Two years ago, Zoe Saldana made a big switch to her workout routine and traded Pilates for weight training.
‘I was a big fan of Pilates for like 20 years,’ she told the Wall Street Journal. ‘Now that I’m 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’t really need it if we’re doing cardio. 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.’
@zoesaldana//Instagram
Now, she trains with coach Elena Ferretti several times a week. For Zoe, staying consistent means early morning sessions, before her family wakes. ‘If I’m shooting and I have to be up early, I’ll wake up at 4:30 or 5 a.m. But normally it’s 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,’ she added to WSJ.
Her workouts are never long, either. In a caption for one of Zoe’s workout videos posted on Instagram, Elena explained: ‘Training doesn’t happen when everything is perfect. It happens between calls, chaos, and real life. This is what training looks like when you’re working on set: no ideal timing, no perfect gym window… just consistency built inside the mess of the day. Most people wait for motivation. We train because the day doesn’t care. And yes – even a short session counts when it’s done with intention.’
It’s about making her routine realistic and sustainable, and it’s paid off. Her training doesn’t just keep her fit for her three children, but it’s helped her build serious strength for her role in action series Lioness, in which she plays CIA operative Joe McNamara.
Below, try the six exercises Zoe does with Elena to build muscle in every area, as shared on Instagram – no machines necessary.
Zoe Saldaña’s strength exercises
Instagram @elenaferretticoach
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.
Instagram @elenaferretticoach
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
Instagram @elenaferretticoach
Lower into a curtsy lunge and perform small up-and-down pulses while staying low. Complete all reps, then switch sides.
Instagram @elenaferretticoach
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.
Instagram @elenaferretticoach
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.
Instagram @elenaferretticoach
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.
As Women’s Health UK’s 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.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – 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.