Shelley Hennig is steaming up television screens all around the world with her star turn in Netflix’s hit series Obliterated, but in order to get into insane shape and look stunning sans-clothing, Hennig knew that that she would need to give her all to the process of sculpting her physique. Thanks to her years as a competitive dancer, the former Miss Teen USA is usually fit and ready to go, but for the role of “Ava Winters,” and to be believable as a CIA field agent, Hennig enlisted a strength and conditioning coach to add around ten pounds of lean muscle mass. Here’s the “Obliterated” lower-body workout that completed the mission.
Trained by Simon Otero at Rough Rider Barbell Club in Albuquerque, New MM, Hennig had only a few weeks to prepare for her role as an elite special forces agent in the action-comedy-drama, “Obliterated,” streaming now on Netflix. As a former competitive dancer who loves to be active, Hennig usually maintains her fitness levels by attending sessions at Cardio Barre where she is able to execute fast ballet movements to get her sweat dripping and the body pumping. Hennig also loves to box and participates in Yoga sculpting sessions.
For “Obliterated,” the former beauty queen wanted to move away from the lighter ballet look, in order to present herself as a kick-ass character. To do that, she understood that weight training would be essential in order to get killer quads and a buff booty for those bikini and virtually-naked scenes, and so she enlisted the services of strength and conditioning coach, Simon Otero. “When Shelley came to me, the goal was to put on muscle while still maintaining an athletic and feminine look for her role in Obliterated,” he explains. “We achieved Shelley’s physique by an assortment of standard compound movements and accessories, targeted at building strength for the whole body.” It was a new experience for the star, but she revelled at the chance to throw herself into something new. “I’d never done that and, I don’t know, I felt jacked,” explained Hennig of the results, in an exclusive interview with M&F (read it here). “And I felt probably the strongest I’ve ever felt in my life and it felt really good.”
Compound movements such as squats and deadlifts engage multiple muscle groups, activating several muscles simultaneously, whereas accessory movements target more specific muscles or groups, usually involving a single joint. Examples of accessory exercises include leg extensions or calf raises. “A typical week would mix days of upper-body focus, lower-body focus, and a day of full body movements and conditioning,” adds Simon Otero.
As you can see from the example workout below, Shelley Hennig worked her whole-body during workouts, but usually with a focus on a particular area such as lower-body. Mixing compound and accessory movements is a great way to enhance overall strength and muscle mass because you are taxing a wide range of muscle fibers and building stamina as you feel the burn. Depending on your own level of fitness, feel free to try the workout below by making individual adaptions where necessary, increasing or decreasing the sets, reps, or time on each exercise.
The physique that Shelley Hennig achieved for those scorching scenes in Obliterated is anything to go by, this workout is a winner.
Shelley Hennig’s “Obliterated” Lower-Body Workout
Warmup
Dynamic Stretching
Seated Row or Ski erg — 2 minutes
Workout
Medicine Ball Slam — 4 Sets x 10 Reps
Kettlebell Swing — 4 Sets x 10 Reps
Romanian Deadlift — 4 Sets x 8 Reps
Goblet Squat — 3 Sets x 8 Reps
Dumbbell Farmers Carry for time — 3 Sets x 1 minute
Leg Extensions — 2 Sets x 8 Reps
Calf Raises — 2 Sets x 8 Reps