{"id":583060,"date":"2026-08-04T16:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/583060\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T16:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:08:14","slug":"zoe-saldana-transformed-her-body-with-weights-at-48-these-6-exercises-were-key-to-her-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/583060\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoe Salda\u00f1a transformed her body with weights at 48 \u2013 these 6 exercises were key to her routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, Zoe Saldana made a big switch to her workout routine and traded Pilates<\/a> for weight training<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2018I was a big fan of Pilates for like 20 years,\u2019 she told the Wall Street Journal<\/a>. \u2018Now that I\u2019m in my 40s, these last two or three years [I have had a] discovery and education around weights and women of a certain age. Twenty years ago, I would have been against it. I just felt like we didn\u2019t really need it if we\u2019re doing cardio<\/a>. But when your body needs a little more of a shake up and a lot more attention, a lot more consideration, rediscovering techniques that you would have otherwise disregarded has been really interesting.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\"zoe<\/p>\n

@zoesaldana\/\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Now, she trains with coach Elena Ferretti<\/a> several times a week. For Zoe, staying consistent means early morning sessions, before her family wakes. \u2018If I\u2019m shooting and I have to be up early, I\u2019ll wake up at 4:30 or 5 a.m. But normally it\u2019s 6 or 6:30 a.m. I like getting a workout in. I like waking up early when my family is still sleeping. By the time they wake up, I can actually spend time with them. I like getting ahead of Monday and not being behind Monday,\u2019 she added to WSJ. <\/p>\n

Her workouts are never long, either. In a caption<\/a> for one of Zoe\u2019s workout videos posted on Instagram, Elena explained: \u2018Training doesn\u2019t happen when everything is perfect. It happens between calls, chaos, and real life. This is what training looks like when you\u2019re working on set: no ideal timing, no perfect gym window\u2026 just consistency built inside the mess of the day. Most people wait for motivation. We train because the day doesn\u2019t care. And yes \u2013 even a short session counts when it\u2019s done with intention.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about making her routine realistic and sustainable, and it\u2019s paid off. Her training doesn\u2019t just keep her fit for her three children, but it\u2019s helped her build serious strength for her role in action series Lioness, in which she plays CIA operative Joe McNamara. <\/p>\n

Below, try the six exercises Zoe does with Elena to build muscle in every area, as shared on Instagram<\/a> \u2013 no machines necessary.<\/p>\n

Zoe Salda\u00f1a’s strength exercises\"Image<\/p>\n

Instagram @elenaferretticoach<\/p>\n

Stand with feet wide on two low platforms, toes turned out, holding a dumbbell between your legs. Lower into a squat, then drive through your heels to stand.\"Image<\/p>\n

Instagram @elenaferretticoach<\/p>\n

Hold a kettlebell in one hand by the handle. Step the opposite leg back diagonally behind the other into a curtsy lunge, then push through your front heel to return to standing. Continue for prescribed reps, then switch legs.Curtsy lunge pulses\"Image<\/p>\n

Instagram @elenaferretticoach<\/p>\n

Lower into a curtsy lunge and perform small up-and-down pulses while staying low. Complete all reps, then switch sides.\"Image<\/p>\n

Instagram @elenaferretticoach<\/p>\n

Place a resistance band above your knees and lie on your back with one foot on a bench or step and the other leg extended to the ceiling. Press through your heel to lift your hips, then lower with control. Complete all reps, then switch sides.\"Image<\/p>\n

Instagram @elenaferretticoach<\/p>\n

Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forwards. Curl the weights towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows by your ribs, then slowly lower.\"Image<\/p>\n

Instagram @elenaferretticoach<\/p>\n

Hold one dumbbell with both hands overhead. Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows to lower the weight behind your head, then extend your arms to return to the start.\"Headshot<\/p>\n

As Women\u2019s Health UK\u2019s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.<\/p>\n

After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine\u2019s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!<\/p>\n

Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner\u2019s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in <\/a>print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as \u2018Fit At Any Age\u2019, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.<\/p>\n

She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks \u2013 all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n