Movie-star plan

Action Heroine

Strong, athletic, toned

4 days a week
12 weeks
Intermediate
For women
Gym

About this program

The action-heroine look is strong and athletic: firm glutes and legs, defined shoulders and back, a tight core. Heavy basics for strength, glute work for shape, and short intervals for the lean look. Eat enough protein; do not crash-diet.

Who it’s for

You already train regularly and want more volume and intensity.
Written with women in mind; anyone can follow it.
A gym with machines, cables and free weights.
4 sessions a week, about 50 minutes each.
9–10k steps a day on top of the workouts.

The week

Warm up for 5–7 minutes first. Rest is the pause between sets. A1 and A2 (B1 and B2) are supersets: do one set of each back to back, then rest. Rest days: walk and recover.

Monday Lower strength: Squat & hip thrust

Glutes · quads · hamstrings · about 55 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Back SquatGoblet squat is fine for the first 4 weeks	4 × 6–⁠8	2 min
Barbell Hip Thrust	4 × 8–⁠10	2 min
Romanian Deadlift	3 × 8–⁠10	90 s
Bulgarian Split Squat	3 × 8 per leg	90 s
Side Plank	3 × 30 s	30 s

Cardio after: StairMaster, 10 min. Steady pace, no rails.

Tuesday Upper strength: Pull-ups & presses

Back · shoulders · arms · about 50 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Assisted Pull-Up	4 × 6–⁠8	90 s
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 8–⁠10	90 s
Seated Cable Row	3 × 10	75 s
Incline Dumbbell Press	3 × 10	75 s
A1 Lateral Raise	3 × 15	—
A2 Rope Triceps Pushdown	3 × 15	60 s

Cardio after: Stationary Bike, 10 min · 20/40 s. 20 seconds hard, 40 seconds easy.

Thursday Glutes & core: Shape day

Glutes · core · about 50 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Hip Thrust	3 × 12	90 s
45° Back Extension (glutes)	3 × 15	60 s
Cable Glute Kickback	3 × 15 per leg	45 s
Hip Abduction Machine	3 × 20	45 s
Cable Crunch	3 × 15	45 s
Dead Bug	3 × 8 per side	45 s

Cardio after: Incline Treadmill Walk, 15 min · 10%. Easy incline walk.

Saturday Athletic: Full body

Full body · grip · core · about 45 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Goblet Squat	3 × 12	60 s
Push-Up	3 × max reps	60 s
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3 × 12 per arm	60 s
Farmer's Walk	3 × 40 steps	60 s
Forearm Plank	3 × 45 s	45 s

Cardio after: Stationary Bike, 12 min · 30/30 s. 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy.

How to progress

Double progression: add reps within the range first. When every set reaches the top of the range with clean form, add a little weight (about 5–10 lb on lower-body lifts, 2.5–5 lb on upper-body lifts) and start again at the bottom.
Stop most sets 1–2 reps short of failure. Beginners stop 2–3 reps short for the first weeks.
Every 6–8 weeks, or when you feel run down, take an easier week: half the sets, same weights.

Food

Eat enough protein every day and match your calories to your goal: a small deficit to lose fat, maintenance or a small surplus to build muscle.

Find your numbers with the free TDEE calculator, the macro calculator and the protein calculator.

Modeled on how actors and models get ready for a role or a shoot. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any actor, model or studio. They also have coaches and chefs, so results vary.