Strength training has moved from the gym’s forgotten corner to Hollywood’s most talked-about workout. Celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Jurnee Smollett, Jessica Alba and George Takei are pointing to lifting weights as the single biggest change they have made to their fitness routines.
The shift matters because these stars are challenging decades of cardio-first advice, especially for women, older adults and busy parents who once assumed running or aerobics were the only path to real results. Their message is that strength work builds muscle, protects bones and delivers confidence at any age.
How Jennifer Aniston Rebuilt Her Routine Around Strength Training
Aniston told People she is “smarter about how I’m working out” and has learned to “really honor where your body is.”
Her partnership with Pvolve launched a Longevity Bundle inspired by her routine. “Strength training has made the biggest difference for me,” she said, adding that trainer Dani Coleman keeps her “getting stronger.”
How Jennifer Aniston Stays Fit and ‘Unlocks New Levels of Strength’ at 56
Her old approach looked very different. “It used to be pounding, pounding, pounding,” she told British Vogue, describing a time when she believed only long cardio sessions counted. She now uses resistance bands like the P.band and gliders that make her feel like she is “dancing.”
Even short sessions work. “I can do a 30-minute Pvolve workout and be drenched and have such incredible results without literally breaking my body,” she said.
Why Strength Training Matters for Women Over 40
Aniston has been especially vocal about aging. She told Allure that strength training is “the most important thing for women in their 50s,” warning that lost muscle leads to brittle bones and osteoporosis. “We fall down, we break a hip, and that’s a wrap,” she said.
She works out at least four times a week and told Women’s Health she wishes she had learned sooner that she did not have to “kill” herself to stay fit. “Our bodies need to be loved and cared for,” she said.
Her motivation trick is simple. “I will say to myself, ‘You can do anything for 20 minutes,’” she told People. On low-energy days, the first step is even smaller. “Just put your clothes on. Put your workout pants on.”
How Jurnee Smollett Built 20 Pounds of Muscle
Jurnee Smollett’s transformation is one of the most dramatic recent examples. To play former Marine Michelle Calderone in the Apple TV+ series Smoke, she added 20 pounds of muscle, reuniting with Birds of Prey trainer Jeanette Jenkins.
“We started lifting heavier and heavier and heavier, and she just kept pushing me beyond the limits that I thought I could do,” Smollett told Women’s Health.
When she first began, she could not deadlift 50 pounds. Now she lifts more than her own body weight. Her sessions include yoga, mobility work, glute activation, deadlifts, sumo squats, hip thrusts and cable kickbacks, plus boxing and stunt training for endurance.
Smollett said nursing her son, Hunter, left her body “really depleted of a lot of important nutrients.” Her joints felt wobbly. “That’s really where I started focusing on my strength training,” she said.
She told Photobook her approach evolved from mobility-focused work on Birds of Prey to bulking up for Smoke. “I wanted to make sure she had a more muscular posture than I typically have,” she said.
What Other Celebrities Say About Lifting Weights and Strength Training
Alba mixes hot yoga with light weights in a 105-degree room. “I have to break a sweat or I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anything done,” she told SHAPE. She credits martial arts, gymnastics, dance and strength training from her Dark Angel days for her athletic build.
Takei of Star Trek fame, now in his 80s, keeps a simple daily habit. “I do 100 push-ups every morning,” he told Attitude. “Strength training is important.” His broader philosophy is basic. “Eat, exercise, sleep properly.”
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