Barbie movie’s trainer shares full-body workout used to keep the cast in shape

Get a physique like Ryan and Margot using just a pair of dumbbells

Ryan Gosling in Babrie movie
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Whether you loved or weren't too keen on the Barbie movie, there’s no denying the cast looked insane. And if you’ve been wondering how Ryan Gosling got his amazing arms, sculpted shoulders and washboard abs, it’s all down to the help of celebrity PT David Higgins, who has now shared the exact full-body workout he used to keep the cast in tip top shape. Even better, you can do (almost) all of the exercises at home, you’re just going to need a pair of the best dumbbells.  

The type of training David used for the Barbie movie cast was strength training, which is any form of exercise that increases the size and strength of your muscles. This doesn’t have to be done using weights, it can be achieved by simply using resistance bands, or even just your bodyweight. However, lifting weights will typically put your body under more resistance, forcing your muscles to work harder and grow bigger.

What we like about this workout is that the exercises aren’t anything too fancy or complicated, it just contains classic strength training exercises. As we already mentioned, you can do almost all of these exercises at-home (apart from the pull-ups), so it’s a very accessible workout. David says to do 15 reps of each exercise and to aim to complete four to five rounds in total. Seen as we're not as fit as him, we'd say aim for eight to 10 reps of each exercise and do three rounds in total. Ready? C’mon Barbie, let’s go party!

  • Chest press
  • Pull-ups
  • Shoulder press
  • Bicep curls
  • Skullcrushers
  • Weighted lunges

A weight bench is your best bet to perform most of these exercises correctly and safely. If you don't have one though, then just make sure you're doing them on something very stable. If you want more Barbie movie workouts, specifically ab-orientated ones, we've also got Ryan Gosling's Barbie six-pack workout, which isn't actually as bad as you may think it is.

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Staff Writer, Active

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.