After wrapping Masters of the Universe, Camila Mendes, who plays Teela in the hotly anticipated reboot, gave us an insight into her workout routine – and how it changes depending on the role she’s playing. In a video published by SELF Magazine, Camila and her trainer Dr LA Thoma Gustin take us through her go-to full-body session, which the actor often comes back to between roles.
‘It was a very different type of training regimen, and I was obviously really trying to get buff and strong,’ Camila says of the strength training she did for Masters of the Universe. ‘And now I’m playing a character who’s very different to the kind of character I just played, and wouldn’t be somebody who works out at the gym all the time – so we found the balance.’
Playing Teela, Camila adds, shifted her perspective on strength training and what it means to be strong. ‘All of a sudden, I went from being like, I want to be super lean to being like, I want to be strong – and that was a really cool, empowering feeling to be chasing muscle,’ she says. ‘It’s kind of addicting – when you start to see those muscle lines, you start to really love being strong.’
And this full-body workout supports exactly that: functional strength. But it also includes mobility and stability work, as well as some conditioning for cardio fitness and heart health.
Camila Mendes’ 60-minute full-body circuit
‘Do the three exercises one after the other as it keeps the ball rolling. You don’t need a ton of rest between each exercise because you’re working a different muscle group [each time],’ says Dr Thoma Gustin, who adds that Camila will usually go through the circuits 3-4 times. And when choosing your weights, she advises using whatever will take you to 3-4 reps shy of failure at the end of the set.
Warm-up (6 mins)
Perform the warm-up exercises continuously. Do 60 secs of each.
Squat + overhead reach + heel raise
Hip hinge
Back lunge rotation on both sides
Lateral lunge + reach
Walkout with shoulder taps
Serratus wall slide
Circuit 1
A1. Half-kneeling shoulder press x 8-10 repsHolding a dumbbell on the same side as your kneeling knee, bend your elbow at 90 degrees with the dumbbell at ear level and your palm facing forward.Now straighten your arm and press the dumbbell towards the ceiling, then slowly return to the start and stop once your elbow and arm are at 90 degrees. A2. Tall plank rotation x 8-10 reps each sideGet into a tall plank position, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.Rotate your hips slowly to the right so the right hip faces the ceiling. At the same time, lift your right arm up towards the ceiling until it’s straight, following the dumbbell with your eye line.Return the right arm back to its starting position. A3. Glute thrust x 8-10 repsSit on the floor with your shoulder blades against a bench or step. If adding a dumbbell or a barbell, balance it on your hips.Keeping your chin tucked in, push up through your hips to lift your bum off the floorClench your bum at the top, pausing for a few beats – your shoulders, hips and knees should be in a straight line, without an arch in your lower back.Lower back down in a slow, controlled movement.
Circuit 2
B1. Push-up (or knee push-up) x 8-10 repsGet into plank position, with your hands under but slightly outside of your shoulders. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.As you lower yourself, tuck your elbows, pulling them close to your body so that your upper arms form a 45-degree angle when your torso is in the bottom position of the move. Pause, then push back to the starting position as quickly as possible. Keep your core braced the entire time. B2. B-stance RDL + rotation x 8-10 reps each sideHold a kettlebell or dumbbell in your right hand and step your left foot slightly forward into a B-stance.Hinge at your hips and lower the weight towards the outside of your left foot, rotating your torso to the left.Reverse the movement, rotating back to centre as you stand. B3. Bird-dog row x 8-10 reps each sideStarting on your hands and knees, extend one leg behind you.Holding a dumbbell in the hand opposite your extended leg, row it towards your waist.
Core
C1. Extension to neutral crunch x 8-10 repsWith an exercise ball under your back, perform a regular crunch, but starting from an extended position and going into a neutral position. C2. Lateral v-up x 8-10 repsIn one movement, lift your torso and legs simultaneously into a side V-sit, bringing your top arm up to touch your feet. C3. Ball slam x 8-10 repsUsing strength from your legs, bring the medicine ball down in a slamming movement, ensuring you bend your legs through the motion.
Conditioning
Sprint intervals – 4 x 20 secs
Cue: ‘Start at 75% and slowly go up until your last one [interval] is your fastest.’
Cool-down
Stretching x 5 mins
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.