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That’s how she got her wonderful arms.
Natalie Portman trained for 10 months and adhered to a strict high-protein diet to get in shape for Thor: Love and Thunder.
“Natalie was doing five workouts a week and hasn’t missed a session the entire time we’ve been training,” Portman’s trainer Naomi Pendergast said in an interview with Us Weekly published Thursday.
The fitness trainer explained that 41-year-old Portman’s main goal was to build mass in her arms and get really shredded in the stomach area.
“The original goal was to define arm and ab muscles,” Pendergast told the website. “We also worked on stability and agility to prevent injury as Natalie had some dynamic stunt scenes where she had to move, turn and land in different positions.
“I was also very pleased that she survived the challenging stunt process without injury.”
Her workouts consisted of boxing, skipping, core work, and weightlifting.
And because she trained so rigorously, Portman, who is vegan, had to change her diet so she could get enough protein to build muscle rather than lose weight.
Pendergast shared that during filming, Portman would eat a vegan breakfast of oats and berries and a protein shake, and her on-set snacks would consist of fruit, nuts and salads. For lunch, Portman would have a vegan falafel dish with another protein shake, and for dinner she would have vegan curry and a third protein shake.
“This amount of food was obviously much more than Natalie normally eats, but it was important for her to maintain this throughout filming to maintain the muscles that she had developed,” Pendergast said.
The RPX Fitness director explained that despite providing the guidance, Portman’s dedication helped her achieve her fitness goals for the Marvel film.
“I provided the drills and instructions, but she did the rest,” Pendergast said. “She is focused, determined and humble. Natalie completed every session scheduled for the 10 months and gave 100 percent, even on the days when she was tired.”
The Black Swan actress opened up about her new muscular figure, telling Variety that she sees herself in a new light.
“On ‘Black Swan,’ I was asked to go as small as possible,” Portman recently told Variety. “Here I was asked to grow as tall as possible. That is a great challenge – and also a great attitude as a woman.”
She added, “To have that reaction and be considered big, you’re like, ‘Oh, this must be so different, going through the world like that. When you’re little – and I think so too because I started when I was a kid – I often feel young or small or like a patting person on the head. And that’s why I present myself like this.”
Portman’s co-star Chris Hemsworth also had to go the extra mile to prepare for his role as Thor.
As Page Six exclusively revealed, Hemsworth, 38, had to eat eight meals a day to look like the god of thunder.
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on Friday, July 8th.
