Last updated on February 21st, 2021 at 10:34 am

She’s going to do a superhero landing!

Ryan Reynolds made me like this…

But that’s what I think every single time I see Gina Carano now.

The sad part is I knew of Gina Carano way before her role as Angel Dust in Deadpool. I actually knew of her as an mixed martial arts fighter, and for roles in Blood and Bone, Fast and Furious 6, and a few others!

Now she’s continued on with gigs in Kickboxer: Vengeance (alongside Dave Bautista), Scorched Earth, and soon to be The Mandolorian!

Gina Carano Stats:

Height: 5’8

Weight: (approximate) 135 lbs.

Age: 37 years old

Gina Carano is actually pretty tall.

She’s not SUPER tall, but definitely tall among women we’ve seen at SHJ.

Normally the average height we see for women is around 5’4-5’6 with ladies such as Jennifer Aniston, Margot Robbie, Olivia Munn, Alicia Vikander, Sophia Bush, Tatiana Maslany, Evangeline Lilly, and a ton of others.

But then there is also that taller range, and among the tallest (even taller than the 5’7-5’8), are ladies like Gwendoline Christie, Gal Gadot, and a few others – with Phoebe Tonkin, Gabrielle Union, Brie Larson, Nina Dobrev, Daisy Ridley, and so many more coming in around that 5’7-5’8 range.

And, let’s not forget the shorter ladies of SHJ like Ariana Grande, Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Emilia Clarke, Lucy Hale, Julianne Hough and a good handful of others.

But, either way, don’t worry.

I write these routines for anyone and everyone.

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Gina Carano Diet and Nutrition

Gina Carano used to go through phases of extremely healthy and cutting style diets right into the opposite direction, but she has since changed her ways and decided to opt for a more sustainable approach.

In an interview with Furthermore she tells us all about her dietary approach and compares it to when she was fighting (and/or training for a fight).

Here’s a couple questions that really help us get a better idea of her style:

Favorite healthy meal:

Chicken and couscous with green beans. When I’m home, I cook a lot of chicken or fish and wheat pasta. When I was training to fight, literally all I ate was vegetables and white meat, then when I was done training, I’d go the complete opposite direction. I’m a lot more balanced now, and I feel a lot healthier.

Ultimate decadent meal:

Definitely Italian. I was raised in a very Italian family. Cheese ravioli from my family’s restaurant, Bistro Roxy in Reno, is it for me.

I do love me some cheese raviolis.

Although I generally ask for them with alfredo sauce to really lay on the extra calories (oh yay)!

And before me move on, Carano gives her reasoning for why you should take care of yourself:

Number one reason for taking care of her body:

To be healthy and happy. If you take care of yourself you can take care of the people around you. We take health for granted.

We see a lot of celebs opt for a sustainable approach like this.

That’s why our Academy Nutrition Classes (Monks, Minimalists, SuperHumans, Vikings, Spartans, Hunter Gatherers, Greek Gods, Samurais) revolve around helping you find the specific diet that is right FOR YOU.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons to HAVE the strict guidelines.

We’ve seen a lot of celebs opt for specific restrictions. 

For example: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Terry Crews utilize intermittent fasting(something I use daily as well), Mustafa Shakir and Madelaine Petsch are vegans, Brandon Routh and Frank Grillo opt for paleo, and tons of others utilize their own variations as well.

And, that’s just to name a few celebs from each, by the way.

You can check out our Nutrition Pillars for more information and articles on all of the above and more.

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Gina Carano Workout Routine Research

Obviously being a professional mixed martial artists means that Carano had a specific way of training.

But we’ll talk all about the different styles and methods she has used and continues to utilize within her routine.

Shape.com tells us:

Getting fit for a fight or the big screen is no easy task, and Carano is known for putting her all into every single workout. From traditional fighting moves like practicing her kicks and punches, Carano also works out with a trainer doing everything from running on the treadmill to doing static weight training to jumping on big oversized tires to improve her coordination and agility.

But, Carano actually admits to not wanting to workout in a gym setting if she doesn’t absolutely have to.

If she’s training for a fight (when she was) or needs to be in the gym for a specific reason, she will, but if not she’ll opt for other ways to stay fit and healthy.

Jumping back to the interview with Furthermore they share:

Her training routine:
If I’m training for a fight I wake up in the morning and do cardio to warm up, like running on the treadmill or jumping rope, then shadow box for about 15 minutes, then do about two hours of sparring and technique. I repeat the same thing again at night.

Favorite workouts:
If I’m not training, I like to do anything outdoors like hiking. If I don’t have to be in the gym I usually don’t want to be. I also do yoga and Pilates. Basically the two opposite extremes (laughs).

We see a lot of women opting for yoga, Pilates, and outdoor alternatives!

So for this one we’ll make a nice mix of intense training meets fun activity options.

As we know, though, Carano has also had to train for the big screen, and not just for her past mixed martial arts career.

She tells us about what her training was like when preparing for her role in the film Haywire back in 2011:

How she prepped for Haywire:
The training for the movie was actually incredibly intense. I’d do stunt training from 7am-11am, then gun training and Secret Service training. Since fighting brings your body forward so much, I also had to work a lot with a trainer on my back muscles and my butt to straighten me out.

Favorite fight scene:
My scene with Michael Fassbender was probably one of the coolest fight scenes in the movie. It was actually the first scene we shot. I was in a fancy dress and he was in a tux, and we were smashing glasses and throwing eachother over couches in this bedroom.

It’s funny she mentions Michael Fassbender actually.

Our other celeb this week is Gerard Butler and I immediately made the connection to Fassbender for their shared role in the movie 300.

As you can tell Carano would turn it up a notch both in the gym and her diet when she was training for a fight, but she tends to keep it fun, active and sustainable for everyday life, while the prep for her roles are just a nice addition to her activity options.

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Gina Carano Workout Routine

Training Volume:

3-5+ days per week

Explanation:

I’m going to be sharing some options for you to utilize.  I’m going to give you a full body workout routine for inside the gym that you can utilize a few times a week, but I’ll also be sharing some mixed martial arts routines, as well as other activities you can utilize to get in shape like Carano.  Like many other celebs, Carano likes to switch it up so it really depends on what style you’re going for.  Have fun with it.

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Gina Carano Workout: Full Body Gym Routine

**Feel free to turn this into separate days which can consist of push, pull, legs or upper and lower body.**

Warm Up:

20-30 minutes of varied cardio

Workout:

Superset One:

A. Incline DB Bench Press

3×10

B. Incline DB Hex Press

3×10

C. Standing Incline DB Flyes

3×10

Superset Two:

A. Arnold Press

3×10

B. Upright Rows

3×10

C. Front Raises

3×10

Superset Three:

A. Goblet Squats

3×10

B. Dumbbell Lunges

3×6 each leg

C. Glute Bridges

3×10

Superset Four:

A. KB Deadlift

3×10

B. Lateral Pulldowns

3×10

C. Bent Over Rows

3×10

Superset Five:

A. Cable Pushdowns

3×10

B. Cable Hammer Curls

3×10

C. Cable Kickbacks

3×10 each arm

D. Cable Bicep Curls

3×10

Gina Carano Workout Routine: Mixed Martial Arts Options

Carano says:

If I’m training for a fight I wake up in the morning and do cardio to warm up, like running on the treadmill or jumping rope, then shadow box for about 15 minutes, then do about two hours of sparring and technique. I repeat the same thing again at night.

Check out programs on the site from Coach Derek here: Moon Knight, Deathstroke, Daredevil, and Sagat.

For some Thai Boxing fun check out Anna Diop’s routine.

The Parkour Workout (Nightrunner) designed by Academy member Felix.

Gina Carano Workout Routine: Alternative Activities

Another thing Carano says is:

If I’m not training, I like to do anything outdoors like hiking. If I don’t have to be in the gym I usually don’t want to be. I also do yoga and Pilates. Basically the two opposite extremes (laughs).

We see a lot of women opt for these things.

Consider:

• Hiking
• Pilates
• Yoga
• Sports like Tennis, Soccer, etc.
• Running Outside
• Spin Class
• Group Fitness Classes

Have fun with it!

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