How three actresses buffed up

Hilary Swank

The goal: Sculpt Hilary Swank's slender body into that of a boxer, with a wide, full back and a boxer's round shoulders, a transformation that plays out on the screen in her Oscar-winning role in "Million Dollar Baby."

The workout: Two hours of boxing practice daily with trainer Hector Roca provided Swank with a great cardio workout as the actress prepared for her role by sparring and hitting the heavy bag and speed bag. So trainer Grant Roberts and Swank focused exclusively on weights and nutrition to help her build up her light frame.

Their workouts varied, focusing on single body parts, upper- and lower-body workouts, and opposing body parts. A key to the workouts, Roberts said, was "training beyond failure" using drop sets: For example, Swank would take a pair of 35-pound dumbbells to perform as many shoulder presses as she could, with Roberts spotting her to safely squeeze out the last few reps. Then she'd pause just long enough to pick up a lighter weight, say 25-pound dumbbells, and perform more presses until fatigued. She would continue to work her way down the weights until 15-pound dumbbells felt like a ton of bricks.

Because Swank was playing a boxer, there were no froufrou touches. How, for example, did she finish off a typical leg workout? A little move that Roberts likes to call "pushing the truck": He would take Swank outside and have her literally push an SUV in neutral gear across the parking lot. "Sounds crazy," Roberts said, "but it's a very good finisher for polishing off the legs."

The signature move: Pull-ups, to sculpt her back and biceps. Swank couldn't do one when training began. Nine weeks later "she could bang out 10 reps, easy," Roberts said.

The diet: High protein, low carb — more extreme than Roberts would recommend for the average person. Swank consumed about 4,000 calories a day, or more than twice what the average woman would need, but an amount that allowed the actress to build muscle weight even as she was burning substantial calories during her vigorous gym workouts. Breakfast: usually a protein shake blended with egg whites, oils, vitamins and minerals. Similar protein shakes were used as snacks throughout the day. Lunch and dinner: fish and lots of green vegetables. There was little variation, and on most days Swank's carb intake was a stingy 50 grams or less. "I'll be honest. It was not a pleasant diet," Roberts said.

The results: Swank gained nearly 20 pounds of muscle and impressive abs. She also earned the admiration of "Million Dollar Baby" director Clint Eastwood, who has bragged about Swank's transformation, noting that the movie billboard and posters that show Swank's rippling back muscles needed no photographic touch-up.

Source: Trainer Grant Roberts, grantroberts@hotmail.com

Jessica Biel

Jessica Biel

The goal: Carve Jessica Biel's muscles so she looks like a vampire-slaying, comic-book character sprung to life in the film "Blade: Trinity."

The workout: Five-minute warm-up on the treadmill, followed by three to five minutes of light stretching, then a weight workout that changed from week to week. Sometimes Biel and trainer Bobby Strom would isolate a body part, such as her shoulders. Other times, Biel focused on opposing body parts, such as chest and back, biceps and triceps, or quadriceps and hamstrings. This allowed Biel and Strom to keep rest time to a minimum and work muscles until they were fatigued. Next, a tough cardio session: at least 45 minutes a day, six days a week, with Strom keeping close tabs on Biel's heart rate. They rotated between using routine cardio equipment and martial arts, kickboxing and plyometric circuit training drills.

The signature move: Plyometric jumping squats. Biel would squat on a balance board, use a burst of power to leap into the air, then land back on the board and resume the squat position. She did 12 repetitions of this demanding move. "She loved it," said Strom, "but she hated it, too."

The diet: Three meals and three snacks daily. Breakfast: oatmeal with diced apple and cinnamon, and a side of protein (typically one egg scrambled with three egg whites). Lunch and dinner: about 4 ounces of protein (fish, chicken or lean red meat) with a vitamin-rich salad (spinach, asparagus, broccoli) dressed with lemon and a teaspoon of olive oil. Snacks varied but included soy-based protein drinks made with nonfat milk, protein bars or an apple and a dozen unsalted almonds.

The results: Although Biel was in good shape to begin with, she lost 10 pounds and reduced her body fat by 10 percent.

Source: Bobby Strom, mail@ksfitness.com

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner

The goal: Lean down Jennifer Garner's athletic physique into that of a "Ninja-like superhero — silent, quick and graceful," for her role in "Elektra."

The workout: Ten-minute warm-up on the treadmill, followed by a "movement-prep" workout, including light stretching, leg swings, lunges and squats, created by trainer Valerie Waters. Garner alternated between a cardio workout and full-body circuit training. The cardio workout typically centered on about 30 minutes of interval training: running hard for two minutes, then one minute of walking, before picking up the pace.

When circuit training, Garner would combine a series of upper body, lower body and ab exercises. For example: a set of chest presses, followed by a set of lat pull-downs, squats and then crunches on a stability ball. She would complete the circuit three times with little rest, then follow with another series of exercises for the same muscles. After three more rotations through the circuit, Garner did some light stretching and was finished. Garner worked out 45 to 60 minutes a day, five or six days a week.

The signature move: Reverse lunges with a medicine ball to work legs, glutes and abs. Holding a 4-pound medicine ball in front of her, Garner would take a large step back with her left leg while bringing the ball down to her right hip. After eight repetitions, she would switch to the other side.

The diet: A combination of protein and carbohydrates every three hours, keeping a close eye on portion sizes. Garner's breakfast typically included an egg-white omelet chock-full of vegetables, with a serving of fruit — ideally blueberries, says Waters. Other breakfast options were high-protein Kashi cereal with soy milk, or oatmeal mixed with protein powder.

Three hours after breakfast Garner had a mid-morning snack, such as an apple and almonds, or fruit with yogurt. Lunch was a salad with chicken, or a turkey wrap made with a whole wheat tortilla and vegetables. For dinner, she usually had chicken or fish, with more vegetables. Garner limited her starchy carbs, such as breads and pastas.

The results: Garner, is now long, lean, powerful — and tight: "This is the best body she's ever had," says Waters.

Source: Trainer Valerie Waters, ValerieWaters.com.