just an hour of my day." Staying active is a priority for Cuoco, and her trainer Ryan Sorensen says his client typically gets around 10,000 steps in each day. "She always tries to do some sort of physical activity, whether it’s with me, whether it’s with yoga or riding horses," he told E! News.
Workout routine
Cuoco shared some of her wellness secrets in an interview with Shape Magazine. She says that yoga is one of her favorite exercises. “Doing yoga five times a week has transformed my body,” she says. “I love being toned and having muscle; it’s so sexy and beautiful.” John Hopkins Medicine states that yoga is as good as basic stretching for easing pain and improving mobility in people with lower back pain.
Full-Body Workouts with Ryan Sorensen
Cuoco works with trainer, Ryan Sorensen to stay healthy. Sorensen broke down the workouts he does with her with Shape Magazine. “We have really ramped up her training,” he said. “Basically, she takes one day off a week and trains six days a week. Sorensen tells Shape Magazine that Cuoco likes to do a variety of things to stay in shape. “Her training regimen consisted of high-intensity circuit full-body training, like cardio, strength training, and lots of core twice a week,” he says. In a recent Instagram post, he showcased her fit frame in a sleek black dress, leaving fans wondering: How does she stay in such amazing shape?
Sorensen posted one of her rigorous sessions on Instagram showing the Flight Attendant‘s various full-body workout moves. “We got one speed #strongwomen #fitness #summervibes #wework #womenshealth #longevity,” Sorensen wrote in the post’s caption.
Read also: Workout Routine: Kaley Cuoco
Examples of Exercises
In the video, Cuoco performs single lateral raises while kneeling on two foam rollers. “This exercise targets the deltoids (shoulder muscles) primarily,” ACE-certified trainer and nutritionist Mary Sabat, MS, RDN, LD, who does not work with the actress, tells us. TRX training is a great way to improve strength, tone, and build lean muscle, and Cuoco kicks off her workout with TRX pull-ups while in a squat position. “This exercise mainly focuses on the back muscles, including the latissimus dorsi (lats) and the biceps,” Sabat explains. While Cuoco does a complete full-body workout, she focuses a lot on her arms and does alternating single-arm cable rows while in a split lunge. “This exercise targets the upper back, including the rhomboids and trapezius muscles, as well as the biceps,” according to Sabat.
Cuoco isn’t afraid to take on a challenging move and in the video she does a single-arm cable row on one side with a lateral shoulder raise on the other side while in a split lunge. Sabat explains, “This exercise combines two movements. The single-arm cable row targets the back and biceps, while the lateral raise targets the deltoids. Cuoco switched up her moves a lot in the video and the one time we see her out of the gym was when she ran while jump roping. “This combination exercise is a great cardiovascular workout,” Sabat states. “Running helps increase overall endurance and cardiovascular health, while jump roping engages various muscles, including the calves, quads, hamstrings, and shoulders. While we just got a glimpse of how the actress stays in shape, the video indicates the intensity of her workouts and Cuoco’s level of commitment. “Kaley Cuoco’s use of exercises that combine more than one move is beneficial for her fitness for several reasons,” Sabat says. “First, combining movements challenges different muscle groups simultaneously, leading to greater overall muscle engagement and increased calorie burn. Second, these compound exercises improve functional fitness by mimicking real-life movements and enhancing coordination and balance.” She adds, “Lastly, they can be time-efficient, allowing Kaley to target multiple aspects of her fitness in a single exercise, making her workouts more effective.
Stair Workouts
Sorensen tells Shape Magazine that he has Cuoco do a lot of stair workouts. “We do different movements, like skip a stair, every stair, lateral stair climb, [and] plyo movements five to six times, then we hike back. All in all, it’s about an hour workout.” ACEFitness.org states that stair workouts have a lot of benefits. “Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions - including high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels - that increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, per Mayo Clinic. It’s important for your overall health to reduce your risk.
Treadmill Workouts
One thing Cuoco does to stay in shape is run on a treadmill. She did a lot of these workouts after having her daughter. “Putting that incline up is so good for your muscles, and for your circulation,” Cuoco tells TODAY.com. “I’ll also walk backward, which is amazing for your butt and legs. It pretty much works everything.” HealthyTalbot.org states that using a treadmill has a lot of benefits. “Treadmill working is an aerobic/ cardio exercise. Studies demonstrate that aerobic exercise can minimize the risk of heart diseases. Moreover, they can strengthen your heart muscles. This helps to lower blood pressure and allows the heart to pump blood more efficiently.
After giving birth to her daughter Matilda, Cuoco turned to an intense 25-minute treadmill workout to get back into the swing of her fitness routine. Cuoco’s HIIT interval routine featured 10 one-minute rounds with 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest. At the beginning of the workout, the star started at a 1% incline and 6.4 speed. With each round, she increased the intensity by 1% for the inline and 0.2 for the speed.
Read also: Weight Loss Guide Andalusia, AL
Hands-Free Workout
Who knew holding a baby too much could lead to Carpal tunnel syndrome? As Cuoco explained in a video posted to Sorensen’s Instagram channel, that’s exactly what happened to her following the birth of her baby girl. As a result, the duo shifted gears to focus more on lower body and core workouts to give the new mom time to heal. In the video, Cuoco tackles a range of moves, including step exercises, and incorporates resistance bands and an exercise ball.
Variety and Enjoyment
Keeping a number of workouts in your fitness arsenal can keep your body on its toes, and Cuoco isn’t afraid to try new exercises. However, she tends to stay loyal to her go-to workouts. “If I get a little bit bored, I’ll switch over to SoulCycle, which I love too,” she previously told Women’s Health. To keep Cuoco motivated, Sorensen likes to infuse a bit of fun into her workouts. “We just kind of get creative with balancing on the ball on our knees and doing a dumbbell press, or doing some plyometrics on the box or some med ball slams and ball throws,” he said.
Yoga
Cuoco called yoga “the secret” to her toned physique in 2016 while chatting with ET. “Yoga is the reason that I have been (looking great). It has done everything, mentally and physically. I love it,” she said. The star is particularly fond of hot yoga, as she told Women’s Health.
Adjusting Workouts for Roles
When she was prepping for Season Two of “The Flight Attendant,” Cuoco stepped up her workout game. “Her training regimen consisted of high-intensity circuit full-body training, like cardio, strength training, and lots of core twice a week,” Sorensen told Shape. “Hot yoga once a week, and a couple of days a week she would ride (cycling), which is a beast of a workout.” While training for an action role in 2022, the actor worked out with her trainer six days a week. “My job is to always be in communication with her, keep her motivated with result-driven targets, and always listen to her body to make sure we are doing what her body can handle at any given point,” he said.
Workouts to Avoid
Running isn’t for Cuoco, and she’s unapologetic about that. “I tried spinning, I tried running, I tried yoga, I tried Pilates,” she previously told Women’s Health. “I realized I don’t like running…I refuse to do it. I like spinning, so I try to mix that in.”
Read also: Beef jerky: A high-protein option for shedding pounds?
Diet and Nutrition
Cuoco talked about her diet in her interview with Shape. She says that she makes sure to eat healthy, but doesn’t want to completely cut things out. For this reason, Cuoco says that she has scheduled cheat days. Cuoco fends off the hangry horrors by eating every few hours. "I learned over the past few years that I have to eat every two hours,” she previously told Women’s Health.
Balanced Diet
Cuoco told Women's Health she typically starts her morning with peanut butter on toast, followed by something light for lunch, like half of a sandwich or tuna on a salad or in a wrap. For snacks, Cuoco said she likes to nosh on Luna Bars, a rice cake, pears, an apple with peanut butter and smoothies. At dinnertime, the star usually opts for something healthy like fish and veggies.
Cheat Days
“I know when I’m being good all week long that come Sunday, I’m going to lie by the pool, have a drink, and eat some pizza. Then I wake up on Monday morning and I’m all ready to start the week again. I’m just going to be in a bad mood all the time if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.” She allows herself one cheat day a week Life is all about balance, and Cuoco lets loose with her diet once in a while.
Avoiding Mindless Eating
It's tempting to turn on the TV and open a bag of chips at the end of a long day, but Cuoco has learned that this form of multitasking isn't for her. “I no longer watch TV while I eat. I think that’s a big distraction ‘cause you’re not thinking about what’s going on…so it’s just being very mindful,” she told Women’s Health. While chatting with Shape, the star also said she consciously changed her diet after marrying her ex-husband professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting. Eventually, I realized it was mindless eating,” she said, per Us Weekly. “I was just doing it because he was doing it, and it was adding hundreds of calories I didn’t even think about. So I cut that out."
Postpartum Diet
“Putting that incline up is so good for your muscles, and for your circulation,” Cuoco tells TODAY.com. “I’ll also walk backward, which is amazing for your butt and legs. It pretty much works everything.”
Healthy Eating Habits
Noting that she used to be "afraid to eat," Cuoco explained that she now knows "the right things to eat."“I’m much healthier now than I used to be. And I feel better than I ever have, but I also probably eat more than I ever have, which is interesting,” she said. “I’m actually eating smaller meals and drinking more water and less alcohol.”
Motivation
Cuoco makes sure to stay motivated to workout. She shared how she stays motivated to TODAY.com. “I remind myself that it’s just an hour of my day, and like eating, it’s important for my body and my heart,” Cuoco explains. “And you never leave a workout and go, ‘I wish I didn’t do that.’ Even if it wasn’t the workout you envisioned, even if it it was a little bit more low-key.