Margot Robbie’s doll-avatar in Barbie has surely captivated us all, but can we take a moment to laud Ryan Gosling’s Ken-tastic performance in the film? Gosling bowled us over with his ‘Kenergy’, going from being merely Barbie’s pretty accessory to a cult leader, only to realise that he doesn’t need any of this to be himself. We’re definitely channelling this Kenergy into our lives! While Gosling sure hit the mark with his acting chops, many of us couldn’t take our eyes off his drool-worthy physique. Guilty? Not at all! When Warner Bros released Ryan Gosling’s first look as Ken, it quickly broke the internet as many gushed over his oh-so-gorgeous looks. However, it also left some people wondering whether his fantastic-looking abs were a tad bit plastic? Let us assure you that Gosling’s chiselled physique is anything but photoshopped! Curious to find out what went behind building this Ken-like physique?
Ryan Gosling strictly adheres to his workout and diet plans that whip him into shape for all his heart-throb roles. After looking at the training schedule from Gosling’s trainer Arin Babaian (via FitnessVolt), we’re surely impressed (and intimated) by how hard he toiled to build those rock-hard abs. Ryan Gosling and all the other Kens also followed healthy eating plans and did a form of intermittent fasting based on their schedules.
So, do you want to try out Ryan Gosling’s Barbie workout? If yes, keep reading!
Turn into real-life Ken with Ryan Gosling’s ‘Barbie’ workout
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Gosling reportedly followed a traditional bodybuilding split workout, hitting the gym five days a week for an hour-and-a-half session each. He had two rest days – Wednesday as well as Sunday, for recuperation. The actor spent these days in active recovery, indulging in activities like hiking or simply playing basketball with his pals. Here’s what the star’s training week looked like:
Monday: Back and biceps
Back and biceps complement each other like peanut butter and jelly! Train the back and biceps together as both of them serve similar purposes in the body –pull objects towards you or lift your body up. Whether it’s moving heavy boxes around your house or doing pull-ups in the gym, working your back and biceps simultaneously makes everything easier.
Secondly, since back exercises require a lot of bicep movement and vice versa, splitting them on different days will only hamper your recovery process. Training the two together allows for maximum recovery as you won’t have to do double the work on them on different days. The back and biceps combo is proven and effective. Lastly, it adds more variety to your workout routine. How? Since there aren’t many ways to work your biceps, it’s better to add back exercises to spruce up your routine.
Here’s a blueprint of Gosling’s Monday routine:
- Standing Dumbbell Bicep Curl: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
- Cable Lat Pull-Down: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
- Spider Curl: three sets of 12 reps
- Cable Seated Row: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row: three sets of 12 reps
- One-Arm Concentration Curl: three sets of 10 reps
Tuesday: Lower body
If you’re overwhelmed by day one, let’s introduce you to a gruelling day two of Ryan Gosling’s Barbie workout! Hate it, despise it, loathe it but you can’t ignore an arduous leg day if want a body as fine as Ken’s. A strong lower body helps improve posture and lower the risk of injury in addition to making daily tasks like walking, running, and jumping easier. Interestingly, a well-formed lower body increases your resting metabolism, which means you’ll burn more calories even if you aren’t actively working out.
From squats, lunges, jumping jacks, butt kicks, lateral raises, hamstring curls or shin-to-the-ground kicks – lower body workouts come in many different forms, all focusing on ensuring that your legs operate efficiently.
Check out Ryan’s lower body workout:
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Deadlift: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
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Barbell Squat: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
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Leg Curl: three sets of 12 reps
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Leg Press: three sets of 12 reps
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Dumbbell Lunge: three sets of 12 reps
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Seated Calf Raise: three sets of 20 reps
Wednesday: Rest day
What more could you ask for after an exhausting leg day?
Thursday: Chest and triceps
If you want to kill two muscle groups in one day, chest and triceps are the best bet. Since both are ‘pushing’ movements, it’s ideal to pair them together and one won’t impede the development of the other. Chest and tricep workouts help build your upper body strength and mass. It’s nearly impossible to find a chest exercise that doesn’t heavily involve the back of your arms. So, it’s only sensible to team it with tricep exercises.
Working these complementary muscle groups makes your workout time efficient as you won’t have to warm up separately for each of them. Remember to first start with compound exercises like bench press before moving to isolated ones that use a singular muscle. Some compound chest exercises primarily focus on pectoral muscles, while triceps & shoulders come secondary. By starting off with these exercises, you would have already worked on your triceps a little by the time you’re done training your chest, leading to optimum results.
Take a look at Ryan Gosling’s Thursday routine:
- Decline Barbell Bench Press: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
- Barbell Bench Press: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: three sets of 12 reps
- Triceps Dips: three sets of 12 reps
- Cable Pec Fly: three sets of 12 reps
- Triceps Cable Extension With Rope: three sets of 12 reps
Friday: Abs and core
If Ryan Gosling’s Barbie abs didn’t motivate you to get going, we don’t know what will! While building six-pack abs surely looks appealing on the outside, it’s so much more than that! A strong core translates into a more athletic lifestyle, providing stability to your spine which balances the whole body.
The core is the central part of your body, comprising the pelvis, lower back, hips as well as stomach. The stomach muscles are usually called abs. A strong core aids you in (almost) any sport or physical activity, prevents lower back pain, improves your posture, develops stronger breathing muscles and helps attain a slimmer waistline. With core exercises, you train your core muscles to work in harmony. Any exercise in which your stomach muscles and back muscles are used in coordination can be classified as a core exercise.
Here’s what Gosling practised on Friday:
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Russian Twist with Plate or Ball: three sets of 12 reps
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Hanging Leg Raise: three sets of 12 reps
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Back Extension: three sets of 12 reps
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Ab Crunch with Stability Ball: three sets of 12 reps
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Oblique Dumbbell Side Bend: three sets of 12 reps
Saturday: Shoulders
When most of you were satiating your gluttony over the weekend, Ryan Gosling was sculpting his shoulders in the gym. While broad and bulky shoulders definitely alleviate your overall appeal, they’re even more important when it comes to bringing stability to the body. Strong shoulders lead to an improved posture, make your everyday tasks easier and build overall confidence by improving your appearance. You can either dedicate an entire workout session to your shoulders or pair it with back or leg exercises.
The Barbie actor abided by this shoulder exercise routine:
- Rear Delt Raise: three sets of 12 reps
- Military Press: four sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: three sets of 12 reps
- Barbell Shrug: three sets of 12 reps
- Single-Arm Shoulder Press: three sets of 12 reps
Sunday: Rest Day
Congratulations! You’ve completed Ryan Gosling’s Barbie workout!
Ryan Gosling’s diet plan for ‘Barbie’
A regular workout routine has to be complimented with a healthy diet to reap maximum results. Celebrity personal trainer David Higgins, who trained the Barbie cast, briefly spoke about the diet followed by Ryan and all other Kens including Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir and more. He told GQ that the main rule when it came to diet was ‘no processed food’ as well as intermittent fasting windows depending on the actor’s schedule for the day.
Rather than depriving the actors of carbs, Higgins wanted his actors to be fuelled because of their hectic shooting schedules. What’s more, they were provided with on-set health smoothies to keep the show going.
(Hero image credit: Alamy/Warner Bros)
(Feature image credit: barbiemovieupdates/ Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: For building his 'Barbie' body, Ryan Gosling reportedly followed a traditional bodybuilding split workout, hitting the gym five days a week for an hour-and-a-half session each.
Answer: The main rule when it came to Ryan Gosling's diet was ‘no processed food’ consumption as well as having intermittent fasting windows depending on the actor’s schedule for the day.
