A good workout can be exactly what you need to come back stronger mentally and physically, actress Taraji P. Henson is proof of that.
When the pandemic first hit and then started to drag on longer than anyone could have guessed, Taraji noticed her lockdown lifestyle was taking a toll on her physical and mental health. “I was like, ‘This can sink me,’” she says. “The older you get, the harder it is to get in shape. I didn’t want to be climbing out of a hole.”
Her low point was the morning she woke up with crumbs in her bed and a Cheeto stuck to her face. “That’s when I realized I had to do everything I could to feel good, or that depression thing was going to get the best of me,” she recalls. The first thing she did was hit the gym. “When I get those endorphins going, I’m like a whole different girl,” she told Womens Health.
Since August 2020, Taraji has been working with celebrity trainer Mike T., of Force Fitness, to build stamina and strength. Her workouts begin with a 16-minute walk on her treadmill, followed by an hour of weights, cardio, and plenty of abs, including sets of reverse curls to target the rectus abdominis and twists for obliques.
Taraji was so pleased with the results, this summer she posted an Instagram pic of her abdomen looking sleek and snatched. Immediately, the comments section lit up with fire emojis.
Taraji tells me her favorite exercises are “anything to do with the butt.” She loves squats, lunges, and especially deadlifts. The key to an effective deadlift, she says, is proper form, which took her a while to master.
She jumps out of her chair to demonstrate: “You have to keep your feet parallel and let your arms dangle,” she says, hinging at her hips. “Your focus should be on your glutes and hamstrings, so you actually feel the pull when you’re coming up.”
In an Instagram video shared by her trainer, Mike T. of Force Fitness Inc., the Benjamin Button star shows us all the right moves to tone up your arms, back and shoulders.
Watch the video on the next page and read on for four strength-training moves that’ll have you red-carpet-ready.