Avengers Stars' Workouts

Avengers Stars' Workouts

Avengers Stars' Workouts

The Avengers are superheroes, but the actors who play them are not. So how did they achieve their amazing onscreen physiques? Through intense workouts, not special effects.

To learn what they went through to tone their muscles, WebMD talked to trainers Bobby Strom and Brad Bose, who prepped Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr., respectively. We also spoke with Steve Zim, the trainer who turned Chris Evans into a superhero for the first time.

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Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow Workout

In The Avengers, Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as super-spy Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow), whom she first played in 2010's Iron Man 2. For about two months prior to filming, Johansson worked with personal trainer Bobby Strom to ready herself for the role.

"We picked up with the same program as we'd used for Iron Man 2," says Strom, who is based in West Hollywood, Calif. "It had a proven history of working."

Strom describes Johansson's workout as "very high intensity."

"My purpose is to keep pushing," he says.

During her 90-minute workouts, which took place whenever she was in L.A., Johansson lifted dumbbells and straight bars, as well as worked with resistance bands, medicine balls, Bosu balls, and TRX. She would also do Olympic-style lifting and platform jumping, exercises that required explosive movements that would build muscle as well as develop cardio fitness.

Her workouts were built around sets of 25 to 30 reps, which Strom would have her do in one of two rotations: either five exercises each done four times, or 10 exercises each done twice.

Strom would also put her on the treadmill for 12 minutes. Each minute, she sprinted for 20 seconds and rested for 40 seconds. Then, he would get her out of the gym and into the parking lot.

"I would wrap a band around her and pull her backwards as she tried to sprint," Strom says.

During their time together, Strom focused on definition rather than muscle mass.

"You want to see that definition in the biceps, triceps, and shoulders, but you don't want the muscles so big that she loses her femininity," Strom says. "The studio didn't want her looking like Thor."

Before coming to Strom, Johansson had already developed eating habits that complemented her fitness routine, a diet which Strom describes as mostly vegan.

"It seemed to work for her. She didn't need a lot of protein," Strom says. "And she was eating small portions of healthy food. That's key. You could stuff yourself with french fries and call yourself a vegan."

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man Workout

Robert Downey Jr. had just finished filming 2011's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows when he started prepping his body for TheAvengers. He had eight weeks to put on 25 pounds of muscle.