Sophia Bush Conquered This Tough Leg Workout with a Smile On Her Face

Getty Images

Sophia Bush is best known for being an environmentalist, clean beauty advocate, and social activist. But ICYDK, she's also a total badass in the gym. Even though she rarely gives fans a peek into her workout routine, Bush's trainer, Ben Bruno, recently shared a video of her crushing some weighted hamstring curls — and yes, they're just as grueling as they sound.

In the clip, Bush is seen lying on a slide board with a weight plate underneath her and a kettlebell on her hips. She then lifts her hips into a bridge and begins sliding up and down the board, knocking out 13 reps of the exercise with ease.

"This is a seriously impressive display of hamstring strength from @sophiabush," Bruno, who also trains Jessica Biel, Chelsea Handler, and Kate Upton, shared in the caption. "If you've never tried hamstring body curls then you might think it's easy since she's knocking it out with ease and smiling, but if you've ever tried them before, you're probably going, 'How the hell is she doing that so easily?!' That's my reaction, too." (Related: 5 Sets of Workout Sliders You Can Still Buy Online Right Now)

This exercise is a great way to fire up both your hamstrings and your glutes during a home workout, but be warned, it isn't necessarily beginner-friendly. As Bruno said in his post: "A lot of pro athletes even struggle to do [this workout] well. Most people cramp after one rep and have to do it with their feet on the slides instead of the shoulders — which is a great exercise too, and where I recommend starting." (Related: The Best Lower Body Exercises to Tone Your Glutes and Hamstrings)

If you don't have sliders at home, you can easily substitute them for a towel or place plastic plates underneath your feet (which will work on carpet, too). If that's still too challenging, you might benefit from starting with a simple hamstring walkout where, instead of using sliders, you gradually step your legs out and back. (Related: The Best Lower Body Exercises to Tone Your Glutes and Hamstrings)

But if you're feeling confident and want to follow in Bush's footsteps, Bruno has some tips for you. "The key is to keep the hips up so that the glutes are engaged," he continued sharing in his post. "You basically want a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. If you feel strain in your neck, you can support your head with your hand, as Sophia is doing here." (Related: How to Fix Your Exercise Form for Better Results)

Adding weight on your hips will make the exercise significantly harder, which is why it's important to master it with your bodyweight first, Bruno wrote, so you don't slack on your form. Either way, he added, these will hurt — in a good way, of course.

"These BURN," Bruno shared, concluding his post. "So don't say I didn't warn you."