A Wilde Workout: How The Star of "Tron" Got Her Totally Bad Bod

How did Olivia Wilde sculpt those amazing muscles for her starring role in Disney's "Tron Legacy?"

For the answer I went straight to the man who carved her curves, celebrity trainer Patrick Murphy.

Olivia recently credited Patrick on her Twitter writing, "Thank you, Patrick, for making me temporarily ripped like a racehorse."


I want to be ripped like a racehorse! So I told Patrick to put me through the ringer, with his superstar Olivia Wilde workout.


As you can see, Olivia was already very in shape when she came to Patrick.

She's told magazines she eats a "sort of vegetarian" diet and takes spinning classes daily. So Patrick's work with Olivia primarily consisted of strength training to build more defined muscles.

To do this, he worked with her for about six months, four times a week, following an ever-changing and evolving regimen of intense circuit training.

After a 10 minute warm-up jog on the treadmill, Patrick put my wannabe-A-list attempts to the test. Here's what we did:

Full Body, Mini Circuit Workout (circuits repeated twice)*

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Circuit 1

Balance pad calf raises

Balance pad leg swings
External rotations w/ band
Balance pad reverse lunge/knee ups
Reverse flys w/ band

Circuit 2

straight arm pull downs on cables
iso lunge w/ shoulder scaption
standing hip abduction w/ band
shoulder flexion w/band

After the first round of this circuit I got pretty winded. Olivia's workout is not easy. I took a quick five minute breather before jumping back into it.

Circuit 2

chest flys on cables
sqaut/low rows on cables
running mans w/gliders
single leg knee bends on disc

Circuit 3

Balance ball hamstrings
Balance ball pelvic raise
Balance ball straight body raise

By the time we had finished the second round of the 3rd circuit, I was wiped out and we had reached our hour long training time limit. Patrick informed me that he had more planned, but we didn't have the time. Below is what would have happened for the rest of the workout.

Circuit 4

disc crunches
balance ball bridge w/ core circles
opposites meet on bosu dome
wood chops w/ band

We ended with some stretching, which Patrick says is essential for muscle recovery.

Stretches

stretch strap hamstring
Nerve glides
Figure 4 stretch
Pigeon stretch
2sec cobra holds
child's pose

The entire workout kept my heart pumping and my mind engaged the whole time. It was challenging routine, but I loved every minute of it.

Click here for a video Patrick did with another client with many of the above exercises and other of his favorites.

Circuit training is a great way to not only tone, but blast calories. The average person burns anywhere from 450 to 600 cals per hour.

Patrick says that this plan was just the beginning of his training with Olivia. He says the workouts got progressively harder as she got stronger.

"Another workout would be completely different and cover various lunges, step ups, plyos off bosu, the TRX, a little Kettlebell, various single arm presses, and single arm rows," says Patrick.


To try another of Patrick's circuits, click here.

Although I'm sure I didn't achieve the level of fitness expertise Olivia absorbed in her months with Patrick, I did take away some valuable lessons about circuit training. Many of these exercises will definitely be incorporated into my regular routine.

To be put through your own "Tron" workout, contact Patrick here.

*For a detailed description of any of the above exercises please feel free to email me directly at english.whitney@gmail.com.