12 Lady Celebs Who Can Weight Lift Like No One's Business
From Kate Upton to Emma Stone, here are 12 Hollywood hotties who can lift weights with the best of them.
Overview
Think the weight room is strictly for dudes? Please. These days, women are lifting like nobody's business with models, actresses and pop stars alike all pumping serious iron for a variety of reasons. (Think toning, feeling strong, maintaining mental health.) From Kate Upton's impressive 225-pound press with her hips to the reason Khloe Kardashian "needs" to lift, here's why 12 of Hollywood's hottest ladies are reaching for the barbells.
1. Jenna Dewan
In a recent video posted to her YouTube channel, newly single Jenna Dewan takes viewers through her rigorous, nighttime workout with trainer JJ Dancer: and it's no joke.
"I'm about to get my butt kicked by this woman," Dewan said, before jumping into a trampoline warmup and subsequent full-body workout. The actress and dancer started off with barbell hip thrusts, followed by yoga ball tuck-ups, hanging tuck-ups, single-arm dumbbell rows and reverse lunges to round off the gym session. In celebration, she also took a moment to twerk. Who says you can't mix business and pleasure?
Read more: 13 Benefits of Weightlifting That No One Tells You About
2. Katie Holmes
In prepping for her new role as an ex-marine in the upcoming action-thriller "The Doorman," Katie Holmes took on a weight-lifting regimen to get the upper body definition of a career combatant.
"I wanted to be authentic to a person who trained in the military," she tells Women's Health for their April cover story. "Which means someone who wasn't always paying attention to the mirror and who was in shape not for vanity, but because that's what her job called for." A particular point of pride? Dumbbells. "I was a five-pound-weight person, and now I can do 15, 20," Holmes says.
3. Kate Upton
For Kate Upton, working out isn't about being a particular dress size, it's about emotional balance and feeling confident in her own skin. Not long before the Sports Illustrated model was seen pressing 225 pounds with her hips on Instagram, she opened up to Shape about her workout routine, which relies heavily on weight training. "To me, exercise is about working really hard in the gym to be healthy and feel good and confident about my body," the actress said. "Weight training helps me do that the best." She added that lifting has been a mental positive, saying, "I changed the battle inside my head to be about strength and having balance in my life instead of fitting into a pair of jeans."
Read more: Kate Upton Lifts 225 Pounds — With Her Hips!
4. Emma Stone
Three months before playing tennis legend Billie Jean King in "Battle of the Sexes," Emma Stone ramped up her workout routine in order to look less lithe and more athletic. How did she manage to pack on 15 pounds of lean muscle so quickly? Lifting. More specifically, deadlifting. The actor's trainer Jason Walsh joked to Glamour that, during her training, Stone "kind of became a meathead." The 29-year-old cut back on cardio and, during many workouts, pushed around a 200-pound sled. But her biggest accomplishment? Her deadlifts. Toward the end of her training, the 5'6" actress was able to lift 185 pounds, which is significantly more than her bodyweight. "Every client I've had, including Emma, finds strength training addictive," Walsh revealed.
5. Demi Lovato
In 2011, at just 22 years old, Demi Lovato checked into rehab for bulimia, self-harm and addiction. During her stay, the pop star was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and it was then and there that she knew she needed to commit to a healthy lifestyle. In addition to being a champion for the treatment of mental health issues, the social media star is a huge advocate of eating healthy and working out — specifically using weights. The reason she stresses strength training over cardio? Being strong is much more important to her than being skinny. "My trainer will make me look in the mirror while I'm lifting weights or doing squats so I can watch my muscles forming," she revealed to Fitness. "It's encouraging to see myself getting stronger. Now I get excited about seeing muscles instead of bones."
Read more: 7 Celebrity Diet Secrets
6. Khloe Kardashian
With a show called "Revenge Body" and an Instagram account that could pass for a fitness app, it's no secret that Khloe Kardashian is seriously into working out. But the 33-year-old doesn't just stick to cardio when breaking a sweat each morning — she's always sure to hit the weights as well. "If you're grinding away on those cardio machines 24/7, you might not be seeing the results you're working so hard for," Khloe wrote on her app in 2017. "Fact is, you need to hit the weight room, dolls! So many women are resistant to strength training with weights, but take it from me, it's your ticket to a tight and toned body and a more efficient way to burn calories and lose body fat." Tips for a toned body? We'll take it from Khloe.
7. Ashley Graham
Model, body positivity champion and all-around babe Ashley Graham is no stranger to posting her workouts on social media. Take one look at the 30-year-old's Instagram and you're likely to see photos and videos of the "America's Next Top Model" host crushing it at the gym, doing everything from boxing to double-band sumo deadlifts. When asked (by trolls) why she'd want to "loose the thing that made her famous," the model was quick to clap back by saying, "For the record — I work out to: stay healthy, feel good, get rid of jet lag, clear my head, show big girls we can move like the rest of 'em, stay flexible and strong, have more energy. I don't work out to lose weight or my curves, because I love the skin I'm in." Boom!
Read more: 16 Celebrity Weight-Loss Successes
8. Chelsea Handler
In 2016, Chelsea Handler debuted a new body — and it was seriously impressive. At 40, the comedian looked stronger and more toned than ever. And if you take one look at her Instagram, it's obvious that heavy lifting played a major role in her transformation. In addition to sharing videos of her barbell hip thrusts, the talk-show host posted a video of herself pushing 500 pounds on a sled on International Women's Day. When complimented on how "hot" she looked on the red carpet by Entertainment Tonight's Carly Steel, Chelsea held nothing back, saying, "I've gotten my body together this year. It's fun being in shape and strong. I'm like, 'Yeah!'" Sounds like a good reason to us!
9. Sofia Vergara
"Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara is a lot of things — smart, funny, talented. But let's be honest: She also has a bombshell bod. Over the years, the 45-year-old has been incredibly candid about having to work hard to maintain her strength and curves (as well as her general disdain for the gym), and the deadlift is among the exercises the actress does in order to stay fit. Just before Fourth of July in 2016, the Emmy nominee posted an impressive and relatable video of herself pumping serious iron along with the caption, "Getting ready to eat potato salad on July 4th." We feel you, Sofia.
Read more: 13 Strange Celebrity Diets
10. Gal Gadot
It's crazy to think that before Gal Gadot started training for her role in "Wonder Woman," the actress couldn't even do a pull-up. Needless to say, after spending six months of working out for six hours a day, the 32-year-old was in peak physical condition. In order to gain a whopping 14 pounds of muscle, each day Gadot did two hours of fight choreography, two hours of horseback riding and two hours of gym work, which, not surprisingly, included intense weight training. While the latter might be enough to scare some off, it was actually one of Gadot's favorite parts. In 2015, the "Fast and Furious" actress told Harper's Bazaar, "In my ordinary life when I don't work, I like to paddleboard and do TRX. I do cardio, but I don't like it as much. I'd rather do weights."
11. Gwen Stefani
How does Gwen Stefani manage to look so unbelievable at 48 when she has three little ones and one of the busiest schedules in Hollywood? By working out. When asked by Harper's Bazaar how she manages to balance it all, "The Voice" judge said, "There is no secret: You just have to eat healthy, work out and torture yourself!" Stefani also admitted that she's not one for yoga and Pilates, but more prefers to "work out like a man" by lifting weights or boxing. Stefani's trainer, Gunnar Peterson, told Pop Workouts that, in addition to doing squats and medicine-ball exercises, the No Doubt singer also has been known to crush an Olympic lift. Color us impressed.
Read more: How to Start Lifting Weights
12. LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes may look small, but don't be fooled. The country star can actually lift an impressive amount of weight. "I can bench press my body weight!" the country star told People. "I'm not just a skinny girl, I'm really strong." In addition to regularly throwing down on her yoga mat, the "How Do I Live" songstress works with a trainer in order to stay strong, fit and healthy. When working out, the 35-year-old does circuit training, which includes sprints, sit-ups, and leg and shoulder presses. The reason Rimes works out as hard as she does? Simple: to stay healthy. "I took my body for granted at 20," she revealed. "Now I realize how amazing my body is and how important it is to keep in shape."
What Do YOU Think?
Are you into lifting? Would you ever try it? If you do lift, how do you feel afterward? How has it changed your fitness routine? Which celebrity workout inspires you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!