Alicia Vikander’s Rock-Solid Tomb Raider Body Is a Red Carpet Secret Weapon
How Alicia Vikander Trained to Get Her Rock-Solid Tomb Raider Body
There are no shortcuts to becoming Lara Croft. Just ask Alicia Vikander, who began working out with her personal trainer, Magnus Lygdback, seven months before the filming for Tomb Raider, which hits theaters today, even got underway.
To be able to run, fight, and scale caves like Croft, the Swedish actress and trained ballet dancer followed an intense wellness plan that included eating five times a day (with lots of protein, green vegetables, and slow carbs), strength training, and mixed martial arts training. And that was just the beginning: Once filming started, Vikander would get up at 4 a.m. to fit in full-body workout sessions on the beach and inside the lush forests of Cape Town before her makeup trailer call time.
The results? She added 12 pounds of muscle to her naturally svelte figure, developed an Internet-famous eight pack, and ultimately relished every obstacle that came with portraying the powerful female character, down to every last push-up and chokehold. “She has a fantastic mix of traits—tough, smart, vulnerable, plus she’s kick ass!” said Vikander. “It’s a lot of fun trying to get into Lara’s head, and the challenge of getting to grips with such a physical role is an element of this project that I find an absolute thrill.”
It’s also a lot of fun, one might imagine, when choosing a big-night dress to show off said benefits. Think impossibly toned arms that create a striking backdrop to a strapless dress, a rock-solid core that peeks out from a streamlined shift, and a sculpted back that’s as breathtaking as the plunging back of a Louis Vuitton gown. Through it all, the actress’s confident posture on the red carpet speaks louder than words, instilling her with the commanding presence of a natural-born movie star. Here’s an inspiring look at Vikander’s hard-earned Croft physique.
Alicia Vikander Has All the Answers . . . Or Does She? Watch the Magic Diner Part II:
