Before she was saving the world on the big screen, Gal Gadot had to undergo a transformation that was truly fit for an Amazonian warrior.
The -year-old actress is opening up about the intense physical journey of becoming Wonder Woman, revealing that she gained a whopping lbs. of muscle to inhabit the iconic role. While fans see the effortless grace on screen, Gadot admits the process changed her entire outlook on her body.
“Since I’ve started [training], I’ve gained about lbs., and it’s all muscle,” Gadot told Glamour. Looking back at her previous physique, the star didn’t hold back. “I look at photos from five years ago and think, ‘Whoa, I was too skinny. It’s not cool.'”
The shift wasn’t just about the scale; it was about the empowerment that came with it. “When you feel strong, it changes everything — your posture, the way you walk,” she added.
The road to strength was paved with sweat and some seriously early mornings. To prepare for her standalone film, Gadot trained for six hours a day over a six-month period. Her routine wasn’t just lifting weights; it was a full-blown superhero boot camp.
“We did a lot of gym work and a lot of fight choreographies and horseback riding and sword stuff,” she told ABC. “It’s been very intensive, but it’s paid off.”
Her trainer, Mark Twight, recalled just how far she came. When they first started working together for Batman v Superman, he noted that her “wrist went all the way up” and she couldn’t complete a single pull-up. Fast forward to today, and Gadot is crushing -minute circuits featuring bear crawls, burpees, and crab walks.
Interestingly, it wasn’t the gym that proved the most painful—it was the stable. Gadot spent nearly two hours a day horseback riding and was shocked by the toll it took on her body.
“It’s super hard!” she told Live with Kelly & Ryan. “When people used to tell me, ‘Oh I do sports, I ride horses,’ I was like, ‘That’s not sports. The horse does everything!’ … No, you’ll be surprised! It’s so painful!”
In a surprising twist, Gadot—who served in the Israeli military—admitted that the Wonder Woman prep was actually “a lot more intense” than her real-life soldier training. However, the actress says she wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
“I feel very privileged that I got the opportunity to portray such an iconic, strong female character,” Gadot told PEOPLE. “I adore this character and everything that she stands for — love, compassion, acceptance and truth.”
With a sequel on the horizon and Gadot continuing to inspire fans on Instagram and TikTok with her “girl power” energy, it’s clear she’s found her true strength both on and off the screen.
Would you like me to look up Gal Gadot’s current workout routine and favorite “superhero” snacks?
